Early Morning Visitors

I have learned to keep my camera right next to the porch windows that face the backyard, for situations just like this.

There was just a small patch of early morning sun in which this doe and her fawn were basking for a few minutes.

I don't know what the doe was staring at as she looked into the ponds below her; maybe there were other deer down there. Last winter there was a herd of about 19 that moved through the open space behind our house -- a serious overpopulation problem, at least for any landscape plantings I cared about.

The doe and fawn were almost affectionate, often touching noses, even though this was a pretty big fawn to still be dependent on its mom.

This photo was taken right after I opened one of the porch windows so I didn't have to shoot through the glass (previous two pictures), and the doe immediately turned her head around to look at me. It seems like they can twist their head around to the side almost 180 degrees from front.

Then the neighbors let their dog out and she barked and ran to the back of the yard, down the hill from where the deer were standing. They went on high alert. The doe was still concerned about me, but was paying attention to the dog as well.

Both of them straightened up their head and neck as much as they could to peer into the neighbors' backyard.

The fawn soon got tired of being on high alert and stopped paying attention. Hmm... kind of like small children do.