🦌 Feeding my deer friends (Photoshoot/many pictures): Hirvi and family (Empathy and Healing, connection with fellow animal companions)

in #photography6 years ago (edited)

doe young deer - by_ - Priscilla Hernandez.jpg

Above:Are you happy to see me? My "deer" friends: Hirvi's daughter all grown up into a beautiful doe. Proud dad behind her just a few days ago.

Still not over the Steemfest flu but after two weeks of coughing and feeling unwell I knew what I needed to recover was to connect back with Nature, hug a tree, smell the damp forest floor. So I have been going out these last few days, but I'll keep some of the hikes for another post. Grounding in Nature is the best way to heal it, I swear, I felt it clearing my lungs. Yesterday we also hiked and enjoyed the beauty of this moody Autumn season.

So, for the above reason, some days ago @hedac (who seems recovered from the bug) and I went to feed my "deer" friend Hirvi and his family, that we have been befriending for the last year and a half. They all came running to us like puppies as soon as we stirred close their living area. They already know we often come visit with treats. The baby fawn is now all grown up into a beautiful young doe and ate bread for the first time. I swear she was smiling all the time enjoying the new flavours, and so excited about it. Mum doe ate lots of carrots. Proud stag looks like a crowned king with the antlers fully grown, a true Guardian of the Forest

hirvi guardian of the forest - by priscilla Hernandez (yidneth.com) - Priscilla Hernandez.jpg

He is the only one that still keeps a distance to us, but each time he gets nearer and already enjoy apples and carrots. I am still with bronchitis (SF3 flu gone bad) but feeding the animals and walking in the little pine woods did me well. They are tame but still wild. Same with the sparrows I feed every morning.

Why Hirvi?

I usually name all my pets and animal friends with Finn names, still apparently as @eveuncovered told me I may have called him "moose" instead of deer XD, but after two years he's keeping the name even if not accurate ;-)

Last Spring the family had this new baby, few months ago it was still drinking milk and was sporting the cute fawn spots like in this picture:

Hirvi baby - by Héctor Corcín.jpg

Cute baby fawn

It's incredible how big it looks now, and just like her mother, sister and father knows us... she's learning to trust. She was literally smiling while eating bread (first picture in this post). For me it's a healing experience. I truly believe in empathy. I love to feel she knows she is safe with me.

bebe doe - by_ - Priscilla Hernandez.jpg

Fawn has become a beautiful young doe

Empathy: the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. No words needed

My deer friend: Majestic Hirvi

hirvi - by Héctor Corcín.jpg

Hirvi is a deer we befriended a couple of years ago. He is featured in one of my music videos, "Grow". At the beginning he kept the distance but as time has gone on and our visits with carrots and treats became often, we gained his trust. Last year he had a baby doe and last Spring a new fawn was born too. Some days ago we visited to find out this little baby girl all grown up and ready to conquer our hearts with those big brown doe eyes of her. Now the family is comprised of four: Hirvi and the mum of the two young does.


Above: One of the scenes featured in my videoclip Grow where "Hirvi" appears.

Click here to go to the post where I shared that music video

Above: My song and videoclip "GROW". Hirvi appears at 1:51 Filming another video where he will be more prominently

I am vegetarian and very much against hunting (please, I appreciate no discussions about that in comments, that's not the purpose of this post), I've grown to love these this particular family and relieved they live in a protected area with a reasonably sized pine grove to roam free, but I know it also becomes harsh for them during winter up there so we will make our visits more often. I am very proud to know they have had cameos on my music videos too. I will be returning to visit them and I feel fortunate to be able to get really close. I'm in fact writing a song about "wilderness and innocence" inspired by them. I am also cleaning my desktop to start painting again... and I'm very inspired to do a drawing of them. That way they will be part of my own magic world in a way.

Looking into your eyes

Moments like this are magic... to see ourselves reflected in these eyes full of bewildered wonder. To be witness so closely of their feelings and emotions is a gift. Can you see me and @hedac in them?

reflection eye - by Héctor Corcín.jpg

And this other photography with them looking into the woods

hirvi_eye.jpg

And thus sometimes we keep company until sun sets

 - by Hector Corcin.jpg

All pictures in this post by me and @hedac

Note: fun fact... the little grove where they live is full of sculptures carved in wood... and there is now one that looks exactly like me hahha :) They keep on adding new ones but I wonder... as I usually go there sometimes even dressed in my fairy garments... LOL
Still... a bit of a resemblance right?

wood_sculpture_me.jpg

And here some pictures of me taken some months ago during a visit to my "deer" friends in deer garments myself in the pine woods they live in... I'm part of the family now too, you know :)

deer princess - by Héctor Corcín.jpg

deer princess 2 - by Héctor Corcín.jpg

yidneth_deer.jpg



Priscilla Hernandez
singer-songwriter & illustrator
http://yidneth.com

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Oh my word, wow!! did not expect that :-)

Just listened to your song and watched the video, I seriously drifted of for that 4mins.

I love it, and the video is excellent as well, ties in very nicely with the music.

Are you on Deezer, would definitely download your tunes, it could become my new Sunday chill tunes :-)

love it, your voice is so beautifully calming and soothing to my soul...

That song in particular was not an official release but yes you can find several albums of mine and collaborations at spotify, itunes and more (not sure on deezer, guess so) but my albums are both digital and illlustrated physical books and in yidneth.com you will find these stand alones too that we hope to compile in future albums. Thanks for listening and for the compliment. Just look for "Priscilla Hernandez"

Everytime i read your nature posts i get so jealous i don't live anywhere near such thick nature... I don't know how you guys even able to go home after having such a magical time with these adorable creatures!

