Camera Critters: The Fawns Arrive

The doe featured in last week's Camera Critters usually visits the meadow each morning and evening.  She was there on the morning of June 9th, but did not appear that evening or the following morning, so after the other deer left the meadow on Thursday morning, I checked out some of the nearby woodlands and found her alternating between feeding and lying down.

Doe Resting In Woods After Giving Birth

At first I thought I had arrived in time to witness the birthing process, but closer observation indicated that she had already given birth, as her flanks were sunken.  It is sometimes very hard to tell if they have given birth or not as the abdomen may still be distended for several days after birth and some older does, never quite regain the slim, trim lines that they once had when not pregnant.

She did come to the meadow on Friday morning and I was able to document her appearance.  Compare the photo below with the one of similar perspective posted last week and you will see what I mean.

Doe With Sunken Flanks

 After I time I noticed that she had vanished while I was occupied with photographing another deer, so I went to the area where I found her Thursday and saw her slipping through the woodland.  Suddenly a tiny form stood up, went to her and began feeding.  Light levels were low and I mostly shot video, but what stills I did take at this point were unsharp.

Suddenly she left the fawn and came walking past me.  The fawn turned and ran directly under my video tripod. (I was shooting the still camera hand held, and using the tripod for video)  It was so close that I had to make a few steps backward to get far enough away for the 70-200mm to focus correctly.

Whitetail Fawn Up Close

The fawn stayed there for some time while I took several photographs.  It is always a battle to photograph them in the woodland because of the low light level, which usually requires high ISO settings and low shutter speeds.

Low Light Levels And Contrasty Light Makes Photography Difficult

For more Camera Critters photographs, Click Here!

They're Here!-The First Fawn Is Sighted

The blossoming of the poplar trees coincides with the birthing period of whitetail deer fawns in our area. I thought the other day as I photographed this poplar that I had never heard this as a part of folklore when I was growing up. Some of the old timers had a saying that "it's time to plant corn when the poplar leaves are as big as squirrels ears", so perhaps I can start a new "old time saying" in reference to the fawns, such as "when the poplars bloom all day-the whitetail fawns are on the way" (Just kidding, I know it sounds ignorant)

Poplar Blossom

At any rate most of the does have very large abdomens now and their movement patterns have changed. In fact they move about very little and are often seen standing in one spot in the meadows for a long period of time. I take this to mean that they will soon give birth, or perhaps they already have, and the young are lying in the grass nearby.

Abdomen is still large so birth has not likely occurred yet

One of the does I see almost every day still had an extremely large abdomen on Monday evening, but last evening her flanks were thin and sunken, so she had given birth. I did not get to see the fawn or fawns, however and this morning I saw very few does in the area I usually frequent, so I went to a different area and drove a narrow pathway that I mowed on Monday.

Where It Happened

When I reached this area, I saw two adult deer in the extreme distance and they walked slowly into the hay field. Suddenly I saw a small deer coming from the brush and heading toward the hay. I opened the door and got in position with the 30-D and the 100-400mm lens. Surprisingly instead of following the adult deer, the fawn spied me and began running toward the vehicle.

I Have To Check This Out!

What Is This Strange Creature That Is Pointing Something At Me?

At first it seemed the fawn would run up to the vehicle, but then it stopped some distance away, turned and ran into the hayfield.

It's Not Mom, So I'm Leaving!

Even though I am a somewhat veteran of photographing Pennsylvania wildlife, and have had many more dramatic encounters with fawns, it was still exciting to photograph the first fawn of the year.