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the animal does not have the sleek appearance of
summer. The caudal patch is also not so
clearly defined, though it still shows up well.
Red deer males or stags carry antlers for most of
the year and they are based on a single stem
(beam) which is rounded
and has branches (tines)
protruding from it.
There can be considerable
variation in the size and
shape of the antlers and
of the number of tines.
Normally a young stag will
only grow a single spike
as his first head.
Antlers are cast in
March/April and new ones grow immediately,
covered in a furry velvet skin until the regrowth
is completed about August. Stags in their
winter coats also have a thick mane on their
necks which is retained until the summer moult.
Red stags are great wanderers and may be
encountered anywhere in Essex, though the north
west is the most likely part.
Fallow
Somewhat smaller than red, only standing about
3 feet at the shoulder, they occur in all
colours from white (not necessarily albino) to
black and this can cause confusion. In fact
all the colour varieties are spotted but, with
the black and white varieties, to see the spots
you have to get closer than most wild deer will
allow. The other two main colour varieties,
common and menil, are heavily spotted in the
summer but they are less noticeable in the winter