Giving names to animals is also something we do all the time, and just for fun we like to name them with different species... We made friends with a male cat once and we named it Raton :D

Prici, I hope you feel better soon! <3

I would love to show you around... Yes they are so pretty. Last year we stumble upon a group on boar in the mist, it is really so entrancing. A cat name mouse, lol, haha funny.

I have such a great love for all the creatures in the world. Your videos and you music just shine the beautiful heart you have and I would assume that you draw that beauty from all creation around you. Thank you for sharing your deer/dear friends with us!

Aww your comnent just made my day. Thanks for the lovely compliment.

This is so beautiful @yidneth and @hedac 💚 Recently I wrote posts describing how plants and trees have an intricate social life, how they're able to communicate with each other and other creatures like insects, fungi and birds, how they can perceive and react to changes, threats and other creatures in their surroundings...; I'm sure that "hugging a tree" conveys as much love for nature and life as the time you took to befriend your "deer friends". All life is connected and you demonstrate that in a most wonderful way. These pictures are really, really great, not in the least because they show how close you, @hedac and the deers have become.

I really enjoyed this, thanks for another great post! 💖

Thank you for the lovely and indepth comment, it really has made my day, they are indeed super special to us... we have been filming some scenes to be able to include them in a forthcoming video, it makes me happy that they're here and there...
I loved to see myself in their eyes, my favourite was to take the picture of the forest reflecting in their eyes, it's strange how to explain it... guess like all those stories of witches and their familiars

forest bathing and hugging trees work
I swear
it's humbling too

you feel big, part of it all
you feel small, just a part of it all
a quandary

OMG this is so cool! what a special experience =) It's incredible that they now know you and come close to you! I don't think I have ever been near a deer, but always wanted to. Glad you're over your flu! carlos and I got sick too...

It is amazing to me that you can befriend a pack of deer. Both of you must have good aura that make the animals not be wary to be near you. I should borrow some of that, so I can pet my neighbour's cat xD.

I have been feeding a couple of necked doves for years and they don't trust me though hahahah XD, still there are moments of connection, the other day last week at the cafeteria a wild sparrow got in and frantically started to fly inside the place and crash with the glass windows. Before the owner would go on drastic solution the little birdie allowed me to take it in my hands and just relaxed there, I felt its tiny little heart about to explode and then dunno it was odd, it just relaxed there and was with me a while, until I felt he was recovered, it ate, and we walked to the park, when I saw other sparrows I placed it along with the others and they flew away, it was an amazing experience

Haha yes the correct name would be Peura, but what ever the name, he is wonderful. It's insane that you can get so close to these animals, ours in here are very scared of people.

You just named the new baby, is Peura ok for a " doe girl" too? Sounds pretty to me!

awwww. Peura :)

Peura = deer, naaras = female, uros = male, and baby game animal = vasa (works both female and male).

Damn Finnish is hard, but a young female deer in Finnish would be naaraspuolinen peuran vasa, straight translation to English being female sided deers baby.

Oh but Naara and Vasa sounds pretty too... they are actually three girls, two young and the Mum. Is Peura generic for deer? but would work for a girl? sounds nice for a Spaniard. Vasa is pretty as well, might be the one :)
Yes, I don't know the language but I like the sound of it... and well I play kantele and jouhikko which are typical from your country and I'm obsessed about Northern Lights... will have to visit one day :)

Peura is correct for both female and male deers :) I myself like the word vasa, which works for all baby moose and deer animals.

There are two young does, Vasa will be for sure the name of one of them, I like it too! :)

So sweet, love. What a beautiful connection. 💞

Awww they are such darlings...
by the way I also hiked yesterday with the pendant you gifted me... posted a pic in @thealliance Thank you
Feeling better
Today we stayed indoors cos tiding up is very much needed and we also had to go and vote against the bullrunning festivities, they were forbidden but my "small village" protested to have them back, and thus we had to go and vote against. That's not tradition but animal abuse :(

still the outdoors time has cleared my mind and lungs

I saw! So glad you like the pendant. And good to hear your lungs are clearing. I’m at the tail end of this cold myself. 🤗

Hirvi looks quite gracious. It's cool you were able to befriend a wild animal. I've seen deer before in the forest of Appalachian mountains, but they would always get spooked and run from me haha.

These belong to a little reserved protected area so it's not that entirely wild, still we have crossed paths countless time with real wild deer and boar and though they're skittish usually aknowledge our presence. Whenever the area is open to hunting they do good in fleeing away. Still I've felt the gain of trust in Hirvi, yes the female are really tame but he was not at all, he kept a distance always, but gets closer each time and now he's among the first one heading towards us and the last one to bid farewell.

Oh I see, that explains it. I think it is pretty awesome you were able to gain his trust and pay occasional visits, nature is beautiful.

I had an great grand aunt who had deer friends and she took me to see them in the woods and I had wild bear friends as a kid :) your friends are lovley :D

awww a wild bear friend? sounds also lovely, last bears were recorded a decade or so ago, now they're gone from our forests, so sad :(

oh no I mean boar as in wild pigs :) and yes poor bears :(

Boars are super cute, last Autumn while hiking we crossed paths with a big group including babies, we just aknowledge each other peacefully, it was magical.

:) My friend had babies i fed her and them with apples my mother almost had a fit because she thought i would get killed but was to scared to come after me lol. I just sat there petting them and feeding them tasty apples :) they have this really intense smell but i love it :)

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