Spring in the hills
31/05/15 05:15
There are a lot of ways to judge the coming of spring. Around here, there is a sense that spring weather ought to contain at least one slushy blizzard - or at least a downpour. The moisture of spring weather is essential to the health of the hills and the years when moisture is short in May have long and hot summers - often with severe fire seasons. Right now it is difficult to remember that we were facing moisture shortages just over a month ago. The reservoirs are full to overflowing and the creeks are all running bank to bank with plenty of water. We’ll need that water as the summer progresses, so we express our gratitude for the bounty that we have received.
Another sign of spring is the birth of baby animals. There is a ranch family between our home and town who used to have heifers calving out in a pasture right next to the road. However as the years have gone by and the rancher aged, they haven’t been raising calves in that pasture in recent years. Still there are places to look if you want to see new life.
On my way home from Montana I saw antelope that looked like their fawns would be born any minute. Antelope are naturally slim, so an animal with a very full belly is especially obvious.
We celebrated yesterday by spending quite a bit of time in the early evening looking across the yard at the first deer fawn we’ve seen this spring. Around here the deer usually fawn out in June, so it is time to be looking. We have a neighbor who doesn’t mow the back part of their lot and it provides excellent cover for the babies to be born. Most years we have one or two fawns who are born there.
Living next door to a newborn deer doesn’t mean that you will see it. Those little ones can disappear into the grass only a few feet from where you are and you’d never see them. Yesterday, however, Susan noticed the flick of the little white tail and we got to see as the little one tested out its new legs. It is amazing that the tiny animal can jump and run within minutes of its birth. The mom was walking a little tenderly as she licked off her fawn. It was mesmerizing to watch the little one as it would take a few steps, nurse a few minutes, jump up so it could see above the grass, nurse a bit more and then lie down to rest for a few minutes. After a half hour or so, it settled down for a longer nap. I knew about where it was hidden as the mother grazed nearby, but I couldn’t see it at all.
These are urban deer. When I go out to get my newspaper in the morning, they look up, but they wont’ even leave my lawn unless I come within 15 feet or so of them. Then they just saunter off across the street or into the back yard. The little ones will be jumpy for their first few months, startling and running each time they notice me. This baby was born within a hundred feet or so from Sheridan Lake Road, where the cars were zipping by at 45 to 50 mph. We always worry about the deer on the road, and each year several are hit trying to cross the road. They develop a bit of wisdom about cars, but never become completely car safe. We often hear the tooting or horns or the sudden application of brakes in the morning and evening hours.
It seems to be a blessing that our wild neighbors have adapted to our incursion into their neighborhood. They are, for the most part, pretty tolerant of all of the accoutrement of their human neighbors: lawn mowers and gardens and sprinkler systems and outdoor lighting. I’ve heard of folks who put out food for the deer. We don’t do so, feeling that it would create a dependence that wouldn’t be healthy for the animals. Furthermore, abundant feed affects the reproduction cycles of the deer. Our green lawns, however, provide ample feed for the animals through the year. And we maintain a compost system next to our vegetable garden that is appealing to the deer when we have certain types of household food waste. We don’t do anything to stop the deer for nibbling there, though there is a very tall and sturdy fence around the garden. We don’t like to share our vegetables with the deer, especially since they won’t wait until things are ready to harvest.
Susan has learned quite a bit about which flowers are less likely to be eaten by the deer, but we’ve decided that there is no plant that a deer won’t try, especially the young fawns. We’ve found marigold blossoms, for example, that have been bitten off and then spit out when the fawns discover that they don’t taste good to the deer. The older deer leave those flowers alone. The same goes for the iris. Fortunately the iris often complete their blooming before the little deer are venturing into our front yard.
I know that the majority of the world’s population live in large urban areas and don’t get to see the natural cycles of life of wild animals, but I feel like my life would be a bit more empty if it weren’t for the critters who share the hills with us. I look forward to the ducklings and goslings at the lake every spring and anticipate the fawns for weeks before they are born. I find myself studying the deer as they graze in the yard and trying to predict which does will be having their fawns first.
Life has its cycles of birth and growth and death and new life and we do well to pay attention to those cycles. Spring has come to the hills and it is a joy to watch it unfold.