Deer ID please?

[cazmanian_minx]

I was driving back from Inverness on Wednesday and came across two lots of deer. This lot I know are red deer - the stag was bellowing his head off to another group further up the hill:



But further up, I came across these two - much smaller. Are they young red deer or something else?



More shots of both groups on my Flickr account - click on either of the above pictures to have a look.

[Kenn]

Young red stags by the look of them.
Was this taken along Strathalladale or further over towards Syre? We found a rut in progress a few years back towards the north end of Strathalladale,unfortunately is was at dusk and although we could hear them the failing light prevented us from seeing alot although I stag was strutting his stuff!

[cazmanian_minx]

Thanks The first lot were a couple of miles south of Altnaharra and the second lot somewhere between Altnaharra and Tongue. I'm now more in love than ever with that lens; it was so dark by the time I saw the second lot that I had my headlights on and that shot was hand-held from the car window!

[Kevin Milkins]

Some nice shots CM, I think that lens might have been a good investment. Thanks for sharing.

[buggyracer]

young reds imo, nice shots, what lens did you use?

[cazmanian_minx]

Thanks both It's a Canon 100-400mm L lens and the second shot was a shutter speed of 1/60th at 390mm with no other support than bracing my elbows against the car window, which just boggles me! I haven't been using it as much as I should because it's so heavy, but I've started doing press-ups and now my arm muscles are coping with it better

[Anji]

I haven't been using it as much as I should because it's so heavy, but I've started doing press-ups and now my arm muscles are coping with it better

Now that's what I call suffering for your art!
Lovely photos, by the way.

[cazmanian_minx]

Right place, right time this morning!!

[Kevin Milkins]

Some more good shots, well done CM, I bet you were delighted to to have stumbled on them.

[Phoenix200416]

Wonderful captures of the deer crossing the river! And I love that last shot of the deer on the hill too. Thanks for sharing those!

I have to agree with everyone else that those are young red deer.

[Haweswater]

The young stag in the foreground would appear to be a Japanese Sika - possibly a hybrid Red/Sika. The clues are in the head - light 'v' shape mark above the eyes ; the coat - much darker than the Red (standing behind) and, best of all, the white gland below the hock. That said, however, it is probable that, thanks to decades of interbreeding throughout the Highland mainland, a huge proportion of Red Deer will carry Sika genes.
It has been predicted that in the near future (if not already) the only pure Red Deer (Cervus Elaphus) left in Scotland at least will be those inhabiting offshore islands where Sika had not been introduced (Lewis, Harris and North Uist, Rum and other Inner Hebridean islands).

[Connor.]

I honestly have no IDeer