Within hours of returning back home from our trip down to the Devonshire/Somerset border, a small miracle of new birth happened in our garden. One of our many rogue Roe deer, possibly one of those that have been demolishing our flowers, gave birth to the sweetish, prettiest little fawn that you have ever seen - we could hardly believe what we were witnessing.
Here she is licking her baby to encourage her to stand up and feed. We have decided that she is a girl, and named her 'Blossom'. After all her mother may have been one of those 'dining out' on our flowers throughout much of the Spring.Wobbling up onto her feet was not an easy task, she would feed for a couple of minutes before then collapsing back down on to the ground again.An opportunistic Magpie appeared on the scene, the mother looked rather anxious, but luckily the bird flew off before any of us needed to intervene.
She found a sheltered spot in which to rest.
Whilst mother demolished more of our plants. However, their requirements are far greater than ours, needing all of the extra nourishment that they can both get.As the evening drew in the little one made itself cosy beneath one of our tall thick hedges whilst the mother kept a wary eye on the surroundings.
The evening was particularly chilly and wet, and we were very concerned for the little fawn. We felt like giving it a blanket or some straw to keep it warm. In the morning all was well, the little fawn was looking stronger, and by late afternoon they both vanished through the hedge without even so much as a backwards glance.
Good luck little Blossom, and be safe.
All of the photos were taken through our conservatory windows so are not very sharp.
A wonderful, heartwarming account and a magnificent welcome home, one you will not soon forget, nor likely repeat. Bon voyage et bon courage, Blossom.
ReplyDeleteMay be she will call again one day and show us a more grown up Blossom.
DeleteBeautiful!
ReplyDeleteThese were lovely moments to witness.
DeleteHow wonderful, thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWe are delighted that we arrived back home just in time.
DeleteThis wins hands down for the Nature Notes segment, Rosemary! Top of the class :) Welcome home. x
ReplyDeleteThank you Pip - two days later and we would never have known what had happened.
DeleteGreat photos of a beautiful event that nature brought to you. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you Barbara.
DeleteWonderful photos of a special moment! Your plants were put to good use, LOL!
ReplyDeleteI can't begrudge them a few flowers anymore.
DeleteWhat a lovely event to witness in your garden. She must have felt very safe there. Such a beautiful fawn.
ReplyDeleteI hope that things are going well for them both now that they have gone on their way.
DeleteWell that was indeed a delightful surprise when you arrived home - welcome back.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure mother and daughter will be fine.
Thanks for sharing and welcome back.
Thank you Margaret.
DeleteOh how lovely to experience such an event. Isn’t Blossom beautiful with her little white spots. A lovely post to read at the start of my day. B x
ReplyDeleteWe were rather overwhelmed at first and couldn't believe just what we were witnessing.
DeleteWhat a dear little thing. So beautiful.
ReplyDeleteJean
It was a lovely experience to have close at hand.
DeleteHello Rosemary, My house in Ohio backed onto a wooded area, and there were lots of deer. I had a fenced section in my back yard, and one day noticed two fawns in it with no older deer about. I was worried they were abandoned, so I called a nature center and they told me that the fawns were too small to travel all day, so the mother would park them somewhere and come back later. Sure enough, for about ten days the mother would drop off the babies early in the morning in my protected yard, and come to retrieve them in the early evening. During that time I never went into the yard, and kept the gate open.
ReplyDelete--Jim
Hello Jim - we expected that they would stay around in the garden for some time. I know that fawns need time to recover when they are first born. In the wild they instinctively hide in the tall grasses and bushes where they are born and the mother just calls by from time to time to feed and check all is ok. I suspect that they are still nearby and that we might yet catch a further glimpse of them again. It hasn't been the best of weather for the young fawn, but much warmer weather is now on the cards.
DeleteHow sweet to see a young one so close in your own garden.The mother had chosen a safe place for her young!
ReplyDeleteWe were really thrilled to see this beautiful young fawn taking its first steps in its new life.
DeleteAmazing set of photographs. No doubt its mother will teach it all the best places to get a meal in the local area. A nice thank you for being tolerant. Even with a sealed plastic greenhouse I get slugs and snail SAS intruders after my garden veg plantings most evenings mysteriously finding a way in. Luckily I can throw them 40 feet away into a back gully so it takes them a full week to return.
ReplyDeleteStrangely, although it has been wet, I have not seen any slugs or snails so far this year.
DeleteSuch a great sighting - returning home at the perfect time to take these awesome photos was such a gift, for both you, J and us! The magpie was a cute extra.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely Blossom is, Nature never ceases to amaze - and as you say they are most likely still close by and I think you may see them again before finally moving on. Keep the camera handy dear Rosemary!
Mary XX
We were both like a couple of excited kids when we realised that the mother had a brand new little fawn.
DeleteIt was so lovely to have a break away from home, but we are really pleased that we did not miss this happy event💕
Dear Rosemary,
ReplyDeleteWonderful and sweet photographs Rosemary. We had twins born behind our barn last summer. They are so very cute when they are small and I try not to think about all the vegetables and especially the flowers that disappear.
Dear Gina - I am pleased that you have also experienced something similar. The little fawn was really pretty but I did worry about it getting cold during the night, which is silly really, but it look so vulnerable when it was first born.
DeleteDearest Rosemary,
ReplyDeleteYour photos through the conservatory windows are still perfect and what a sight this new born Blossom! Pieter just the other day hollered and commanded me to come quickly... So I rushed into the kitchen where he was lowering the shades in the bay window. Outside stood a roe deer, looking at us! She ate some and stood for the longest time staring at me, after I'd snatched some quick shots with Pieter's iPhone that was on the buffet on its stand. We both don't mind they feed on our garden flowers and greens. We started feeding them corn again and it vanished all last week.
Nature is so rewarding and at times we can observe the little miracles!
Thanks for sharing this with your readers.
Hugs,
Mariette
Dear Mariette - I would not have liked to miss this special moment in the garden, and pleased that we arrived home just in time. It was quite overwhelming to watch what was happening right outside our windows. I am pleased that you too enjoyed seeing it.
Delete🤗
DeleteYour photos are lovely and show the miracles of life.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your visit and comment Karen - that is exactly what it felt like - a little miracle of life.
DeleteThat's fantastic - now there's another set of little jaws to chew away at your flowers!
ReplyDeleteI am hoping that they don't like the new plants - crossing my fingers. However, the little fawn was a real treat to see and enjoy.
DeleteWhat a blessing to have witnessed such an extraordinary thing ..and in your garden !!
ReplyDeleteThat's just what it felt like.
DeleteHow so cute! Again, I can relate to your feeling when you see the giving-birth scene before your eyes. I haven’t been to Nara Park to meet new fawns this year, but I’ll be patient. Thanks for this heart-warming post.
ReplyDeleteYoko
We are so pleased Yoko that we arrived home just in time to see this new life beginning in our garden.
DeleteHello Rosemary, I was trying to work out why I don't get notifications of your posts and was directed to bloglovin where I found this and other posts. I couldn't leave without commenting on what a wonderful event to come home to. What a privelage to have that lovely new life appear in your garden. I hope mum and baby are doing well.
ReplyDeleteHello Polly - I have no idea why you are not getting notifications - blogger has a mind of its own.
DeleteWe were quite overwhelmed by this new arrival in our garden and could hardly believe what our eyes were seeing.