Togger Goes Wild: Mud baths and a bit of rutting

Day off today, and as we're edging into deer rut season, I decided to take an early-morning trip to Bushey Park, to see how the action is shaping up. Personally, I prefer photographing the deer at Bushey than on the nearby Richmond Common; for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it's generally easier to find the deer without having to trek far, but more to the point, I prefer the backgrounds that are possible to achieve at Bushey.

It was a beautiful, crisp & misty morning when I arrived. However, a slight dampener was not being able to get into the park until 8am. This seems to be down to a handover of the management to the Metropolitan Police, with a stricter policy on locking the gates outside of official hours!

16 Point Stag

Never mind, it was still a really enjoyable morning. The Red Deer rut hasn't really got underway yet, but there were plenty of signs that the stags were gearing up for the testosterone-fuelled chaos. I only heard a few grunts and bellows, but observed several wallowing in the mud and thrashing their antlers through the bracken and long grass.

22 Point Stag

I did achieve one shot I've been after for a long time today. The does have their 'rut' slightly ahead of the stags, where they box with each other to establish dominance. While I've had glimpses of this behaviour several times in the past, it's generally lasted only split-seconds. Today, I was privileged to come across a group of about 20 does, attended by a magnificent 22-point stag. Several of the ladies were really going at it, so I was pleased to be able to get a few shots off!

Bushey is also a good site for birds; I saw lots of Egyptian Geese, Canada Geese, Jays, Ringneck Parakeets and Green Woodpeckers this morning. There didn't seem to be too much in the way of migrant waterfowl in evidence yet. I was on the look-out for Red-crested Pochard, as I've seen big numbers here in the last couple of autumns. There were none to be seen on the fountains or lakes when I arrived, however a small group flew in just as I was leaving. Several were starting to moult into courtship plumage; always a treat to see.

Canada Goose

I'll definitely be heading down here quite regularly on my days off over the next few weeks, as the rut gets into full swing. However, next week I'll be photographing their Spanish cousins in the beautiful Sierra Morena mountains - so be sure to check in for regular live(ish) updates!