October - January, 2014
When autumn comes and October approaching, we have a few things to look forward. Deer photography during the rut is definitely on top of the list. This time of year is full of amazing action and dramatic scenes. It would be a shame to miss it.
This year autumn was warm with temperatures well above average. With such summery conditions we couldn’t expect to make photos of a roaring deer on a frosty morning. Fortunately we had some great misty sunrises with spectacular light.
During the peak of the rut stags behave aggressively, chase off their rivals, roar and grunt all day long trying to impress females.
This young male tried to blow away hinds with a superb "hairstyle".
We have witnessed some fights between young males, stags and even females.
Admittedly, some of the fights are really brutal and end up with injuries and scars.
Little ones kept a distance from the fights and stayed closer to their mums.
Birds sitting down on deer always gives a smile. It's a good resting and feeding place; deer hair is also a perfect nest material. Magpies and starlings are one of the most adventurous birds.
While photographing deer, birds always chirp around.
European stonechat and wren are common but they like to keep a distance from people. This year a bit of camouflage helped us to get closer and make the pictures we were quite pleased with.
Rogue jackdaws were not too bothered about our presents but always kept a distance.
By a narrow stream we used to spot Grey heron trying to catch a fish.
One of the days was very lucky for both Heron and us.
October is the the peak of the deer rutting season. At the beginning of November the tension among stags is calming down. In the middle of November the rutting season is over.
In December we had couple weeks of colder weather, so we decided to revisit the deer sites again. Cold, frosty and sunny winter mornings were brilliant for photography.
European stonechat looked like from a Christmas card.
Overall this year's deer photography was a brilliant experience.
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