For some reason the red deer that have been a feature on Blacka in recent years have not been around during my morning walks since early June. Sometimes there have been odd hoof prints seen but that's all. Why they should abscond I don't know. I've wondered if they've taken against the imported cattle in some way but decided that it's more likely they've moved away from the midges towards more elevated and breezier regions. It was no surprise that when I did eventually see a stag, as I did this morning, it would be the characteristic sight of antlers waving above the bracken.
Now this fellow's headgear is interesting and suggests an older and more mature beast. The right antler has three good long points on the crown but the left one unusually branches into two lower down. It would have been intereting to get a closer look but he didn't like my presence despite my being more than a hundred yards away. He moved off quite smartly. Although it's disappointing when you don't see them, in a way it's reassuring that they are truly wild and making their own minds up what they do and where they go.
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