Friday, July 8, 2022

A Deer by any other name?


 The name deer sounds very sweet, doesn't it? But what about rat? I saw a rat on one of my hikes this week but I'll save his photo for last. He was a very cute rat even though that name conjures up something ugly and even sinister.  Makes me wonder why I'm waiting until the end to show his photo! lol


I was walking on the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway near hwy 484 when I saw all of these critters.


The deer weren't concerned about my presence in the least.

The first one I saw was eating right along the trail.


This bike stopped to watch too.


And then a little curious deer came out of the brush to get a better look at ME.


So I'll share some of his cute pics....


I must have looked a sight!


The lady in the pink cap!


What a tale he will have to share when he joins the others.

So I promised you a rat!


Florida Woodrat


I didn't get a very good photo because he was in the leaves and brush content on the task at hand. You can barely make out the little round ear and dark eye in the center of the photo.

And after a few steps I saw an Eastern Cottontail Rabbit.


He was well hidden in the tall grasses but once I took a step towards him, he headed for the safety of the woods!


It's still hot and humid but I've made a few early morning hikes. Yesterday it was 84 degrees with 84% humidity and not much breeze. That's pretty warm and sticky but I drink lots of water and come home, take a shower and spend the rest of the day in an air conditioned house so I won't complain. (well, not right this minute! lol)

Have you had any good sightings this week? 

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE.

45 comments:

Jenn Jilks said...

It's been hot here, as well. We had a bear on our trailcam, as well as the bucks, a doe and her fawn.
(ツ) from Jenn Jilks , ON, Canada!

Tom said...

...oh deer me!

Vee said...

What great photos of the deer. I enjoy seeing them in photos or way, way across the way. Definitely not eating my roses! I'll take your word for it that the rat is cute. *shudder*

Glad that you are able to hike some. Are you reading? Sewing? Cooking?

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

Nice pictures, the deer are adorable. The heat index is always good to be aware of in summer as heat exhaustion can sneak up on you.

eileeninmd said...

Hello,
The deer are so pretty, wonderful photos. The bunny is cute too.
Rats are a little creepy to me. Take care, enjoy your day and happy weekend!

♥ Łucja-Maria ♥ said...

Lovely animals and great photos. They also often appear in my meadow.
Have a nice, relaxing weekend:)

MadSnapper said...

the dear are precious and beautiful and the little one is darling. they are not afraid at all. glad they are in a safe place. the rat is cute, we have them here but only see them when it rains, we call them palmetto rats because they live in the palm trees.

Carla from The River said...

Great photos. How fun to get so close to the deer.
I found the rat to be a wee bit cute. Hee Hee!

Cloudia said...

What delightful friends you have!

Jeanie said...

I'll give the rat a pass but the deer are dear indeed!

happyone said...

The deer must be used to people walking along the trail.
Great photos!!

Terri D said...

My only sighting was the horse in the trailer shown in my blog today. Not nearly as fetching as all of your critters!! Thanks for taking us along! xo

Ann said...

That deer sure was a curious fellow. I guess the rat and rabbit weren't quite as interested in people watching as the deer was.

Red Rose Alley said...

Eeeeek, I have a dreadful fear of mice and rats! So, I didn't know if I should scroll down or not haha. But the deer sight was a wonderful one. I just saw a deer on the side of my house - she visited me around the 4th of July! Glad you had the pleasure of seeing a deer on your hike this week, Diane. It doesn't get much better than that, I must say.

Have a relaxing weekend, and I hope it doesn't get too warm there for you.

~Sheri

Karen @ Beatrice Euphemie said...

That little deer was so pretty. So funny that she was checking you out - even giving you the 'side-eye' there for a minute. Amazing that you were able to see the rat and rabbit despite being so camouflaged! I had a deer run through the yard the other day, but I hope she moved on. My roses are too tempting for them! x K

Cheryl’s Sunlit Pathway said...

Wonderful photos. I love nature and seeing the deer . I watch for them when I am walking at my favorite places

eileeninmd said...

Hello Diane,
I really enjoyed this post. Your deer photos are so cute and I loved the cute bunny. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, enjoy your weekend.

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

Good shots of the critters on your walk! While walking on the beach yesterday I saw a small sawtooth shark! I found out it is an endangered species list. I reported the sighting.

Lea said...

Beautiful deer!
As long as the rats stay in the woods, they are okay with me.
Have a blessed day!

EricaSta said...

Yes,I agree... we fear the rats. The reason why was the Pest in the middleage. But a rat is a clever animal.

I enjoyed your walking so much, the wonderful wood, the nature around.

And I thank you for your lovely words in your comment.

Have a good week.

Debbie said...

I can't believe how the deer come right out in the open to see you! They look so shiny! Ewwww....the rat. Definitely not a fan...but nice that you gave him a place in your post. It's hot and humid up here, also...but I will take it, because I love Summer! Have a great weekend! Debbie xxoo

Lorrie said...

