Cervus elaphus at KT8

I got up at silly o'clock and drove up to postcode KT8  –  to Bushy Park to be precise.  October is the time to go for the Red Deer rut and people travel from much further afield than I did to catch sight of the spectacles that might unfold.  I spoke with photographers who had travelled up that morning from Port Talbot (South Wales) and from the Midlands.  Others had travelled from further away and stayed overnight nearby.

The final decision had been taken the day before after I had checked the weather forecast.  It looked promising.  The day would be dry and sunny, but with early mist and fog.  Ideal, really.

Looming out of the mist

Settling down for a rest

Finally settled

Dressing up

The eye!

Emphasis!

Reminding photographers of who has the right of way

Minor rôles were played by others.

Fallow Deer:

Periscope Depth

Ring-necked Parakeet:

Magpie:

Jackdaw:

Up to no good?

Let us pray

A Visit to Arne

All the images here were taken at RSPB Arne, Dorset, on the 30th September 2012.

My prime reason for the visit was to see what the Sika deer were doing as the annual rut approached.  The best place is always on the salt marshes and that was my destination.

The tide was full and it was a high one (2m I seem to recall) so there were no waders about.  A solitary Black-headed Gull presented itself whilst I was there.

There were two stags out on the main salt marsh and they were checking each other out.  They can be distinguished by their antlers, although sometimes the angle of view makes it a little difficult.  One is a 6-pointer and the other an 8-pointer.  When a Sika stag reaches it third year it grows a 6-tined set of antlers.  From its fourth year onward it is an 8-pointer.  This pair did not get to scrapping.  It was probably a little too early in the season and they weren't pumped up enough.  The rut (breeding season) is from the end of September into November which is when it tends to peak at Arne.

This third stag was resting on the narrower salt marsh alongside the Middlebere channel.

Females were grazing singly, or with a calf/fawn still tagging along, on the marsh ...

... and on the edge of the woods near Shipstal Point, this female seemed a little too trusting.  When she emerged from the undergrowth near me, I backed off until I could go no further to try and fit her in the frame.  She just kept following me and when I did get more space she was back in the undergrowth.  The first image has not been cropped and the second hardly at all.

After some lunch, I went out onto Coombe Heath on a spider hunt.

Wasp Spider (argiope bruennichi)(about the size of a 2p coin)

 

Raft Spider (dolomedes fimbrattus)

The tiny Visitor Centre at Arne

Afterthought:

I know I said "taken at RSPB Arne", but I thought I'd keep all the spiders together.  Here's an image of a Garden Spider that I spotted on my garage door.  Quick nip indoors for my 1:1 macro lens and ...

Araneus diadematus