The clocks have gone back an hour and it was cold at 6.25 am.
Unfortunately the deer rut was over by the time we visited Richmond Park for the second time.
The open area past the Pen Ponds had no deer at all unlike the week before.
We walked down and followed the path towards the ponds where last year the deer had been under the trees. Again there were no deer in the open. We could see the antlers of a stag in the bracken to our left. He was slowly moving through towards the open ground behind us.
Falow deer
Then on our right a couple of fallow deer broke cover and ran through the trees.
After the first ran past and into the open ground the second paused under the trees.
We watched as this second deer stretched up and scratched itself on a low hanging branch.
Deer in the open
The stag and his group of does had by now emerged from the bracken.
While we watched from the bracken a dog walker came past with two small dogs off the leash. The group of deer moved slowly away from the path.
Then peace came again.
