Very Fawny!

The past twenty four hours have been filled with live theater here at Dancing Deer Ranch.

Last night a fawn tried to get to know buck. It was really hysterical. The first thing that happened was the fawn tried to find a teat on the buck and you can imagine the reaction that got. The buck, just now in velvet, did not have a clue what to make of this tiny, fractious fawn. The doe was nearby and wasn't in the least concerned. It was quite a show and last nearly a half hour in duration. So entertaining I didn't get my camera out until it was almost over.

The grass is so tall you can barely make out the fawn but they are nose to nose.

This morning another doe with twin fawns came to call and the little ones put on quite a show. It's been so cold and rainy I always worry about the babies coming into such and unwelcoming world. But, these little guys seemed to revel in the cool morning as they explored and raced around with reckless abandon.

©Kinsey Barnard

My Week in Pictures

A selection of images that shows the kinds of things I got to see this week.

Koty riding on the four wheeler. Not much snow but that would change overnight.

Walden Pond still frozen

Took this through the bedroom window which is why you see the reflection above her head. This is my special girl Daisy. It won't be long now and she will be returning to the high country. I'll certainly miss her.

Mule deer mom and her baby down at the house pond

Mom doing a little grooming

Baby posing at the pond.

Baby wondering what I am up to.

Over at the creek

Another view of the creek

The moon setting over the forest.

Kootenay Rockies, British Columbia

Kootenay Rockies, British Columbia. This is my ninth winter in northern Montana and this is the most snow I have seen. You can only see it a little bit but it was just beautiful the way the wind was blowing the snow off the peaks.

The Canadian Rockies with the Elk River in the foreground. Fernie, British Columbia. Fernie is a great little ski town and only about forty-five minutes form my place in Montana

Kootenay Rockies, British Columbia

Sun setting on another beautiful week.

My Week in Pictures

These are just some of the wonders that my eyes beheld this week. There are a few more in posts from earlier in the week.

Dang me! Dang me! They ought to take a rope and hang me! Nobody should be this fortunate.

The Street Where I Live

Ice and Snow on the Walls at Lake Koocanusa

Ice Fall

Just a wall but to me a work of art

Just Another Sunset

The Shores of Lake Koocanusa

Beautiful Brown Eye

You can't really see it, so you will have to take my word for it, a perfect image of the forest and the sky is reflected in her eye.

©Kinsey Barnard

Mule Deer, Koty Bear & Doe Eyes

Well, goody goody gum drops! We are finally starting to have a respite from the snow and a bit of a thaw. This will be my ninth winter up on this mountain and this is the harshest fall since I moved here. My father used to say that when winter started early the overall winter kinda petered out. We'll see how well that works.

Koty Bear loves winter the more snow and cold the better. He literally whines to be let out when we go subzero. Below is a photo of him dashing through the snow.

Koty Bear Loping Through The Snow

For winter sports Koty and the mule deer like to play a bluff-charge game. Koty, being true to his nature is unreliable off lead so he must always be either on a leash or in an enclosure. He has a tether that allows him to go in and out of the house, go out on the lawn to take care of business and lounge on the deck. When the mule deer return for the winter they soon take up where they left off. The deer know just how close they can get to Koty without him being able to reach them. The deer will approach to just within Koty's reach and dare him to come after them. Koty will try and fake them out by hanging back hoping to draw them into his range. It's really quite the cat and mouse game and a lot of fun to watch.

Koty Bear And Mule Deer Playmates

I have been spending a lot of time with my deer. They are a wonderful diversion. I can sit out in the snow and watch them by the hour. And, of course, I cannot resist taking a few photos. I just love the mule deer. They are so gentle and serene, not at all like the whitetail. They are a life lesson for me. They also have very cute butts.

Mule Deer Behind

You will notice the black tip on her tail. Although, everyone around here calls them mule deer or mulies they are also referred to as blacktail deer.

There is one old doe that has been coming to keep me company for several years now. I call her "Doe Eyes". This doe has the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen on a mulie or any dear. For the most part mulie eyes are solid brown and although big and beautiful there is not a lot of texture to them. But, Doe Eyes is in a league of her own.

