DEER ON THE FLY PHOTOS

Yesterday I saw this whitetail deer pop out of the grass and take off. Besides the deer there is something else of note in the photos. The grass,  it is so high and lush green it's almost unreal. They say the monsoon will be over starting tomorrow. It's has been a monsoon of epic proportions here in Montana. I've had over thirty inches here on my mountain.

©Kinsey Barnard

WHERE ARE THE FAWNS?

I have been waiting and waiting to see this year's crop of fawns. Normally they are born in May and out and about by June. I have had at least a dozen does, both whitetail and mule deer,  hanging about but have yet to see a fawn. That there are whitetail and mule deer here together is also unusual. The mule deer usually move to the high country as the whitetail come up from the valley.

Last night I think I heard a fawn squeal. I hope the coyotes or the wolves aren't killing them. That certainly could be the case.

Seems to me things are a changing in nearly all respects. There is an old Chinese saying "May you live in interesting times". I think we are.



The above photograph of a fawn frolicking was taken June 19th last year.

©Kinsey Barnard

DANCES WITH DEER

I started out 2012 with the best day I could have imagined. It was sunny and about 25 degrees. That sounds cold but it really isn’t when the sun is out. I truly love it when a plan comes together. So often I get a great idea but then it doesn’t turn out as nifty in reality as it did in my imagination.

Just before Christmas I got the idea that it would be very cool to have an iPod so that I could go out in my forest and perform my Isadora Duncan routine without upsetting my winter residents too much. I love beautiful music as much as I love anything. It is nirvana to me. It just occurred to me what an incredibly blissful experience it would be to be able to fill my head with the music that I love in the place that I love. So, I gave myself and iPod for Christmas.

With one thing and another I didn’t have the chance to try out my theory until yesterday but what better day than the first day of a new year? It just so happened about the same time as I decided to make my little dream a reality the mule deer band showed up. I know from experience if you want to scare away wild things treat them to the sound of a human voice. Even if that weren’t the case I can’t carry a tune in a bucket so I knew singing was totally out of the question.

Geared up with my iPod playing my favorite Enya album, I danced my way down to the house pond. The deer stood stock still in complete bewilderment as I swayed and danced to music they could not hear. It was so difficult not to sing out loud. I dipped and glided around the pond. What a graceful apparition I must have seemed, clunking away in my snow boots. I was truly transported to another astral realm.

Miraculously, the deer didn’t run off. After recovering from the shock of this strange apparition of a two legged moving in such an unusual way through their space the deer started to mill around, bucking and shaking their heads. It was almost as though they wanted to join in the dance. Either that or they were that or they were just expressing their discombobulation.

As I said I love it when a plan comes together. Man de lay va, this reality was better than even I could have imagined. Combining the best of nature with my idea of the best of music was beyond my imagining. Which is really saying something because my imagination is seriously capacious.

I often watch wild things at play and marvel, with no small amount of envy, at their complete abandon and obvious joy. That was exactly what this experience was like for me. The feeling was beyond any words that I possess. Talk about a rocky mountain high.

I had my camera with me but as you might imagine it’s a little tough to take pictures and dance at the same time. I stopped my dancing just long enough to snap off a few images. It’s got me to thinking maybe I need a camcorder so I can film some of the deer antics around here. Lucky for me my birthday is this month! :)

Young Spikey Buck Peeking our From Behind an Aspen. I could hear him thinking "What the..?"

Doe with one ear forward and one back. Clearly not sure what to think.

©Kinsey Barnard

SPACE SHUTTLES & APPLE DANCERS

Five days to launch! That is, five days until we leave for Alberta. It is a lot like a shuttle launch around here as mom makes plans for departure. I gotta hand it to her though. She has to do the preparation and planning of two people to get this show on the road. It really is quite a production to get us ready. I'd be happy to help but, well you know, I'm all paws. :)

A Winnebago View, Clementine, is our home away from home. We like to think of our outfit as a 21st century Conestoga, aka a covered wagon. And we are intrepid Westward Ho explorers. I really like riding shotgun in this wagon. I feel like king of the road. Bringing up the rear is Shadow. She is a Little Ford Focus. Don't laugh at me. I didn't name the darned things.

Mom is pretty proud of the outfit she has put together. We have all the conveniences of home but we are relatively easy on the environment. Clementine has a Mercedes diesel and gets 19 miles to the gallon and Shadow gets almost 40.

Clementine and Shadow

Not a whole lot of hiking or photography going on around here while travel preparations are underway. But, early yesterday morning, some apple dancers were by for breakfast. That's what mom calls them anyway. They were really whitetail deer jumping up in the trees trying to get apples.

Our place is part of an old homestead that was made in 1905. The apple trees in the meadow are of the same vintage, having been planted by the homesteaders. Remains of the original cabin can still be seen.

Our house overlooks the meadow so we can watch all the action right out the window. Deer love apples. They rear up on their hind legs and try to pick them. They kinda look like ballet dancers, the way they jump around on two legs. Anyway, like I said, mom's got quite the imagination.

The apple dancing thing is ok but what I really like is to watch them play. Boy, when those deer get racing around the meadow, chasing one another, it's quite a sight. They look like they are playing a game of tag and it's fun to see. Course, I'd rather be in on the game but we know that's not gonna happen. :(

Well, that's it for now.

Until next time .......

@Kinsey Barnard