Hospitality, Creekside Style

 

Our neighbor Terry shares an experience every nature lover hopes for.  Looking out on the front porch, there lay a newborn fawn curled up in the corner.  

Once again we're in that time of year when baby animals are born, and such encounters are not unusual.  A mother deer leaving her newborn in a safe place to go off and feed is normal behavior.  Fawns are born with no scent to attract predators.  As long as they lie motionless, they should be safe.  Mom will usually return within 8 to 12 hours to nurse or move her offspring to another location.  To protect the fawn, Terry kindly blocked off the front porch until mom returned to retrieve her offspring.

Unless you know for sure the mother will not return, it's best to leave newborn animals where you find them, even if it might be inconvenient for a short time.  This is a good reminder to review a previous post with information from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife should you have a similar encounter.