Lowt’s wood is the least accessible woods I go to, but when I make the effort I always wonder why I don’t go more often. It’s only a small wood with steep slopes and a small stream running along the bottom of the slope. Even though a public footpath runs along the bottom, hardly anyone walks through it. Probably because it’s too much trouble getting to it.
In spring most of the wood is fall of bluebells. In winter it is bare making it easy to see the inhabitants. The trouble is, they can see you easily too!
I’ve seen fallow in the wood and a few years ago I could have sworn I spotted some roe deer. Roe is our only true native deer, although we nearly pushed them to the edge of extinction in Britain. As it happens, they recovered quite well, but they still aren’t as wide-spread as the fallow. Around this area, I haven’t seen any since that time years ago.
Today, I crept into the woods (now conscious that the way you enter woods are just as important as your actions whilst inside) and spotted a movement half way up the hill. I slowly turned to see a beautiful roe buck looking at me. He had spotted me, but nevertheless he gave me a chance to get a couple of shots off. I noticed he was in velvet which fits in with when the roe deer rut (in July and August).
Of course, he (and his partner) didn’t hang about but it gave me the opportunity to study the pellets, which are quite smaller than fallow and the tracks which are also smaller but also seem to me less pointed and a bit wider in proportion to the length.
I’m delighted to confirm that there’s some roe in here and brings a new aspect to these delightful woods.
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