The Cycle of Life: Part II

Recently, I posted a short note on the Cycle of Life about an old Mule Deer who lost his fear of humans and came up to the Bungalow while guests were in residence.  He found a comfy spot under one of the pine trees to rest and eventually died.  Well, just a couple of weeks later as I was stepping out of the trailer one morning I was greeted with another aspect of the cycle of life, mothers with babies. A small herd of female Mule Deer with their young had come up to the Guest House at the Painted Pony Resort to browse on the newly leafed out Red Push trees.  Upon seeing them, I carefully backed into the trailer to grab the camera for some photographs.  Although only 10-15' away, I was not seen and did not spook the animals catching the images posted below.  It has been a hard spring this year with little rain, but colorful sunrises and sunsets indicating atmospheric moisture, and the local wildlife were consuming everything in sight on the estate.  The rabbits were climbing into the Ephedra to feed as well as eating bark of plants in the front garden and several small pines were stripped of needles by the deer.  In spite of this hardship it is nice to see physical evidence that the cycle continues and even though there was little rain the wildlife on the estate manages.

Female Mule Deer and young

Babies and the cycle of life

Browsing on newly leafed out foliage

The Cycle of Life

I watch the cycle of life play out everyday at the Painted Pony Resort.  From the yearly arrival of the monsoons with new grasses and the greening of the desert, the yearly appearance of certain insect species, the birds nesting and raising young, and yes, to the loss of animals on the estate.  Most evidence of animals that have become part of the food chain are birds, frequently the Collared Eurasian Doves that inhabit the estate.  Large predators such as hawks often catch unwary doves and the remnants of their meals can be found in the form of piles of feathers.  Small mammals such as rabbits are also frequent meals, but on occasion something larger dies on the estate.  A guest recently found a Mule Deer that had found a comfortable spot under one of the pines next to the Bungalow for its' final resting place.  The animal appeared thin with grey/white head and ears suggesting an older animal.  It was unable to stand and only made feeble movements when I approached.  There were no signs of injury so I set some water out for it in hopes it lack of vigor was the result of dehydration but soon realized that the animal was probably not going to survive.  I decided to give the animal 24 hours to recover before getting out the rifle since I'm not a hunter and don't enjoy dispatching animals, though it has to be done sometimes.  Upon returning the next morning the I found the deer has passed on and removed and buried the carcass out in the desert to recycle.

An old Mule Deer resting in the shade of a pine tree.