The deer have gotten a bit full of themselves. Over the last couple of weeks they’ve destroyed one bird feeder, and I have had to rearrange the remaining feeders. I had already hung all the feeders because they were emptying them in one night when left on the stumps. Even then, they weren’t up high enough. I caught a couple on the camera rearing up on their hind legs trying to get at the bird feed. I didn’t actually see the deer break the bird feeder, but it makes sense that they were trying to get at the seed and knocked it off the branch it was hanging on. Being so cold recently, and a few years of Texas sun, I’m sure the plastic was brittle. So the whole bottom of the feeder broke off.

Oh, and then I had a big plastic feeder shaped like a red barn. It held eight pounds of seed, so was only requiring filling once a week. It sat on the big stump in the front yard. The deer pushed it off the stump and it busted apart as well. And finally, they almost got the big metal milk pail feeder off the branch it was on.

So I hung them all up higher today. I can just get them all on and off their hanging branches without a ladder. Hoping that will keep the birds fed, and the deer from breaking more things.

Concerning the deer, it seems that Splitear is the leader of the group he hangs with. The group consists of him, another male, Buster and a female or two. I haven’t found a way to distinguish the females yet, so don’t have any names for them. There are also an adolescent or two on occasion that I’m guessing are the females young from last year. Splitear is a bit of an ass and runs everyone else off from the feed. I’ve taken to putting out small patches of feed instead of just filling the big bowl I had on the stump. Otherwise, whoever got there first would eat the whole bowl.

As I continue to observe the deer, Splitear is more and more a bully, and really all the deer are aggressive towards one another when it comes to food. I guess that is just nature, and timidity is not going to keep your belly full. Split runs off the biggest female, who in-turn, chases off the smaller female, and everyone runs off the little teeenagers.

The gals get along a little better, and accommodate the younger ones, like the spike in the viddy below. The group below are different from Splitear and his crew, and has more young with them.

Chuck and Susu – The two chipmunks made a brief appearance just before the last big snow. One did look a little plumper than I remember. Perhaps we’ll have some baby chippers blitzing around this Spring.But the cameras have also been catching two or three cats prowling around at night. I’m hoping they are not having any luck in locating the chipmunks burrow(s).

Spring – I’m finally getting around to writing this section about Spring just in time for the Vernal Equinox tomorrow. After my first real winter I now have a much greater appreciation, and understanding, of all the festivals, rituals and traditions associated with Spring. I know how appreciative I have felt as the days have gotten longer, the days and nights not as cold, and the snow leaving much quicker. Things start to get easier; having to get dressed less to go outside or make a trip to the privy, not spending a full minute scraping at your boots to come back inside, snow that falls will melt on its own, and countless other things that just took more time when snow and ice are everywhere. And I’ve never been more cognizant of the seasons changing. The earth has wobbled enough now so that the sun clears the big trees around midday, allowing the solar panels to get full sun from early morning until late afternoon. The ground is thawing out. It feels so soft walking on it. And so quiet compared to the constant crunch and scrape of the snow and ice. A close look around the ground will find little dots of green.

But definitely still in the very early stages of things waking up. Maybe some of the big Ponderosas look a bit more green, but all the scrub oak and brush is still fast asleep. Also no new wildlife showing up, only the same Winter friends I have had all season; the tiny juncos of various varieties, the one or two little woodpeckers, a few nut hatches, and the band of Stellar jays.