My mummy deer has popped!

I left the reserve last night at about 17.00 and took a quick picture of our resident doe. When I arrived this morning, at 07.45 this is what I saw:-

The fawns were very wobbly on their feet, so I estimate just a few hours old. Long enough for mum to have given them a good clean.

Here’s a few more pics of the cuties:-

Many thanks to 1st Ponteland Scouts who put in a grueling shift on Sunday moving 120+ barrow loads of chippings. All part of project ‘Sand Martin’

Still no need for fresh towels and hot water!

My mummy deer was having some family catch up time this morning. I arrived on site and she was with her youngsters from last year. Both were looking fit and healthy. They were all showing signs of moulting their rather drab winter coats for the more vibrant chestnut summer coat.

With our Mallard and Moorhen chicks now up and running it will be interesting to see which of our pair of Little Grebe

or our pair of Canada Geese

or maybe our heavily pregnant Roe Deer doe

will produce the next family.

My money is on our Doe, she looks ready to pop very soon. I hope the weather will be kinder soon, cold, wet, and windy is not what you want for newly borns!

Well we have a tick in the box for increasing biodiversity on the reserve.

We now have nine fit and healthy Mallard chicks cruising the big pond, as far as I’m aware the first to be born on this piece of land!

Hot on the heels of the Mallard family were our Moorhen family, today I spotted five new chicks, I think there may be more but they are a bit more secretive and also split the babysitting duties unlike the Mallard where Mum is left to do all the work!

Not quite as photogenic the Moorhen chicks!!

OPENING FOR VISITS FROM SUNDAY 2^nd MAY

• OPENING HOURS 11.00-17.30

• BOOK YOUR VISIT BY PHONE ON :-      07739 421562 OR SPEAK TO ME WHEN YOU SEE ME.

• ON ENTRY FILL IN VISITOR BOOK WITH CONTACT DETAILS (FOR TRACK AND TRACE)

• THE HIDES AND CLASSROOM REMAIN CLOSED (UNTIL REMAINING LOCKDOWN RULES ARE LIFTED ON 17^TH MAY, HOPEFULLY!)

• SORRY NO DOGS

Our original wooden pallet boardwalk was beginning to rot so it was time for a new path to Deer View hide.

Thanks to the work of John Bell we now have a smart new path that should be more wheelchair friendly than the original.

John’s been at it again, producing a smart upgrade to our entrance path to the classroom.

A pair of Canada Geese have arrived on the big pond, they arrived on Tuesday morning and left by lunchtime. I thought they must have stopped for a rest on there way elsewhere but no they are back again. they must like our little pond! Spending most of their time on our Dunces Corner Pond island.

Our Little Grebe took exception to these interlopers on its territory and made at least three attacks. The geese just ignored it!

To counter my previous post which was a little sad I thought I should post a few pictures of life returning to the reserve following the dormancy of winter. So here they are:-

My trail camera on the large pond picked up a new visitor last night, an Otter!

I never expected to see an otter on the pond so quickly after it was constructed. It was only a fleeting view but very satisfying.