The tiny reindeers

• bentehaarstad

 

Reinsimle og kalver, sannsynligvis er bare den ene hennes egen. Kalvene er neppe mer enn et par uker gamle. Reinen har trukket ned fra fjellet der det ennå er vinter, i håp om å finne noe grønt i dalene. Her ved vegen mellom Tydal og Brekken i Sør-Trøndelag.

I spottet some reindeers while driving across the mountains yesterday. Actually there were lots of them, only female animals and they were together with their calves, reindeer calves born just a few weeks ago.

Ganske nyfødte reinkalver. Langsvola i Tydal, Sør-Trøndelag. Sørsamisk reindrift.

Reindeers this tiny is probably only two to three weeks old. The reason they were in the valley and not in the high mountains, is the exceptionally cold spring this year. There is still snow in the mountains, and hard to find food for the little ones. It was hardly anything green growing in this place either, but at least not covered in snow and ice. Reindeers  by the way are among the very few animals theat eats lichens.

Beitende reinkalv, noen få uker gammel.

This kind of encounter makes me very happy. But of course, for the animals it is better to roam the mountains. Which they will very soon. You can see some more pictures in my Reindeer calves photo gallery

Beitende simler og kalver. Tidlig i juni. Langsvola mellom Tydal og Brekken i Røros.

To reinsimler med kalv. Langsvola, mellom Tydal og Brekken i Sør-Trøndelag.

42 thoughts on “The tiny reindeers”

    1. Maybe I expressed myself a bit unclear Anneli, because there is no hunger as such in this area. Except reindeers are of course hungry after the meager times during winter. This is natural. And you also have the little ones who must grow fast, and are hungry in that way. And the spring is certainly late. Your question: yes, they have many natural enemies, and increasingly so because of increased numbers of predators the last decades: Lynx, wolverine, eagles, bears, and an occational wolf. And in this place, also cars.

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      1. Yes, I understood what you meant. A long cold spring – the need for the young to grow quickly and become strong enough to escape predators. I just didn’t know what those predators might be. Very nice post.

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  3. Wonderful photos Bente.
    Those tiny white ones remind me somewhat of newly born lambs. Obviously not the shape, but the cuteness and softness of their coats is so endearing.

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    1. Haha, Emilio. I don’t mind jokes like that, because we should always remember the origin of food, to keep our respect. And the answer: Yes, very good eating, one of the best. That is in autumn and winter when they are fatter.

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  11. Lucky you to be able to see this… lovely pictures of these adorable little reindeer cuties. But hopefully for them they’ll be able to go back into the mountains soon!

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  15. All cosy close to Mama …
    Time is moving along so quickly … the mountain roamings and food will be extra welcome soon I’m sure …
    Lovely photos Bente !

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  17. WOW what a beautiful photos Bente, the calves are so cute! You are so Lucky to see the reindeers in all the time of the year. Photo 3 is for me the winner. Greetings from the Netherlands.

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  19. Beautiful images Bente. The babies are so sweet! Sorry to hear about your cold spring. We actually had a lovely one this year. Lowest snowpack in the mountains in 10 years. It’s gone already and everything is blooming early. As long as that doesn’t mean fall is starting in August we’re all good! 🙂 – Suzan –

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  21. It’s so nice always to see the young ones, particularly (as here, though I’m sure not a patch on yours) after such a hard winter. Right now here, the calves are out with the cows, and it’s a delight to see them. We’re hoping to see some fawns (white tail deer) soon, too.

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  26. All babies are special, but I’ve never seen reindeer calves before. The photos are quite wonderful. I especially like the last one. It seems to capture their liveliness and the bond between mama and calf perfectly. Off now to see your gallery!

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  27. Fantastische bilder, Bente. Jeg håper det varmer seg opp hos dere oppover i landet snart. På Østlandet har vi vært bortskjemte med flotte temperaturer fra pinse og før det de siste årene, men nå er vi tilbake til tre årstider i en måned.
    Ha en riktig god helg.

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  34. What a pleasant encounter and lovely photos. I enjoyed these. I got to see something I hadn’t seen before. Baby reindeer. Who knew they’d look so soft and furry.

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