In this latest blog, we take a look at some of the elusive Roe Deer fawns found at the reserve.
Of the 28 mammal species we have in Gosforth Nature Reserve, the one you are perhaps most likely to see when you walk round is the roe deer. The rut takes place in July / August but the fawns are not born until late May or early June the following year. Roe does usually give birth to twins, often one of each sex. For the first few weeks the fawns are too small to follow their mother around, so she leaves them hidden in the undergrowth while she goes off to feed and returns several times a day to suckle them. The photo above shows a newborn fawn, heavily camouflaged and lying motionless, hoping to escape detection.
These trail camera videos were recorded in the reserve in June last year and give a glimpse into the life of a roe doe and fawns that we wouldn’t otherwise get. The first shows twins at a few weeks of age bounding to meet their mother.
The second doe has a single fawn and is still in the process of moulting from her darker winter coat to a foxy red summer coat.
The third short video shows a fawn on its own, squeaking for its mother.
This year’s fawns will soon be old enough to follow their mothers around and will remain with them until next summer.
You can catch up on May 2023’s Journal about the Otter family at the reserve here.
For more videos of Gosforth Nature Reserve’s wildlife, North East Nature, and various citizen science projects within the region, please visit our YouTube channel here.