Head To Head

Although it was fairly sunny as the afternoon progressed, in the shady woodland around Dunham Massey the light was limited and so a very high ISO (4000) was needed to get these shots so they are soft and perhaps lacking in definition. That being said they are still quite nice images of some of the deer that call Dunham Massey home (or whatever the deer equivalent for "home" is).

The larger stags hang out together in small groups while the young bucks also group together and the females and last years foals form small family groups and could be found scattered through the woods.

Although the herd is used to the visitors to the park they are still wild animals and very timid and always on high alert so getting close was quite a challenge. It was quite rewarding though, especially when the two bucks started sparring with each other. It was clear that it was not a serious fight but they were definitely testing each other out as well as getting to grips with their new antlers.
 

Staking His Claim

 This time of year the normally placid herd takes on a  different air as the stags vie for position as the rutting season gets under way.

I came across this magnificent beast in a small clearing with a group of about 10 females for company. He was strutting around and grunting at the top of his voice asserting his dominance. Most of the time he was pacing slowly and checking the hinds to see if they were in season, his advances were clearly unwelcome.

Moments before these pictures were shot the peace was disturbed by another young stag coming into the clearing and then being chased off noisily by this chap before he returned to keep a watch over the herd.

Oh Baby

 I had spent the morning defrosting the freezer, not the most exciting way to use a valuable day off work that's for sure, so after lunch I decided to head off to Dunham Massey for a walk around the deer park.

I am lucky to have some really nice places to visit close by where I can enjoy the wildlife. While you might think that photographing deer in a managed herd is not as special as photographing them in the wild it still has its challenges. Although the deer are used to people they are still wild and quite timid so it is important to respect that and keep a sensible distance. At this time of year as the rut is under way that is even more important because they are on high alert.

It was a real treat to spot this youngster in the first image, it was so cute.

Later on it was wonderful to spot another youngster feeding from its mother, it was such a tender moment to witness. I stood really still so as not to disturb this mother and child.

It was so good to get out even just for an hour or two and I need more moments like this to help clear my head and get a break from the pressures and concerns that sometimes can wear me down.

Fallow Fawns

The herd of Fallow Deer has been at Dunham Massey since 1352. They are well used to the many visitors who use the park every day however they are wild and wary, watchful and alert so you can't always get very close.

I wondered as I watched these youngsters how many generations of deer have gone before.

I think these are so cute.

It's Rutting Time

I wouldn't normally post so many images for one post so you're really getting your monies worth today...

I had left it a bit late to go to witness the Fallow Deer rut at Dunham Massey, last week the weather was pretty poor so I didn't go but the forecast for today was much better so I set off early to get there in time for the sunrise and to beat the crowds.

It was a very cold start to the day and the hard frost adds something to some of the images above.

If I was to try and sum up the morning I would say there was a lot of noise but not much action. The main battles for dominance have all been fought and so all of the stags seemed to know their respective place, some of the stags were carrying scars and bloody wounds evidence that they fought hard. The noise today was from the stags as they tried to round up the does and keep them close as you can see in the final shot.

I have included a couple of pictures of young bucks which I think are really nice, the one in picture number 8 looks like he is wearing a toupee and it made me smile.

Smiling Buck

Tamron 150mm - 600mm f/5:6.3

ISO 100   600mm  f/6.3   1/160 sec

At Dunham Massey I had spent most of the time in the gardens photographing the spring flowers but before going home I wanted to wander into the deer park and see whether I could get some nice shots.

At this time of year the herd of deer is spread out around the park in small groups and unlike the autumn months when there is a lot of activity in early May the deer seem much more relaxed and were contentedly feeding as the many visitors walked by. 

It wasn't really the best time of day to get really interesting shots but I do like this one of a young buck who was gently munching on some grass. He was completely at ease as I approached and seemed to pose for me. You can see that his cheeks are full of food but with his lips parted slightly I think it looks very much like he is smiling.

Standing Proud

Here is another shot of one of the Dunham Massey stags. It really is such a beautiful creature and I was so lucky to be able to get close and appreciate how truly beautiful it is.

It is easy to forget seeing them so close that these are wild not domestic animals. Because they live in a large estate where there are lots of visitors they have become used to people but while they are not as timid as deer that truly live wild for example in the New Forest or Forest of Dean or in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland they can still be skittish and need to be treated with just as much respect.

I think that herds like this are an important part of our nations wildlife and really are a national treasure.

