The buck stops here

For some reason roe deer always seem to be a bit bigger than they really are.  I suppose we usually see them in woods or fields without an accurate sense of scale.  It is only when they stand next to something we can appreciate that they are about the size of small sheep.  I saw this handsome buck when I was out looking for dragonflies in Gosforth Nature Reserve.  I don't know why he didn't see me as I was in the open, just the other side of the pond.

As he went up the bank he passed a tree guard to give a sense of scale.  Roe deer are very keen to browse on newly planted trees so we use thousands of tree guards every year as we replant the woodlands in the reserve.

I was downwind so I don't think he ever knew I was there, despite the clicks from the camera.  After posing for a few moments he wandered into the woods.  I was able to get the measure of a roe buck once as it stood next to my gate post.  To the tip of his antlers he is 1m tall.

* "The buck stops here" is a phrase used by US president Harry S Truman.