The Start of Autumn
With the start of Autumn, there has been a small but perceptible shift in the weather over the past few days. Whilst the days are still warm, the temperature has dropped at night with cooler mornings and evenings. This subtle change has heralded the start of the annual red deer rut.
For the past couple of years, I have been working with a good friend photographing the red deer that can be found on the moors of the Peak District. Being wild, these red deer are a little more challenging to photograph than those that can be found in deer parks throughout the United Kingdom. Generally, the red deer in the Peak District do not tolerate such a close approach as those in deer parks. However, with a little patience and luck, it is possible to make images of them.
A few days ago, we were on one of the moors in the Peak District, the red deer stags had started to bellow and collect their harems of hinds. We found several of these groups in various locations over the moors. As dusk approached, we positioned ourselves near one of these groups so that the stag and his hinds were backlit by the setting sun. The location was perfect and the light was stunning making for great photographic conditions.
Although the weather is cooler, we were suprised by an adder that slithered across a path in front of us as we were walking across the moors! Hopefully, we will get to spend more time with these red deer over the coming weeks as the rut progresses but we will tread carefully.