I have a new neighbor!
This adorable little beastie sauntered out of the scrub on somewhat shaky legs around 12:30 this afternoon. The fawn chirped a half dozen times or so while looking around then settled in for a siesta. About four hours later the fawn got up, chirped some more, walked around the side of the house, and went in to the really thick scrub, which is probably where mom was bedded down for the day. He or she chirped off and on for a bit.
The whole thing, minus mom, a family of quail partridges (or are those ptarmigans?), a family of opossums, a mole, and knowing if the fawn is male or female was kind of reminiscent of this:
I thought I’d share because we can all use a lot more beauty in our lives about now.
And a PSA from the Wildlife Center of Virginia:
If you find a baby deer:
Do any of the following apply to the fawn?
• It is bleeding, has an open wound, or has a broken bone.
• It’s covered in fly eggs [look like small grains of rice].
• It’s cold or wet.
• It’s crying nonstop for hours on end.
• It appears weak AND is lying on its side.• If YES, the deer is likely injured or orphaned. Contact your nearest permitted wildlife rehabilitator or veterinarian for treatment.
• If NO, then continue on to the next question.
Is the fawn in a dangerous location (e.g., by a busy road, in a backyard with dogs, etc.)
• If YES, the fawn can be moved a short distance to a safer location.
When moving a fawn, it’s not unusual for the fawn to follow you as you leave. To prevent the fawn from following you, place the fawn facing away from the direction in which you plan to leave so it cannot watch you.
Tap the fawn once or twice firmly between the shoulder blades (this mimics how the mother taps the fawn with her nose to communicate “stay here and wait until I come back.”)
Quickly leave the area. Do not linger. The fawn may stand up and take a few steps to follow. Keep going and the fawn should lie back down. If possible, you can monitor from afar with binoculars.
• If NO, then the fawn is healthy and simply waiting for mom to return.
Leave the fawn alone! Keep children and pets away. Monitor from a distance and reassess the situation in 24 hours.
Remember …
• Never chase a fawn to capture it. The stress of being chased can be dangerous to a fawn. Fawns are prone to a condition called capture myopathy, which is caused by chase and stress. Capture myopathy can lead to damage to internal organs, and even death.
• Never give food or water to injured or orphaned wildlife. Inappropriate food or feeding technique can lead to sickness or death. Fawns in particular have very sensitive stomachs and require a special diet. Cow’s milk will make them sick.
NOTE: Each animal’s nutritional, housing, and handling requirements are very specific and must be met if they have any chance of survival. Raising a wild animal in captivity is illegal unless you have a state permit. For information on how you can become a permitted wildlife rehabilitator, contact the Wildlife Center of Virginia, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries [PDF], or your state’s wildlife agency.
Open thread!
Mike in NC
Adam, trying to be the first responder to complain about your fawning posts.
The Dangerman
Doh!
/Homer
SiubhanDuinne
As soon as I saw this thread, I was going to go look for a Bambi link. Glad you were thinking the same.
That film is 76 years old. The animation is just astonishing. So much love and care and humour in every cel.
Ladyraxterinok
Bambi was written in Austria by a Jewish author. Hitler banned the book (in 1936?).
The book was translated into English (in 1928?) by Whittaker Chambers, known in history for his connection with the controveries surrounding Alger Hiss.
SiubhanDuinne
Meant to say, your little guy (or gal) is adorable. Looks a bit like Lily.
And not to bring on sadness, but with all the political craziness of the last few days I neglected to note the fifth anniversary of Tunch’s death over the weekend. A toast to His Much-Missed Floofiness!
Adam L Silverman
@SiubhanDuinne: Yep. I’m hoping that Mnem will be along to tell me whether I got the birds right.
Mai Naem mobile
That is just so cuuute. All I ever see here are the occasional jack rabbit.
Steeplejack
@The Dangerman:
D’oh! A deer! A female deer?
Shell
In the fawn advice, smiled when it said to gently tap the fawn twice between the shoulder blades, cause thats how the mamma deer tells him to stay there till she returns.
Adam L Silverman
@Mai Naem mobile: We have those too!
At sunset the tiercel flew above the marsh, pursuing a wisp of snipe. They drummed away down wind, like stone skidding across ice.
My grandfather spoke of a little fawn they found and bottle fed.
They raised it and it stayed with the cattle in the yards usually but when it wanted to see them, it would easily jump over the 5 foot fences and into the yard when it would then go around to the back porch where the kitchen was.
Steeplejack
@SiubhanDuinne:
It was also around the same time that we got confirmation of General Stuck’s death. I thought of that last week and then forgot to mention it.
Stuck on getting older:
Yutsano
@Adam L Silverman: In the movie? Those look like quail to me. I didn’t think partridges had fore feathers like that.
The Dangerman
@Steeplejack:
Kinda related, I’ve been listening to this fascinating podcast with host Tim Ferris (who is often FOS; YMMV) with Michael Pollan, who has this book out. Good stuff.
