Yesterday at 2:30 in the afternoon, my mother called me from the office to look out the kitchen windows. There were four deer shank to shank, heads down, eating the black oil sunflower seed that had fallen to the ground from the bird feeder.
Earlier this week we had a snowfall of six or seven inches. The ground is pretty well covered, so the wildlife has less to draw on to sustain themselves. I cleared the sidewalk, and then shoveled a path to the bird feeders. I've been putting out ear corn and mixed birdseed with a high black oil sunflower seed content, and I fill a silo feeder with chipped sunflower hearts.
It's unusual for us to have the deer visit during the day. Normally they are nocturnal, and their daytime visit might be a sign of their hunger. They were cautious, and nervous. At least one kept watch all the time while the others "hoovered" the ground. The ear corn was the least requested item on our menu yesterday, but even that was totally gone by this morning.
It's supposed to warm up and rain this coming week, but we plan to keep up a heavy feeding schedule. If I get the chance to photograph the deer, I'll try to share the pictures with you.
UPDATE:
Saturday night.....the deer are back. I went to drop something in the trash, and realized two of the deer were less than 10 feet from me, with just the kitchen window between us. I held still, and their need to eat was stronger than the need to run. I slipped away, and they stayed. Dear Husband said...."Where there are two of them, there's likely to be two more." I'll check again, later.
Comments (7)
Beautiful! We haven't seen our deer at all during the bad weather. Before the storm hit I put a lot of corn and sunflower seeds back at their "feeding station"; but, as the station is back in the woods, it would have been too dangerous to go back there due to the danger of limbs/trees falling. (We lost one tree back there--that I can see.) I've been putting corn and alfalfa pellets out, as far back as I can safely go. The bunnies, squirrels, and birds have eaten everything that I left on the ground.
HH had put three tube bird feeders out, each 1/2-filled with peanuts & 1/2-filled with black oil sunflower seeds), filled the squirrel feeder with peanuts, and put mixed grains in the platform bird feeders--all before the storm. Until yesterday, we couldn't even refill them because of the thick ice that kept us from taking off the lids or even taking them down (they are hung by double snap-links). I was able to bring the tube feeders in to thaw, yesterday, and will take the deer more food, today.
Posted by Cop Car | January 9, 2005 12:35 PM
Posted on January 9, 2005 12:35
Good for you, helping the critters make it through this hard weather. Dear Husband filled in for me this morning with the bird seed, and he covered the ground with it! I think every furry thing out and about today was rejoicing! You're wise to stay away from the grove while the trees are covered with ice. The animals will get to the food, where ever you leave it.
Posted by Buffy | January 9, 2005 6:47 PM
Posted on January 9, 2005 18:47
I can't believe the amount of bird seed and nuts our birds are getting through at the moment, and it's not even very cold here. Maybe the muntjack we have around sometimes have learnt to climb trees and are helping themselves? :)
Posted by Blue Witch | January 10, 2005 12:04 PM
Posted on January 10, 2005 12:04
BW....we're going through a lot of seed at the moment because of heavy snow. When the weather warms a little bit, we'll have the raccoons emptying out the feeders at night, and then I'll fill the feeders half full each morning. Last night my son saw a skunk at the feeder, and there's been a possum. With all the wildlife in addtion to a wide variety of birds, I'm not surprised we're going through the seed, and the ice storm that is on it's way is going to make things worse!
Posted by Buffy | January 10, 2005 4:09 PM
Posted on January 10, 2005 16:09
That a girl taking care of the criters! I have been going through a lot of seed to but I believe just birds. Have a great week girl stay worm!
Posted by Joe Smitherman | January 11, 2005 11:10 AM
Posted on January 11, 2005 11:10
When it was safe, I went back into our wooded area. The "deer" food was gone, but nary a trace of a deer. I didn't see any other tracks, either, so that isn't conclusive. I do keep seeing wild turkey back there--and squirrels helping out the deer in getting rid of their food.
One unusual visitor to our squirrel feeder--a lone cedar waxwing!
Posted by Cop Car | January 11, 2005 12:19 PM
Posted on January 11, 2005 12:19
We KNOW we have deer. We have "cedars" but I don't think we have cedar wax wings. I remember them feasting on the juniper berries at my parent's retirement place in SW Missouri. Mother said the birds got drunk on the berries! I was never sure if she was kidding, or not.
We missed a nasty ice storm, but we're going to get rain. I plan to toss out some more corn tonight, and then I'll fill all the feeders tomorrow.
Joe, we just help out when Mother Nature is the hardest on the critters. It's one splurge that seems to feel right.
Posted by Buffy | January 11, 2005 8:10 PM
Posted on January 11, 2005 20:10