Deer in June

It was the ears that gave it away. Large and held at 45 degrees, clearly belonging to a Roe Doe as she stood motionless in the barley some thirty yards away. As we stood quietly watching the ears expanded into a watchful head with a nose taking in deep drafts of air. The lack of flight made us suspect that her fawn was hidden nearby, so we walked away and left her to it.

 

Every evening at dusk we have a good chance of glimpsing the members of this small Roe Deer group. Although they are gaining in confidence they usually wait until the last of the ramblers have retired before venturing out of the wood. The Roe buck, a three-pointer therefore likely to be three years old or more and two does – the does vary subtly, the larger having a rich tawny red coat and the smaller a drabber sandy brown.

Occasionally, these Roe Deer are quite vocal – their call reminds me of a small dog’s bark, a beagle perhaps. But this tends to be more common in the autumn. At this time of year in the warm June evenings there seems to be a rule if silence. So much so that if you take your eyes off them they can silently disappear. Indeed they really do seem to melt into air, into thin air.

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