Being a sunny and warm day here Mike and I headed off to our local Tatton Park which is 15 mins. walk from our home; we were hoping to see the Red Deer with the magnificent male Stags and their harems. It wasn't until three hours into our four hour walk that we finally spotted one of the herds as we heard one of the males loudly bellow; he was in the distance along with other male Reds and all their ladies ! so..... even though our feet were begging for a rest ! we plodded onwards and upwards to get within zoom range of these magnificent animals, remembering to keep a safe distance away from the male Stags and their harem whilst the testosterone season is on full power lol
First a photo of the Knutsford entrance to Tatton Park
and the start of the parkland beyond and some of its 2000 acres
Tatton Mansion
strangely enough this was the first creature we saw !!! a Ruby Tiger Moth caterpillar - many thanks to Katy for the ID :)
walking along the main drive through the park we spotted fallow deer and sheep.
The next set of pics shows you an amusing sighting where the Jackdaws were perched on a fallow deer picking the insects off its coat and head !!
first pic shows two Jackdaws, one which had its feet perched on the nose of the deer !! You will need full frame for this set !
can't work out if the Fallow Deer is telling the Jackdaw to clear orrff or whether it is just enjoying the preening and cleaning experience lol
don't blame me for the next pic, I just didn't time the photo well lol
is this a Ewe ?? Nah ..... it's a "P" !!!
Finally, here we have the Red Deer ..........
a male stag who seemed to have lost out in the fight for a harem as he was on his own :(
and now for the victor...... bellowing his dominance
and this little cutie was just inquisitive !
a young buck by the looks of him, hopefully just chewing the cud and not snarling at me lol
the old man is next .......
attitude show next !!
the ladies ......
another fine Stag ....
Handsome beast !
oops, I've been spotted with the camera
charming !! sticking his tongue out now at me !!
there were a few unsuccessful frisky attempts to mate with a female .....
now all say Awwwww :) wonder what its wondering ??
the snooty lQQk ...........
this is the fence post I stood behind ........to be on the safe side !!!
and finally the beautiful autumnal colours
thanks for viewing folks :) hope to return to Tatton Park soon to get more pics
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Regards, Hazel
Hi Christine, thanks so much. I feel a bit guilty as we tend to take the Red Deer a bit for granted with them being on our doorstep; they have a herd of about 400 various deer in total and we see them often on our walks in the park. I think my favourite time to photograph them (strangely enough ! ) is during foggy mornings as it gives a different feel to the photo and I like it when the background disapppears in the fog and the deer stands out. Judging by the change in weather after next week my wish might be granted !
Hazel, What lovely pictures of those magnificent deer. We are very fortunate to have a few in the wild on the Isle of Wight. For the latest updates on them and some idea of the damage caused by having too few deer please visit:-
Isle of Wight deer
timbrayford.wordpress.com
Deer Isle of Wight Album
www.flickr.com/.../72157644206423723
Mammal society 60 for 60 blog
www.mammal.org.uk/.../there-are-deer-isle-wight
Best wishes,
Tim
Glad you liked the photos Tim and thank you for the interesting links.
In Tatton Park there are around 400 deer (first introduced back in 1290 where they have been free to roam since) which the authorities concerned try to keep at around that level; this maintains a good balance for the 2000 acres of grazing land and a healthy breeding population. From what I understand, the deer are culled from time to time but carried out humanely unlike several past cases where illegal poaching has taken place at various deer parks. Measures have since been put in place to help protect the herds.
I hope the deer population on the Isle of Wight continues to grow and thrive and at the same time hope you may see a few more Tawny Owls.