Cold Weather

Whenever cold overnight temperatures are in the forecast, how cold is important. If the temperature spends too many nights below 25 degrees, we have water valves that can freeze. Our water lines are "freeze line"--expandable--but all the valves are metal and unless they are open, the slight expansion of freezing water will split the metal. And that's a mess I don't care to deal with...

On my way down the trail to the Birding Hut, where there is a water valve, I spooked an Axis deer. Now I am normally not a fan of Axis deer, as they are not native and are a bit hard on the resources. But I am always game for watching critters who think they aren't being watched so when I heard the sound of a large animal rustling in the leaf litter, I stopped dead in my tracks. After my eyes adjusted to the details of my surroundings I saw this:

My stillness was eventually rewarded when I received this curious look:

With this and two other does was a young buck. At first I thought he was posing with one front foot up, almost like a half-hearted point from a bird dog, but when he moved and didn't put the foot down I realized he was injured. Since he was young and sleek, not sick-looking at all, I'm hoping he picked up a thorn or something and that he will heal up well and soon.