Dear deer

 

Dear deer

Red deer stags, Glen Torridon, Scotland

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

There are two native species of deer in the UK, the Red and the Roe, though Fallow deer are now so well-established as to be considered native. The Normans introduced them to England around the 11^th century.

Other non-native deer, like Muntjac deer from China and Chinese Water deer, and Sika deer from Japan, are seen in increasing numbers. All the male deer grow antlers, apart from the Chinese Water deer, which instead have large canine teeth, called tusks. Sometimes, these deer are called ‘vampire deer.’

Red deer are the largest species. The iconic baying stag is strongly associated with Scotland, though it is also found in numbers in other parts of England and Wales.

A stag starts growing his antlers in the spring. They grow rapidly, at the rate of 2½ cm (1”) a day and are fully developed by September, in time for the mating season, or rut. They are covered in velvet, which supplies the growing bone with oxygen and nutrients, until just before the rut. Then the velvet is rubbed off, against tree bark in the summer, and the bone dies. The antlers are shed in early spring and are grown again from early summer.

The size and extent of antlers may indicate a stag’s age, but teeth are a more accurate pointer. Stags with twelve points are called Royals, but the points must be equally distributed. A beast with five on one side and seven on the other will not be classified as a Royal. 

'The Monarch of the Glen' by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer (1802-1873)
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Stags with fourteen points used to be informally known as Imperials and those with sixteen as Monarchs. However, Sir Edwin Henry Landseer’s famous painting, ‘The Monarch of the Glen,’ clearly shows a stag with twelve points.

The much smaller roe deer also grow antlers, but they never exceed three points. They were the original inspiration for the book ‘Bambi.’ I wrote about roe deer a number of years ago.

Roe deer

The doe is watching the dogs pass by

The deer in our local forest are roe deer, the most numerous of Britain’s native deer, and at this time of the year their coats have changed from the dark grey or brown of winter to a rich russet. It is quite usual for us to see one or two roe deer when we take the dogs walking, particularly towards evening. The deer are watchful but not easily startled, only taking flight if one of the dogs gets within twenty yards. Then they bound away and melt into the trees. 

Here she's watching Barry, trying to understand what he's doing

 We have often seen deer lying down in patches of sunlight. This gives them an opportunity to chew the cud. Usually they lie where they have been feeding only if they feel secure. One of the places we have seen them is about a hundred yards from the path we follow.

It's difficult to get buck and doe together in one frame!

In the last three weeks, since late August, we have regularly seen a young buck and doe. They are keeping company because this is the breeding season. The rut takes place from July to September. Does usually bear twins which are born the following spring, between April and June. In exceptionally good conditions a doe may have triplets. 

He looks as though he's saying, 'What are you looking at?'

Roe deer are the only deer that delay implantation so that the young are born when conditions are favourable, in that the weather is more clement and there is sufficient food and fresh plant growth. Others among the one hundred or so mammals that delay implantation (embryonic diapause) include stoats, badgers and rodents.

Spotting them is sometimes difficult . . . 

Can you see him now?

Here he is lying down 

Moving away unhurriedly

 I found a useful site that shows how to calculate the age of a buck by its antlers and I think ‘our’ buck is a two-year-old.

The antlers are shed each year and unusually for British deer, the roe buck casts and regrows them in the winter when good food is not readily available.

I am linking to Camera Critters.

To the rescue!

Photo courtesy of Press Association 

When a stag was spotted with his antlers snagged in a rope swing a few days ago the RSPCA was contacted. It called on the expertise of the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service which sent its animal rescue officers to the site in Hook in Hampshire.It was a hazardous operation because the stag was full-grown with an impressive rack, which could have been lethal to approaching humans. He was very distressed, kicking out and throwing himself around, in danger of breaking his neck.
A long pole was used to place a towel over his eyes to calm him. As soon as he had quietened an RSPCA officer and a fire officer were able to cut the rope to free the uninjured stag which walked off into the woodland.
The rope swing was cut down to prevent potential entanglements of more wild animals.