Deer: corrections and update

DEER: CORRECTIONS AND UPDATE NORMA CHAPMAN The mislabelling of four of the five maps which accompanied Deer in East Anglia (Trans. S.N.S. 1993, Vol. 29) caused puzzlement for some members but those who read the text probably realised that errors had occurred during production. White Admiral No. 26 listed these corrections, and that for the caption to Plate 5 in Vol. 28. At the end of this note those corrections appear again.

Members are requested, please, to amend their own copies of the Transactions.

More detailed distribution maps are given in the two editions (August 1992 and March 1994) of the Provisional Atlas of Suffolk Mammals. Comparison of these two shows relatively few additional records although a notable exception is within T M 4 6 where the number of tetrads with records of red deer, the most itinerant of our deer species, has increased from seven to 13. A scatter of records for red deer have also appeared in the southern third of the county.

Some new roe records form a discontinuous ribbon, stretching to the east coast from the long established populations in the west. The apparent gaps in this corridor would be worthy of investigation. Roe distribution has extended also on the southern fringe of the county. Further expansion of their ränge is likely, as is occurring in many other counties in England.

Least change is seen in the distribution of fallow deer which still centres on the areas near the parks from which they originated.

For muntjac, many Suffolk records were received during the national distribution survey conducted in 1992-93 (Chapman, Harris & Stanford, 1994).

Most of these reports were from or near already known localities but often referred to a recent increase in numbers. The new tetrads were mainly in the southern half of the county. Unfortunately no information came to light on the origin of the very early Single sightings in Suffolk, e.g. Lowestoft in 1952, Leiston in 1953 and the "probably muntjac" at Parham Wood in 1940. Those records can be explained only by deliberate releases or escapes: with the passing decades the chances fade of ever determining their origins. However, the early sightings at the western end of the Norfolk/Suffolk border (near Santon Downham in 1953, at Elveden Gap in 1961 and subsequently in the breckland forests) can now be explained. A deliberate release of nine animals was made in that area, probably between 1947 and 1949 but no later than 1952.

Whether the apparent absence or paucity of deer records within TM06, 07, 16, 17, 25, 26, 27, 37, 38 and 48 is genuine remains to be seen. Further field work may produce records for one or more species of deer. Even a copse of appropriate composition may hold muntjac and for the other deer species, their larger home ranges may comprise a series of small woodlands and adjacent fields. There should be no excuses for under-recording our largest mammals, which leave conspicuous foot prints and whose presence is usually evident to farmers, foresters, gamekeepers, stalkers, game dealers and riders, so just talking to local people can often provide useful information.

Reference Chapman, N„ Harris, S. & Stanford, A. (1994). Reeves' Muntjac Muntiacus reevesi in Britain: their history, spread, habitat selection, and the role of

Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 31

(1995)

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Suffolk Natural History, Vol. 31

human intervention in acclerating their dispersal. Mammal Review, 24, (3), 113-160.

(Copies available, ÂŁ3, from University of Bristol, School of Biological Sciences, BS8 1UG. CORRECTIONS Transactions (1992) Vol. 28 Plate 5. The heads from left to right are: Muntjac, Roe and Chinese Water Deer.

Transactions (1993) Vol. 29. The legends for the distribution maps should be: Page 121 Figure 2 Roe Deer Page 122 Figure 3 Muntjac Deer Page 123 Figure 4 Chinese water deer Page 125 Figure 5 Fallow deer Norma Chapman, Larkmead, Barton Mills IP28 6AA

Butterflies at Framlingham in early August Unfortunately, the following data were omitted from my notes in the 1994 Suffolk Natural History:

Small Copper

1 st-6th August 1991 2,4

2nd-7th August 1992 7

1 st-7th August 1993 2,7

My observations for July 3Ist-August 6th 1994 were as follows: Small Skipper 31,1,3,5,6 Painted Lady 2,3 Large White 31,1,2,3,4,5,6 Small Tortoiseshell 31,1,3,6 Small White 31,1,2,3,4,5,6 Peacock 31,2,3,5,6 Green Veined White 31,1,2,3,5,6 Comma 31,2 Small Copper 2,3,5 Wall Brown 31,1,2,3,6 Common Blue 1,2,3,6 Gatekeeper 31,1,2,3,4,5,6 Red Admiral 31,2,3,5,6 Meadow Brown 31,1,2,3,5,6 Observations were made on walks in and around Framlingham. We saw no specimens of the Holly Blue, which seemed to be undergoing one of its parasite-induced periodic declines. The Wall Brown was noted on more days than in the previous three years.

Reference Aston, A. (1994). Butterflies at Framlingham in early August, 1991-3. Trans.

Suffolk Nat. Soc., 30, 53.

Alasdair Aston

Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 31 (1995)