Sunday 10 May 2009

On urban wildlife

On Friday evening I went for a walk along the River Crane. It's my nearest local green space and - despite high levels of vandalism and fly-tipping - is home to significant variety of urban wildlife. As it was getting dark I heard furtive movements in the undergrowth. For a moment I wondered if it was a dog or urban fox. However, suddenly in the twilight a muntjac stag appeared. Spotting me he froze for a second on the path before running off to hide. I'm not sure who was more surprised. Despite being told that muntjac had been seen in Crane Park I'd never really believed it. Now of course, knowing they're practically on my doorstep, I am wondering if it would be possible to get a photo.

Muntjac are very shy. I've only seen them on a handful of occasions and I've never managed a clean shot. The only pictures I have were taken a couple of years ago at The Lodge in Bedfordshire. This particular muntjac was the boldest I've met, but even so it opted for concealment, staying for the most part in the densest undergrowth...

4 comments:

  1. Hi,
    It looks like they are really shy, but it is maybe due to ehtier size. It does not look that big! Are they?
    Good shot, even if they are shy, it is a nice one.

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  2. Thanks Chris

    Yes, they're a very small deer. Up to about hald a meter tall at most.

    Ian.

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  3. We liked the pic of the shy Muntjac.

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