Mama Nursing

My husband and I live on a small island forested with pines, birches, maples and cedars. This spring I was frustrated by the heavy browsing damage sustained by my small garden, until I learned that the culprit was a nursing mother of triplets! She must have swum to the island while pregnant, and then would leave the fawns in separate locations while she swam back to the mainland for food each day. The day this photo was taken we had the privilege of watching all three fawns wandering around the island, stumbling over logs while their mama kept watch from a distance, until eventually she moved in and nuzzled the first of the three, who began nursing. She had stepped into the sunlight and looked straight in my direction, as if to graciously reward me for the snacks with a photo shoot.