Deer Insights.

Walking around Bushy and Home Park regularly, gives Nordic Walkers frequent sightings of the parks' deer.  I've seen many deer in Scotland, but normally only on the horizon of some distant hill.  This one, below,  was an exception - spotted in a layby near Glencoe.  Probably past his prime with some of antler points missing.

At this time of year, the females are about to give birth and can be nervous, but the stags are relaxed and focus on building up their strength for another rut in the autumn.

[Chewing the cud, and growing the velvet antlers.]

Stags can be identified by the number of points on their antlers.  This set could develop into a 14-pointer.

[Right - The same animals about a month ago .........]

The antler velvet is highly-prized in parts of the world, like China and Korea,  for its medicinal and performance-enhancing properties.
You can see the rapid rate of antler growth in these red deer.

Fallow Deer are also found in Bushy and Home Park, and have smaller, but flatter antlers.  They are smaller than red deer and have white spots on their back.

Whether in parks or on the hills, deer are wild animals.  We can get close to them in parks because they are habituated to people.  However, we should never change their behaviour by letting our dogs chase them, or feeding them.  This lady thought it would be OK to feed some carrot to a deer.....

..... but within minutes, the whole herd were looking for treats, and the picnic had to be abandoned.  The deer now associate people with food, and this may lead to problems in the future.

There will be a Nordic Walking taster session in Bushy Park this Saturday, 12 June at 11.30.  Please contact me for details.  I can't guarantee deer, but I'm sure you will enjoy the fresh air, and learning a new skill.

For a recent article on the popularity and benefits of Nordic Walking, just click on the link....
Metro article

Peter

07703-404-931