Saturday, April 13, 2013

Oh, deer...


It seems we humans are not the only ones getting anxious 
for spring and summer to arrive...


the deer are getting ever bolder and wandering very close to our house, likely in anticipation of the vegetable garden they feel certain will be planted for them before too long.  Meanwhile they seem pretty happy to be munching on grass.



They're not the most co-operative models, but I managed to get a few pictures of them through our sitting room window, providing me with some fodder for Photoshop fun.




It's illegal to shoot the deer within the village limits and the herds seem to be getting bigger every year.  Until a few years ago, we never saw any deer at all in the village but now they've become a common sight.



Common or not, we still get excited when we spot some of the critters grazing or wandering through our yard, and we rush to the windows to watch them.  Sometimes I even have enough time to grab my camera before they've mosied on across the street.  And they are not ones to look both ways before crossing!

I'm going to add this picture to Bonnie's Pixel Dust Photo Art virtual gallery this weekend where the theme this time is "shadow and light."  I feel I've reduced this little creature to a mere shadow of her former self and have flooded the background with light.

Here's the original 

Meanwhile, snow is in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow, so I guess the deer will go back to nibbling branches.  Personally, I may gnaw off my arm in frustration over this neverending winter!


20 comments:

  1. Oh lucky you! I would love to have deer come graze outside my window. Such beautiful creatures. Fine shots and fun treatments.

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    1. Yes, they're a treat to watch, though less so when they're munching on the lettuce, peas, beans, etc. in the summer garden. Although, of course, we never actually see them doing that...only the evidence that they'd enjoyed the salad bar.

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  2. How special! My mother who lives in a densely packed residential neighborhood has had as many as 8-12 deer in her *small* yard at one time, including a buck with a huge rack! They are magical to see. I was once only a few feet from the buck. Was a little scary though!

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    1. Wow! That, I would imagine, would have been pretty awesome to be so near to a buck. I haven't seen any here, though Pierre says he saw a young one once, at the woods' edge. If the herd keeps growing, there's got to be at least one out there...he must be kept pretty busy! Most deer we've seen at once in our yard is 11.

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  3. Such sweeeeeet creatures. They must have wandered over from Santa's Workshop in the North Pole--you must live nearby if you're still getting snow in mid-April! I love how you've lightened her up. It almost looks like she's licking snow, with snowflakes in her fur. (See, you LOVE snow!)

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    1. That's funny about Santa's workshop being near here...but he uses reindeer and these are white tail deer. I don't think he'd get very far with these critters as they'd be stopping in at all the salad bars and vegetarian buffets en route. Me love snow??! Well, sure, as long as it stays on mountain tops where it belongs. The lightening of the photo is probably just a result of snow-blindness on my part from over-exposure to that chilling white stuff.

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  4. So that is where they have gone to. I haven't seen any this year.. or rabbits either..
    But I do see the damage they have done in neighboring Hampton and Quispamsis. they are sweet but they also taste sweet.

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    1. How about pheasants? There used to be a lot around here when we moved in 20 years ago and now I never see any...even as road kill. I haven't had any venison (other than "lapin" in a French bistro--does that count?) but I bet these young deer would be quite tasty. They do look sweet (enough to eat?...esp. at the end of the summer when they've had their fill of local gardens). Definitely well on their way to becoming pests. But then, what are we but pests invading and reducing their natural habitat?

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  5. Your love of nature is showing as well as your artistic talents. I love the deer and hate the idea of eating them, but I am practical and know that if there are no predators, the prey animals will overrun everything. Nature seems cruel, but it works. I love your lighting effects on the beautiful doe and all of your pictures.

    Andrea @ From The Sol

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    1. We have coyotes in our area, as well as the deer, but the village has hired a "varmint hunter" to deal with the coyotes, while the deer are still allowed to roam at will. I would hate to think of them being shot in people's back yards but they are definitely becoming a nuisance. I'm glad you liked the effects I applied to the photos here. Thanks for taking the time to come by and say hello!

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  6. Replies
    1. Great word! Thanks for applying it to my images here.

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  7. great artwork. We have a lot of deers as well. They seem to adjust well to cities.

    My PAF: http://nfbild2.blogspot.se/2013/04/shadow-lady.html

    If you like Abstracts you are welcome to join NF Astracts as Bonnie takes a well deserved break. :)
    http://nfmemes.blogspot.com/ Opens Wednesdays.

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    1. Isn't it strange that they do adapt well to cities? I would have thought they'd be too timid, but apparently not. Anyway, they're fast!
      Thank you for alerting me to your abstract meme. I will certainly consider participating; it would definitely be a challenge to come up with an abstract photograph.

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  8. oh magic !

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    1. Magic...only instead of pulling a rabbit out of a hat, I pulled deer out of my yard!

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  9. they are so beautiful and majestic!

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  10. Wonderfull pictures.

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    1. Thank you so much, for visiting and for leaving such a nice comment.

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