Evening Of A Fawn ...

 “… I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief …

For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.”

 ~ “The Peace of Wild Things”

 ~ Wendell Berry

 ~ born 1934

 ~ American novelist, poet, environmental activist, cultural critic & farmer

I came into the peace of wild things when I spotted this honey of a summer sight – a sweet, beautiful white-tailed deer fawn – grazing on a beautiful late June evening along the Ironton Rail Trail, which loops more than nine miles through Whitehall Township, the Borough of Coplay and North Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania.

 

The Ironton Railroad was a shortline railroad in Lehigh County. Originally built in 1861 to haul iron ore and limestone to blast furnaces along the Lehigh River, traffic later shifted to carrying Portland Cement when local iron mining declined in the early 20^th century. Much of the railroad had already been abandoned when it became part of Conrail in 1976, and the last of its trackage was removed in 1984.

 

In 1996, Whitehall Township purchased 9.2 miles of the right-of-way from Conrail, transforming it into the Ironton Rail Trail.

 

Dancing In The Field ...

“In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous.”

                   ~ Aristotle

                     ~ 384-322 B.C.

I spotted my favorite white-tailed button buck, who I call Buttons, seemingly doing a little dance in the field in the waning days of summer. He and his twin sister and mama doe were enjoying a mid-September evening as sunset loomed in the park.

I photographed Buttons since he was a precious fawn, then a sweet button buck and then a beautiful yearling until he migrated away in January 2020. Along the way I tossed him many apples, which he loved eating. His twin sister was always a bit more shy about posing for the camera.

It’s a true joy and blessing to me personally and as a photographer to have watched these sweet fawns grow.

Savoring The Moment ...

“If you are not filled with overflowing love, compassion and goodwill for all creatures living wild in nature, you will never know true happiness.”

                      ~ Paul Oxton

              ~ founder & director of 

              Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation

My favorite white-tailed deer doe savors an apple in the spring snow on an early April evening in the park in this selective color shot.

I’ve been blessed to photograph this doe and her fawns since 2012, and it’s a true joy to me personally and as a photographer.