Photo by Jackie Veats, Pleasant Hill, CA

Gary:
This is my indoor kitty, Kody, wistfully watching a deer outside our bathroom window, perhaps dreaming of taking it down.
Jackie Veats, Pleasant Hill, California

Jackie:
Dreaming is all Kody is going to be able to do. Actually, I suspect Kody is more likely dreaming of playing with that deer. When I used to do wildlife rescue, whenever I’d raise orphan fawns in my backyard, cats from throughout the neighborhood would come over to play. They’d chase the fawns, then the fawns would chase them, they they’d chase the fawns … lots of full all around. Happy Holidays, kiddo! /Gary

Christmas apples for the deer. Photo by Kate Robertson, Susanville, CA.

Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!

Gary:
To add to you having a Merry Christmas … I thought you’d be interested in the deer our daughter, Kate, feeds in Susanville, Calif.

Some folks have plastic deer in their front yards …
Don Beck

Don:
Nothing like new snow and fresh red tasty apples to wish a very Merry Christmas to everyone … including the local resident deer! A very Happy Holidays to you, your daughter … and of course the deer! /Gary

Where’s the deer? Photo by Dave Harper, Oakley, CA.

Wild animals can be amazing. All they have to do is stand still, or sit down, or just stop moving and they blend right into the background and almost disappear. Natural camouflage. It’s pretty handy when there’s a predator in the area. /Gary

Backyard fawns. Photo by Lucille Brooks, Walnut Creek, CA.

Gary:
Two of my back garden “pets”, living in City of Walnut Creek!  How I like to watch their growth too, always along with their mother and even bucks!
Lucille Brooks, Walnut Creek, CA

Lucille:
There are an amazing number of wild creatures visiting and living in our backyards. A lot of them at night, so you often don’t even know they are there. Keep your eyes and ears open, day and night. You may be surprised. That’s why I call our backyards … the Urban Wilderness. They’re wild!

Got photos you’ve taken of the wildlife that visits your own personal Urban Wilderness? E-mail me copies of the “wild” photos you’ve taken and I’ll post them here for others to see and enjoy. Thanks! /Gary

Deer at my bird feeder (Lyrinda Snyderman/Berkeley, CA)

Gary:
I finally figured out why the bird seed vanishes so fast out of my feeder!
Lyrinda Snyderman, Berkeley

Lyrinda:
Ah, yes, the Antler-Crested Deer-Bird. They tend to eat a lot of seed. /Gary

Mom and dad munching backyard apples. Photo by Mike Gordon

Gary:
Here’s some deer having a snack on the apple tree in my backyard.
Mike Gordon

Mike:
Ah, nothing like some tasty backyard apples for lunch! Thanks for sharing. /Gary

Fawns snacking on backyard apples. Photo by Mike Gordon

Fawn. Photo by Flickr user zhumaly used under a Creative Commons License.

Wildlife Tips from the Lindsay Wildlife Museum
1931 First Ave., Walnut Creek, California

What to do if you find a fawn:
Now is the time to watch for fawns. Deer have learned to adapt to small patches of open space in urban areas and are common in many of our neighborhoods.  Black-tailed deer, a subspecies of the mule deer, are common throughout the northern and central California coastal ranges. While they prefer open chaparral, they will adjust to almost any open space they can find.
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Buck with new (velvet) antlers browsing in backyard. Photo by Mike Gordon, Walnut Creek, CA

It is quite common for deer to visit your backyard to feed on flowers and vegetables in your garden.

I have also received reports that deer have even been born in backyards. That’s why I now call our backyards — The Urban Wilderness.

Because of this, I’d like to do one of my quickie little surveys about your local deer. I’d appreciate it if you can take a few moments to write down your answers (under comments at the end of this blog) to my brief questions below. Please include the city and state where you live. Thanks.
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LOOK OUT FOR DEER

We need to pay close attention to and support  recent statements by The Humane Society of the United States urging investment in wildlife collision avoidance systems to make roads safer for drivers and animals.

Most drivers know the basic strategies to avoid or at least reduce the chances of a collision:
** slow down
** leave plenty of room between you and the vehicle ahead of you
** look for eye shine at the edges of the road ahead
** where there is one animal, expect others.
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BLACK-TAILED DEER

During fall and winter months, deer, opossums, squirrels and other wildlife are moving around in search of food and a place to hole up during the cold fall and winter months.
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