It's been a while.....

willie_gunn

Well-Known Member
Having been travelling for work the last week or so I've missed the opportunity to get out and about with the camera. I managed to rectify that this morning, though.

It was very muggy, less like early June and more like the rut in August. Heading down the track with the dogs it was clear that, from a birdlife perspective, nearly all the fledglings must have now left the nest, as the change was noticeable.

I caught sight of a deer in the distance which turned out to be a muntjac buck. Last time I saw the big buck he was limping, but on the basis that this was him he seemed to be moving fine now, though I'll keep my eye on him to make sure:

_DJR8427_zpsjxzxgbzg.jpg


Moving further down the track I could see that they've now ploughed the cover crop field, so I moved on to the adjacent hay meadow. Seeing nothing there, I carried on for another field or two and felt that the morning was likely to be blank. Turning back, I came through a gap in the hedgerow and back into the hay meadow when, looking up, I could see a pair of ears in the distance. There was a roe doe coming towards me through the long grass with a buck following behind.

_DJR8434_zpsplv5kufj.jpg


The doe kept the lead and moved towards me:

_DJR8437_zpsmqvc1ejs.jpg


_DJR8439_zpsyrtu1dsd.jpg


_DJR8445_zpsd2mdbkr5.jpg


_DJR8447_zpsdsusgu1e.jpg


Eventually she twigged I was there, though the four dogs had kept still and quiet. She wasn't 100% sure what to make of me, so the three of us spent the next 10 minutes in a Mexican stand-off, she and the buck trying to figure out what I was, me trying to keep still and avoid spooking them. All this time I was trying to capture some photos - holding the camera on the monopod with one hand, the other keeping hold of the lead of my young cocker. Finally they decided to turn back, and slowly made their way back to the wood.

_DJR8454_zpsif1umyui.jpg


_DJR8458_zps8pqzwd6p.jpg


_DJR8461_zps1gbgyc2i.jpg


_DJR8466_zpsgdkaza67.jpg


_DJR8467_zpspu8fozjy.jpg


_DJR8470_zpsik3ojy5n.jpg


_DJR8472_zpsschydhgy.jpg


_DJR8476_zpsw0nkvpby.jpg


_DJR8481_2_zpsqzdbmpla.jpg


_DJR8483_zpsbtzb8kvx.jpg


_DJR8493_zpsrnmm14ce.jpg
 
There is something about watching roe deer I just can't place it!! Was watching this before wind changed and mom legged is so he hid!!!!
image.jpg

more annoyed that I was watching a wild cat for 20 mins with no camera.... Why do we leave them in the car....
 
There is something about watching roe deer I just can't place it!! Was watching this before wind changed and mom legged is so he hid!!!!
View attachment 70952

more annoyed that I was watching a wild cat for 20 mins with no camera.... Why do we leave them in the car....


Now that's a cracking photo :thumb:

So far I've only seen fawns in the distance, trailing after mum.
 
its OK from a iPhone!!! last time I bumped a fawn a few years ago, left the phone in that car as no signal - never made that mistake again!!!
I had an interesting night twenty feet from the wild cat and later on a pine martin came within six feet while I was standing at a gate glassing a field with no idea i was there. returned home with nothing but still feel i had a better night than if I'd shot a buck!!
 
Well done David, the Pine Martens easy enough but I only ever saw one wild cat and then only briefly, we were right up on the North coast in the middle of nowhere.

John

its OK from a iPhone!!! last time I bumped a fawn a few years ago, left the phone in that car as no signal - never made that mistake again!!!
I had an interesting night twenty feet from the wild cat and later on a pine martin came within six feet while I was standing at a gate glassing a field with no idea i was there. returned home with nothing but still feel i had a better night than if I'd shot a buck!!
 
WG brilliant images, how far were you from them, and what did you use to take these images

well done

patrickt
 
WG brilliant images, how far were you from them, and what did you use to take these images

well done

patrickt

Patrick

Thank you.

In the first photo the buck was probably around 150m away, but for the last ones of the doe she was maybe 40m away. The majority were taken at between 50 and 75m. All that was missing was a bit more light, which would have helped with the more distant shots.

I use a Nikon D750, with a 300mm f4 lens plus a 1.4x teleconverter, giving an effective length of 420mm and a minimum aperture of 5.6, which all of these were taken with. All of this sits on top of a monopod with a gimbal head on it. It's a combination I'm really happy with, though I'll likely get an autofocus 500mm lens before too long. I have the manual version of the 500mm, but it's not really practical to use when I have the four dogs with me.

Hope that makes sense?

Dom
 
Back
Top