Doe Eyes

Her eyes are very large and instead of being a solid brown they are more like a horse's eyes that have variation and texture. They are just stunning.

Doe Eyes

There is something elses very unusual about her eyes. They are set quite a bit more forward than is common. I don't know if you know or not but you can tell if an animal is a predator or a prey animal by the set of the eyes. Predators like mountain lions, and wolves have eyes set up front whilst prey animals like deer and elk have eyes set on the sides given them greater peripheral vision. Also note where your own eyes are located.

I'm hoping before this winter is done that I can get a closeup up just of her eye so that you can see how truly beautiful they are.

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

Mule Deer, Whitetail, Hawk, Eagle & Tanager Images

The mule deer are still sticking around. It's still snowing in the high country. They are starting to look a little natty as they shed their winter coats. Soon they will be a beautiful tan color.

Mule Deer

The whitetail are also here and soon should be starting to drop their little babies. The photo below is of a what is going to be a very nice whitetail buck. His antlers are now only little velvet nubbins but from the size of those nubbins he's going to be a beauty. What a curse. The more beautiful they are the more determined people are to kill them. Please spare me the rhetoric about the necessity of management. I understand the need. I also understand few go out looking for deer without antlers, no bragging rights you see.

Whitetail Deer

When this buck saw me he took off with his flag flying. I just love whitetail tails when they run.  The deer have been incredibly frisky, flying around my meadow with reckless abandon weaving in and out between the apple trees. I watch for at least twenty minutes almost everyday. They are so happy and high spirited. Such incredible joi de vivre. That they share their joy with me is so very special.

Whitetail Deer

Down along the Tobacco we saw this red-tailed hawk take off. Big dude this one was.

Red-Tailed Hawk

Last year I noticed some eagles hanging around the river down by Pidgeon Bridge. I guess they decided it had home potential because they have built a nest high in an old cottonwood along the river. In the photo you can just make out the nappy little head of a baby bald eagle. It's in front of the eagles chest on the right.

Bald Eagle

Also, spotted a Tanager. I often mistake this bird for an Oriole they have similar coloring.

Western Tanager

They are quite pretty birds.

Western Tanager

Well, that's just a little of what Nature had in store for me the past couple of days, a never ending kaleidoscope of indescribable beauty.

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

Mule Deer in Winter

**
This past week Koty made it on to the out an injured list. My poor boy just cannot get it through his head that he is not a puppy anymore. He gets so excited and rambunctious that he throws his back out of whack. As my vet says "Siberians are NOT the most stoic of dogs." That's an understatement. When moves the wrong way he screams like someone is sticking him with a red hot poker. As with me, when this happens there's not much you can do but take aspirin and tough it out.

Koty Out and Injured

So, there wasn't much hiking or traveling around searching for photo opportunities. We pretty much hung around the ranch and I entertained myself by photographing the mule deer.

Mule Deer Traversing the Meadow

One of the interesting things about winter photography can be that you get nearly black and white photos without shooting in black and white. And you get just a hint of natural color from the landscape. Of course, you can always make this happen n Photoshop but I prefer to shoot nature naturally.

Mule Deer Doe

The other thing you will notice is how well they blend in to their surroundings. In winter deer predators are abundant in this environment. Mule deer must be particularly alert to wolf packs and mountain lions. The mountain lions on this mountain are enormous. So are the wolves.

Mule Deer Foraging for Grass

The gal below was so pretty resting in the snow with the last little bit of sunlight reflecting just off her big mule deer ears.

Catching the Last of Winter Rays

I really love mule deer. They are elegant and charming creatures. Much less skittish than the whitetail deer. Before the winter is over they will let me draw very close without a care in the world.

Mule Deer Portrait

That's it from Dancing Deer Ranch.

The End


GREAT GIFT IDEA!!!! MOTHER AND CHILD


©Kinsey Barnard Photography

MY PHOTO PICK OF THE WEEK

Naturally, I'd be delighted if you were to purchase but looking is free and you should see this photo if you are interested in the old west. It's truly lovely and will transport you to another time, if only for a moment.