So it is birthday day for Mrs Wildlife, suggestions of a posh meal meal out were discarded swiftly in favour of a day to witness the testosterone fuelled red deer rut. Our best chance lay in the Lake District on the eastern side of Ullswater, down through Martindale and up to Boredale Head.
There is room to park a few cars but get there early!
I love the structure and build of these old barns...
We spotted deer on the lower slope of Place Fell, between Hawk Crag and Black Crag. A hint of a path by the stream led us up the lower slopes..
After enduring a very steep off path walk and scramble I poked my head above the rocks to be greeted by my watcher, their sense of hearing and smell is way, way off our scale..
The stag then emerged to show his full size!
Not the biggest stag we have seen but a magnificent sight...and smell? Their urge to mate is getting stronger by the day, they urinate every few seconds, salivation is regular...the tension builds.
We tracked back down the hill carefully, a steep fell and wet grass!
The view back to Hallin Fell was entrancing...
A lovely chaffinch posed in a shrub on the way down, nearly got the focus right!
After a refuel at the car we headed up Boredale, the lower western slopes of Beda Fell held many herds, lots of calling and aggressive behaviour but no skirmishes.
The stags root among the bracken....
And occasionally the bracken sticks:-))
The bellowing was almost deafening at times..
The drive back was great, the view from the Coomb up Ullswater was superb!
One last warning, don't try to impersonate the stags...this may happen..
So I had their attention, but it was time to leave.....
Wow ! Great photos Dave, thanks for sharing such a memorable day for you both. We were thinking about you and hoping the'rut' was going well.
ReplyDeleteBelated birthday greetings for the vey special lady in your life x