Sherborne's white deer

I’d heard a rumour of a possible intent to cull one or more of Sherborne’s white deer, such fabulous , mystical creatures that you can often see from the village road, looking North on the far bank of the Brook. I contacted Nigel, who manages the deer locally on contract. He sent me this reassuring message:

Hi Roger,

It is nice to hear from you: I have followed avidly your posts about the revealing of the ancient markers in the landscape. I find your work fascinating and appreciate the effort you are putting into it. There is much story and history that modernity can obscure.

Thank you for the note about the white buck. Please can I assure you that there are no plans to cull him or any of the other white/very light deer in the groups. We reckon that currently there are three white does, the mature white buck and one white fawn from last year which we think is also a buck. They are as much a part of our enjoyment to see them as they are to the people in the village.

The fallow herds are smaller this year - reflecting the disturbance from estate operations and also the increased cull we have been asked to undertake. The fencing that has taken place has caused deer to change their movements across the estate and in particular have influenced change in the way the fallow move from east to west across the road and back again. There are also more fallow on the south side of the A40 - again reflecting the activities to the north.

Please feel able to reassure the villagers that none of the white animals are 'on the list' and I hope they will continue for some years to provide a lot of enjoyment to us all.

Kindest regards,

Nigel

I trust Nigel implicitly - a real professional and extremely knowledgeable. He enjoys the sight of these deer as much as we do. If you see him about early in the morning I know he welcomes a chat and can explain what he does. You’ll learn a lot from ten minutes with him.

Since we are discussing magical white creatures in Sherborne, let me also mention two other species:

• The pair of swans continue to commute between The Broadwaters and Haycroft. They have been seen mating, (three times!) so perhaps there will be cygnets this year. Have they started a nest site yet? Let me know if you have seen sign of this.
• A beautiful barn owl, sometimes a pair, continue to patrol up and down the Brook, the length of the Narrowwater, the Broadwater and up beyond Waterloo bridge, at all times of day - not just dusk and dawn. Is it because they have a large brood to feed? I hope so.

Please report any interesting sightings you see and I’ll share them out, (even of species that are not a ghostly white!)