Richmond Park‘s roads were again incredibly busy as we drove around the perimeter from the Richmond Gate to the Pen Ponds Car Park. A light mist lay upon the rugby fields as we passed – a good omen?
Leaving the cars we crossed to the large open space above the ponds and indeed the mist was there too.
Sadly we didn’t see this stag again. In the woods we came across two roe deer and fawn. They were well hidden in the bracken until they moved away as the stag in the next patch of open ground was pacing and braying again.
In the woods
Small groups of fallow deer chased around at the bottom of the woods but were too far away for an image.
In the open space above Pen Ponds
Once back in the open space we watched as a group of deer crossed towards the ponds and the bracken.
Next to cross by us was a doe and a fawn. They came close but not too close.
Next to cross was a stag.
He took more interest in us and did stop for a while checking us out.
The next stag had been gathering foliage in his antlers. His initial path was directly at us.
He veered away and we could better see his gathered foliage.
The last stags to pass us were playfully pushing each other as they too went towards the high bracken and the ponds.
After all the excitement we carried on walking to reach the higher ground where in previous years we had seen a full size stag dominating the territory. The Pen Ponds cafe. The tea and bacon rolls were just as good as before.
My first visit in September 2020 to the park.