Richard Peters Photography

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Yes…the roar of the male, the clashing of antlers and the worry of being charged by accidentally stumbling across one hidden in the bracken…the deer rut is upon us. I visited my local park in the hope of capturing the action. It appears we are a tad early though, so I had to settle for this Stag who had just bathed himself in a mostly muddy pond.

A very wet and muddy stag

Despite living pretty close to both Richmond and Bushy Parks, I rarely visit them although decided this year I might pay a few more frequent visits in the hope of capturing some clashing antlers during the deer rut. Previous attempts have always failed with me seeing zero action, only for a friend of mine (who lives pretty close to the park) to tell me she witnessed a huge fight that lasted for ages. I’ll be honest at the time that was the straw that broke the camels back and I vowed never to grace the deer with my attention again…of course that time of year comes round again and here I am, planning to get back there as often as I can over the coming weeks. Some people never learn…