20 September β 2 November
the coastal calendar, shifted 24 days later for this region
Forest clearings and meadow edges at dusk; in the rut, follow the roaring rather than the tracks.
Antlers are cast in early spring and regrown in five months β the fastest bone growth of any mammal β purely to be used for three weeks in the autumn. Stags eat almost nothing during the rut and can lose a fifth of their body weight.
photos, sightings and recordings, off this site
where this species is on the list
| Phase | When | Length | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| going about the year | 25 January β 24 March | 59 days | Feeding, holding territory, doing nothing the calendar singles out. |
| moulting | 25 March β 29 May | 66 days | Feathers or coat replaced. Many birds go quiet and hide while it happens. |
| raising young | 30 May β 19 July | 51 days | Dependent young in the nest, den or burrow, being fed. |
| young out of the den | 20 July β 19 September | 62 days | Young out of the nest or den, but still fed and followed by the adults. |
| courting | 20 September β 2 November | 44 days | Song, display, fighting, scent-marking β pairs forming or reaffirming. The roaring carries kilometres on a still autumn night and is the loudest sound in these forests. |
| pregnant | 3 November β 24 January | 83 days | Pregnant. Nothing to see from outside, which is why the dates matter. |