...Covert mission?

Had an appointment with our accountant this morning to get him all of our paperwork for taxes (ugh) and when I was leaving his place, I happened to glance out the car window and see a small heard of deer back in the woods. I snatched my camera off the seat, stuck the lens (Big Daddy, of course) through the window and fired off a dozen or so shots. I liked this one the best because you can see her face, and also because her two young 'uns are with her. They would be last year's fawns and most likely she is pregnant again. It is pretty common to see the yearlings staying with their mom and other does until the males are old enough to rut. You can't really tell from this picture, but they are already starting to shed their heavy winter coats. They are also very well fed looking, especially for this time of year - a commentary on our extremely mild and almost snow-free winter.

I haven't seen a lot of deer on our property this year and I guess it is because they are finding plenty to eat in the woods, thereby not needing to eat our shrubs. In snowy winters, they will eat just about anything, even junipers which are usually never on the menu.

I could have stayed there in my car for longer, taking pictures of the herd, but they were looking nervous and I didn't want to disrupt them any more than I already had. So, back home I came. Where I was greeted by all the little birds. The titmice are demanding that I blip one of them, and soon. They aren't particularly happy about all the attention the nuthatch got the other day. And don't even get them started on the wild turkeys! And, the blue jays are in a lather. This morning an epic battle broke out at the feeder, resulting in aerial contortions the likes of which I haven't seen before. Spring is definitely in the air...

I must apologize - I have gotten completely behind in comments! I will catch up, maybe tonight.

Happy Hump Day!