Roe deer
(Capreolus capreolus)
It’s an enchanting experience. You’re out walking, minding your own business, and all of a sudden you spot a gorgeous Roe deer, looking back at you shyly from the undergrowth with its large and beautiful eyes.
These gentle creatures are very common but every encounter with them is special. They are often seen in the Ibert Woods, in Killearn Glen, beside Gartness Road and the West Highland Way, on the fairways of Balfron golf course, and in all sorts of other places. For many of us, the most telling image of lockdown in Killearn was that of a group of roes, meandering matter-of-factly down a deserted Beech Drive.
Roe deer have no natural predators in the UK, which helps explain their very healthy numbers. And they only need a small amount of cover, which helps explain their willingness to come so close to us.
They eat buds and leaves from trees and shrubs, as well as ferns, grasses and heathers. Sadly for gardeners, they are also partial to new growth on flower and vegetable plants. There are few sadder sights than a lovingly tended pot of formerly glorious tulips, reduced in seconds by hungry deer to a forlorn set of bare stalks.
Roes are identifiable by their short antlers, lack of tails, and the buff patches on their rumps. They mate in July and August.
Fascinating fact:
Although the males impregnate them in summer, female roes do not implant the fertilised eggs in their wombs until January. This is to make sure that their young, known as kids, are not born in winter.
The males begin to grow antlers in November, and in spring they shed the “velvet” which has been covering them. Then, after the rutting and mating of the summer, they drop their antlers in October and start growing a brand new set.
Did you know
After giving birth, female roes will often leave their kids hidden while they go foraging. Humans often then stumble across the youngsters. If you find yourself in this situation, please leave the kids in peace. Their mother will be back soon.