Country view
Suddenly, the trees have finally burst into full leaf. At last, spring and summer have shaken off a winter, which this year seemed to go on interminably!
Just as suddenly, the woodlands are carpeted in blue as the wild hyacinths, better known perhaps as bluebells, are bursting into bloom. This is, without question, my favourite flower, its sweet scent now delightfully permeating those woods.
And, something is stirring in amongst those fragrant blooms in woodlands where roe deer dwell. Right now new life in the form of dewy-eyed roe deer kids are snuggling amongst those blooms as lullabies, sung especially from the newly arrived warblers, most notably of the willow and garden varieties, wash over a new generation of roe deer.
You might think this is the ‘Bambi’ story all over again and in some senses it is, for roe deer kids are surely the very epitome of the star character of Disney’s epic film! This is the ultimate image you may think of a cuddly toy. Yet, the one thing anyone should never do should they stumble across such a kid is to cuddle it! In fact the unexpected discovery of one of these kids should immediately suggest that retreat is the order of the day.
Roe deer kids should be left to their own devices and anyone making such a discovery would be well advised to make a hasty departure from the vicinity and very definitely not touch the wee creature at all.
The roe doe will not be far away but she is rightly extremely nervous and wary of human presence. Should she discover the tiniest trace of the alien human scent upon her off-spring, she is likely to abandon it. Thus its fate is sealed mere days into its existence. In short, such contamination is a death sentence. And somewhere not very far away there will be a sibling, perhaps two, for roe deer always have two and sometimes three kids.
And, whereas in the ‘Bambi’ film, young Bambi is surrounded by a loving family, namely a mother and an apparently attentive father, in reality, no such harmony exists in roe deer circles. Whilst the doe is extremely attentive and indeed devoted to the task of nurturing her kids, just at the time she is giving birth, he, the roebuck, has little or no thought about his newly born youngsters. Indeed, already he is beginning to think not of this year’s kids but next year’s!
As this ‘merry month’ progresses, his fuse is rapidly shortening and the fire in his territorial belly is just now being kindled in preparation for challenges posed by rival bucks. He is therefore becoming distinctly stressed, very watchful and increasingly belligerent. He certainly is the very antithesis of Bambi’s father as portrayed in the film all those years ago!
I have clear memories of the aggression displayed by rival roebucks. One incident saw an established master buck chase a rival from a nearby conifer forest with such vigour, that the now thoroughly defeated and demoralised buck made an exceptionally hasty retreat. Indeed, it resembled a steeple-chasing horse as it fled, clearing fence after fence as it put as much distance as possible between him and his assailant.
Such encounters can incidentally be quite noisy affairs. Before the defeated buck left that forest, the barking of the defending buck was heard echoing from the depths of the trees for quite some time. It is a short, sharp, rather coarse bark but clearly it is enough to send shivers down a rival’s back and enough of a signal of defeat to send him packing, often without a blow being struck. Mind over matter!
I have read many times of roe deer described as ‘the gentle roe’. However, when the time comes – and it is here right now – roebuck can be the absolute antithesis of gentle! I remember only too well hearing of an incident when a captive roebuck, having lived in the company of its keeper with complete equanimity