Typical Morning at the Zoo

My parents live in on a tree farm and encourage visits by random critters of all types. This has created a rather entertaining atmosphere. watching from the back porch or dining room table. This morning before we left to come home was the perfect example. First there was the regular huge crane that likes to stand in the middle of the pond and taunt the cat. Add to the mix three young deer.

The deer romped all over the dry end of what used to be the pond, making their way around to where there's still a little water in the "deep" end. The crane was hanging out in his usual spot fishing. The cat was on the back porch contemplating how wet the grass was between him and the intruders.

Two of the deer ambled back off into the woods. The third one started stalking the crane. Literally. He splashed out knee deep into the water, clearly trying to sneak up on the bird that was almost as big as he was. He'd take a few steps closer, the bird would take a few steps away. They danced this dance in a circle all the way around to the levee. Meanwhile the cat had decided that instincts outweighed the dew filled grass and was commando crawling toward the pond. Granted, he was heading towards the dry end, because their ain't no way he's going in the wet end. Once he got down there the deer noticed him and got distracted, eventually abandoning the crane and wandering back into the woods after his friends. Next time we saw the cat, he was making a flying run up from the edge of the pond where he crane was. The crane likes to get right up next to the edge of the pond to lure the cat almost to the water's edge, then walk back to the deeper area just to frustrate the cat. This is the same cat that stalks the turkeys in the front yard, who do the same thing as the crane (fly about 3 feet away from him and go back to eating). That would be the turkeys that have walked up onto the front porch and tapped on the window.

This is exactly why my parents moved back home to the farm. There's nothing they love more than watching all their wild pets. Heck, even the cat just randomly showed up one day and stayed.