Page 7 - Ickford Informer Newsletter JUNE Issue 2022

christopher sandham
NATURE

NOTES

Male Red Deer Muntjac Fallow Deer
Deer are around! The Muntjac is no more than 2ft tall and
is also known as the Barking Deer and
its spooky cry can be often heard in
ANY PEOPLE IN THE VILLAGE ARE REPORTING SIGHTINGS of our locality. It can be a great nuisance
Mdeer in their gardens and in surrounding woods and fields. causing significant damage to garden
plants and trees.
There has been an extraordinary the moors and highland, Roe Deer and
growth in deer numbers right across Fallow Deer which were introduced by Deer are our largest wild hoofed
the country in recent years though they the Romans. creatures which enables them to quickly
have been part of our rural history for cover ground. Like cattle they ruminate,
hundreds of years. Almost everywhere There are now six species found in our in other words chew the cud. Their
you can find inns called The White Hart islands, three of which were introduced. footprints are known as ‘slots’ – a 16 th
and The Stags Head. A Hart is an old The large Sika, the Chinese Water century word from the French ‘esclot’,
English name for a male Red Deer Deer and the Muntjac (which is most a horses hoof print.
and appears in place names such as commonly found around our village).
Hartfield and Harthill. These last two were escapees from Deer courtship is called rutting and is
Woburn Abbey in 1900. one of the more blatant male mating
At the time of William the Conqueror performances. Not unsurprisingly, this
huge tracts of forest were set aside for Deer are herding animals apart from the has given rise to the human male ritual
hunting and a death penalty awaited Muntjac which is often solitary. Large of the ‘Stag’ night. I wonder why the
anyone caught killing the deer on the herds of Roe Deer range across the female equivalent is not called a ‘Hind
King’s land. Then, three species of deer nearby Chilterns where herds of 50 are (a female deer) night’ rather than the
were present — the mighty Red Deer of often encountered. tamer “hen party”. v

A herd of British Deer

ourickfordnewsletter@hotmail.com 7 June 2022