Fallow Deer

Another trip to the New Forest over and this time I was there to photograph the Fallow Deer.

As soon as I got close to my target area for the morning, I could hear the grunting/barking of a Fallow Buck as it was chasing a couple of Does around in the semi darkness.  I followed them to the edge of some woodland and within a few minutes a rut was in motion.  I have been usign my backup camera a lot recently and today I was able to use the video capture facility, and although the focus due to the darkness wasn't too good, the end result shows how argessive these Fallow are!

 

There seemed to be a large number of walkers in the New Forest today and the Fallow were constantly on the move, so I decided to go and see some Red Deer then pop back later when it was quieter.

It wasn't until early afternoon that I returned to the Fallows rutting grounds, and there were the usual grunting sounds coming from within the wooded areas.  I took a while to approach a Buck that was grunting amongst some females.  He lost his Does when someone spooked them from a nearby path so he went to his scrape, scratched his antlers into it then sat down.  He continued to grunt for a short while then all went quiet.....he'd gone to sleep!

I slowly crept closer and snatched a few photographs then crept away leaving him in peace knowing that at this time of year, they use up an immense amount of energy in displaying, calling and rutting without sleeping and feeding for days on end. 

I went back to the same area around an hour later and the Buck was awake, but still resting.  I was suprised that he was so at ease having me in fairly close proximity and it was then that I realised he had an injury to his left eye, most probably due to rutting.  Knowing he'd need all the rest he could, I retreated.  The Buck let out a short double grunt as I walked off and I'd like to beleive he was thanking me for leaving him alone!

The New Forest part II

As many of you know, I have been spending a good number of days in the New Forest photographing some of the Red, Fallow and Sika Deer.

One one of the more recent trips I had one of the best close encounters with Red Deer that I've had to date. On this occasion, I walked past a pathway between two sections of forest and there, in the middle of the path around 60 yards away, was a mature Red Stag watching me. I very slowly bought the tripod down from my shoulder and setup the camera for a few photographs of the Stag, trying not to scare or anger it.

It was moments after this that a small group of young and mature Hinds came straight out of the tree line from my left, a lot closer than the Stag up ahead. I froze, hoping they'd not flee upon sighting me and they moved off to the right back into the forest cover. At this point there was a rush of activity as a couple of young Stags appeared from the same location, following the Hinds, then a sight that I was not quite prepared for! I had focused the camera back onto the Stag further up the path when a large Stag jumped out onto the path no more than 30 yards ahead of me - I refocused and managed a couple of photos as he noticed me and in an instant he was off to the right after the Hinds.

The most recent trips into the New Forest have been spent watching and photographing the Fallow Deer, which have a tendency to stay in the forest areas during the daytime, and although the rutting is now just passing it's peak, I have seen fewer harems (groups) of Does than I had noted last year - perhaps the rutting is peaking later than I have expected? Anyhow, whatever the numbers, these Deer are an amazing sight and I have been able to witness a good number of ruts, although from a photographic standpoint, getting close to a rut in the forest is no easy bet but there are plenty of clearings that have presented a quick photographic opportunity.

Fallow Deer have an array of calls, none more comical than the grunting, like a pigs, when they are moving their Does around. This turns into more of a bark when they are close to a rut with a challenging male. They stand proud, followed by bouts of thrashing their antlers into the ground and bushes as a sign of strength - a sight to be seen!

Now I know than many people have a large disliking for Grey Squirrels, but I still have a soft spot for them, along with the smaller Reds that I will never tire from photographing. The New Forest is a thriving place for Grey Squirrels, and at this time of year, the gathering of nuts and fruits is in full swing. These little fellas are, for me, good fun to photograph, and they often seem to stop for a quick pose for the camera before bouncing off again.

Sika Heaven

On my most recent session, I decided to spend most of the time in the morning photographing Sika Deer - if I could find them!?
Sika Deer are much smaller in numbers in the New Forest than the Fallow or Reds. Sika are known to hybridise with Red Deer therefore they are separated by some distance so no interbreeding can take place.
Sika are a beautiful Deer to see and I was expecting to maybe sight a small number, and photograph them if lucky, however this was going to turn into one of those red letter days!
The first sighting was of a young female, just yards along the first pathway into the forest.
This was followed by numerous sightings of small groups of females with the odd Stag and as the sun rose I was able to get busy with the camera.


Sika Stags are an amazing spectacle. They have straighter, less branched antlers than the Red Deer, and their faces are a fearsome yet stunning sight to see. Their calling is something to be heard - eerie in the early morning with different variations in call that range from soft call to an almost scream like sound.

One thing I found very suprising was the way the Sika Hinds were so inquisitive. The Stags would move off if seen, yet the Hinds would often move closer as if to find out what was going on. This made for some very nice closer than expected photographs. I had not expected to see this many Sika Deer, and as the morning drew on and they moved off deeper into the forest, I was left stunned by what the day had bought!

I could say that this day was a 'pig of a day' - literally, for I had one last location to visit - Brockenhurst. I had been told that there was one location here that I would be able to find some pigs that would make for a good photographic opportunity. One of the New Forests long known traditions is the letting out of pigs to roam around at this time of year, eating and fattening up. This is known as 'Pannage' and the pigs eat a vast number of acorns (poisonous to the horses and ponies) and other foods that are readily available to them. I had not expected to see so many of the little porkers!! Ranging from small piglets to an amazingly large female, some pigs were obviously quite happy around humans as I soon noticed!

One small pig was eating fairly close by and i set up the camera low to get a few photographs. It spotted me and came trotting over, and to my suprise was quite happy for me to scratch it's back. The delightful noises he was letting out at this scratching were very amusing!