ETA: H/T to the General; also, if anyone has any mescaline to share, well …
Jay
Fun fact, up to a certain point in time, fawns are scentless.
At sunset the tiercel flew above the marsh, pursuing a wisp of snipe. They drummed away down wind, like stone skidding across ice.
@Yutsano:
Those are California Quail, or rather California Quail with a few artistic licenses thrown in.
Adam L Silverman
@Yutsano: Yes, in the movie. I wasn’t sure, but since you mentioned quail, I did a quick image search and they’re quail. I’ll update up top.
At sunset the tiercel flew above the marsh, pursuing a wisp of snipe. They drummed away down wind, like stone skidding across ice.
Partridges are eastern US grouse.
Ladyraxterinok
@Ladyraxterinok: In 1948 Chambers was a former communist and editor of Time. When he testified before the House UnAmerican Activities Committee, Chambers claimed Hiss was a communist. Nixon was a member of the committee and really pushed Chambers for info.
IIRC, Hiss worked in FDR’s administration and was involved in setting up the UN.
Adam L Silverman
@At sunset the tiercel flew above the marsh, pursuing a wisp of snipe. They drummed away down wind, like stone skidding across ice.: I fixed it, no need to grouse about it.
Jim
The Wildlife Center of Virginia is a mile up the road from me. They do fantastic work rehabbing sick and injured animals and getting them back to the wild. They also train vets from around the world in wildlife medicine. Check out their website. Maybe they’ll have one of their critter-cams trained on the bear cubs when you visit it.
https://www.wildlifecenter.org/
SiubhanDuinne
@Steeplejack:
It was actually the same day. A terrible, terrible day.
Steeplejack
@The Dangerman:
I’ll check out the podcast. That book is “near” my reading list. I like Pollan and am interested in the topic, but I’m nervous because any time someone writes about using psychedelic drugs for mental health or consciousness-raising it brings all the hedonistic nutcases out of the woodwork.
NotMax
@SiubhanDuinne
And then there’s Bumbie.
:)
opiejeanne
@At sunset the tiercel flew above the marsh, pursuing a wisp of snipe. They drummed away down wind, like stone skidding across ice.: I was going to say the same. I recognized them from the high desert in SoCal, near (behind) Wrightwood.
TaMara (HFG)
As someone who lost/injured/confused animals seem to search out – that bit about tapping between the shoulder blades is new and may just come in handy someday.
So freakin’ adorable.
The Dangerman
@Steeplejack:
It’s good stuff. Isolation tanks come up a little bit (I’ve tried one; it’s “interesting”) and I’d be willing to try something (under the right conditions).
I should clarify; Ferris can be FOS, but I’m not referring to this podcast. Well, so far, at least. I’m about halfway through.
ETA: Conditions being someone with some “credentials” supervising.
NotMax
@Steeplejack
Ever read Aldous Huxley’s The Doors of Perception?
Miss Bianca
@Ladyraxterinok: Has anyone else read this book? It was in my parents’ library when I was a wee girl. I remember riffling thru’ it. However, in order to really remember it at this point in my life, I would have to read it gain.
@SiubhanDuinne: Lord, had it been five years already? : (
(I remember the account of Tunch’s death vividly – it was the first time I was tempted to de-lurk – tho’ I also remember thinking, “Is JC really going to notice or care that some random lurker is weepy over his cat?” I got over that shit, finally.)
Yarrow
Awww….the little fawn is so cute!
Steeplejack
@NotMax:
Yes, a long time ago.
At sunset the tiercel flew above the marsh, pursuing a wisp of snipe. They drummed away down wind, like stone skidding across ice.
@Adam L Silverman: That’s either terrible or wonderful.
Can’t quite tell.
SiubhanDuinne
@NotMax:
Ha! Not sure I ever saw that, although I’ve tucked away a lot of Animaniacs in my time.
trollhattan
What an adorable little dude/dudette! Happy life, little fella.
My nature moment today was on I-80 at sunset, when I came across a ribbon of bats emanating from the causeway bridge and stringing continuously hundreds of yards south, towards the adjacent fields–mosquito dinners for everybody! If that wasn’t cool enough, as I passed underneath a kite (or similar raptor) swooped into the ribbon grabbing for his own dinner. Bats R cool.
Mnemosyne
I see that the quail issue has been resolved, so I’m instead going to tout the Tyrus Wong episode of PBS’ “American Masters.”. I’m a little biased because I know one of the co-producers, but it’s a very interesting film about a Chinese-American artist and his experiences in Hollywood and America. He was the art director on Bambi, but a combination of being on the wrong side of the animators’ strike and racial prejudice got him fired from Disney a few years later, and he spent most of the rest of his career at Warner Bros doing storyboards and set design.
pinacacci
Awww man you are so lucky, what a thing to see.
Gretchen
We just got back from Northern Wisconsin. The resort we stayed at scattered feed around the office to keep a deer nearby. Her baby was hidden down by the lake, and we got to see her go nurse her baby morning and night. The kids were awed.