A Morning Kiss

These are Roe Deer, the two females in the first image were quite a distance away but it was nice to capture a tender moment as they touched noses in greeting. 

I had actually been following the buck in the second image and hadn't realised that there were three deer altogether so it was a nice surprise to see them all. It was nice also because although they were very wary of my presence they did not immediately disappear into the woods and i was able to watch them from a distance.

It was yet another reminder to me that it very often pays off to be up early. That's not such a bad thing either when I usually wake up at stupid o'clock.

 

Young Buck

About ten days ago I got up at 3am and headed off to Brockholes in Lancashire for a dawn photo shoot in the hope of capturing some shots of the deer and hares that are known to visit the area in the early hours before visitors arrive.

Unfortunately it was a really cloudy morning so I didn't see the sunrise just a slow transition from dark grey to a lighter shade of grey and for much of the morning it rained heavily some from a photography perspective it was a bit of a washout.

From a nature watching viewpoint it was anything but. There were a few  Roe deer like this handsome young buck  which was foraging on the far bank of the river Ribble and several beautiful brown hares. There were also lots of birds around so I actually had a great time. The early morning birdsong was wonderful and because of the bad weather I practically had the whole place to myself. There were a couple of hides where I was able to make the most of the quiet time and I think there is a good chance I would go back and do it all again.

A Chance Encounter

I had planned oo getting up really early this morning to go up to Boilton Woods near Preston. Every morning I have been waking at around 5am and so I thought it would be easy for me to get up and at the woods for just after sunrise. So confident was I that I didn't bother to set my alarm. Of course that was a mistake and I didn't wake up til 6.20. I managed to get to the woods around 7.45 so much later than hoped but not too late to enjoy the early morning sun.

The main reason I had gone was to try and photograph the bluebells and also some birds as it is a great spot for both at this time of year.

I met another photographer who lived nearby and who had been there since just after 6, he happily told me about the early mist and the  Brown Hares and Roe Deer that he had seen on the field near the car park, he even very kindly showed me a couple of shots that he had captured. Of course I was pleased for him but I was quietly kicking myself for having missed a good photo opportunity.

We spoke about the deer but I didn't expect to see one. 

I went on to take some pictures of bluebells and put some seed down to attract some birds in a shady spot and then as I was sat on a bench to change lenses out of the corner of my eye I caught movement less than 30 feet away. I looked up to see this beautiful Roe Deer. I was still changing my lens at the time so had to be really quick and then the deer skipped off through the trees and I thought I had completely lucked out. As you can see however luck was on my side, just briefly because it paused in a small clearing just long enough for me to catch this one shot. You can see that it is poised to move and having glanced towards me for the briefest moment it took off up the hillside and into the trees. I was so thrilled to see it, even happier to get a shot and really pleased that the one shot I got was half decent too.

The rest of my morning was a success too with shots of several species of bird including a Kestrel and also pictures of a Bank Vole and a Wood Mouse as well as lots of the gorgeous bluebells. I can hardly wait to share them.