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   Regular readers by now, I am sure, have surmised that I would rather be doing something outdoors than anything else. This includes even mowing the lawn. We mow much more than is necessary, but most of the time I actually enjoy the time spent mindlessly riding back and forth across the yard. A person does not have to think as they work and can show real results when finished.

   Saturday afternoon, I was finishing mowing up by the timber that borders the north side of the yard. There is a trail that winds through the timber to the hay field on the other side. I will run the mower through this trail several times each year just to prevent encroachment of hickory trees and rose bushes. Since I had not had my fill of mowing yet, I decided to run up the trail. I had just started into the woods when a baby fawn jumped up on wobbly legs and tried to run away. I quickly turned around and drove away. By the way the little deer was running, it could not have been more than a day or two old. We have been seeing a doe hanging around in the immediate area for several days but had not thought too much of it. She crosses the driveway several times each day and drives the dog crazy as he cannot get close to her as his electronic collar limits how far up the driveway he can go. I thought she was just waiting around for my wife to get done planting all the flowers in the flower beds so she could come to eat them. Apparently, she was scouting a place close enough to the house so the coyotes would probably not bother her fawn but far enough away so Billie, the poodle, could not get to it. Other than occasionally being scared by the lawn mower, her location should be a good place to raise her fawn.

   There is another doe that has been hanging around on the front side of the dam. We have not seen a fawn there yet, but I am sure it is nearby. For several years, a doe has had a fawn near the edge of the lake and bedded down during the day in the tall grass on the dam. I feel sure this is the same deer. It is really fun when we can watch as she goes to her fawn in the morning, brings it to the top of the dam where it nurses and takes it back to the water’s edge.

   At this time of year, my wife and I spend as much time as possible on the porch, watching the birds and other wildlife while working on our laptops or just goofing off. One morning last week, my wife pointed out a spot on a branch from the big oak tree that points directly at the house. She thought there was an oriole nest not fifty feet away. I thought it impossible for a nest to be built that closely and so quickly that we would not have seen them working. Examining the spot closely with binoculars, we could see that indeed the orioles had constructed their unique nest when we were not looking. We now know where to watch and can see the female coming and going to her sock-like nest while the male stands guard nearby. They are close enough we can easily watch them but they are also close to the nearby dish of grape jelly.

   With the orioles soon to hatch, the deer having their fawn, and everything else having babies, we are about to see a population explosion of wildlife.

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