Whitetail Deer

I may have mentioned before that a small herd of deer frequently visit our yard, most of the time just passing through to the creek or over the neighbors fence to the pond. (Occasionally munching on my hosta and other so-called "deer-resistant" plants.) In the winter, we see 8 to 12 of them together. But in the spring, I see one doe and her fawns regularly. The first year I noticed her, there was one fawn. Last spring she had two. These photos are of her and her offspring, yearlings now.






The mama is most definitely expecting again. These photos were taken on May 15th. The last two sightings this week have only been of one of the yearlings. I'm wondering how many new fawns I may see this year.



My blogging friend Willard tells me that a small herd is usually one extended family group. Likely, the yearlings will continue to travel with their mama even once the fawn or fawns are born.



This isn't the best photo--I have a hard time composing the shot when the subject is moving--but I am including it so you can see how large the mama's abdomen is. I have no way of knowing her "due date" but judging from this picture and her recent absence from my yard, I am guessing she's already delivered.

Come back and visit--I hope to have some photos of the young one(s) soon.