New kid on the block: baby roe

I was fortunate this morning to have the opportunity to photograph this little beauty.

There are a fair number of roe kids born on the farm every year.

Many roe does have twins,  and there is a thriving roe population throughout this area.

Despite the number of deer it is quite unusual to find a kid.

This little ball of fluff was probably a few days old,  and curled up was not much more than twelve inches across.

Survival strategy

You are probably aware that roe does leave their kids alone like this for quite long periods of time,  until they are mobile enough to keep up with Mum and outrun predators.  The mother deer visits the kids to feed them and will race away to distract any predators that approach.

As soon as Mum leaves, the kid will instinctively lie down  and keep very still.   That is its survival strategy.  And they are very difficult to spot.

Initially the only thing that gave the game away was the tiniest twitch of the tips of this little one’s ears.

The roe kid’s mother will usually hang around not too far away.   She doesn’t forget where she left her baby and she will always return.

When the strategy fails

This survival strategy unfortunately fails when uncontrolled dogs are allowed to charge around the countryside and/or when misinformed members of the public come across these adorable little creatures and assume that they have been abandoned.

Roe kids are killed by dogs every year.  And others are picked up by walkers.

Do not disturb

If you come across a wonderful sight like this,  it is important not to touch the kid or disturb the area that it is hidden in.   We took a couple of photos and slipped quietly away.

We will be keeping a lookout for this little one and hope to get some film of it with Mum when it has grown a little.

What a lovely start to the day

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