• Members 80 posts
    May 5, 2023, 1:09 p.m.

    Just after starting out on a walk yesterday I passed Forest Lodge, a house in a fairly remote area and saw some maintenance taking place in the garden.
    Victoria Bridge.JPG

    A young male red deer was cropping the grass and trimming bushes as well.
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    A coworker was busy in the garden at the rear.

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    I expected them to be gone when I returned several hours later but they were now busy tidying up the surroundings.

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    The deer are looking a bit scruffy as they are shedding their winter coat at the moment.
    Dave

    Victoria Bridge 10 copy.JPG

    JPG, 3.0 MB, uploaded by dt27348 on May 5, 2023.

    Victoria Bridge 9 copy.JPG

    JPG, 3.2 MB, uploaded by dt27348 on May 5, 2023.

    Victoria Bridge 4 copy.JPG

    JPG, 3.2 MB, uploaded by dt27348 on May 5, 2023.

    Victoria Bridge 3 copy.JPG

    JPG, 3.5 MB, uploaded by dt27348 on May 5, 2023.

    Victoria Bridge 1 Copy.JPG

    JPG, 3.6 MB, uploaded by dt27348 on May 5, 2023.

    Victoria Bridge.JPG

    JPG, 3.5 MB, uploaded by dt27348 on May 5, 2023.

  • Members 318 posts
    May 5, 2023, 1:39 p.m.

    Love these Dave how wonderful to have in ur back garden even just to see them is a bonus if only I could shed my winter coat ,those antlers will be getting a lot bigger Paul 🙂

  • Members 676 posts
    May 5, 2023, 1:55 p.m.

    Nice set Dave .. I enjoyed sitting here and watching the gardening going on .. Very civilized or hungry!! ... How are you liking the MX as compared with your earlier gear for your walks? ....

    WhyNot

  • Members 222 posts
    May 5, 2023, 2:25 p.m.

    Looking large and hairy Dave - definitely Scottish

    They seem pretty tame !

    I was in Colorado a few years ago with SWMBO and as we came back from a restaurant in the dark, on foot, with no street lights I heard something right next to me rustling the trees. Turned out it was a deer scrumping apples from the branches, right next to my head. Shocked my more than deery

  • Members 567 posts
    May 5, 2023, 5:13 p.m.

    A nice set Dave. I could use them and Rich's (Bel.) English sheep to keep my lawn in check. We have deer here but I don't see them as often as before. We have apple and pear trees that go unharvested so one might think they would be of interest but the local environment here is changing. The neighbour to the north cut down a bunch of forest to build a house and shop and clear some open land. A lot of noisy activity over the past ten years that is much less now. Then some very rich people bought the farm below us. We are up about 70 ft in height from the valley below. It is a flood plain. In spite of that they managed to get a building permit to build a house and shop down there. (Money, money, money!) So for the past five years there has been construction going on below us pretty much seven days a week building a road and preparation for the house which has not yet started. Bangs and booms I am sure do not encourage the wildlife to hang around. On the plus side the property has been posted and I don't think there is as much hunting as before!!!!!

    Well I don't feel as sore today as most days and that grass of which I spoke needs mowing so I guess I will go out and mow the parts that I have managed to pick up branches from! If I don't show up again you will know I did something stupid, again!

    Andrew

    Andrew

  • Members 336 posts
    May 5, 2023, 10:24 p.m.

    That's a healthy looking deer, Dave. Winter just over and he has a gut on him. The little 14-150 is plenty sharp, but on this forum I must go to the original picture to see the deer's eyelashes. I imagine that tiny lens looks tinier on the X. Sort of like a Scotsman caught in the wind. 🫣 Rich

  • Members 80 posts
    May 6, 2023, 6:26 a.m.

    I wish it was my back garden Paul. The house is on the Blackmount estate near Bridge of Orchy. A very large estate with lots of deer .
    Dave

  • Members 80 posts
    May 6, 2023, 6:31 a.m.

    [quote="@WhyNot"]
    Nice set Dave .. I enjoyed sitting here and watching the gardening going on .. Very civilized or hungry!! ... How are you liking the MX as compared with your earlier gear for your walks? ....

    As much as I like the EM1X I do find carrying it on longer hikes a bit of a chore. It's beautifully made and the ergonomics are ideal for me, I just wish it weighed a little less.
    Dave

  • Members 80 posts
    May 6, 2023, 6:35 a.m.

    This little group were surprisingly tame Rich. I suspect they may have been fed over the winter by the estate. They do stalk the deer and it's in their interests to keep them healthy and remaining on the estate.
    Dave

  • Members 80 posts
    May 6, 2023, 6:42 a.m.

    We live on the edge of town and have woodland at the rear and side of the house. We are visited by roe deer which are much smaller than the red variety. They eat the odd plant in the garden but we love to see them. Not sure if I would feel the same if it were red deer prowling around.😊

    Glad to hear your feeling a bit better and hope it stays that way. Don't do anything silly.
    Dave

  • Members 80 posts
    May 6, 2023, 6:51 a.m.

    As I said to Rich in Belgium I think the deer have been fed over the winter and were undisturbed by my presence as a result.

    I'm very happy with the Tamron lens. It gives good results for very little cost which as a typical Scot I find very satisfying.😊
    I certainly wouldn't recommend the kilt as suitable dress for winter hiking.🥶
    Dave

  • Members 281 posts
    May 7, 2023, 12:18 p.m.

    Nice set Dave. We have some deer here that visit our garden, but usually in the middle of the night. My wife tries to keep them at bay by spraying Liquid Fence (stinks - I think it's coyote urine) and putting out Deer Scram granules (don't smell nearly as bad, but seem to help). Costly solutions, but her flowers are her babies ...

  • Members 80 posts
    May 7, 2023, 1:24 p.m.

    If your wife is proud of her flowers, I can perfectly understand her attempts to keep the deer at bay, Jim. Our garden at the rear is surrounded by a high fence but the front is a different story. It is fenced but I've seen the deer clear it with ease. There's only a few of them so they don't do much damage.
    Dave