Thirsty Bird

Tamron 150 - 600 mm f/5 - 6.3

ISO 500    600mm   f/6.3    1/200 sec

This solitary Carrion Crow looks very regal standing proud on the path through the woods. He had been watching me from a perch high up in a tree but as I passed beneath him he flew down to take a drink. I approached cautiously not wanting to scare him away and was pleased that he didn't feel threatened by me and allowed me to get fairly close.

Doesn't he look smart with his little white bib? Also look closely at those beautiful feathers across his shoulders.

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.