Close Encounter

After a hard day's toil as part of this week's major de-cluttering exercise (involving skips, charity shops and refuse tips) I decided some fresh air was in order this evening and took the dogs off to the common for a walk. We had the whole place to ourselves except for an elderly couple I sometimes see of an evening, a buzzard, a pair of green woodpeckers, various rabbits and this gorgeous roe deer. As always, I held his gaze and he held mine (and the dogs, being low to the ground and below bracken height, didn't even know he was there). After I took a few pictures with my handbag cam he coolly turned round and walked slowly away.

A few roe deer facts: they are native to the UK and have been here since the Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) 5000-10,000 years ago. They became extinct in England by 1800 but survived in Scotland and subsequent reintroductions and natural spread due to an increase in woodland have seen them return and thrive. The rut is under way now and continues until mid-August so this guy will be busy for the next few weeks.

I like the way his antlers appear to have just been stuck on :)