Here's Looking At You

Today I have gone back to the pictures of deer at Dunham Massey rather than the buildings and reflections that I shared over the past two days.

These three deer are all Fallow Deer but these shots perfectly show some of the different colourings that are quite common from the fairly even brown tones of the stag in the first picture to the almost black backed doe in the second shot and then at the most extreme end the white in the third shot. This is not an albino deer but a genuine white variety. A fourth variety is almost totally black but I haven't got a shot of one to share today.

It didn't matter how quietly I approached the deer they were always on the alert and while they didn't all run off they kept a watchful eye on me. 

It is always a privilege to be able to get close to animals in the wild and I love to share the pictures I capture.

Looking Good...

I was lucky enough to spot this lone stag in a small clearing, he had quite clearly been digging up the soil with his antlers, perhaps searching for acorns or other tasty morsels. I followed at a safe distance trying not to spook him and to let him know I meant him no harm as he walked through the woodland. He stopped a few times and watched me and I thought  that he might run off but happily he seemed quite contented and relaxed. He approached a fallen tree and proceeded to clean his antlers by brushing against the branches.

As I slowly approached he would lift his head, look at me and sniff the air and then when he was satisfied that I was no threat he resumed his scraping. 

So today's three pictures show that story with his head down in the first image you can see how intently he was cleaning his impressive antlers.

In the second shot he has his tongue out, he wasn't being rude he was just doing a bit of grooming.

I like both of those shots because they are candid shots of a wild animal at ease going about its daily life.

I love the third shot though because it is a perfectly posed and beautifully lit natural portrait of a truly majestic and beautiful creature.

Oh Deer!!!

I have been to Dunham Massey a few times in the last three or four months, the last time was during the rutting season when there was lots of action but the light was rubbish and so I didn't really get the shots I had hoped for. All the same I got some nice pictures that I shared at the time.

With the promise of better weather today I got up early and set off with my camera and high hopes. It was pretty cold so I wrapped up warm and donned my wellies and I walked several  miles, some of it through very muddy conditions but I enjoyed every minute of it. I would have stayed longer if I could and although I took lots of pictures I will definitely go back.

I think the shots I have shared today are proof that my early start was not in vain. I have lots of other, even better shots than these so please come back over the next few days to see some of those.

Blending In

It has been snowing here today and the cold wet weather made me think back to the warmer summer days so I have picked some shots from a trip to Dunham Massey when the weather was much kinder.

I love the first shot with the stag resting in the long grass, he was totally relaxed and I'm sure he didn't want to be spotted. He really was blending in nicely.

The second shot is lovely too,  I think it is a great portrait of a handsome beast.

War Wounds

Today I wasn't going to post any more pictures from the Rut although I was going to choose some other mammals after listening to the awesome song "Mammal" by They Might Be Giants (Click here to listen). Anyway as I was browsing I decided to post the first two because they show two different stags with  very clear evidence of the violence of the rut. 

In the first  image the stag is what is known as a Menil variety with a much paler coat than the more common tan/fawn colouring and without the black rump. He has clearly been in a fight and has lost part of his impressive set of antlers.

In the second image you can see two lines of scarring on its right flank also evidence of being in a fight.

The young stags can spend a lot of time sparring without any real vicious intent but when the rutting season begins in earnest the sparring becomes much more serious and potentially deadly. Perhaps these two can count themselves lucky, despite their wounds.

In contrast to that the final shot in today's selection is a much more tranquil, bucolic scene.

So that is all for now, I am not sure what I will post next but please come back tomorrow to see what I choose.

A Stag Do...

These two fine creatures were pacing around the edge of a wooded glade keeping a respectful distance from the dominant stag who was strutting his stuff and bellowing with gusto to declare his superiority and stake his claim. While he was spectacular these two were a bit easier to photograph and I particularly like the second shot. I hope you will agree.

Young and Beautiful

I was going to share some pictures of some of the stags today but looking through my pictures I couldn't resist posting some more of the new generation, they're so flipping cute.

It was such a treat to get up close and get these images I am so lucky.

The New Generation

So a few more soft images from my shoot at Dunham Massey yesterday and although the rut is all about the dominant males I also got some lovely images of some of the younger members of the herd. As I said yesterday the images are soft and grainy because of the high ISO, the first two were at ISO of 25,600 and the third was 20,000 due to the really poor light. I think the first two in the shade of the trees are really atmospheric images and I like them a lot. The third is just so cute.