A quirky look at wildlife. To be taken with a pinch of
salt, but with more than a grain of truth!

It seems a long time since I wrote anything. It has been a long bitter winter and somehow the motivation to write deserted me. My private life had much going on which gave cause for concern too, making concentration difficult.

However, spring is here at last, the snowdrops are glistening, the crocuses are blossoming and the late daffodils are struggling to burst into flower in the warmer temperatures. Even my lilac tree is covered in leaf buds. The birds are pairing up, the mammals are producing young— and now I have a new little granddaughter to welcome to this wacky old world too, so I feel blessed!

Regular readers of this column may remember I wrote in November 2008 about a little mammal which has made itself at home in the UK, far from its natural habitat. I knew that it lived hereabouts, as there had been sightings by other people and I had heard its distinctive bark. I also expressed a desire to see it in McWebbie's Diner/Bistro (my garden) as it was on my 'wish list' of species along with a Green woodpecker.

I still have not seen the Green woodpecker, but on the morning of Friday, 19th March, at 6.45am, a Muntjac deer turned up in the garden! Now I cannot claim to have 'seen' it because it was caught on camera (I looked out of the window at 6am and decided to creep back to bed for an hour: serves me right!), but I can at least claim it as a visitor to my garden.

It came in quite brazenly, with no sign of the nervousness exhibited by foxes and badgers. The magpies totally ignored it as did the blackbird. It sniffed the line prop, the ground and a feeder pole, clambered along the border and disappeared from view for a few seconds before reappearing to explore the rest of the garden. I suspect it devoured a yellow crocus that was there the day before! It ignored the empty badger dishes and meandered down the garden, sniffing the boundaries as it went, before leaving through a newly formed badger entrance.

There was no sign of stubby antlers, just twitchy ears, and it had spots along its back, indicating it was a young fawn. Perhaps that is why it showed no sign of fear and wasn't foraging for food. It would be living off mother's milk and progressing to grass, of which there is not a lot at the moment. Even though I was watching it on video my heart was thumping much as it did when I discovered my first badger in the garden almost five years ago. I have lived here for well over 40 years but it seems nature can still surprise me.

The Muntjac deer may not be welcomed by anyone with a pristine garden but mine has been given over to wildlife for so long there is not a great deal to worry over. It did take a great deal of interest in the flourishing masses of bluebell leaves, a favourite I believe, so it may well be back later! I will admit I would be a bit upset if it took to munching my beloved bluebells but I think I can live with anything else in order to have yet another wildlife visitor. Fortunately my primroses are in the front garden!

Since writing this article originally I have noted that the NNSS
GB Non-Native Species Secretariat funded by Defra, has set up a web page for recording sightings of certain non indigenous species such as the Muntjac deer Muntiacus Reevesi in order to plot their spread across the UK. It is hoped to find a way to limit their expansion. They are asking UK residents to record and report any sightings, with photos if possible.

I have recorded my sighting with photos. It is sad that such a cute animal can be so destructive to native habitat that it needs to be controlled. After all, it did not come here from choice, and is only doing what comes naturally. However, once again it seems that action might be too late, as with grey squirrels and other non-indigenous species. If you look at the

distribution map you will see what I mean.

We have had much fun over the freezing winter, watching the badgers dig out their dish from the snow as they insisted in coming for food however cold it was, making it abundantly clear that 'no dishes' was not an option! This morning I had a good look at a fox that was worrying me, as it looked (on camera) as if it might have mange. A good daylight look, and reference to my 'Urban Fox' book suggests that it is a moulting and hungry vixen, as the other fox looks in fine fettle.

I often wonder what I have missed over the years by drawing curtains and blinds at night and shutting the world out. In today's crazy world of technology, high speed travel and manic working hours we miss so much the natural world has to offer and I think we are the poorer for it.

I am looking forward to seeing a new generation of badger cubs around May and possibly some fox cubs, and I shall be perusing the video clips closely for sightings of the Muntjac and watching the garden too. The more I think about it the more I think it will be back, having sussed out a nice bed of tasty bluebells. Fledgling birds too should be around in a few weeks, and possibly a sparrow hawk or two.

Happy wildlife watching this spring and summer. If you keep your eyes and ears open you never know what you might see in the unlikeliest of places.

Websailor's Wacky Wildlife
World Archive

Websailor

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