What were also very evident in the snow yesterday, were the tracks of deer. Quite a few deer make their home in the town year round, with the marsh being one of their favoured spots. I followed the tracks of at least two deer moving toward town along the trail spur that comes out by CARP headquarters (in the old train station). They had paused along the route to nibble at the tips of the multiflower rose and red osier dogwood bushes. The top photo shows a small dogwood sapling with all its tips bitten off. The bottom shot shows where a number of deer had climbed down to drink from the water in a ditch by the trail. Their tracks continued to the old train station and then up towards the main street.
Several people have spotted this doe with her young pair at different places around town, but today was the first time I got to see them. They were browsing at the edge of the trail on the back side of the marsh this morning. The fawns must have been born late, as they are still only about half grown. They moved off into the trees when I approached them.
This morning I spotted this young buck feeding down close to the inlet to the French Basin. His antlers have grown since I saw him last. He caught the notice of a number of marshwalkers.
I met the geese in their usual spot again this morning (unfortunately they have lost one gosling) - and I met the three deer again just before entering the woods. This young two-point buck stood facing me for a moment, then he and his buddies moved on past the sewage lagoon.
I was thinking as I walked the trail this morning that it had been a while since I had seen any of the deer that frequent the marsh. Lo and behold, when I emerged from the wooded section of the trail, I spied one feeding on some new tree leaves along the railbed. As I slowly moved closer, I noticed there were three deer. They appear to be yearlings. This young buck is in the process of shedding his now scruffy winter coat. You can see a patch on its neck where the old fur has worn off.
Yesterday I managed to walk the trail at the same time the four deer decided to make another appearance. I think it is a doe with triplets probably born last spring. Apparently young deer can remain with their mother for up to two years, particularly the females. Again, one of the youngsters seemed especially curious (bottom shot), coming down the path towards me, while the others crossed behind it.
This is what met my eyes when I turned around after taking the shot of the northern shovelers (top photo). Apparently it had just noticed me, too, as it paused in mid-step before moving into a thicket. I eventually realized there were four deer in the group. The raised tail of the deer at the top was probably a warning sign to the others that 'danger' was near. The deer in the lower shot seemed to be more fearless, and came very close to me (within 15 feet) as the others crossed the meadow and disappeared into the trees. You can tell they still have their darker, heavier winter coats.
Yesterday while waiting to get the shot of the chickadee, I heard some commotion off to my left, just below the sewage lagoon. When I looked, I noticed it was a group of deer, probably the same ones I saw on October 2nd. This time there were five in total. It appears to be an adult doe with four young ones likely born early in the year. They were slowly moving around the sewage lagoon, but stopped to look at me every few steps.
Two deer sightings in a week! Yesterday, while waiting for a chickadee to pause long enough for me to get a shot, I noticed a deer standing in the tall grass below the sewage lagoons. When it started moving to the left, I moved forward a little, to see if I could get a better view, as I didn't think it would jump the fence around the lagoons. That's when I noticed there were two, and they were looking right at me. The one on the right could be the same doe I saw the other day; the one on the left is a young buck, with the tiny buds of his antlers just evident. The doe's ears are facing right in the shot; probably because there were two more deer behind these which I didn't see until they all moved off.
I had stopped at one spot in the trail this morning where there are trees on both sides, usually a good place to spot birds and the occasional chipmunk. I had just been thinking that it had been a while since I had seen a deer at the marsh, when to my surprise I caught a glimpse of one through the trees on the side facing the French Basin. It soundlessly faded deeper into the trees before I could get a shot. But then I saw it move into the open, and I was able to get this shot as it paused when something caught its attention. It is a young doe, and she was only about 30 feet from me at the time.
I was walking past the little pond below the sewage lagoons this morning, when I startled a pair of young White-tails on the trail ahead of me. They scrambled along the path until their curiosity got the better of them, then they stopped to look back at me for a few moments before disappearing into the woods. They could be the pair that I've seen a few times with their mother earlier in the season. Now they seem to be on their own.
This morning I saw a deer again, a young buck, in the area between the marsh and the main road, near the stream that winds through the area. I hurried over to the trail that borders the sailing school property to get a different view, and caught him just after he had crossed the stream. The tide was out, so it was a muddy crossing. There he stood mud and all, cleaning a hind hoof. Notice his new antlers, which apparently can grow more than 1/2 inch a day this time of the year.
Also last evening, where the trail faces the French Basin, I spotted a deer browsing in the tall grass by the inlet to the Basin. After I made a noise so it would lift its head, it started moving closer through the grass, and I caught this pose.
