As I started my walk this Saturday afternoon I stumbled upon the aftermath of a fight between two large birds. Or maybe it was between just one bird and something else. Regardless there were feathers everywhere and it looked like maybe an Owl. I took a few pics but they didn't turn out real well. Towards the north side I finally saw a group of 4 deer.
It was already starting to get dark but I managed a couple of photos that show just how deep the snow is now. In previous winters I've watched Deer plunge their snout into 5 or 6 inches of snow to reach the ground but that seems like less of an option for them now. This Fawn was up to it's knees as it wandered around in search of food. Only minutes later up the trail I noticed something odd laying up along the banks of one of the drainage ditches.
With all the Deer I see in the park I've always thought it odd that I've never seen a dead one. Well, here indeed was the first dead Deer I've discovered. It had clearly been eaten away at for several days at least as there was barely anything left but the 4 legs and head. It was kind of strange that the spine was whittled down to almost nothing and showed almost no signs of any attached vertebrae. I tried to make out whether it was a Doe or Fawn but I really couldn't tell. As I was examining the teeth marks on the spine, another guy walked up and told me that Coyotes had got this one and one other Deer in the past couple of weeks.
They must have had a feast. As it was nearing dusk I was tempted to hang around and wait to see if any other Coyotes would come back but I was only half way back to the parking lot so I headed off. Shortly after I noticed an odd break in the overcast winter sky. I actually ran back to the south side just in time to catch a very brief winter sunset. It's such a treat to see as it accentuates the colors on the ground and makes the snow cover seem almost a blue color in comparison to the sky.
It was already starting to get dark but I managed a couple of photos that show just how deep the snow is now. In previous winters I've watched Deer plunge their snout into 5 or 6 inches of snow to reach the ground but that seems like less of an option for them now. This Fawn was up to it's knees as it wandered around in search of food. Only minutes later up the trail I noticed something odd laying up along the banks of one of the drainage ditches. 
With all the Deer I see in the park I've always thought it odd that I've never seen a dead one. Well, here indeed was the first dead Deer I've discovered. It had clearly been eaten away at for several days at least as there was barely anything left but the 4 legs and head. It was kind of strange that the spine was whittled down to almost nothing and showed almost no signs of any attached vertebrae. I tried to make out whether it was a Doe or Fawn but I really couldn't tell. As I was examining the teeth marks on the spine, another guy walked up and told me that Coyotes had got this one and one other Deer in the past couple of weeks. 
They must have had a feast. As it was nearing dusk I was tempted to hang around and wait to see if any other Coyotes would come back but I was only half way back to the parking lot so I headed off. Shortly after I noticed an odd break in the overcast winter sky. I actually ran back to the south side just in time to catch a very brief winter sunset. It's such a treat to see as it accentuates the colors on the ground and makes the snow cover seem almost a blue color in comparison to the sky.
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