The deer from Pike Island

 

I had been planning to visit the deer on Pike Island for a week or two, but as it is something of an expedition I did not manage to go there until today.

I reminded myself, well aware of a long ago trip to Vancouver Island (another island!) to see Killer Whales that never showed up, to not get too caught up in my desire to see the deer. I reminded myself to be there for everything else.

My reminder worked! I was having a good time!

I was walking down one of the grassy paths that ran through the center of the island, a path I think of as "The Deer Path", because that is where I mostly see the deer.

I didn't see any deer, but that was okay. I was taking pictures of a lot of trees. And then something moved in the brush! 

It was too small and close to be a deer. 

Isn't it funny how one can see movement in the wild, hear it, feel the presence, but not see anything of the thing that actually moves? This is what happened to me. I climbed over some fallen logs. I followed the movement into the weeds and grasses. I stood for a moment, very still and quiet among the tangled wood. Whatever moved was gone, or hidden from me forever.

I wondered what it was. I still do.

And then I looked through the trees to my right, and there were the deer.

Funny how I hadn't noticed them before.

I communed with them for a bit. They, as you will see, looked at me carefully. Mostly I bugged them with my picture taking until they wandered away.

Thank you deer.

Pike Island: The turkeys

 

So where we last left it, I had been adopted into a herd of Pike Island Deer. And I was taking their pictures in a friendly, communal sort of way, when I looked up to find that a flock of turkeys had decided to come hang out with us deer!

The turkeys mingled with our herd!

I laughed out loud. 

No one minded.

As you have seen I didn't get great pictures of the mingling turkeys with the deer, but I hope you can see here that they did indeed mingle! The turkeys just waded right in amongst the deer.

Eventually the deer all slowly tottered off up the island. 

The turkeys followed along in their wake. 

I got a couple of clearer pictures of them as they went. I'm better with portraits.

And then I let them all go on their way. "Miles to go" and all that.

 Plus, in the end, I'm not really a deer.

Pike Island: Honestly it gets almost ridiculous

 

So there I was, among the herd of deer, like almost an honorary member of the crew.

I'm well off the trail, deep into the Pike Island woods, among the grasses and tangled wood, just pointing my camera around, surrounded by deer.

When a person is adopted into a herd of deer, and that person is also a bit of an amateur photographer for whom only one out of a hundred shots is likely to turn out really well, that person is inclined to at some point just sort of point the camera around taking all kinds of shots to boost the odds. 

So that's what I was doing.

Wait.

What is that?

Between the deer's legs?

Let's look a little closer?

That is a turkey!

The turkeys had arrived!

Pike Island: Among the deer

 

Hanging out with the deer of Pike Island was fun. Every once in awhile I stopped taking pictures of them and reveled in the largesse of nature. I thanked the great spirit for the magnificent gift of deer company. I praised the small gods for the mercurial bounty of nature.

 And then I hoped none of the deer were giving me Covid, because it turns out a huge number of white tailed deer in America are infected with our dreaded virus.

One of the deer even had a runny nose!

But mostly I went with the thankful thing. 

And then I took some more pictures. They're such good pictures I decided I'd better make them less impressive by adding cheeky captions.

Check out his tongue!

Photo bomb!

Hiding in the bushes to avoid the photographer doesn't work so great when there aren't any leaves:

We were of mutual interest to each other

Pike Island: Closer to the deer

 

Deep into our expedition to Pike Island, as we last left it, we finally found our holy grail: The Deer. 

We represented our first sighting with a picture somewhat like this:

And in anticipation of our deeper time among the many deer of Pike Island, I have shown a few pictures of deer I saw at a distance.

But did I get any closer?

Did the deer abide my company?

Did I get to spend a little time among the deer sharing the forest quietly?

Here is my answer for today: