Harsh realities of winter

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This morning Kevin noticed something on the pond in front of the house from the bedroom. When I first saw it I thought it was a turkey vulture but he thought it was an Eagle. Upon closer inspection (through the binoculars) he could see that it was indeed a immature Eagle, and he was eating something.

I got my gear on and headed out to see what had happened. When I got closer I could see it was a deer, probably a doe, definitely no antlers were visible. When I got right up and started to look around I found that it was a fawn, this years, just tiny. He was a buck. I checked his feet and later Kevin did as well. We are not positive that is Goofy's fawn whom we call Socks, but he is the only male fawn we know of. We have two fawns, a boy and a girl. So this was either a strange deer, or Socks. Likely it's not a strange fawn so close to the house, but it's completely possible. It's hard to say whether it's a coyote kill or if he just died. Everything we can see seems to lead to him dying on his own due to either illness, or the cold. There are no obvious signs of a coyote kill, but some that could be due to a struggle. All the tracks were gone this morning because since last night the wind has been strong and gusting heavily. There were few tracks. We found a trail where he had been dragged out onto the pond where we found him... that's not where he died. But scavengers have almost got him cleaned up so it's hard to tell for sure. He's not very far from the house. At 4 Kevin got up with the light because he thought he heard something outside. But Max was not distrubed. However if a coyote was taking the fawn where he did, Max couldn't see a thing and with the wind, might not have heard anything either. It's hard to say.

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I hate to loose any deer, although I know very well it's a harsh reality of the bush and of the cold. But it's very sad to see a fawn gone, the future of the herd, and just starting out his life. The wind has been brutal today. Absolutely brutal. It's the wind that kills quicker than anything else. We will watch to see if Socks shows up again. Or Goofy without her fawn.

I read a book this summer called "The Children's blizzard" by David Laskin. It's a good read. I got it at Cactus Flats, SD where the largest Prairie dog in the world is. Read about the 1888 blizzard that hit the prairies and the immigrants trying to make their way there. It's unreal what those people went through. Reading this book, one quickly realizes how fast the wind can kill, quicker than just cold. It's a fascinating read and it will make you appreciate the very strong pioneers who had no knowledge of this kind of land or weather, and survived through the early years.

Good evening to curl up by the fire and be grateful for it's warmth. I am currently reading George Adamsons biography. What a fascinating man. He really lived such an incredible and adventurous life. Although no worries about brutal cold winds in Africa. Just malaria, horrendous heat... predators.....

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