Bradgate Park

The first wildlife we saw when we entered the park was this Heron striding purposefully along the banks of the Lin. Not sure what he had spotted but he must have been after something.

1/1328 @ f6.3, iso 800, 400mm

The Fallow Deer seemed to stop in just the right place, and look at the size of that Oak tree.

1/200 @ f6.3, iso 800, 400mm

A Red Stag feeding up for the Rut no doubt.

1/640 @ f6.3, iso 800, 250mm

All taken on Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400 mm L series Lens

Mixed bag at Bradgate Park

A trip through Bradgate Park proved more interesting than expected. About ten Pied Wagtails descended on the field at the back of the house, I'm not sure of the collective noun for Pied Wagtails. Maybe a Crust or a waggle or some such, does anyone know.

1/800 @ f6.3, iso 800, 400mm

1/800 @ f6.3, iso 800, 400mm

The Stags seemed to be resting, maybe storing up energy for the forthcoming rut.

1/800 @ f6.3, iso 800, 160mm

I couldn't resist this "chocolate boxy" pose of a young Fallow Deer

1/250 @ f6.3, iso 800, 100mm

All pictures taken with a Canon EOS 7d and EF 100 - 400mm L series Lens

Bradgate Deer

It's been a while since the last post, my health and the weather keep getting in the way.

Anyway here are couple of Fallow deer taken a few days ago in Bradgate Park as we drove through on disabled day. They were close to the road through.

1/500 @f6.3, iso 800, 400mm

1/500 @f6.3, iso 800, 400mm

Incidentally I notice that the Bradgate players recently put on a play "The Hound of The Baskervilles." With the recent change in dog laws in the park, I wonder if the "Hound" was kept on a lead :o)

Both pictures taken on Canln EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400mm lens

I'm back!

There haven't been many entries lately because of my poor health and being confined to the house. Here is a couple I took last week when Maja took me through Bradgate Park on the disabled drive through day.


That's not the Herons nest in the picture, but I think it was hoping there would be some Coot chicks in there for tea.

1/250 @ f6.3, ISO 400,  400mm

A young Fallow stag, in need of some growing and some antlers.

1/320 @ f6.3, ISO 400,  200mm

Both taken on Canon 7D, EF 100 - 400mm lens

Bradgate House

Bradgate House with Old John on the hill behind

1/640 @ f14, ISO 800, 93mm
Canon 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L series lens

Red Tailed Hawk

Red Tailed Hawk

1/160 @ f5.6, ISO 800, 400mm
Canon 7d, EF 100 - 400mm L series lens

Ear-Ear red deer

I think I got something in my ear

1/500 @ f6.3, ISO 800, 400mm

Falconry at Bradgate Park

American Red Tailed Hawk

1/160 @ f6.3, ISO 6.3. 100mm

Oh Dear

It's Raining

1/250 @ f6.3, ISO 1600, 400mm

Look at me Mum

Showing off for mum

1/1000 @ f5.6, ISO 800, 400mm

Heading for the hills

Red deer at Bradgate Park

1/1000 @ f6.3, ISO 400, 210mm

A mother's love

At Bradgate Park a Fallow Deer mother looking after her baby.

1/1600 @ f5.6, ISO 800, 400mm

The preliminaries Bradgate Park - 25 Sept 14

These two Fallow deer stags seem to entering the preliminaries of the rut, starting with the parallel walk.

1/1000 @ f7.1, iso 800, 260mm

Then it's heads down and antlers in, it was a bit subdued so obviously not yet fired by hormones.

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

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

They kept it up for about five minutes.

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

Then separated and the dark coloured one preened himself  and trotted around proudly.

1/500 @ f7.1, iso 800, 180mm

While the white one left the field, crossed the road and didn't come back.

1/1000 @ f7.1, iso 800, 400mm

Here's one that has found it all just a little too much and decided on a nap instead.

1/320 @ f7.1, iso 800, 190mm

This one was watching in the wings and it wouldn't surprise me if he was in the middle of things when it all kicks off.

1/100 @ f7.1, iso 800, 200mm

The Red deer have started their bellowing and cant be far away from the big battles.

1/640 @ f7.1, iso 800, 400mm

By the park gate, a falconer was exercising his Red Tailed Hawk female, I posted some pice of his male a few months ago.

1/160 @ f7.1, iso 800, 200mm

1/200 @ f7.1, iso 800, 400mm

All taken on 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.

Thornton and Bradgate - 19 October 2012

A trip out to Thornton reservoir found little in the way of wildlife. There was a lone cormorant on a post but shielded from the camera by bare branches.
A large male mute swan trying to drown an juvenile, the young one had a neat trick to get away and something I've never seen a swan do before. When the adult jumped on top of him, he went down and swam under water for about twenty metres before resurfacing, he repeated this three times before another adult from the other side of the water came to his rescue. Unfortunately it was  too far away to get any photo's

Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400 L Lens
1/160 @ f7.1, iso 1600, 235mm

On the way back to the car park we spotted this fungus, I cant find it in my books but it looked interesting.

Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400 L Lens
1/1600 @ f7.1, iso 1600, 400mm

I was about to get in the car when I saw this black headed gull in winter plumage and it seemed to be trying to tie itself in a knot.

Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400 L Lens
1/200 @ f7.1, iso 1600, 400mm

On the way home we were passing Bradgate Park and spotted this fungus at the side of the road. I think it might be a honey fungus.

Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400 L Lens
1/250 @ f7.1, iso 1600, 400mm

Looking over the wall we spotted these fallow deer. There was a large white stag as well but he was mostly hidden so I couldn't get a decent picture

Canon EOS 7d, EF 100 - 400 L Lens
1/500 @ f7.1, iso 1600, 400mm

The Rut must br near starting but we've not seen any signs yet.