Deertender

            I am Kim’s deertender. That’s the part I play. And I’m also birdfeeder, foxwatcher, and squirrelhost, but it’s the beautifully majestic deer that move me every day. Of course, feeding birds and deer really means feeding squirrels the cracked corn, apples, seeds and peanuts that I set out. I have trapped 45 squirrels to relocate in a cemetery across the lake.

 

            Feeding the deer and birds is a bigger job than it sounds. We have six different feeding stations, each requiring its own kind of seeds, which I take from the four metal barrels we keep on the back porch. We also have suet and seed balls. I go out to reload three or four times a day. Kim sees this as my gift to her.

 

            Why feed them? I’d like to say that I feed them because I am humane, and helping to save the planet, but I don’t think we are in any danger of running out of squirrels and deer, at least here in Michigan, though some bird species are threatened. No, I do it because they are cool to look at, cool for Kim to photograph, and they somehow make me feel closer to nature. I feel connected. And it’s a lot better than shoveling snow, lying on the couch watching Netflix, or sitting at my desk cursing at my computer.

 

            Anyway, here are a few of Kim’s photos, taken through the windows of our porch:

That's peanut butter I spread on a tree for the Brown Creeper.

Taking a break for snowman decoration.

The buck stops here.

Mother and Daughter

Beautiful!

The corn is hung from a spring, creating a bungee jump for squirrels.

Sometimes we get unusual winter visitors.

Deertender loading cracked corn.

We sometimes get snowed in, and we entertain ourselves by looking out the window. We spend a lot of time on the porch, and Kim calls me her "DEAR deertender."