Well, sleigh me if that's not Rudolph

ALAN BLACKLOCK/Niwa

SKY HIGH: One of Santa's reindeer makes an early appearance in the clouds over Wellington.

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Deer, oh deer. With Christmas just around the corner, a Wellington photographer's skyward discovery has all the makings of a jolly prank.

But Alan Blacklock's shot of a cloud formation that looks remarkably like a reindeer is the real deal and not some festive lark.

The happy snapper, a photographer for Niwa, captured the shot while sitting in the backyard of his suburban Paparangi home late on Sunday afternoon.

"I was just in the right place at the right time. It was a fluke, just one of those things," he said.

MetService meteorologist Ross Marsden confirmed the discovery was genuine.

He said the shapes and forms of the cloud were the result of the light winds from variable directions which were at the cirrus cloud level (about 10,000 metres) when the photo was taken.

"Some time earlier or later, or from a different viewing location, this cloud would have had a different appearance," he said.

Eye on the sky: Have you photographed any odd-shaped clouds? Email diary at diary@press.co.nz