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Tue, 21 Jun 2005 22:45:11 -0400 |
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Mon night I was out at 8:30pm setting out cardboard squares for an acid
rain study I conduct in conjuction with data collection about Birds in
Forested Landscapes for Cornell. My study site is off a secondary logging
road about 1/2 mile into the forest. As I walked in I was totally tuned
into the sounds of the forest, the full moon rising and the cool
temperatures. I poured my 1 liter water on the cardboard and placed it on
the leaf litter. I then did my 20 paces south and was bent over pouring
the water onto the second cardboard when I heard a high pitched scream with
gutteral sounds from behind me where I had just walked. I stood up and
turned around and froze. Suddenly a deer came crashing wildly right at me
- zig zagged by in a panic and was gone. I could hear rustling noise not
far away. My mind is whirling - do I make noise and scare whatever is
there? Do I keep quiet and hope to witness some event unfolding? Am I
in danger? I wait a few seconds. I move a little. Not more than 30' from
me in the road I see a coyote - big, more black than brown. It senses me
and moves away slowly and warily. When I step out into the road, I see the
prey - a fawn - very young - maybe only a couple of weeks old. Not more
than 40'-50' from where I was! Less than 5 min. earlier I had walked by on
the road where the kill occurred. Where were the prey and preditor
then? I heard nothing of note but the Veery, Wood Thrush, Scarlet
Tanager --- until the death cry. I don't think I will ever forget this
encounter with Mother Nature at her most basic level.
Ironically, I had seen a doe and fawn earlier in the day in another area
where I was chasing butterflies.
Ruth
Charlie & Ruth Stewart
E. Dorset, Vermont
U.S.A.
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