I’m sure i’ll get sick of this, but for now it’s great fun; the evening’s browse by my local deer.

Tonight i was visited by mom and her two youngin’s, a brother and sister if i read my deer correctly. I watched what they ate carefully this time and i’m pleased to report they zeroed right in on the grasses (aka weeds) growing abundantly in this rental yard. They did not touch the flowers, the hedge, the ornamental tree, the forsythia nor the rhododendron next to the hedge.

Although hooved, they don’t rip the crap out of the ground like cows. Deer nibble gingerly and leave plenty of plant behind. I read that alpacas are the best at this, as are most camelids. Alpacas, and llamas too probably, have soft pads rather than sharp hooves, so they do even less damage to the fragile plants living on the high plateaus of Peru. But deer do ok. They tend to walk fairly lightly, using the same trails over and over to minimize damage.

They seem pretty healthy. Unlike the deer of Fire Island, their ears are not encrusted with ticks. I simply cannot wait to see how Mora and Isa deal with these large critters. I really have no idea what they’ll do. Mora, i suspect, will keep a safe distance. Isa…. is anybody’s guess. She might ignore them entirely. She might keep watch from a strategic point. She might approach and see who blinks first. She might hang with them as they browse. She might stalk them when they rest in the field next door. Deer, even newborn, are not prey for small cats, so i don’t think any instinctual stuff will kick in. Likewise domestic cats are no threat to deer, so i don’t think they’ll bolt when a seven pound cat comes toward them. Nor do i think the mother will get defensive if said cat gets between her and her babies. But i could be totally wrong.