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Once again, I awoke around 5 o’clock this morning. I was greeted by the most joyous chorus of birds singing their little hearts out. The sound really travels in the otherwise-quiet still morning, here in the side of this mountain. It really makes my heart want to sing. I was so mesmerized by the beautiful song the birds were singing that I almost didn’t notice the deer.

First the fawns made their way into the yard, inching ever so cautiously closer. I recall thinking how odd to see so many fawns traveling together in a pack. They were a clumsy noisy bunch, getting louder, as they came closer, I didn’t need to see them to know that I had young deer very close-by. I heard them long before I saw them.

They were so cute nosing around for grub. I tossed out some corn taco shells for a nibble or two and more millet, oddly, the deer seem to like it as much as the birds. The gang of fawns wandered away slowly and suddenly these tiny sweet creatures were replaced by 4 does. It was obvious which one was in charge, each deer knew her place and nibbled around in turn. When she got too close you could see the leader raise a hoof toward the offending doe. Just enough to let the doe know she should back off.

One of the fawns appeared to have a patch of mange on her side, but in reality the patch of fur that isn’t normal, could have been caused by just about anything — even rubbing too hard against a tree. One of the fawns was obviously shot through one ear. Talk about a close call.

I remember a couple of years ago. We had a mixed gathering of deer who enjoyed a daily visit to our yard. One of them we named Wendy. He had gotten tangled up in some plastic orange fencing (“deer tape”) and looked sort of like Wendy – the icon for Wendy’s Restaurant. We felt so badly for the deer but there wasn’t anything we could do for the buck. It wasn’t like he was going to hold still so that we could remove it. I’m guessing he didn’t last deer hunting season that year. He was a handsome buck, too. I could be wrong though, because you’re not supposed to shoot in the direction of this tape.

I still can’t properly identify most of the birds that stop by or even those who live here, but I have been trying to listen closer and it’s already paid off. Just last night, I was out on the deck and I heard a strange bird call that was slightly out of the ordinary. I look around and sure enough, there were 3 mountain quail messing around on the side of the hill. I would have missed them, had I not been listening.

If you get a chance, while you are here in Twain Harte, do make an effort to get up at dawn (or just before dawn is even better). Stop and take a listen to the incredible bird sounds of the early morning. You’ll carry those sounds with you the entire day. I know, I do.

I just stepped outside for a few moments and was immediately assaulted by some very loud barking noises. I quietly closed the door and walked softly out on the deck a bit further. The sun was shining brightly, in my eyes of course, so I shielded them, until I could just make out the squirrel sitting up high on a pine tree branch, barking for all he was worth.

Squirrels actually have a wide range of noises and aside from the chorus of birds heard in the wee hours of morning, the squirrel is by far the loudest animal to visit. They romp around all day, getting into anything and everything. We finally broke down and attached hook latches to the roof of the bird feeder because the squirrels wouldn’t stay out of it. They would just remove the roof and help themselves.

He was making one heck of a racket about something. It was as if he was telling me how much he hated having Sandy, the cat, in his space, as the cat gently rubbed up against my legs. It was then the squirrel made it quite plain what he was upset about and I’m still not quite sure how he managed that.  We had a little chat, I let the cat back into the house and the squirrel went along his merry way, happy that she wasn’t on his deck.

Three deer dropped by this morning to give their regards. I tossed out a handful of carrots for them, which they greedily munched down without hesitation. They nibbled on some bird seed that had been scattered on the ground, then meandered on to where ever deer go when they aren’t here. It’s always nice to have them stop by for a visit.

One of the young does who stopped by, idled long enough to notice the hummingbird as it swooped in to sip a little nectar. Did I just imagine the deer admiring the hummingbird’s grace and beauty? Animals are so amazing; would that I had all day long to sit and ponder their being.

I can’t tell you just how refreshing it feels to get outside and soak up the sun and visit with the animals. They listen as I chatter on about the weather and I’m always careful to thank them for their visit. It’s always nice to have a little company drop by.

The local wildlife has really started to move about more now that the days have started getting warmer (mind you, I didn’t say “warm”) and gradually days are getting longer.

My favorite part of the day is just before dawn, the forest comes alive with the sounds of many chirping birds. It’s like music to the ears. The baby birds have started to stir, urging mama to get up and greet the day. It’s amazing to listen as they call back and forth to one another.

The sunshine feels incredible on the skin. Shorts and t-shirts are back; jackets and jeans, not so much. Even the caterpillars are taking advantage. They can be seen sunning themselves on a regular basis these days. So, be careful where you walk. I can hardly wait for all the butterflies to emerge later this year.

As soon as the sun sets you can feel the chill in the air, so don’t forget to pack your long pants and jackets, you’ll be thankful to have them. It always amazes me when friends from the valley come to visit (sometimes to play in the snow even) and they leave behind their coats, boots, gloves, etc…

It’s actually very nice to have this unusual break between winter and summer, last year I swear spring only lasted for two weeks. Summer was much too long for my taste, so this is a wonderful change of pace.

We seem to have attracted another turkey and we have five deer stop off last night — two of them were fighting. I plan to dig out the binoculars to assist me in locating an owl, I know there has to be owls nearby. Any suggestions for how to attract owls? My husband has warned me against it, he thinks it will fly off with our cat. I think he’s being silly. What do you think?