Spring Babies

tanjabrittonwriter 58 Comments

Happening upon this “abandoned” fawn at a small rural cemetery, I wasn’t tempted to call the Division of Wildlife, but I was overcome with sufficient anxiety about its well-being to be able to relate to concerned citizens who do. Or worse, who pick up the baby deer and take it home, or to a rehab center. As we are repeatedly told, it’s the last course of action we should pursue, as does regularly leave their offspring alone for hours, before returning to them.

So I watched what appeared a merely days-old fawn take tentative steps, before it settled in the shade under a bench. It was still peacefully resting there when I left half an hour later, and I have since imagined its happy reunion with its mother many a time.

Most other encounters with spring babies were not tinged with worry but provided joyful glimpses of newborn life. Or even touches, as was the case with the bunny that had to be rescued from a window well—it was completely unscathed and ostensibly nonchalant and unimpressed.

These moments with furry and feathered new animals reminded me that I am a spring baby, too, my birthday being in April. And that I’m the daughter of a summer baby, who celebrates his birthday exactly 3 months after I celebrate mine. So today I send my gratitude, love, and warmest wishes for a happy birthday, dear Pa. I miss you and can’t wait to see you again.

To enlarge a photo, click on it. To read its caption, hover the cursor over it.

Zum Vergrößern, das Bild bitte anklicken. Um den Titel zu lesen, mit der Maus darüber schweben.

Mallard ducklings/Stockentenküken
Canada Goose goslings/Kanadagansküken
Great Horned owlets/Junge Virginia-Eulen
Cottontail bunny/Kaninchenjunges
Calves/Kälber
Deer fawn/Rehkitz
Mare with foal/Stute mit Fohlen

Als ich diesem „verlassenen“ Rehkitz auf einem kleinen ländlichen Friedhof begegnete, war ich nicht versucht, die Behörden anzurufen, aber ich machte mir genügend Sorgen, um nachzuvollziehen, warum einige besorgte Bürger das tun. Oder noch schlimmer, warum sie das Junge mit nach Hause nehmen, oder zu einem Wildgehege bringen. Aber wie uns immer wieder eingebleut wird, ist das das Letzte, was wir tun sollen, denn Rehe lassen ihren Nachwuchs regelmäßig stundenlang allein, nur um danach wieder zu ihnen zurückzukehren.

Also beobachtete ich, wie das nur wenige Tage junge Kitz einige zaghafte Schritte tat, bevor es sich unter einer Bank im Schatten niederließ. Dort ruhte es auch eine halbe Stunde später noch friedevoll, als ich den Ort verließ, und ich habe mir seitdem wiederholt seine freudevolle Wiedervereinigung mit seiner Mutter ausgemalt.

Die sonstigen Treffen mit Frühlingsbabys waren nicht mit Sorge behaftet, sondern ermöglichten frohe Einblicke in neugeborenes Leben. Oder sogar Berührungen, was der Fall mit diesem Kaninchen war, das aus einem Fensterschacht gerettet werden mußte. Es war unverletzt und schien völlig gelassen und unbeindruckt.

Diese Momente mit gefiederten und gefellten (ist zwar kein Wort, sollte aber eins sein) Tieren erinnerten mich daran, daß auch ich ein Frühlingsbaby bin, denn mein Geburtstag ist im April. Und ebenso, daß ich die Tochter eines Sommerbabys bin, das seinen Geburtstag genau 3 Monate nach meinem feiert. Aus diesem Grunde sende ich meine Dankbarkeit, Liebe und besten Wünsche für einen frohen Geburtstag, lieber Papa. Ich vermisse Dich und kann es nicht abwarten, Dich wiederzusehen.

