Awaiting the Rut - 6 October 2013

Bradgate Park in Leicestershire has a really good policy of allowing people who are incapable of walking through the park, the opportunity to drive through the park for a couple of hours on a  Thursday and Saturday.

As I am waiting for an operation to replace my hip, we took advantage of this and spent both periods looking for any signs of the Rut which is due anytime now. Although there was sun shining, the shutter speeds seem quite low, that is because most were in shade.

There are signs that the Rut may have begun. The Fallow Deer Stag below was bedecked with weeds, which they do apparently to make themselves look more fearsome to their rivals.

1/64 @ 6.3, iso 800, 400mm

1/40 @ 6.3, iso 800, 400mm

This one was having a good bellow to challenge all-comers.

1/80 @ 6.3, iso 800, 400mm

Another challenger collected some weeds to frighten him.

1/20 @ 6.3, iso 800, 400mm

I don't know if these two had worn themselves out or were waiting till everyone else had finished, but they didn't rise to the challenge

1/100 @ 6.3, iso 800, 400mm

1/250 @ 6.3, iso 800, 400mm

This pair of young ones were making a half-hearted attempt at fighting, but I think they were too young to be serious.

1/64 @ 6.3, iso 800, 400mm

Others came along to see what all the shouting was about.

1/64 @ 6.3, iso 800, 400mm

1/40 @ 6.3, iso 800, 400mm

When this big Red strolled through the arena, things settled down again.

1/50 @ 6.3, iso 800, 400mm

1/64 @ 6.3, iso 800, 400mm

He decided to have a shout himself and followed up with a good antler rubbing on a tree.

1/80 @ 6.3, iso 800, 400mm

1/20 @ 5.0, iso 800, 235mm

As we drove round, Maja spotted this Fallow deer in a shaded dell and with the help of flash I managed this pic.

1/64 @ 6.3, iso 800, 400mm - flash

At the back of the ruins of Lady Jane Grey's family home a Jackdaw took advantage of a group of Fallow deer for a perch.

1/1000 @ 5.6, iso 400, 400mm

And a resident peacock watched all the goings on.

1/640 @ 5.0, iso 400, 200mm

1/640 @ 5.0, iso 400, 200mm

I will be laid up for a few weeks after my operation on Wednesday, so I won't be able to get out and take pictures. I may be able to post some that I took earlier and I shall spend most of my time trying to write another novel. I hope those of you that have tried them have enjoyed the read and will try others, there is a variety of subjects.

All taken on a 

Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L series lens

Bradgate Park - 27 April 2013

We had a, not very, fruitful cycle through Bradgate Park, the deer were widespread in small groups, there was one large group of Reds but they were in the middle of a wide open space ant approach would have them moving away.

We did find some solitary fallow deer, the first having a good groom.

1/500 @ f7.1, iso 400, 400mm

Seemed a bit miffed at being watched.

1/400 @ f7.1, iso 400, 400mm

The next two seemed to be grazing, but the vegetation didn't seem very green for them

1/800 @ f7.1, iso 400, 400mm

1/640 @ f7.1, iso 400, 400mm

The buildings in the park are quite interesting, for those outside Leicestershire, this is Lady Jane Grey's family home. There is a myth that when she was beheaded, for being queen of england for a few days, the woodsmen of the Charnwood cut off the tops of the Royal Oaks. But in fact the Oaks have been regularly coppiced for wood for the Navy etc. So any such protest would hardly have been noticed.

1/800 @ f7.1, iso 400, 100mm

Old John, on the hill behind the house, is now considered a folly. All sorts of suggestions have been made for its existence including that it was a mill and named after old John the miller.

1/800 @ f7.1, iso 400, 400mm

It's easy to see it is the wrong shape for a windmill and there is no water on top of the hill to drive a waterwheel, so I don't think that idea works. the apparent ruin at the left, is an illusion, inside those walls, a rock-face pretty well follows the angle of the walls, so nothing could have happened between them. I think they were built to look like a ruin.

All picture were taken with a 

Canon EOS7d with an EF 100 - 400mm, L series zoom lens.