At six in the morning, it started. The barking. That annoying 6am barking! The barking that makes even the most avid naturalist shout “Shut up – I don’t care if it is the money shot! Just stop that barking!”
At first I thought it was a muntjac but when I slowly (I’d constrained myself by then) poked my head out from the hood of the bivi bag, I saw 5 fallow deer about 25 yards away. They were looking at me but being a strange hooped bivi bag shape, I don’t think they could tell exactly what I was. I was probably close to their normal morning browsing trail. I noticed a nice dark, almost black, melanistic one amongst them.
There was a mature doe to my right. She was stamping and barking at regular intervals. They say it’s an alarm call. I’m sure it is an alarm call but I also get the impression it’s to try and spook the object of their attantion into movement so they can tell for certain where it is and what it is.
The stand off lasted a good 15 minutes and I managed to get some good footage before they wandered off. All the time I could almost read her mind. “Are you what I think you are?”
After breakfast of bacon, sausages and egg, I made a last check on the main tracks to see what had happended during the night (not a lot it seemed) and made my way back to the car. Forecast for tomorrow – Rain!
Thanks for the visit.
Pablo
Tags: fire, mammals, tracking, woods
Welcome.
This is the home of Woodlife. You will find links to Pablos Woodlife (blog) the Woodlife Social Network (forum) and Woodlife Trails (courses) all on this page.
Hi Mr P
Another blinding entry to your journal and no mistake! Sorry about you not having a good nighs sleep but I think you will find once a tree dweller always a tree dweller and of course it could just be that you are now a man of a certain age and your shape (a bit like mine I have to say!) is just not ment to curl up on the ground anymore!!
P.S have tried to sign up to the forum but it keeps telling me someone else has the same displayed name (most unlikely I would think!) any suggestions?
Regards
Excellent pix and a fine video too! As usual you have been out in the woods while I was enjoying a lie-in!!
Once again excellent observations. And though the species in your area are different than those in mine, the behaviors are much the same. This is of great interest to me.
Best so far mate,
Have to hand it to you…your vid blogs are getting better each time, thought it’d be a while before you beat the Foxes….but there you go….beaten already.
Quality.
Wato.
When you get to a certain time in your life, the only answer is an Insul-Mat. I have the Ether 6 and it is only a tad less comfy than my bed!
You won’t regret it. I am the envy of all my 40 something buddies!
http://www.pacoutdoor.com/2008/index.cfm?action=product&productID=132&groupID=23&familyID=1
Outstanding! Turning a shade of green here……….
Thanks for the comments everyone. Chris – I’ll be checking out that mat. Thanks.
Must have been a nice experience overall. Just recently I was barked at for the first time by a Roe Deer, was a wonderful experience, I haven’t been that close to deer before.