A Look at Behaviour Patterns
Posted: 1 August 2022
You'll see that we missed out on providing a set of clips last week. Apart from one, showing a kestrel, none offered anything especially noteworthy. So this week we include the exception with more from this week. We follow them with some that show Muntjac family behaviour.
In the same way that, starting in April, we had a period of regular visits by a heron, we now seem to have regular visits by a kestrel. Last week it was on Thursday at 15:51 that the camera made the capture. At 0:12 into the video the camera is triggered again. This time on Tuesday this week at 18:17 when again the bird takes off along the line of the bridge towards Ruston House grounds. At 0:30 we see a third clip. This time captured on Wednesday 17:09. This time it is slightly different. We see the bird land just off the bridge and it has something in its beak which it proceeds to eat before taking off southwards along the line of the dyke.
The following sequence, which starts at 1:07, shows some Muntjac behaviour that I have not observed before. It is put together from three of the camera's captures so you may notice two slight jumps in the recording.
In spite of initially appearing much the same size as the other two deer, it would appear that the animal entering the frame from the left at the start of the clip is a juvenile following the deer ahead of it, presumably its mother. Juvenile or not, it is certainly submissive. Notice how it cowers as it is approached by the deer entering the frame from the right. It immediately runs round to the front of its mother. Apparently comforted it then sniffs the backside of both the other deer. It's mother then moves off but the juvenile decides to join the other. It is then chased away and runs off to join its mother, now off screen.
At 1:53 we skip to 05:44 on Thursday morning. Initially I wasn't sure if I was seeing an owl or kestrel, but by looking at each frame in turn I was able to make out the kestrel's head and beak. So it seems it's not just a clear daylight visitor.
The final clip starts at 1:59 and shows a Muntjac. It was recorded on Thursday at 17:38. The only reason for including this clip is that it is the first where I have seen a Muntjac straddle the logs to mount the bridge. All previous clips show them walking round to the planks on the left side and using them as a step. Indeed you can even make out the scratches, which show in lighter tones on the bridge deck that the deer leave behind.
