Not the best photo, because I didn’t want to open the door and scare our visitor away, and also because I was in a hurry and forgot to suppress the flash, so the reflection of its bounce obscures the view about. Still, you can see that someone’s making himself quite comfortable after what was probably a satisfying repast, all courses belonging to the 10-metre diet, the 10 metres happening right in my garden!
Startled by the flash, though, Mr. Moocher didn’t stick around, deciding he’d better go look for dessert and then take his post-prandial nap elsewhere.
And below, you can see him prancing away, just through the deck rails. . . .
But he’ll be back. How do I know? Well, he’s left a few leaves unchewed on my Arbutus uneda (strawberry tree).
Between him and the two raccoon kits who were running an obstacle race on the side porch at 4 a.m. last Wednesday, I’m feeling very Dr. Doolittle. Life on the island . . . .
That is quite a set of antlers! The original rack:).
How beautiful! Not when eating your plants of course, but amazing to have such wildlife …
Awesome sight! Scott and I are always going on about how wildlife our backyard is cuz cats and bees hang out there. Sort of puts your life into perspective, huh? 🙂
What a magnificent set of antlers!
Living so close to nature one wonders if they would ever come inside an open door. I know the raccoons would but a buck who knows?
Wow, that's amazing! We used to get deer in the yard of my childhood home, but never saw a set of antlers like that up so close. We usually had does and fawns.
It's rare to see a buck with such large antlers! Sorry to hear he's been munching on your garden though. Have you thought of putting up a deer fence?
Lisa: Yes, he was a handsome fellow.
Tiffany: Even as he was munching my favourites, I couldn't help but admire his good looks.
Kristin: I'm like you! Having a happy buzz of bees in my garden makes me feel I'm doing something right. The world is better with bees in it.
Hostess: I doubt one would ever hazard our deck stairs, but under the right conditions, they seem pretty bold. . .
Pseu: We have does and their fawns regularly as well — in fact, this guy probably was one of those fawns not long ago.
Susan: We do have a fairly effective fence around most of the yard, but they come up from the beach to the waterfront part of the yard, so we're just resigned to sharing. He earns his keep with his looks, really, doesn't he?!
Beautiful buck. I still love watching the deer even as I get upset when they eat my plantings. My own deer decided that the wee hours of Tuesday morning were the perfect time to devour the plantings around the front door of my house, just hours before the photographer showed up. Thankfully she said it didn't matter, the photos were good.
I do love the buzzing of the bees, and even the scampering of the chipmunks.
Mardel: Those are the kind of moments that test your commitment to wildlife! I'm imagining that some buyers would be charmed by the story, but the realtor's photos would have a hard time catching those crafty night-time visitors.
I surprised three biking home last night about 9:30. They froze on the dirt road in front of me, before bounding off into the dark.