Don is forever coming to the door of the Q after sitting outside and saying, “Get the camera and come here!” This morning, look what he found just a few yards from the Q! I call this one… I’m so creative…. “#3” #3 is not even twelve inches long… so tiny. She laying with her back to us and looking back. They sleep like that, but she’s awake now. Those ears is how Don realized we have a new baby in the orchard.
A woodpecker tried to distract us as we watched #3. This bird sure was fussing. The trees are getting so dry that he wasn’t finding anything to eat or drink in there.
Soon, #3 was in the sun.
CCCRRRAAACCCKKK!
What would cause a perfectly healthy looking limb to fall out of a pecan tree?
That is not a small limb!
To answer the question, limbs are falling because of the lack of rain. The wood is getting dry; the pecan wood is soft; it breaks from it’s own weight.
See how dry the ground is.
I guess I’m pretty obsessed with baby deer right now. From 25 yards away, with the naked eye, this looked like a fawn. Even through the zoom lens, it still looks similar to a fawn, to me. Do you see it?
This area was irrigated night before last. Didn’t do much good. The park owners are only allowed so many hours of water from the creek and it’s not nearly enough to water the entire orchard. It’s really an effort in futility. But the deer appreciate the few sprigs of green grass the water provides.
About 11:30 AM, #3 got hot in the sun and moved around to the dark side of the tree where her mama left him this morning before sunrise. … Peek a boo!
I’m loving this face. If I could, she would fit in my two cupped hands. (I don’t know whether to call #3 him or her… really don’t like to say “it.”)
It didn’t take the herd long to find the big limb with GREEN leaves laying in the orchard. They ran to chow down.
Mama came to check on #3, but she was very nonchalant about it and didn’t stay around long. We were in the Q, taking pictures through the window, so she was stressed about leaving her baby there, by the first tree in the picture.
So he/she laid it’s head down and took a nap.
About 3:20 PM, mama doe returned for her baby, nudge it to get up and nurse for a few minutes and then headed toward the thicket with #3 following. I’m beginning to understand why the mama doe waits so long before coming back to feed the baby. She’s allowing the fawn to get hungry enough that they are certain to nurse, plus, it may take that long for their milk to “come down.” Without nursing first, the fawn would not have followed mama. We humans are a lot like that… we do follow the food, right?
Mama doe stopped again, just so I could get these pictures, and allow #3 to nurse again. She nursed for two or three minutes. If there’s milk, that’s long enough for her to get an ounce or two. They only need about four ounces two or three time a time, when newborn.
And follow mama she did, just like she’s supposed to do. (Poor little #1 didn’t have a mama to follow.)
The patriarch made an appearance today. The lure of the fallen pecan branch was too much for him to resist.
The Axis deer herd did a good job stripping the leaves. There’s a few left, but they must be hard to reach.
We were invited by Tony and Peggy to go for a hamburger this evening for supper. Yes, I said “supper.”
We enjoyed visiting with them. Tony will be the chaplain here this winter after we leave. They are really looking forward to being here with the Winter Texans.
1 comment:
Such a tiny little guy/gal? The wonders of creation, even the tiny little deer, the Lord does provide for. How much more He provides for us. Glorify His name.
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