The deer canter

Stepping out into the cool of early(ish) morning, I reach the sidewalk, and a trio of deer dash across Fairfield Road, their hooves hammering the pavement.

This is the first time I've seen our usually laidback urban deer running.  

They're fast.

They bound.  They bounce off the grass, and over shrubbery.  I turn, to see them vanish into the bushes that encircle the east end of our building.

Another cluster of clattering rings out behind me.  I wheel around, and a fourth deer sails by me, only a foot or so between us.

I never see what has spooked them.