New Cameras
New Cameras
VIDEO: January of roe deer
Video recorded by Ahto Täpsi
Photos Arne Ader
Translation Liis
Roe deer Metskits or kaber Capreolus capreolus
Until New Year life on “black ground” was easy for the roe deer, some had not even gathered in winter herds.
When the shutters for snow were unlocked in the sky they gathered near the feeding places. For moving in very thick snow roe deer use the paths of stronger adult animals and side roads ploughed open by humans. The last severe winters, in 2010 and 11, seriously damaged the roe deer herds, but the strongest and most vital individuals survived in the forests. Five years later roe deer are noticeable again.
Until the arrival of thaw weather life in the forest is not a problem – the snow is not covered with an ice crust and scraping down to the ground for a sleeping bed is not difficult; this the animals must do in order to avoid pneumonia. After the first greater thaw an ice crust forms and the life of the roe deer turns much more difficult.
With a slight snow cover roe deer feed on the shrub layer, for instance on blueberry stems, but these have to be scratched out from the snow. When snow conditions become worse they feed on the twigs of shrubs or trees. The amount of food needed to survive is at least a kilo and a half.
Something is awry this year with the antlers of the roe bucks. The young bucks have always roamed around since autumn with their brittle stick antlers while the older males are bare-headed. We are used to see the adult bucks starting to grow their manly pride in the second half of February; the antlers achieve their full size in late April. In Ahto’s video we can see that the buck has grown quite nice velvety antlers and he is not the only buck seen like this in January
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Roe deer
How to distinguish the sexes of roe deer when some bucks don’t have antlers? The rump mirror of females seems to sit a little higher and to be a little larger but this is no hard and fast rule. In the anal opening area a brush of yellowish hair can be seen between the back legs and looks like a tail.
On some females the rump mirror has a quite heart-like shape, but this is only in the winter coat.
Roe deer tracks
