Guest
Yoda - a two year old buck who was born in the woods behind our backyard, and has know us since birth. Oddly, he likes to hang out with his mother, Eva, and the rest of the females in the herd. Normally the females chase away bucks, in part so they can devote their attention to their new fawns. Perhaps because he is so calm, and even acts “properly“ around the fawns, the females of the herd let him hang around. In any case, he has been very sweet in these first 2 years. At some point in the near future his hormones will kick in, and we will be curious to see how calm he remains. Bucks normally leave the herd (females and newborn fawns) after 2 years. During their first year they get their mother's full attention. When they turn one year old, the mothers get new fawns, but the one year old bucks still tag along for about a year. During that second year the females usually chase them away, half-heartedly. If they move just a few yards from the main herd, that's okay. The bucks gradually get the idea, and start their lives off wandering on their own - only joining the females of the herd during mating season. Yoda has grown into a large young buck, and like his mother, Eva, he is extremely smart. Eva, now ten years old, has been listening to Marlis' in German and English all her life, and seems to have learned a lot of words in both languages. Marlis will often tell Eva something, like, “Eva, don't try to eat that tree behind the fence.“ She may still try to eat a leaf from the tree that she can grab through the fence, but only when Marlis is not looking. We don't know how many words she actually knows, but she seems to be able to put some complex thoughts together about what we want, and since she is the matriarch of the herd, she always takes what we say “under advisement“. When a deer is diseased or injured, often the other deer in the herd will chase them away. This is part of their survival instinct to protect the herd, but sometimes we can help an ailing deer, and so Marlis tells Eva not to let any of the females of the herd chase the ailing deer away. She has always understood that, and somehow instantly communicates that to the herd. Deer mostly communicate through body language, as well as releasing hormones that the other deer immediately sense. In this video, Yoda meets Sheralee, who is the girlfriend of Marlis' grandson Demian. ASMR is in the title of this video as a nod to the concept. Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response came to mind, particularly while editing the opening and ending scenes. Music in the video from Starseed: The opening of “River of Love“ - recorded live in concert on October 5, 2013 For the full story, and more photos and videos, see the Deer in the Yard web pages:
