Just a quick update on the backyard fawns.

Kept having the nagging thought that I should have hauled the body of the dead third fawn out of that fence corner. Under the shade of the russian olive tree isn't a bad place to be, but the doe is likely to lead her surviving two fawns away from that spot if there's a festering carcass there.

Not to mention it's likely to attract stray dogs or cats.

So, as the heeler sisters and I headed out this evening, much too late, to scout out the roads for tomorrow's (now today's...) tour, I stopped by first to see about removing the dead fawn. When really young, mule deer fawns will usually lay absolutely still (I am a rock... I am a rock... I am a...) when you approach, so I should be able to just walk in and pick it up.

Well, the people were happy to see me. They've been occassionally peeking at the fawns, and were happy to report the fawn they thought was injured and dying has gotten up, walked around a little, and then bedded down again.

So they both look to be okay. No mother yet, though.

But if both fawns are walking about, that puts the kibosh on my "just walk in and get it" plan on retrieving their deceased sibling.

Time for Plan B. Trying to snag the dead one over the fence with a noose pole.

As I'm setting up the step stool, the woman suddenly gets excited.

"There she is!"

Yup. Across the alley, on the other side of the truck with two heelers in it, nosing around a junked car in the neighbors' yard, is a doe. Looking right at us.

"Hey! I got kids over there!"

So, I quickly try to snag the dead fawn and haul it out before Mama can figure out a path through the fences. Which, I find, is not so easy, since the noose pole is not quite able to snug down tight enough to hang onto a little tiny deer fawn hoof.

Two tries and then I quit. Better a dead fawn that she already knows about, than me shuffling around in what she thought was a secure little niche.

But either way, good news all around. Both surviving fawns look healthy, and Mama's coming back to look after them.

As for our scouting trip... let's just say I was hoping to be back by 20:00.

We got home at 21:46. Well past the heelers' dinner time.

Not a bad trip, just bad roads. And even then, I've seen them much worse. Good news is lots of water in the creek and reservoir, which I don't ever remember seeing full before. With phalaropes and boreal chorus frogs.

Lots and lots of flowers. Again, better than I ever remember. Should be pretty on the tour.

A nice sunset.

If only we hadn't been so far from anywhere at the time, and already a half hour past the time I had hoped to be home.

And then, of course, was finding the creek had claimed the road at the crossing I had hoped to use. Nothing like standing there, a stone's throw from the easy road home, and you can't get there from here.

Nothing to do but load up the hungry heelers, and take the slow, hard beaten road home.