However cold this coming winter turns out to be, our wildlife will cope.

Even on the coldest days there will be catkins on the elder and hazel trees.

The roe deer is becoming more and more common and is now to be seen in most of our East Lancashire woodlands.

It is not the weather which is their main enemy — it is illegal poachers.

The roe is the smallest of our native deer and the species is so shy, it makes them quite difficult to spot unless you are very patient.

Roe are becoming more and more common in our East Lancashire woodlands and their camouflage is so efficient that they have earned their old name which is ‘Fairies of the Wood’.

Few creatures are more graceful than the roe deer when they are running and their ability to jump over fences has to be seen to be believed. The scientific name is Capreolus capreolus. The male is called the Buck and he can be up to 25 inches (64 cms) and the female, called the Doe, is just a little smaller.

In the breeding season around June the males have antlers; the doe delivers his young from mid-May to mid-June and twins are often produced.

There are records of three young being born and I witnessed these triplets being born near Barley.

The average life span seems to be only about three years.

It has to be admitted that all deer do damage to trees and foresters are always asking for the animals to be culled. Deer fences and putting protective guards around young trees, however, may well be more cost effective than shooting.

More worrying is the increasing tendency for poachers to set traps for deer in order to sell the meat. The methods they use are very cruel and the police are always on the look out to find and prosecute these criminals.

Many poachers seem to be coming in from Europe, taking their profits and then heading off ‘home’.

This problem needs to be nipped in the bud.