Deer are so pretty and graceful, especially in the wild. We have a lot of them in our area, too. Rats are horrible, in my opinion. Your plan for dealing with the heat is sensible. Go out early and then stay in. I wish for some heat here - it's between 65 and 70 here.

Breathtaking said...

Hello Diane, :=) Wonderful sightings of the deer, a truly beautiful creature, which has become used to human contact, at least seeing humans on the trail and not being afraid. You did well to spot the rabbit and rat in the long grass. I don't like rats, they steal our grain, and have to be dealt with. Here it is 40 dg so so hot that it is difficult to breath. I hope it cools down where you are. Hugs from Portugal.

italiafinlandia said...

Both critters are part of nature, but the environment they live in changes our perception of their importance or niceness...
Well captured, both of them!

RedPat said...

Those deer think you are no threat that's for sure.

Bob Bushell said...

Beautiful Deer images you shots, I love them all.

Mae Travels said...

I wonder what kind of rat it was. I think some of them live in the woods and don't carry all the terrible diseases that city rats do. And don't do all the damage that the real pests do.

I think I prefer deer even if they do eat rhododendrons.

best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Bill said...

These critters needed their photos taken. You did a beautiful job, great captures. A lot of company when your out and about. Thanks for sharing and try and stay cool!

Pamela M. Steiner said...

Great photos! Love the deer!! You got some wonderful pictures of them. They must be very used to hikers there. Perhaps some hikers are feeding them... But now the rat is something else. Yes, he's cute enough from a distance. But when we lived in Salt Springs they would build nests in our pumphouse and we did NOT like the mess they made in there. Every winter they would find their way inside and build a nest no matter what we did to try to dissuade them. Not a pleasant situation as it was also our garden shed. Anyway, they are cute in the woods where they belong. The rabbit is adorable as always. Thank you for sharing...and now enjoy the cool indoors!

Billie Jo said...

Hello! Ok, the deer I like. We have them here all over. Although I am afraid of the deer ticks. But the rat?!?!? Ugh!!!! Lovely photos, my friend.

Anu said...

Hello.
Wonderful photos. I don't know why, but I'm afraid of rats.
Have a nice day.

Phil Slade said...

Everyone likes deer and it's easy to see why. I don't know anyone who likes rats but I guess a few do. It's a bit worrying when the rat population is said to outnumber us humans many times over. I hope you have a rat free week Diane.

Shiju Sugunan said...

Gorgeous pictures of deer!

Rostrose said...

Hello dear!
Your animal sightings are again very enjoyable. I like deer (wonderful that they weren't shy!), but also rabbits and rats (when they're not acting as disease vectors or household pests. My daughter had a pet rat, which was really cute!) There weren't very many animal sightings here this week - there were several days of rain and it has cooled down. That's good for the garden and it also feels quite pleasant, only yesterday it wasn't that practical: We were at an open-air festival - at first the weather was still pleasant, but then it started to rain and then I felt a bit cold... But we still held out until after midnight.
All the best from Austria, Traude
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2022/07/mallorca-reisebericht-teil-1-tag-1-bis.html

Barbara said...

We've had some armadillos in our neighborhood -- not thrilling. But Gary and a neighbor chased them out. Haven't seen them since. Pouring ammonia straight from the jug into their hold was not to their liking. They exited quickly out the other end and we haven't seen them since!

Lowcarb team member said...

Here in the UK we are experiencing hot weather ...

Lovely photographs of the deer.

All the best Jan

Creations By Cindy said...

Now that is a big rat!!! The deer pictures are beautiful. Girl, it's hot and humid in Florida. AC running, running, running! Hugs and blessings, Cindy

BeachGypsy said...

love seeing the deer! They have such sweet little innocent, curious faces! Its pouring here in Charleston. Did y'all get any rain this year? How are your roses doing? I don't have roses, maybe we will get a bush or two and plant them soon! Hope the new week treats you great my friend!

Debbie said...

i LOVE deer, love seeing them, love photographing them. they are such beautiful creatures!!

good for you getting outdoors...with our air conditioned homes that can be a difficult choice at times. enjoy the upcoming week!!

Veronica Lee said...

Lovely photos of the deer. And the rat too.

Such wonderful sightings!

Happy Monday, my friend.

Teresa said...

Tus avistamientos fueron muy buenos, yo en mí jardín vi varios pájaros. Besos.

Linda said...

Deer are so pretty and bunnies are sweet,
Til they go in your garden and eat and eat!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

We passed a sign for the Marjorie Harris Carr greenway in June when we were leaving Florida. I thought of you -- Did you see me wave? (I told Bill I wanted to come back sometime just to walk on it!) That rat really is a cute one -- I wouldn't have known what he was! Fun hike.

Julie's Creative Lifestyle said...

I enjoyed looking at the photos of the deer and the rat and bunny. I hope you have a nice week Diane.

Aunt Helen said...

I love all your deer photos.. They are such wonderful creatures. The only sighting I had was a huge crow in my yard! Love, Aunt Helen