Cyn's Nature Notes: Muntjac Deer

Monday, 9 September 2013

Muntjac Deer

I felt privileged to watch the muntjac deer on the bank this afternoon, he was very busy cropping the lower branches of an apple tree and munching on the plants.

Many people find these creatures a nuisance, but I enjoy every moment while watching them in the garden. They are sturdy little deer just fifteen to eighteen inches at the shoulder when fully grown. they are also known as barking deer because of the noise they make --- a little like a small dog!

During summer they are a reddish brown in colour and in winter a greyish brown, with darker markings on their face, a vee shape in the male and a diamond shape in the female.The males have short straight horns on top of their pedicules. They have no set breeding time but like us are able to reproduce all year round. The fawns are very pretty and very tiny,they are born after a seven month gestation and have rows of white spots along their back for their first two months.

Muntjac are not native to this country having been introduced to our parks in the early twentieth century, they originate from south-east China and Taiwan. Many escaped from these parks and set up wild populations in our countryside, they are now frequently seen in our gardens.

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About this Blog

When we moved to our present home in December 1987, I was very ill and bedridden. My garden was a life-saver, although it was very different then. The first thing I did was to put up bird-feeders, and long hours were spent lying indoors in a recliner. This was when I discovered many things. Do you know the underside of every blue tit’s tail is differently marked? Gradually, over the years, the garden changed. We put in shrubs and plants that would not only enhance the garden, but would also be good for wildlife. The first rabbit we saw was so joyful for us. The deer eat the flowers, prune the apple trees, eat the marrow, and are wonderful to watch. Foxes have been a major part of our wildlife. We have fed them each night for more than 20 years. They are such a delight, especially in late summer and early autumn when there are youngsters. They behave like puppies and are great fun to watch.

I love all wildlife: the mason bees that nest in the brickwork of the bungalow, the hornets that last year made their home in the roof above our bedroom, the bees currently nesting in the roof above the bathroom. On a hot evening, if you stand quietly in the bathroom, you can hear this amazing sound: it is very rhythmic and reminds me of the waves at the seaside. It is made by the beating of the bees’ wings as they fan their nest to keep the temperature at the right level -- how many people have heard that sound? I feel so privileged.

Obviously, I feed the birds. When I open the window in the morning I call “Come on Bobby and Blackie”, and one followed swiftly by the other they fly immediately to the bird table. Each morning, on rising, I make my way to the kitchen and find the squirrels already sitting on the window ledge waiting to be fed. Winter brings the moorhens and spring time the mallards. Our pond is a poor effort from a human point of view, but wild creatures see it differently. On summer days, the grass snakes spend long hours in the pond: eating the fish, froglets, toadlings, newts, and any other living creature they can swallow. Although I hate to see the pond emptied this way, I do enjoy the snakes and feel they are an important part of the balance of nature in the garden. Watching a dragonfly nymph climbing out of the pond, up a plant stalk, and then over the next few hours gradually transforming into a beautiful dragonfly -- these are contented hours well spent.

It has been my pleasure to write and publish a nature column each month. I am always delighted to hear how much pleasure this brings to my readers. I have often been asked if I have written a book, so I am making more of my writings and photography available through this web site and blog.