Going back to the Red Deer

I and Maria did a little trip to the Red Deer enclosure on Saturday to see what we could find.

I had a small hope of maybe spotting the Eurasian Eagle-Owl again but I knew that the chances were slim because we were there just after midday and the Owl is primarily nocturnal. Still we wouldn´t have had any chance of see it if we didn´t go there and I hoped that the overcast might bring out some animals even if the time of the day wasn´t best for seeing animals.

We spoke briefly with the land owners when we arrived and then headed out into the woods. I wanted to do some more scouting around the fields were the Deer rut takes places in the autumn to get a better grip of what can be done. But first I felt a need to check the area where I saw the Eagle-Owl the other day.

When we arrived we saw one of the Goldeneyes fly off into the sky. This probably brought the attention from two Red Deer that Maria spotted on the other side of the field. They took off soon after I got the camera ready but still I got a couple of photos.

The search for the Owl wasn´t fruitful and the only out of the ordinary was the Ravens we could hear. I now know that they are in the woods eating cherries and this is common for the season.

After the Owl search we hiked to the other side of the field. I almost stepped upon a snake that wriggled away in the tall grass. I have no idea what type of snake this were but we don´t have any deadly snakes here in Sweden.

On the other side we walked up the ridge in the same direction the deer’s took off before. I wanted to get the wind in the face so we at least would give ourselves away by smell. It seems like this was the right decision because after some hiking we stumbled upon what we thought was a mother and a calf. They grazed just 10 meter further down the slope and they were so busy that they didn´t take any notice of either me or Maria. I had trouble getting the whole animal into the frame because they were so close.

We stood there for a couple of minutes until another Deer appeared and this one was more attentive and took notice of us directly. It took off and this made the mother realize that we stood there just a couple of meters away so it also ran and of course the calf followed the mother soon after.

A good sighting and the only sad things is that one can see all the ticks and the amount of flies on specially the mother Deer. I have chosen to not show the worst picture because it wasn´t nice to see.

These two visits give me good hopes for the rut this autumn and I really hope the feeling is correct. I will still go there a couple of more times to test my “Bag Hide” that I have ordered from England but also to see if I can find the Owl again.

Photo Gallery: Going back to the Red Deer