Oh Deer!
My Face-to-Face Encounter with Woodland Wildlife
When we moved to our woodland cottage, I was nonchalant about the idea of deer visiting our garden. "It's just deer," I thought, rolling my eyes. At the time, I was hardly a nature enthusiast. Sure, I enjoyed watching garden birds, but our previous home only hosted a resident robin, a couple of pigeons, and a few blackbirds. The promise of deer seemed underwhelming, almost unreal. Little did I know, I was in for a delightful surprise.
Curiosity Takes Root
As the weeks passed, my curiosity grew. I found myself increasingly captivated by our garden's wildlife. I began to observe the wildlife’s behaviour, predict their movements, and spend hours researching various species—their traits, likes, dislikes, and nesting techniques. Some might say I fell down a rabbit hole—pun intended.
Wildlife Haven
Our garden became a haven for a variety of creatures. A pair of swallows made our outhouse their summer home, returning each year. A stoat took up residence in our woodshed, and rabbits burrowed under our lawn, regularly introducing us to their adorable offspring. And yes, as promised, deer visited our garden in herds, sometimes numbering around twenty. Over the past three years, I've witnessed these graceful animals in all their seasonal splendour. I've seen pregnant does, playful fawns, and even come face-to-face with a majestic buck whose call echoes through the autumn woods. The first time I heard it, I mistook it for a pig grunting—evidence of my early ignorance!
The First Sighting
The first deer sighting was a serendipitous moment. I was walking the dogs, marvelling at the ancient oak trees, when something darted into the woods. It looked like a small horse with a white bum. An excited flutter stirred in my stomach— 'I need to see more,' I thought.
An Unforgettable Encounter
One autumn weekend, while learning more about photography by taking pictures of moss on an old tree stump, I felt an uncanny sensation of being watched. Ignoring it at first, I continued fumbling with the camera settings, learning through trial and error – as always, the feeling intensified. I looked up to find a herd of does staring straight at me. I froze, a mix of joy and fear coursing through me—would they charge at me? I knew these lovely ladies weren’t inherently aggressive, so the chances of being trampled were slim. However, when it comes to wild animals, I never say never. But they didn’t move, they simply watched me, almost posing for the camera. I snapped several photos, capturing one of my most memorable wildlife encounters.
Over time, the deer grew accustomed to me. They rarely fled, unless startled by noise or sudden movements. Throughout that autumn and winter, our paths crossed daily. I became attuned to their behaviours, predicting their movements with remarkable accuracy. This familiarity persisted, and their confidence grew. One night, while letting the dogs out in the garden, I found the whole herd meters from the house—a moment that later sparked a mild panic about my vegetable garden's fate that I spoke about in my last newsletter. Once again, they didn’t move. I quickly grabbed my dog’s collar to prevent him from running over to them. Being a Bedlington-whippet, he has a tendency to chase animals he’ll never catch. To my surprise, he didn’t even try to run. The herd watched us quietly during our late-night doggy toilet break until we left them to continue grazing and went inside. Encounters like this fill my heart!
My journey into the world of woodland wildlife has been transformative, filled with countless stories and photographs. If you've enjoyed this glimpse into my encounter, please let me know—there's so much more I’d like to share with you about the enchanting garden visitors.
If you missed my last newsletter ‘My Ugly Happy Place - Part 2’ you can read it here!
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There are many deer crossing my property on the regular, and a reoccurring trio comes often; Mama, last years babe resplendent with identifiable white streaks on its hind end, and this years adorable, feisty fawn, a scampering, jumping, high kicking ball of energy. They seem to know I won't cause them harm, regard me with mild interest, then move on to their next tasty green patch. Love this piece, and the photos are gorgeous.
What a beautiful, serene piece Jenna. The pictures are stunning as always, and I happen to think that the stag photo is absolutely perfect. It gives a feeling of him being untouchable and very much in control of who is going to leave the encounter first, while simultaneously capturing just how majestic he is ✨