JourneysPhotograph

An October Afternoon with the Local Deer

·Truckee, California·#tahoe#wildlife#deer#autumn
A deer walks on grass in a wooded area, with a single ski lift chair hanging from a tree.

It was a quiet Saturday afternoon in mid-October, and the light had that warm, low angle of autumn. I was at home when a visitor showed up, wandering through the pines.

A single deer walked right past the old ski lift chair hanging from a tree. It seemed completely at ease, just making its way through the dappled sunlight and patches of dry pine needles on the grass.

I grabbed my camera just as it paused and looked right at me, ears twitching. It held the pose for a second before deciding I wasn't a threat and moving on. A few minutes later, two more joined it, and the three of them grazed together on the last bits of green grass that were catching the sun. It's a common sight around Tahoe, but one that never really gets old.

A deer looks at the camera near a hanging ski lift chair amidst pine trees and green grass.Three deer stand on sunny grass with trees; one looks at the viewer near a reflective surface.