The cervidae family.

Part five the muntjac deer.

Muntjac were introduced to the duke of bedford`s woburn estate in about 1900. Since then their descendants have escaped and spread throughout Britain. The muntjac is the smallest British deer which has a glossy red, brown summer coat, which is duller in the winter. The buck has a V shaped ridge on the forehead which extends down from his antlers and marked by dark stripes.The muntjac is distinguished by its rather rounded back. It has some white around the edge of its tail and a white rump under its tail. The males are called bucks and the females are called does. The muntjac has no rut, meaning they have no fixed breeding season and may give birth every seven months. They are spreading throughout Britain, mainly because the does can conceive a few days after fawning. The fawns are born singly at anytime of the year. They are born with spots on them to conceal them in the undergrowth which  fade after about eight weeks. They feed on grass,brambles,ivy and yew and are more active from dusk, although they can equally be seen during the day. Their call is a short dog like barking noise. The buck stands about forty eight centimetres high, the female is slightly smaller. They like dense cover in woodlands so they can have good cover. Their antlers are cast in may, then grow back again during the summer. The buck has permanent fang like teeth which he will use against other bucks, he will also mark his territory with the forehead glands, leaving their scent by rubbing against trees or the ground. When alarmed the muntjac will lift its tail to show his white underside, to worn off other deers.

Habitats

Part four motorways as havens for wildlife.

The amount of grassland and scrub along the broad verges of Britain's major roads exceeds the total area of all the country`s nature reserves put together. People rarely walk on roadside verges because its unsafe and its forbidden to do along motorways. Because of this they offer a comparatively safe home for all kinds of animals that can tolerate traffic noise. Moles, particularly, benefit because no one needs to plough up their burrows, and because traffic vibration brings worms, their major food, to the surface. Small mammals such as bank voles and shrews abound, and foxes and rabbits are quite common as well. The varied plant life offers food as well as cover to some of the small mammals, but it is often contaminated with salt and oil from the road surface and with lead from the exhausts of cars. Road verges serve as corridors along which animals can spread into our cities and also across wide areas of our country. The actual crossing of roads is a problem , however. Many animals do manage it-even slow- moving moles- but rabbits, hedgehogs, deer and other animals active at night are often dazzled by vehicle headlights and ran over. Many thousands are killed on our roads every year. But their corpses serve as a food supply for scavengers such as foxes, crows, magpies and even buzzards. Rabbits dig their warrens in well drained, undisturbed embankments, but will normally feed in near by fields and not by the road side. Hovering kestrels will be looking for voles, mice and beetles for them to eat.  A newly built road may cut across an established badger trail, and badgers using it may get run over because of this. Early in the morning crows may be seen feeding on the casualties from the night before, such as hares, rabbits and even hedgehogs. Next time you are driving along some of our busy roads have a lookout for some of this wildlife.

Things to look out for in september.

Our hedgerows come alive during September, Blackberries, Hawthorns, Damsons, Elderberries and sloes are just a few of the delights on show. When you are walking around a woodland or through a meadow look out for signs of woodmice. They will leave the remains of most of these berries in their nest as they leave the remains of the Autumn harvest. Seeds are wood mice's main food during the year but during Autumn and winter they will eat various fruits of the hedgerow. They will make their small burrows along the hedgerow. For yourself many a beautiful apple and blackberry crumble has been created during September. Swallows and house martins will start to gather on wires throughout Worcestershire as they slowly start the long migration back to South Africa. We will also say goodbye to chiffchaffs, whitethroats,willow warblers and sedge and reed warblers as they plan their migration south. Chaffinch`s are swallowed up by European migrants during September. Their numbers increase so this generates large flocks of chaffinch`s flying around Worcestershire. Muntjac deer are active during September around brambles and grasses feeding as they move through a woodland. Muntjac deer don`t rut so they don't have a fixed breeding seasons. The doe`s can conceive after a few days of fawning and may give birth every seven months. Sweet chestnuts and hazel nuts are plentiful as well during September. Make sure though you get to harvest them before the bank voles, wood mice or squirrel`s eat them all. Depending on the shape of the nut shell on the ground you can tell what animal has eaten the nut. Unlike common frogs and toads, Smooth newts tend to hibernate close to their ponds or streams where they have b red. They will start to leave the water during September. They will look for a log or stone in rough vegetation, They  will then spend the winter under the log or stone and emerge in spring. Oak bush crickets which is a small green cricket and dark bush crickets which are slightly larger and brown may be seen in your during September. Seven spotted lady birds can still be seen in high numbers during September. They are looking for the last of the aphids before the could weather kills them all.Cranefly and harvestmen can be seen in your gardens in high numbers. September just wouldn`t be the same without them flying around your back light at night. Dor beetles can be seen on paths or flying to lights on warm evenings. They are armoured waste disposal units and their skeletons and wing cases often turn up in badger and fox droppings, Making them appear to glitter like metallic-purple jewels. Finally if you grow honey suckle in your garden you may see the convolvulas hawk moth. They migrate here from southern Europe and northern Africa.