I had a pretty busy, but very enjoyable weekend spent mostly in the leafy suburbs of Surrey (just outside London). On Saturday afternoon I visited Richmond Park, the largest of the Royal Parks in London (2500 acres), which is home to over 650 free-roaming red deer. My uncle had brought with us his Nikon D200 and 300mm lens so it was the perfect opportunity for a bit of wildlife photography Ray Mears style!
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As they were in the middle of rutting season the male stags were in a fighting mood so we made sure to keep downwind and a safe distance! Every so often when a stag strayed onto another’s territory they would bellow at each other but unfortunately, we didn’t witness any antler clashing action! The 300mm was great for getting some nice close-ups but you certainly need a tripod to get a steady shot at that distance.
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Unsurprisingly the female hinds seemed pretty oblivious to all this and were just wandering around having a nice time. More photos here.
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