Red Deer rut - evening walk 2nd October

A sunny and mild evening. Highlights were Red Deer, Fallow Deer and a Dartford Warbler.

19 of us met at Puttles Bridge car park and set out through the woods towards the large heathy glade where the Red Deer normally rut. The rutting refers to the stags as they call (a bellow, a bit like a cow) and fight off any rival males. Robins were singing as we walked through the wooded area and as we heard Goldcrest and a Jay calling. We also stopped briefly to look at, and smell, the Bog Myrtle growing in a damp area.
As we came out of the trees onto the open heath we saw a group of Red Deer including a stag with 12 points to his antlers. They were quite far off. However, much nearer in the woods just across the heath we saw a herd of Fallow Deer including a white one.
We walked along the edge of the woodland and then out across the heath on the path. We saw a couple of Stonechat and Meadow Pipit before we stopped to look at the Red Deer again. The stag was the only one we saw and he did bellow a few times, but the wind tended to carry the sound away from us. A Dartford Warbler called briefly behind us and one or two of us saw it. We also saw a Fox moth caterpillar on the path as we walked along. We walked further on and did see a few more Red Deer, but tonight was not the night for action and there was no fighting and little bellowing.
Simon Curson