2023 – Four-Legged Ladies’ Day at the Swim Club?
(Ignore April 30, 2017 publish date – this was published on October 17, 2023)
For some reason, I went to the Hackensack River Greenway in Teaneck, NJ, last year on October 12. There’s nothing to see then because the foliage hadn’t yet fallen off all the dense trees, etc.
But then, this happened: https://iaintjustmusic.bobleafe.com/?p=17285.
I’ve been to the Greenway a couple of times in the last year, but nothing like what’s in the above link ever reoccurred.
Today is October 12 a year later. I had some business to attend to a couple of blocks from the Greenway and when that was completed, I had some time to kill, so I decided to walk over there and prove to myself that lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place.
Good thing that that’s just an expression…………..otherwise, I’d now be burned to a crisp.
I can’t believe it! Is October 12 National Deer Day?
The only difference this year was that the deer were on the other side of the fence that separates the Greenway from the Teaneck Swim Club.
As you get a few hundred feet into the Greenway from the Cedar Lane entrance, there’s a clearing where the fence is more visible. There are tire tracks on the greenway and the fence appears to be openable at this location, so the swim club must get deliveries there.
Here’s a map that shows where the Greenway’s Cedar Lane entrance is and its location relative to the river and the Swim Club:
In that initial north to south stretch of Greenway, parts of the Swim Club’s fence are about as close to the Greenway as the Greenway is to the river
Apparently, there’s an opening somewhere else on the club’s periphery where wildlife can get in.
Last year, I saw a total of 5 deer – a mix of does and bucks. This year, I saw 7 – all does. I guess today was 4-Legged Ladies’ Day at the club.
The herd – for the most part – was maybe 200’-300’ away, but this one doe seemed curious and slowly – and very hesitantly – made her way towards me:
She’d stop and raise a leg, but not always the same one. Research says that if she raised a leg and stomped the ground, she’d be alerting other deer to possible danger, but there was no stomping:
Further research indicates that the leg-raising – sans stomping – means she’s just uneasy:
Occasionally, she’d drift back towards the others (I was hoping she’d use that yellow water slide), but then she’d come back again (but never closer than about 25’):
BTW – I found an image of the swim club in summer. You can see the yellow water slide, the lifeguard chairs and the colorful banners that ring the pool:
Her next approach was a little bit closer:
When she finally faced me directly, I zoomed in for the head shot and discovered something strange about her:
She’s the single-haired Bearded Lady!
By now, the others were starting to drift away:
And she joined them:
And that was it!
Oh yeah – I did shoot a 57-second video and toward the end of it you can see that there were a total of 7 does there, but I was getting decidedly mixed messages from my mono-follicled Bearded Lady friend:
You’ll recall that one leg up meant she was uneasy, but tail wagging means she’s at ease (and boy, was she wagging it!)……………fickle women!
BTW, this was shot through a chain link fence, resting on a diagonal link. That wasn’t too bad when she faced me directly, but it got a little more difficult (and shakier) when she wandered way to the right nearer the pool……………excuse-making photographers!
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