58 thoughts on “Spring Babies”

  4. Dann wünsche ich dir von Herzen, dass du deinen Papa bald besuchen darfst.
    Der Nachwuchs ist immer wieder berührend und entzückend.
    Egal ob gefiedert oder befüllt.
    Danke für den Bericht und die wunderschönen Bilder.
    Grüße übern Teich,
    Brigitte

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    • Ich danke Dir für die guten Wünsche, liebe Brigitte, aber momentan sieht es mit dem Reisen nicht sehr vielversprechend aus. 😦

      Deine Einschätzung des Nachwuchses teile ich, und ich danke Dir für den sprachlichen Hinweis. Mir gefällt halt das Adjektiv gefellt, weil es ein Parallelkonstruktion zu gefiedert ist.

      Euch allen in Bremen wünsche ich noch eine gute Woche.
      Herzlichst,
      Tanja

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  7. Awwwww….
    I am sorry I was not aware your birthday was in Spring. I do hope you could enjoy a peaceful day (despite the global situation) and that nature gave you many reasons to smile. I am sure your father would love these photos too.

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    • You couldn’t have known about my b-day since I never mentioned it, Takami. 🙂 And I’m glad to report that my dad did, indeed, enjoy the photos. Even though I didn’t get to spend his birthday with him in person, at least we talked on the phone a few times.
      Thank you for stopping by.

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  10. Ah, great post of babes! We enjoy the new ones in our yard every spring and ‘count heads’ to see which springs are most prolific. Then we watch all the babes become ‘teenagers’ through the summer as they make their rounds through the yard and bird bath. Happy summering, Tanja!

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    • Thank you, Shannon. I would love to be able to watch deer grow up in our yard, but while they often wander through the neighborhood, I don’t think they stay in one place. The space and natural state of your property must be very attractive to them.
      I hope you get as much dirt under your fingernails as you like. 🙂

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    • Thank you, Laurie. Looking at most animal babies usually makes us humans happy. I often wonder if people born during a certain month or season like that season or month best. At least for me that’s the case.
      Kind regards,
      Tanja

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    • That’s how it’s supposed to work, Neil. The doe leaves for a while, and the fawn is supposed to stay in place and wait for the mother to return. I assume it does work, unless something sinister happens to either one.
      We regularly have deer walk through our neighborhood and in some parts of town their numbers are higher than is considered healthy for the ecosystem.

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  18. It makes me a little sad that you couldn’t be with your father on his birthday. Still, this lovely post surely made him smile, just as it brought a smile to my face. All of the babies are lovely, but there is something special about the fawns. I was lucky enough to see a doe with twin fawns a couple of weeks ago, and it was lovely. But those owlets — my goodness! They’re adorable! Happy belated birthday to you, Tanja!

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  20. Aww, just look at that little bunny! I had rabbits as a child and loved them. I confess as a gardener I don’t love them as much…
    You’re quite right about the fawn. The other day I saw a somewhat larger one strolling about near some brush, still with spots on. He didn’t look worried so I’m sure his mom was nearby.

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    • I had bunnies as a child as well, Melissa, and still find them very cute, especially when they are little. Their numbers have multiplied in recent years and they are ubiquitous now. Interestingly, they seem to eat mainly grass. We don’t grow vegetables, so I don’t know if they would chew on those, but they leave our flowers alone. Maybe Illinois bunnies have different preferences. 🐰

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      • I had transplanted a favorite rose, which had been languishing because of ever increasing shade. There it was in its new spot, bravely putting on new foliage, when BAM along came a darned rabbit. It ate the rose right to the ground and the rose did not recover. I think they are like deer~unpredictable in their tastes. 😦

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      • Oh, no. I’m sorry you lost your rose, Melissa. You must have been very upset if the thought of that bunny is still making you use–how shall we call it–strong language. 🙂

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    • It is counterintuitive to ignore the seemingly abandoned fawns, and for that reason the Division of Wildlife runs regular adds to remind us to do exactly that.
      It’s nice that you have an animal hospital that cares for injured birds, I’m not sure the ones around here do. I once dropped off an injured Raven, but they sent it to a rehab place. It was privately funded and had to shut down, so I’m not exactly sure what happens to injured birds now.

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