A babe in the woods.

On September 25, 2021September 8, 2021 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals4 Comments

The welcoming committee at Chesnut Park. Driving into the entrance I saw these ladies and quickly snapped this with my phone since I hadn’t pulled my camera out yet.

Some of the ladies were already taking their early morning break, resting right along the parking lots.

They always have itches.

I leaned on my car and just watched them for a while, going about their day. It was a treat to see a stag. They usually only show up briefly for mating season here in this park. Most of the older males stay at preserves farther away from town so I rarely see them.

As I was walking down the back trail, I saw this lady cautiously peeking out from the bushes. I stepped back down the trail and saw that she had a baby behind her. They crossed the trail and headed back into the woods.

This was a trip in late August. When it’s crazy hot out and there are few birds around, it’s always fun to see the baby deer.

Sweet interactions

On November 28, 2020November 28, 2020 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals3 Comments

I stopped by Chesnut Park early on a Saturday for a quick walk and saw the deer across the baseball field. They were eating the leaves from the trees.

I found Mom and the baby again and hid in the bushes for a few minutes watching them interact. It was so sweet watching them for a while until the park got busy and they headed into the woods.

Seeing spots

On October 13, 2020October 13, 2020 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals3 Comments

I got to Chesnut Park early one Saturday morning in August not expecting to see anything but there it was. The cutest thing with spots.

I stood next to my car for a while watching baby and Mom feeding near the back parking lot. All of a sudden something catches Mom’s eye.

I turned around and the young male with only one antler was walking up. I’ve been seeing him a lot recently, calling him Unicorn. I’m assuming the other side of his antlers will grow in as he gets older. He didn’t get too close to Mom and baby.

The baby was cute as usual, staying close to Mom and copying her.

After walking around the park for a while, I saw them again on the other side of the lake. The baby tried to nurse for a second but Mom kept moving.

Eventually they started heading towards the back woods so I headed home. What is it about baby deer that’s so exciting? The same for dolphins and manatees or even hummingbirds?

Summer with the deer

On October 15, 2019October 15, 2019 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals3 Comments

Driving into Chesnut Park in late September, the deer were right at the front gate. When I drove around to the back there were more in the parking area. No babies though.

When I got out of the car and headed to the back boardwalk I saw the babies. The twins were growing up quickly. I stood and watched for a few minutes as they grazed by. For some reason I love seeing deer out in the woods. Deer and dolphins seem to calm me not sure why.

Linking to My Corner of the World

A Bambi convention

On October 5, 2019September 25, 2019 By dinajohnstonIn bird photographyLeave a comment

After several stops by Chesnut Park on the way home from work, I finally saw a few fawns in late August. The rain had just stopped so the park was empty of people. The deer were all at the front of the park.

This one was taking a break while Mom kept eating.

These two were very curious about the lady hiding in the trees with the big black box in front of her face. They were hanging out with Mom near the ranger station. I was pretty far back so I could fit them in with my 300mm lens but they kept an eye on me.

Another deer family

On November 13, 2018November 13, 2018 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals3 Comments

I spent a few minutes with another deer family in early September at Chesnut Park. I saw them crossing the street while driving into the park, then saw them again on the back trail.

Later, I caught this young buck by the swings. It was a quiet morning, otherwise they would all be hiding in the woods.

Linking to Wednesday Around the World.

Critters in the rain

On September 22, 2018September 4, 2018 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals1 Comment

I left work while it was still raining in early August hoping Chesnut Park would be empty of people due to the weather. That’s when the baby deer come out from hiding in the woods. Early on Saturday mornings when I’m usually there, the park is filled with joggers, walkers and dogs so the deer stay deep in the woods. It was still drizzling when I first got there. I quickly saw 2 hawks that were soaked.

I spotted a fawn staying close to the family.

Not sure if this was Dad or a big brother. It’s rare to see older males at the park. They usually stay farther north and come down to the park during mating season.

This little one had a sibling. Even though the rain had stopped, I stayed in the car to take these. I didn’t want to spook them. They continued to graze and I eventually headed home.

Spotted critters at the park

On September 9, 2017August 7, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals1 Comment

I stopped by Chesnut Park on the way home from work in early August to see if there were any baby deer. Since it had just stopped raining I was thinking there wouldn’t be a lot of people there so the deer may be out and visible. The babies usually hide on Saturday mornings with all of the joggers and dog walkers there so a rainy weekday seemed like a good chance to see them. After walking around for a while I was leaving and saw some spots in the woods.

I sat down on a wet log and they were walking around in the weeds. There were two babies and one parent was close by.

Not sure what the parent was doing. Was she sniffing to make sure this was her baby?

Mom then continued to feed herself. After a few minutes, they headed deeper in the woods and I headed home.

Still seeing spots.

On October 15, 2016October 15, 2016 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals2 Comments

More fawn pictures from my quick stop at Chesnut Park after work in the rain. The rain kept people from the park so the deer came out of the woods and were hanging out in the parking areas.

Linking to Saturday’s Critters

Hanging out with all of the Bambis’

On September 17, 2016September 17, 2016 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals5 Comments

Only here, all of the mothers are alive and well keeping a watchful eye on the little ones. The park near my house has lots of wild deer roaming around in the park. Most summers I have seen one or two babies in the park. By late August I had not seen any even though a park ranger had told me there were a few there. One day after work I was heading home in the rain. It was down to a light drizzle and I had my camera in the car so I took a detour and stopped at the park. There were very few people there because of the weather so the deer were all over the parking lots. I counted 7 babies in the park. Most of these were taken from the car. I didn’t want to scare them so I stayed in the car and rolled down the window. When they have the park all to themselves, they come out of the woods.

Linking to Saturday’s Critters