Fallow Deer walk - 23rd Oct

A sunny and mild afternoon. Highlights were Fallow Deer and Crossbill.

8 of us met at Blackwater Arboretum car park and set out through the woods towards the large meadow where the Fallow Deer normally rut. The rutting refers to the bucks as they call (a grunt, a bit like a large pig) and fight off any rival males.
On the way we stopped on an area of heath where Red Deer are often seen, but there were none today. However we did see a couple of Crossbill flying over and we could hear the grunting call of a Fallow buck in the woods. We walked on to Queens Meadow. There were a few Fallows all at the far end – 3 bucks and several does. We watched the buck calling and strutting around, but often couldn’t hear it very well. The wind was against us, blowing our scent towards the deer and their sounds away from us. Before too long the deer drifted into the woods at the edge of the meadow.
After a while we walked into the woods and could see the deer through the trees. Again the buck was calling and we did hear it a bit better this time. They wandered back out into the meadow and we walked around for a better view and got great views of them all feeding. There were a few moments of excitement as they ran around, but no fighting. In the woods we also stopped at a large fallen tree and admired the Oyster Mushrooms and Porcelain fungus growing on it.
Simon Curson