Tag: blacktail fawn

Deer

“Hey Mom, What About the Ones With Only Two Legs”?

Blacktail Doe and Fawn, Point Reyes National Seashore
A blacktail fawn looks up to its mother; Point Reyes National Seashore.

“Can they run?  Are they dangerous?”  OK, deer don’t talk per se.  Do you ever wonder how animal parents teach their offspring how to survive?    The young learn a lot by just watching their mother and doing what she does.  That makes it relatively easy to learn what to eat.  Taste also informs them.  But what about things like the first time they see a coyote or us?  Is it pure instinct to go on alert?  I think so.  But I also know deer can vocalize.  I’ve heard it.  I know they also stamp their hooves when they are alerted to danger.  I’ve seen that.  I wonder what other ways a doe communicates with her offspring.

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Blacktail Fawn in Retreat

Blacktail fawn walks to its hiding place.
Blacktail Fawn, Point Reyes National Seashore

This little fawn and its sibling were taking their time playing as they made their way to a bush to hide behind until their mother came back to get them.  It may have sensed me after a bit because it went from care-free to stealth-mode very quickly.  Once they got behind a single yellow bush lupine I could not see either fawn.  The mother didn’t seem concerned.  She knew I was about 40 yards past the fawns from her perspective.  Her grazing carried her about 100 yards from the fawns, but all she did was occasionally look back at us.   Very trusting.  Maybe too trusting.

The foreground and lighting would not be my first choice here, but with wildlife photography you have to make do with what you’re given.