Oh Deer, Better Late Than Never...

     It's summer, my favorite season of the year, and I've been slacking lately. Opportunity and adventure calls and I take it, because, why not? Baseball, the beach, and more baseball grabbed at my attention this week, but I did forget about a cute encounter last weekend...
     On July 4th, my husband and I visited his family up in Rockland County. In the afternoon we got out of the house and drove around to Hook Mountain and on the way found another family, out and about...

We pulled the car over to the side of the road and fawned over this family of three, mom and her two youngsters. White-tailed deer are common, and considered by many a nuisance. But I love seeing them, and I mean, c'mon-- look at that face!

Mom didn't seem too concerned as she munched on a pile of pruned oak leaves. It'd funny how we consider deer a nuisance, but it's because of us they do so well. Deer thrive on edge habitat, where a forest boarders a cleaning. The cleaning provides food, the forest provides cover and protection. So upstate, we clear trees away for lawns, but property often boarders wild habitat- and, VOILA! Edge habitat! So, really we only have our selves to blame for making such ideal space-- and after eradicating their natural predators, deer are doing rather well.

The whole fan! You can see how the fawn farthest back really blends well, those white spots on the fawn's back help to break up their shape and allow them to camouflage well into brush.

And, oh yes, all these were taken from the backseat of my father-in-laws Ford F-150, so we are out of the car. It was almost like we were all observing each other.

"Look, Ma!"
"...Yes, I see, dear (deer?)."
"YOU'RE NOT LOOKING!"
"Yes, I am. I have eyes on the back of my head..."