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Mammals - Chinese Water Deer & others Page 1

Image Taken on 23 Nov 2025 at 14:07    Image of day on 07 Jan 2026

A final selfie on the way out.


Ref: 20260107_bua_20251123_1407_397_sc8 chinese water deer(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 16 May 2024 at 23:19    Image of day on 09 Jun 2024

This Chinese Water Deer is feeding on the long grass in the South West corner of our patch, far from their more regular sightings. We again suspect this change in behaviour is a result of losing the cover of weed covered farmland.


Ref: 20240609_bu9_20240516_2319_015_sc2 chinese water deer(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 31 Mar 2021 at 07:05    Image of day on 26 Apr 2021

Here we see our first sighting here of a Chinese Water Deer, here walking quietly past a mound of spoil from digging a pond.


Ref: 20210426_bu2_20210331_0705_428_sc7 chinese water deer (1st observation here) with injury at back of neck(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 31 Mar 2021 at 07:07    Image of day on 26 Apr 2021

25 metres away near the edge of our patch we see The Chinese Water Deer again. Although visible in the first image we can now clearly see that she has lost a lot of fur from the back of her neck, and also how thick the fur is - a characteristic of this species.


Ref: 20210426_bua_20210331_0707_489_sc8 chinese water deer (1st observation here) with injury at back of neck (crop 2)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 19 Nov 2025 at 13:31    Image of day on 07 Jan 2026

Our plot was graced this week by another two visits by a Chinese Water Deer. Here on a Wednesday apparently happily stepping out towards the well used Farm Road outside our East boundary.


Ref: 20260107_bua_20251119_1331_004-1523_017_sc8 chinese water deer - enter east - round pond - duck pond - leaves east (montage 2 hrs)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 18 Feb 2024 at 14:20    Image of day on 17 Mar 2024

At the moment if we get a sighting of a Chinese Water Deer the view usually consists of two ear tips sticking above the grass. If you are lucky you might spot another pair 10 or so metres away.
So this solitary Deer (or at least the only one standing up) was a pleasant surprise in the distance across the field to the east.


Ref: 20240317_df3_20240218_1420_189 chinese water deer 200m away in field to east (crop + insert)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 30 Jul 2025 at 06:17    Image of day on 12 Sep 2025

It was a nice surprise on an earlier than normal walk to get this distant view of a Chines Water Deer with her much smaller Fawn almost hidden in the long grass. She spotted us almost immediately and just vanished into the tall flowers a few metres left of this photo-crop.


Ref: 20250912_d72_20250730_0617_081 chinese water deer and fawn on field margin to east 2 of 3 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 23 Nov 2025 at 14:06    Image of day on 07 Jan 2026

4 days later at about the same time she again appears by the East hedge gap, but this time already leaving, but within a minute turning back and not seen again.
This is a Sunday when the track is a lot less busy, but maybe something was going past and she decided to use a different way out.


Ref: 20260107_bua_20251123_1406_391-1407_399_sc8 chinese water deer arrives east hedge gap but comes back inside (montage over 1 minute)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 19 Nov 2025 at 10:58    Image of day on 05 Jan 2026

... and finally a montage of her visit to the Duck pond.
She hasn't become familiar with the water bowl like the regular visitors, so naturally reaches into the pond for a drink.


Ref: 20260105_bu8_20251119_1058_082+084+086 chinese water deer at duck pond 1+3+5 of 5 (impression montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 03 Feb 2024 at 11:53    Image of day on 27 Feb 2024

We have photos of Chinese Water Deer inside our patch only twice before and in each the deer had some damage to the fur on the top of the neck. But not as bad as we see here with a whole strip of skin exposed as well as other damage.
From the interesting site at    https://www.wildlifeonline.me.uk/animals/article/water-deer-fur-moulting
we quote the following:-
  "It is not uncommon for water deer, particularly bucks, to be missing patches of fur,   particularly on the neck, flanks and rump, as a result of combat during the rut.   In some cases, they present with large areas of fur missing, such as this buck in   Buckinghamshire" ... (with picture on the referenced site) ... Credit: Marc Baldwin.
We are in Buckinghamshire as well, and here is our injured Deer by the Round Mound photographed by a trail cam.


Ref: 20240227_bu2_20240203_1153_412_sc7 chinese water deer at round mound (injury to buck during rut) 1 of 3 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 03 Feb 2024 at 11:53    Image of day on 27 Feb 2024

This is a rare glimpse of a Chinese Water Deer inside our patch. Notice the apparently ruffled fur behind the head.


Ref: 20240227_bu2_20240203_1153_414_sc7 chinese water deer at round mound 3 of 3 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 24 Dec 2025 at 09:07    Image of day on 02 Feb 2026




Ref: 20260202_d72_20251224_0907_021 chinese water deer bounding across field to east 12 of 22 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 24 Dec 2025 at 09:07    Image of day on 02 Feb 2026




Ref: 20260202_d72_20251224_0907_019+021+023+025+27 chinese water deer bounding across field to east alt 11-19 of 22 (accurate montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 24 Dec 2025 at 09:07    Image of day on 02 Feb 2026

Walking along the Farm Road disturbed this male Chinese Water Deer who bounded away across the field until out of sight.


Ref: 20260202_d72_20251224_0907_014+016+018 chinese water deer bounding across field to east05+ 07+09 of 22 (accurate montage @8fps)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 29 Mar 2024 at 09:10    Image of day on 24 Apr 2024

Detail of the middle moment.


Ref: 20240424_df3_20240329_0910_094 chinese water deer disturbed and runs across field 07 of 10 (crop)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 29 Mar 2024 at 09:10    Image of day on 24 Apr 2024

Detail of the left moment at exactly the same scale as above - how the body flexes & stretches!
The slightly blurred streak vertically through the head a the wildly out of focus first twig of the Lombardy Poplar that terminated the sequence.


Ref: 20240424_df3_20240329_0910_096 chinese water deer disturbed and runs across field 09 of 10 (crop)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 29 Mar 2024 at 09:10    Image of day on 24 Apr 2024

On the right we see the first glimpse of a Chinese Water Deer who didn't appreciate us spotting her, but rather than sprinting away, ran along the line of the railings and off to the north. An almost accurate montage except for the right head-only moment a few seconds earlier.


Ref: 20240424_df3_20240329_0910_088+092-096 chinese water deer disturbed runs along field @7fps 01+05-09 of 10 (slight stretched montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 28 Mar 2024 at 07:09    Image of day on 22 Apr 2024

In the now fenced-off field to our south we spot this Chinese Water Deer nibbling the fresh leaves on the hedge.


Ref: 20240422_r70_20240328_0709_050 chinese water deer eating fresh leaves from hedge(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 08 Jan 2023 at 12:33    Image of day on 02 Feb 2023

From about 100 metres away we get this photo of a pair of Chinese Water Deer relaxing in the grass. The left deer is a female and the right (with a generous sized 'tusk') is the male.


Ref: 20230202_df3_20230108_1233_041 chinese water deer female (left) and male on crop margin to east (crop)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 08 Apr 2026 at 17:44    Image of day on 17 May 2026

3 days later we see maybe the same female Chinese Water Deer quietly browsing the just spouting field far to our south ...


Ref: 20260517_r52_20260408_1744_610+1745_621+623 chinese water deer female browsing crop in field far to south (impression montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


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