Tag: wildlife point reyes

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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A Coyote Survives with Injury

A coyote hunts on the Tomales Peninsula.
Coyote, Point Reyes National Seashore

I’ve seen this coyote a number of times.  He’s easy to identify because he has a slight limp due to some injury to his right foreleg.  I first saw him around Pierce Point Ranch months ago.  Later I saw him on the mid-peninsula.  Lately, I’ve been seeing him at the south end.  He seems to have found a home there.  On the other hand, maybe he’s been a long-time resident there and I only first noticed him and his limping gait at Pierce Point.  Maybe he was just traveling then in search of better territory or a mate or both.  I wondered then whether the limp would affect his ability to survive.  I watched him “mousing” at Pierce Point and the limp didn’t affect his ability to jump (and land) in hunting rodents.  In fact, he was very successful.  It seems to only affect his ability to run fast.  Good news for the rabbits.  He looks healthy to me.  He’s making it.