Red deer

I hadn’t been back long from my trip to North Wales, when I wanted to do something completely different. Friends had regulary been to photograph the red deer in Richmond Park in early October and so I mentioned it to my husband. On the first fine day, we set out and arrived in good time. Then we found there was a huge diversion inside the park and I had to drive all the way round the perimeter. Eventually, I parked up and we made our way to the large field beside the track.

According to a local expert, almost all the parks’ deer can be found in this one spot. Presumably because traffic is too busy everywhere else. The track we had used was a no-through road, taking us close to the very centre. It was a lovely location and there were plenty of deer around, but they were mostly sleeping in the sun. We watched for nearly two hours and just as we decided to leave, it all kicked off, with the largest pair of males testing their strength.

I should have been pleased with these images and in a way I am, but I would rather have photographed them in more natural surroundings. When the fighting eventually died down, we headed back to the car, but instead of the path running parallel to the track, we walked through the woods instead. Almost immediately, I spotted deer up ahead, taking it in turns to stand chest deep in water, glowing bright green due to algae.

It took me ages to get myself and my camera gear close enough to set up the tripod and I managed to get two images, shown at the top and also below.