Photographing the Roe Deer Mating Season
I have wanted to photograph the roe deer rut for years, but despite trying, I never managed to witness actual mating or the conquest of territory. It would appear that I have arrived too late this time around to observe any battles. The second-largest buck had a limp, which is likely to have been inflicted during a fight. Fortunately, the injury seems relatively mild, like a sprain, and it should heal in time. I spotted three adult males in late July, but it came as no surprise that the territory was conquered in my absence by the oldest, strongest buck. I first saw the dominant buck in early June, and he was already accompanied by a female. I was lucky enough to locate the pair again in a small field next to a public bridleway on August 4th. The pair sat together and every hour or so, the doe stood up and walked to a corner of the field, seemingly inviting the buck to get up and follow his mate. The buck was very interested in the doe's vaginal area, scenting her pheromones and licking as he pursued the female in semicircles, before mounting and copulating. The buck would lick her again after intercourse. I could see his bony, spiny penis after withdrawal. The pair mated more frequently than was biologically necessary - all too often, humans write about animal reproduction purely in abstract biological terms, and we have no way of knowing if animals enjoy sex the way humans do, but the intensity and frequency of the deer's interactions made me wonder if they do indeed get something out of mating.
Female roe deer are unique among mammals for the process of delayed implantation. The fertilised egg remains in a state of suspended animation until January, when it finally attaches itself to the uterus and pregnancy begins. Without this evolutionary adaptation, baby roe deer would be born in winter, resulting in heavy mortalities due to low temperatures and lack of food. Delayed implantation ensures birth happens in May, when temperatures are mild and food abundant.
It was lovely to find two pairs of twin roe deer on my final evening and in such nice weather. In early June, the baby deer were smaller than a cat. Now they are the size of a dog. They still have their spots, which are a type of camouflage to protect the baby deer from birds of prey by making them appear indistinguishable from dappled sunlight on leaf litter. I could not locate the mating couple, despite my best efforts, but I feel lucky to have witnessed their mating from the extremely close distance of 20 metres. I may not see this again any time soon. But, I look forward to seeing the babies next spring.
Comments
Always look forward to reading your roe deer blogs.
It's funny, but those people who may have 'disapproved' of the copulation images, would probably have 'approved' of a closeup of a mother grooming her youngster, which is a potentially more intrusive photograph to make, certainly one where the deer are more vulnerable and where the deer would have been even more sensitive to human interference.