Fallow deer

[Phil Djali]

I had a daytime visit from a fallow deer on Sunday, then it came back at night so I've got plenty of trail cam images and videos. Roe deer are quite regular in my garden, but this is the first fallow. Also regularly seen on the nightime camera are foxes and a hedgehog.

[paul b]

Just speculating where these deer may have come from -as in not a native species (though of course here for centuries)-have these Euxton animals escaped from a park some years ago? or moved in from established herds further afield?
The Mammal Society states "they are the most common deer in England" -before I'd read that, I'd have said roe deer were much more common.

[Phil Djali]

My guess is that they came from the herd that was effectively captive within the old Royal Ordnance factory site - I worked there and used to see them regularly. But there is also another herd, the white deer, which seem to hang around the Yarrow.

[Leonard Poxon]

Phil,

I was not aware that there had been a herd on the ROF.

However, there is a herd that lives near Wymott Prison.
I was told that a farmer in Ulnes Walton found out that they were on an estate that wanted them culled so he decided to take them off their hands and put them in a field on his farm, where eventually they escaped from.

The chap who told me was a close neighbour of the farmer.

[Phil Djali]

Len
Interesting information. The herd on the ROF site was rumoured to have been there since the factory was created (1937-1939 era) - but they obviously found themselves in a protected environment and stayed. I have seen a couple of roe deer on Buckshaw in recent years, but never a fallow.

[Eddie Langrish]

Hi, I lived at Astley Hall, from the age of 9 to 19, (1966 to 1976 ) when my dad was head of the greenhouses that were in the walled garden.

There's was then "The Royal Umpire Museum " at Ulnes Walton, where now there are caravans and portable houses to rent/buy.
The Royal Umpire Museum had animals on display as well, one display was a herd of Fallow deer 5 to 7 I think, they escapes and I use to see 2/3 of them regularly down Astley Park, I could still take you to the Holly trees that they sheltered under in the day, it is said that the herd at Wymot are descendants from those escapees,which is half a mile as the crow fly's from where the royal umpire museum was, as will probably any you see round the chorley area.