Bradgate: Red Deer Crossing

The Red Deer often make the river crossing from the wooded area of Bradgate up onto the grazing hillsides in the evening. When I was there on Monday, I saw a large herd approaching out of the trees and start to cross the river just as my phone rang with a call I had to answer - so I missed much of the action. However, one of the stags stayed on the woodland side watching the last hinds scamper up onto the hillside before he crossed. He got as far as the Mute Swan who attacked anything that came near, took fright and reversed  a bit before bravely rushing past him to join the rest.

 

Grey Heron at Bradgate

Always a delight to photograph, this was a particularly photogenic bird at Bradgate, both in the snow and in non-snowy conditions. 

Bradgate Park Early Snow

It snowed heavily for about 30 minutes after I arrived at Bradgate this morning giving some very attractive landscapes with a Chinese painting feel. The snow chnaged to rain so it was a very transient effect. The light level was low so it was difficult to record the deer in the snow.

RPS Nature Group Meeting at Rutland Water

Unfortunately the promised warmer and brighter weather failed to materialise so another outing in cold, breezy and, at times. wet conditions. The birds were keeping low in the vegetation searching for sheltering insects etc but I did manage satisfactory photographs of a couple of Reed Warblers and Green Woodpecker, Reed Bunting, Common Tern and Great Crested Grebe. Very few insects visible but here an Orange Tip and a Colletes bee species with the X100v plus macro attachment and the 100-400mm lens for comparison. Many thanks to Peter Ward for organising the trip.

Refined Decay in Launde Abbey Gardens

We are spending the weekend at a Nature Photographers' weekend  at Launde Abbey, an Elizabethan manor house, extensively modified, originally built on the site of an Augustinian priory.Thomas Cromwell owned but never lived in the house but his son, Gregory, lived at Launde Abbey for ten years before it passed to other families. Finally, in 1957, Cecil Coleman and his wife purchased the abbey and presented it to the Diocese of Leicester. They paid for the conversion works to make it into a retreat house. It has extensive grounds including a splendid wall garden with a fairly derelict greenhouse complete with negelected peppers, tomatoes, cacti, flowers etc. Phil and I spent a couple of hours there on Saturday playing with double exposures etc.