deer, oh dear
Some of us were out this morning at violin lessons and running errands. During our last stop, a message came from home with an image of deer in our backyard! At home, we heard about how they had come in the yard, sniffing around and feeding on berries. Younger granddaughter had been excited and gone outside the back door but they were not alarmed. The two deer rested and chewed cud on the grass most of the afternoon, keeping an eye on us quite calmly whenever we looked out or stepped out for photos. Eventually one of them finally got up to feed some more under the berry bushes. After a little affectionate snuffling and licking of each other they quietly walked into the bushes in the corner of our garden and off through the neighbourhood.
We've seen deer and warning signs in areas farther from us for all the years we've lived in the area. This is the first time we've seen them right in our neighbourhood. Such beautiful, gentle creatures, I think these may be black-tailed deer. Yet we know how damaging they can be to gardens. Oh dear!
Marja-Leena | 27/10/2012 | 14 comments
themes: Canada and BC, Home, Neat stuff
They are very pretty and certainly look content to be in your lovely garden. Just a few days ago I read an interesting article in the Guardian about the surprising number of wild animals who are making their homes in London. It appears that as we move into their territory they eventually decide to reciprocate. Fair's fair. I just hope you don't have skunks making themselves comfortable.
Susan, interesting link which I've shared with "English'' daughter. She's been telling us about all the wildlife including deer in Sussex where they were living the past two years. I'm pleased for the granddaughters that they've seen the deer here. We were surprised they ventured here with construction noise next door. They really are used to humans.
Being close to the mountains we do get many skunks, raccoons, the odd bear when the fruit trees are full, I even saw a coyote on our street once. I've heard cougars sometimes come near homes right next to the wilderness. Yes, it is all their territory too!
Amazing creatures, but they love eating in the garden! One summer, they ate the tops off of each and every tiger lily.
Rouchswalwe, yes, that's my worry. A dear friend has a terrible time growing things in her garden in Victoria, they even eat her roses. They finally built a 12' high wire fence around the back garden. Anything lower they can just jump over. Oh dear!
They don't know they can be nuisances to us and they are such beautiful creatures it's easy to forgive them for eating the wrong things. I'd just like to stroke them!
What fabulous photos you take, I can never get mine to be as clear and sharp - what camera do you use, Marja-Leena?
Natalie, yes, we were just in awe watching them all afternoon. I mostly use our 5 or 6 year old pocket camera, a Panasonic Lumix. The newer cameras are so much better. Thanks, glad you think they are good photos though really half were no good, and the ones I posted here were adjusted in PhotoShop to sharpen and brighten. The last one is still not good, taken through glass and rain, but I wanted to show the berries they liked so much.
Marja-Leena,
we have the white tail deers, that has made it famously once they were brought from North America in the 1920's. And much of the same situation, as you describe there. Of course they are more common in southern archipelago which doesn't have very much of farming, except potatoes and apples.
I have some friends living down there, and they let peope quite close, as they're not giving them shooting permits as they do more in Central Finland farming areas.
Of course they cause traffic accidents as well as do moose ( how come moose plural is not meese???). I happen to be in Helsinki and poking around here as I'm cat sitting my friend's orange inside cat while her mistress is tending grandchildren somewhere in France.
It's been two years I was here last, and the traffic noise has, if possible gotten worse. It's stupid to have private cars in the area where public transportation is one of the best in the world. I don't understand.
Well, the deer get driven over by the cars. That is not nice, they have to suffer.
Marjatta, I didn't know that those deer had been exported to Finland, I wonder why? Yes, the deer get killed by cars here too, even with warning signs on the roads. At least we don't have moose down here but they are common further north, and do serious damage to cars and even trains when hit. (Go figure the English language, re 'meese'!)
Sorry to hear Helsinki has become noisier. I'm always relieved to leave downtown Vancouver's traffic noise for our quieter neighbourhood. I hope you are nevertheless enjoying a change of scenery - do you go to any cultural events or shows?
Left a comment the other day, it seems to have not appeared. I remarked they are beautiful, and certainly look very sleek and well fed on garden produce!
Lucy, sorry your first comment went astray. Yes, they certainly looked sleek and healthy. They didn't touch the greens in the kitchen garden, seems like the berries were the best. I wonder how many gardens around here have been raided?
We have a deer that beds down under the bridge about 100 yards away, and have had lots of wildlife invading--ducks, mice, voles, chipmunks, skunks, river rat, etc. A rabid fox bit a number of people a block away. The first person to show up at the hospital was a nurse who had been standing outside smoking. The dose is by weight, and she used up all the supply... Everybody else had to go to Fox (really) Hospital in Oneonta!
We survived Sandy, and this year no trees fell on our cars. Thankful.
Marly, that's a lot of wildlife, but you live in a small town, I think? Greedy nurse! And I'm happy to hear Sandy was not a 'frankenstorm' in your area.
Wow, they certainly made themselves right at home, didn't they. I used to see deer occasionally where I used to live, which was a bit more rural. I watched a small pack of them easily leap a fence that had to be 10 feet high - really amazing. I guess if these guys get bothersome you may need a high fence - or a dog! They are lovely, though.
Leslee, they sure seemed to be comfortable out there even when we'd come outside on the deck to look down on them, carefully as not to scare them off. Haven't seen them back so they must be exploring other gardens. Since the construction started next door, our adjoining rear fence was removed so there's access in the far corner, by which route they left. Yet they seemed to have come in via the front unfenced yard and the street.
Our eldest daughter lives in the country where the back of their large property is fenced, maybe 10' high, I'm not sure. She has seen the deer stand right next to it, then quite suddenly jump straight up vertically and over! They don't just take a run up to it and jum over - yes, amazing!