Doorstep Fawn
The most exciting thing that happened on my trip to the Friday Harbor marine station last weekend was a close encounter with a newborn fawn. The mother had deposited her new baby against the cabin wall with its chin on the concrete of front doorstep. At first we did not notice it even though we went in and out of the cabin a few times, then it caught someone’s eye. Not once did it move, the only sign of life was the movement of nostrils as it breathed. It did not seem concerned in any way, and the mother was nowhere to be seen for half an hour or so. While we left it alone, more or less, I could not resist a few photographs. All of these images are taken with a 50 mm lens, some standing on the doorstep, others lying on my belly across part of the door step, and the more distant ones through the window in the door. Some pictures are cropped from the originals, so I was not closer than a couple of feet away. The video clip below is as close as I got, also with 50 mm lens, and it was really to prove to myself that it was breathing because from a bit further away and from above the breathing was not visible, and some of us were concerned the fawn might be doing poorly and have been abandoned.
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It was a wonderful experience to meet a wild animal that close. We figure that the mother chose this place on purpose – there are a lot of foxes in the area, but they tend to stay back from the cabins, so this location would be a bit safer, provided you trust humans more than foxes. Pets are not allowed at the labs, so no fear of dogs is necessary here. When the mother returned and roused up the baby we could see it had been born just a short time before. It was trembling on its legs, and much of its body was still wet from birth and subsequent cleanup. What a treat for all of us that were there. Made all the more so as it is something no one in my family had seen in all the (52) years we have been staying in these cabins.
From a photography perspective, it was a matter of grab the camera and use it, quickly. ISO 100 was not ideal in the early morning light, and my first picture at f5.6 was only at 1/20th of a second, so I had to close the aperture down to between f2.5 and f1.8 for the rest of the close-up shots (not thinking to adjust the ISO, some old film habits die really hard). When the mother returned, the camera battery was off in the charger and I was slow to get it. It would have been nice to get some video of its first steps away from the house. Hope you get some of the feeling of pleasure that this encounter gave to all of us.
To open the gallery click on any thumbnail image below and use arrows to move between them and escape to return to this page.
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- To the woods, keep an eye open for foxes
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- Look both ways before entering the forest
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- Let’s try out these legs
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- First sun
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- More cleaning
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- Up to see mum, wet hind legs
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- Chin on doorstep, nose in focus, no crop
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- Chin on doorstep, eye in focus
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- Fawn spots
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- Chin on doorstep, eye in focus, no crop
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- Fawn and doorway
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- First view from inside cabin doorway
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EDIT: Please check out Douglas Peterson’s comment below about correct responses to these fawns, and check out the link he provided to for the fawn rescue group, Fawn Care – there is lots of useful information to know.
Canon 5Dii, Canon 50/1.4 lens, ISO 100, various low f-stops and exposures.
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burnt embers 
Wow how fortunate to be so close to the little fawn! The photos and video or super!!!
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Thanks David – it was a very rare and wonderful treat. Still hard to believe more than a year later.
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What an amazing thing to witness. And photograph. Nicely done.
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Thank you Danita – glad you liked it. It was a rare opportunity – sure glad the camera was close to hand.
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EPIC piece here, Ehpem! Wowsers, my friend, this is truly amazing! Great, great photographs, and what a riveting narrative to go along! I love this, seriously a top drawer post, my friend!
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Thanks Toad! Sounds like you like it :). Which i am very pleased about. An experience to remember, even without photographic prompting.
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Good luck delivered to your doorstep! So sweet – I saw something similar in the park last week but so far away, I only got some cell phone video. Love these wide eyed shots.
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Wide eyes for sure – Bambi eyes I expect they are called. Thanks for your comments Lynn.
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You did everything right, ehpem!
I have a friend who is cares for fawns people find in the woods and fields and assume they are abandoned when they are not. Their moms intentionally stay away from their offspring except while nursing so predators don’t follow her scent. Fawns have no scent of their own early in life.
Each year, my friend gets calls from people all across the US who have snatched these fawns thinking they are doing a wonderful thing by “rescuing” them. While they are well meaning, removing fawns from their moms sets into motion months of rehabilitation for the fawn. It’s not unusual for my friend to rehab, or place with other rehabbers, two dozen babes and convince the people to return the fawns to the spot where they were originally.
The ONLY time fawns should be removed from the wild is when the mother is found dead or injured or the fawn is injured or sick. Her web site details how to evaluate the situation and I would deeply appreciate it if all of your visitors would spread the word far and wide so more fawns are left alone.
Please visit http://www.FawnCare.com
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Hi Doug – thanks so much for all the great information. When I am back at home (putting in some long hours in preparation for going away for a few weeks) I will put a link right into the post – either to your comment, or the info you have provided. I’ll do the same thing on youtube, I see some other found-fawn videos with people stroking them and other invasive acts like that, so it seems that the word needs to be broadcast about leaving them alone.
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Thanks for the comment again Doug. I did put links in both the youtube video before I went away, as well as in the post above. I notice there have been quite a few outgoing clicks (which WP under-counts) to fawncare.com so maybe a bit of education will result from this 🙂 Seems as if it is very much needed.
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Fantastic opportunity for you to get some great wildlife shots. Thanks for sharing them with us 🙂
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Thanks David – wildlife shots are not my thing really, so it was a great opportunity, without a lot of the usual work and waiting that seems to characterize wildlife photography.
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In the dappled light
A matching coat – sweet faced fawn –
The doorstep of spring.
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Wow Ryan – I seem to have inspired you to write another Haiku. How wonderful, and thanks so much for posting it here 🙂 “the doorstep of spring” is so wonderfully apt!
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Amazing—how lucky you were!
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Hi skadhu – lucky indeed. Not something I expect to be repeating.
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Mom must have thought you would make good babysitters 🙂 Awesome experience and great captures.
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Thanks so much CP 🙂 We did our best to be low profile around the fawn.
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I go with the LensScaper comment. This is a “WOW” post.
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Thanks Joseph – it is so nice to get a clear shot of a deer and to be able to study it – they are always so much on the move that a good close look seems impossible.
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I’ve photographed a few deer rear ends in my time.
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Ha! You and many others.
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Amazing! What an exciting experience, and so beautiful. Wonderful images, Ephem.
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Thank you Karen! Being in the right place at the right time can trump the best planned shoot, at least in terms of the “awww” factor.
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Wow! Incredible! When I was watching the video, before seeing the photos below and reading the rest of the story, I was really worried, because her breathing seem labored, but what a relief to see the mother show up and read the rest of your wonderful story! Thank you for sharing this! What wonderful photographs!
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Thank you Lemony. We were worried about the fawn too – we could not comprehend why it would have been left there. I see on youtube quite a few fawn on the doorstep photos, so maybe it’s something taught in deer prenatal classes?
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What an incredible treat you had seeing all this. Well captured too.
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Thanks Andy – there were several missed opportunities in the middle of this treat, but my regrets are mild ones. The fawn peering out through moms hind legs is the only thing I really wished I had caught.
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