I was reading yesterday that the extremely cold winter we have had has had a devastating effect on the population of red deer. So bad infact that deer stalkers are set to ignore advice of the Deer Commission for Scotland to complete this year's cull of hinds. In the far north seventy deer were found dead beside the railway line. Apparently the animals had been hit by trains after seeking shelter in the embankments !

Not quite the same, but down by us here at Evergreen we have had deer (sika and roe) actually in our garden this year no more than a few yards from the front door, seeking plants to eat. This has never happened before. Here are a couple of photos taken today by Fiona which show the deer in the garden!