Tuesday, July 18, 2006
SEASON OF THE FAWNSA few days ago we walked down in the cool of the evening to a creek bed nearby. A doe and a fawn startled at our approach, hesitated a bit and then ran up the steep side of the ravine on the other side and stopped. The doe looked back longingly at the lush grass around the creek, before giving in to caution and bounding off to a meadow in the distance where a herd of about two dozen were feeding.
THE DEAR MAN
Because of prolonged drought in the Hill Country, the deer and other animals native to this area are suffering. Very ea
rly one morning I hiked up a hill on a road nearby and was surprised to see 14 deer, including some little ones, at the top, standing either near or on the road. They held their ground for longer than usual as I made my way up. And when they did break and scatter, they didn’t go far. I soon discovered why they were gathered there when a man came out of a nearby house carrying two very large shopping bags. We spoke and he revealed to me the contents of the bags: day old bread and corn tortillas. He said the deer are very hungry and he feeds them both morning and evening. He makes a two-hour round trip every week to San Antonio, where he fills up his car and trunk with the bread and tortillas. I call him the “deer man,” or maybe the “dear man,” enjoying the play on words.
TWINS!
This morning I walked out of our small rural community to climb one of the three hills I scale each day (graded low, medium and mountainous). As I glanced left before crossing the road, I saw a doe and twin fawns cross just ahead of a car. So I turned and walked that way. The mama deer saw me right away and stood still with her head up and ears forward in that funny startled way that deer have, causing their head and neck to resemble a large “Y.” As I got closer she began to pace in a circle, pausing to look my direction often. The little ones just switched their tails and waited for her to make the decision: feast or flee. I didn’t want to drive them away but I sure wanted to see those babies! I stopped behind some trees, peeking through and watching from a distance for some time before turning back to my hike up the mid-size hill. Those spotted like tykes sure are cute!
Top photo by BugMan50 flickCC; 2nd Steve Walls flickrCC; 3rd Andrew Poth flickrCC
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