Muntjac

[IB]

Here I was wondering how I might pick Bird club members collective brains when that nice Mr Parker comes up with a forum.  Hope no-one minds me posting a non-bird topic but I am "researching" (probably too grand a word for it) the presence of Muntjac in the north east.  I've had several reports from as far north as Cramlington over the past year and it seems like, rather embarassingly, they have spread through the north east without us mammaling types noticing (doubtless because we spend our time indoors dissecting owl pellets and puzzling over droppings .  There are a couple of road casualties and some reliable sightings to suggest that they are established in the Tees Valley area but there are still only a handful of such reports.  I was wondering if any of you birder types, roaming about in all weathers, as you do, had spotted any Muntjac.  It isn't just Cleveland records that I'm looking for, anything north of York would be outside of their "official" range.

Thanks (and I promise to post something about birds to next time)

Ian Bond

[IanF]

Three were seen about 6 weeks ago by local birders near Embleton Old Hall c.1 mile south of Hurworth Burn Reservoir along the Castle Eden cycleway - not by me so far but I always look out for them when down that way.

[Ian Bond]

Thanks for this info Ian.  There might have been eight of them once as there were two reported Muntjac road casualties on the A689 within a few hundred metres each side of the Castle Eden Walkway, one in late March and one in early April.