Thursday, September 3, 2009

...someone is watching me!

Walking along the Little Miami River the other day, I was surprised when I glanced to my right to find this sweet fawn looking directly at me! Usually I hear white-tailed deer before I see them. Snapping twigs or the rustling of leaves on branches often announce them as they lightly make their way down well-worn hillside trails, never slipping, cautious and gorgeous, but sometimes a rhythmic dull thudding rises up from the lowlands beside the river, and I catch them running, their hooves pounding into the compacted and decaying leaves beneath them as they rush through—which is always the best! Watching a small family race through the green leaves, bounding over rivulets or fallen branches is spellbinding, but this encounter was pretty cool too. I have no idea how long the fawn had been watching me. She wasn’t afraid. Just curious it seemed. Eventually her mom and another fawn came up behind her and then they moved on, but she was last. After the other two past, she slowly turned and went with them.



30 comments:

Elaine said...

Oh, Kelly, what a special encounter! The photos and commentary are lovely.

Sebastian Molano said...

Hi, Kelly. Hermosas fotografias muy bien ambientadas.
regards

Jayne said...

Pure sweetness Kelly!

Laure Ferlita said...

What an incredible gift to receive! Thanks for sharing!

Emma Anderson said...

What a beautiful creature.

Sue said...

What a lucky lucky gal you are.
Don and I have come across a mother and her TRIPLETS on several occasions here, but she gets them out of the way so fast, there's no chance to get a photo. Only one person in the area was able to get a picture---on his wildlife cam.

Susan Ellis said...

Gorgeous shots...we see them around here quite often, but,mostly running across the road to disappear into the woods.

Busy Bee Suz said...

She is gorgeous. She must have been the curious girl out of the group.
I saw a cute little one this morning, it kinda starred at my car for a moment then took off for water. So sweet.

RuthieJ said...

Don't you just love those ears?
Great pictures Kelly!

Roy said...

Looks like that one's still too young to have learned to be wary of humans. Good catch, Kelly.

Montanagirl said...

Terrific photos of a very special youngster. They are just so beautiful, and trusting.

Janice K said...

Don't you just love those close encounters....I always feel like I have been given a special blessing from God when they happen. However, they never seem to happen with my camera in hand.

Thank you...for the beautiful pictures.

Chris said...

Oh my, what a nice encounter. She is a beauty and you got very nice shots! Who know, maybe I will cross a reindeer one day ;-)

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Isn't she just beautiful, Kel???? I'm glad you saw her and got her picture... Just PERFECT.

Have a great weekend.
Hugs,
Betsy

Steve Willson said...

A neat trick when you see fawns is to hold up a white handkerchief and wave it up and down a couple of times. I've had very young fawns run right over and stare up at me. Older fawns are less likely to come over, but a lot of times they will step out of cover to get a better look at you. I once had an upset doe stomping her hoof at me while I tried to shoo her fawn away. The fawns must associate the white handkerchief with Mamma's tail. Sometimes it doesn't work at all and other times it almost works too well.

Jenny said...

She's absolutely beautiful Kelly. I think she was waiting to have her photo taken! (-: Those moments of encounter are ones to treasure.

holdingmoments said...

That must have been a great moment Kelly. What a beauty she is.

Wai Yien said...

Kelly, I know it is a deer, and a juves too. What species is this?

Lovely spots on her skin and good shots.

Unknown said...

Aww, what a sweety. So cute and how neat to have her so close. Lovely.

FAB said...

Another magical moment Kelly. FAB

Kathie Brown said...

How sweet!

Coy Hill said...

Sweet shots! Fawns are always so innocent looking.

Ann said...

This is lovely. I grew up near the Little Miami River but in an area probably too populated for many deer. How nice you have a trail to spend time on to appreciate the natural beauty of the area.

Snowbabies said...

awwww what a cutie :o)

Debbie

ShySongbird said...

Oooh Bambi! How gorgeous! what a very beautiful creature and beautifully photographed too, they always look so gentle :)

Cindy said...

Beautiful little fawn and your description was wonderful.

Sekhar said...

me too watching ;) good shots.

Kelly said...

...isn't she a cutie!!! I just LOVE it when nature slows down and lets you observe...and study...and marvel. The white-tail fawn is gorgeous with her little spots, big ears and intent gaze.
....Dave.....I love your technique of waving the white flag to imitate the mamas white tail. (With my luck, papa would be near and huff on over to investigate!) I'm going to tuck a hanky in my bird bag and give it a try the next time I see a baby...hopefully everyone else has seen your tip as well!!

Anonymous said...

These are beautiful Kelly.

E said...

This Bambi photos are sooo lovely.
Great timing, Kelly. Big hugs.