Field journal

Deer at first light in the dry meadow

San Domingo

  • Four deer stand and graze in dry golden grass beneath the spreading branches of an oak, beside its dark trunk.

    Four deer, probably mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), at the edge of a dry-season meadow under the oaks.

Four deer were grazing at the edge of a meadow under the oaks at San Domingo Arbory just before 7:30 am on October 11, 2025. Two were noticeably smaller than the others, probably this year’s young. They are most likely mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus); we haven’t confirmed the identification.

October comes at the end of the long, dry foothill summer, and the meadow grass was dry and golden. Sightings like this one are chance encounters. The remote cameras we have since set up above a backcountry road, part of our AI-managed remote sensing, now keep a steadier record, day and night.

Theme Monitoring biodiversity

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