I hate early mornings but unfortunately, I have a mortgage to pay and sometimes I get given early shifts at work. I'm working this weekend so today I deliberately got up early (4:15) so that I'm acclimatised enough to be OK tomorrow.
Crept downstairs and let the dogs into the garden - they were a bit miffed when I put them back inside and went into the fields without them.
Our land (10 acres) slopes up from the house and there is a bit of a hump in it so you can't see what's the other side until you walk over it. I had assumed for a while that the reason I'd never seen any deer in the field is because the dogs always ran ahead, giving anything a good chance to run away before I came into view.
Getting out as the sun rose was glorious. Lots of bird (and frog!) song and the view through my new binoculars (Nikon ProStaff 7S 8x42) was in high definition. Saw a rabbit or two as I quietly made my way into the top field.
Nothing seen, although the calm was wondrous. I walked through the long grass and bracken up to the very highest point where on a clear day you can see the sea. From there, most of the top field (6 acres) is visible, although with the trees I've planted and the grass/weeds, there's a lot of cover. Stood there for a few moments just listening to the sounds of nature all around when I heard a commotion about 100 yards away. Quickly swung the bins round and there he was. A beautiful roe buck. I think he saw me - I wasn't making an attempt to hide and was wearing fairly bright clothing. He stood and barked for a bit before melting away into the undergrowth and over the fence.
I've lived here nearly 2 years and this is the first deer I've seen with my own eyes (although the trailcam has caught roe and fallow). Breathtaking.
Crept downstairs and let the dogs into the garden - they were a bit miffed when I put them back inside and went into the fields without them.
Our land (10 acres) slopes up from the house and there is a bit of a hump in it so you can't see what's the other side until you walk over it. I had assumed for a while that the reason I'd never seen any deer in the field is because the dogs always ran ahead, giving anything a good chance to run away before I came into view.
Getting out as the sun rose was glorious. Lots of bird (and frog!) song and the view through my new binoculars (Nikon ProStaff 7S 8x42) was in high definition. Saw a rabbit or two as I quietly made my way into the top field.
Nothing seen, although the calm was wondrous. I walked through the long grass and bracken up to the very highest point where on a clear day you can see the sea. From there, most of the top field (6 acres) is visible, although with the trees I've planted and the grass/weeds, there's a lot of cover. Stood there for a few moments just listening to the sounds of nature all around when I heard a commotion about 100 yards away. Quickly swung the bins round and there he was. A beautiful roe buck. I think he saw me - I wasn't making an attempt to hide and was wearing fairly bright clothing. He stood and barked for a bit before melting away into the undergrowth and over the fence.
I've lived here nearly 2 years and this is the first deer I've seen with my own eyes (although the trailcam has caught roe and fallow). Breathtaking.
yum yum
