Deer in the 'hood

There is a very large field behind my house that has become a sort of wildlife refuge in the middle of the city. The area used to be part of the Rockliffe Air Force base, but that was abandoned by the military a decade ago. Over the years the houses have been torn down and now there is nothing but a few street lights left standing.

Spotted from my balcony

There are of course lots of squirrels running about, but those are everywhere. Over the past few days I have been seeing some deer in the field behind my house. This is quite remarkable because although Ottawa doesn't have many large industrial zones, it is still a pretty big city.

This morning I counted five deer munching on the tall grass that pokes up through the snow. I am fortunate to be able to live in a place where I can drive to downtown in ten minutes, yet also look out my kitchen window and see so much wildlife.