Roe Deer: Following Their Secret Lives through the Seasons 🦌

After spotting signs that roe deer visit Ash Wood, I developed a habitat to support them. This film follows their subsequent, secret visits to the woodland through the seasons. To spot roe deer passing through Ash Wood watch my live cams here:    • Видео  

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TRACKS & SIGNS
It was winter and there was frost and snow on the ground when I noticed roe deer tracks in Ash Wood. I also spotted tufts of their fur that had caught on branches. You can tell roe deer from other species by the way the fur seems to snap, rather than pull apart. (Find out more here:    • Tracks & Signs of Roe Deer | Discover...  )

A ROE DEER DIET
Roe deer browse on a wide variety of food. They will nibble grasses, leaves, tree shoots and even bark, but this plant-based diet can sometimes lack the minerals they need, especially the calcium, sodium and phosphates to help their antlers grow strong.

SUPPLEMENTED WITH SALT LICK
So to support the visiting deer at Ash Wood, I made a salt solution and placed it an upturned bottle. I fixed the bottle to a stick to allow rainwater to drip through the solution and down the stick. It was an instant hit with the roe deer. Watch as a buck even marks the stick as its own territory!

WATER
The ponds I dug at Ash Wood also helped to support this species, since here on the Yorkshire Wolds there are few natural water sources. Watch as these elegant animals slip quietly into the wood at night to drink from the pond.

MOULT
As the weather warmed up, the visiting roe deer shed their grey/brown winter coats and grew a beautiful new red coat for the winter.

ROE DEER FAMILY
Roe deer tend to be solitary in summer and are more likely to form loose groups in winter, however they can group together at any time of year. My cameras captured three together, as well as a very special moment when a doe and her fawn visited.

DEER ALL YEAR ROUND
I can now watch deer via hidden cameras at Ash Wood all year round, and the habit I have developed also supports them.

#animals #deer #robertefuller



I am a British wildlife artist based in Thixendale, North Yorkshire, UK. I build ideal habitats to encourage wildlife into my garden and use nest cams to study their behaviour. These studies inform my paintings. I share the best of my video research on this channel for free. If you would like to support my work please consider a small donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s...

Or of course you may like to purchase my artwork which you will find on my website: https://www.robertefuller.com. Many of the paintings are portraits of the creatures you watch here!

© Robert E Fuller

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