Deer, Deer, Oh Deer

I have been wanting to share a photo of the deer that live in our neighborhood. They are so graceful and beautiful and I never get tired of seeing them graze and rest in the grass and under the trees.


We saw this herd of deer in someone's front yard yesterday as we drove down to our hiking spot. (click photo to see all the deer in the photo...I think we spotted eight) Typically, we see this group of deer in this same area every afternoon. They come up to graze under the trees and they are actually not very afraid of people. This group is mostly made up of mamas and young ones. On the way back from our hike I did spot a buck sitting near this spot so I am assuming that he belongs to this crowd.

The road is very close to where I am standing and they didn't seem to mind that I was there taking photos. So I took the opportunity to take a 20 second video.



I was surprised that deer are not discussed in the Handbook of Nature Study. We used the internet to complete a notebook page on mule deer. (we also used this page)

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Signs of Mammals: Deer Scat

This really needs no explanation.

We are used to this sign of a mammal being in our yard and area by the tell-tale sign of his scat. The Mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus, is a familiar sight but still makes me stop and take notice. They are such gentle creatures and usually very shy.

A deer hit my car last year and made a dent in the driver's door and messed up my rear view mirror. He survived and I think he was a little mad at me. I was doing everything I could to avoid hitting him but he was actually trying to run up along side me and butt me with his head. It was a strange event and very memorable.

I can tell you from personal experience that Mule deer love rose blossoms and everything they can get their teeth on from my garden. We have put up a fence to keep them out of the garden but they still find things to munch on in our yard when they get hungry enough in the late summer.

I could not find any information in the Handbook of Nature Study but I do have a mammal field guide that shows an illustration, the scat, the tracks, and the look of the deer in various times of the season.

I love deer, just not in my garden or running alongside my car.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Mammals in Our Backyard

We have decided to work through our list of mammals that we have observed in our backyard and make journal entries for them in our nature journals. Often times we observe an animal and do not take the time to do the research or the entry into our journals. On these cold, rainy days of winter we will take the opportunity to read about each one in the Handbook of Nature Study if possible and then record our findings. Many of the animals we observe are not specifically covered in the HNS, so we will use the internet or our field guides to get the information.

Here is the list of animals we are going to study:
(also found as links on my sidebar)

Western grey squirrel
Striped skunk
Broad-footed mole
Long-tailed vole
House mouse
Norway rat
Mule deer
Common raccoon
Little brown bat

Covering one animal per week for the next term, I think that our goal is within reach. I will share our results as we go along.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom