Critique Fallow Deer : Dama dama (wild ones)

Stuart Philpott

Stuart Philpott

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Stu
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A random selection of images from our local herd/s. Herd herds/ because I'm unsure how to correctly qualify this huge population,we have seen very close to 3 figures in one group!! On all images, i'd welcome critique advice comments or just plain fun. All images taken with a Canon 1Div, 300f/2.8 with both 1.4 and 2X ext iii 's


A group of does and fawns,this is the more often see dynamic in the fallow we spend time with it is extraordinarily rare to see a mature buck.


_70F8432 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr


These are a nightmare to single out when we find them together,this lass has rumbled me in a ditch prone as almost always with these deer,they are so sharp this tends to be the only way they don't know what I am even with full camo. She is doing the characteristic footstamp and bark she can hear the shutter which is actually in one shot silent

_70F8327 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

and a couple more in sequence seconds later


_70F8329 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

A second doe is now aware of the shutter or has spotted me, the pale girl to the left is about to take them all away as is so oft the case,man these guys are so alert !!

_70F8331 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

more will follow

take care

Stu
 
Nice commentary on 2, 3 & 4 Stu, prefer 4 as no animals have been cut off ... 1st has them all a bit small by comparison.
Sequence of the fawn also very nice ... I know from attempts in the New Forest that it is very hard to get close to these, mind you I haven't tried it as a "moving tree" :D
 
No crit from me - they're a great set of behavioural shots, with the story behind the, The first could be a cracker with the backlighting if they were all looking at you and you were right under their feet so they were all against the dark tree background, but I know with a wild herd you have more respect for them than to even think about trying to get too close. I love the shots of the foot stamping, and the head attitudes of the animals as they see you and start to move away. And the youngster - 'asking questions first and running later'. I can almost imagine the telling off it got from Mum!
 
Hey guys how ya doing,cheers for the replies
Roger thanks muchly mate,a bit brief ,but so little time so much to do. ha ha yeah movin' trees are good:D I concur the first is aways:rolleyes: ,It's the light mate I like the light and,I sort of like them spread out chillin ,it's a rare sight they are so hypo So sort of deer scape:D but miles away buddy, It's actually the only shot with some light in posted as of yet jees I felt robbed by a cloud that afternoon Janny I'll bring you in here as well thankyou!! I'm not posting in any real order,these are recent shots and exactly behavioural strategic clouds at play and frankly i'm the cause of this behaviour,although it's perfectly natural,my proximity has caused this or leastways a camera clicking.

Janny with respect to close..... some of what is here is probably as close as I've ever got, basically your looking at a year's worth of watching learning studying behaviour bla de bla,for me. This last couple of weeks has been my best fieldcraft in that I have probably got closer more often than ever before,that said the old tog could have done better;),but hey it's sublime being with them.But I would think of the above as pretty close. Janny these to me are as close as one can get to a lowland wild large "herding" herbivore in blighty that is leastways in my neck of the woods,I loove them mate ( i'll show you a pic later of a doe in very low light ,she's just soooooo beautiful Jan) ,So I'm treating them as something I adore and trying to learn about and photograpgh them,but I don't think anyone gets really close to these guys,even a horse and rider sent them fields away on sunday
So although I am influencing them it's just exactly what they do and can happen to anyone on a stroll. Or sat by a hedge quietly,I can't always control this distance though ,they are wild, but there is what I think of as deep respect for them and their well being plus my own naturally. But then there is alot of damn hard observation going on as well Janny regularly for a goodly while now so I am trying to educate myself about them with due care and thought


Jan what i'm showing you is probably about 40M away,the closest i've ever been knowingly,as opposed to stumbling over :rolleyes:someone, The closest is always them coming to investigate me ...curiosity??..but obviously. it is always when they can't ID me as human , I have no experience of the rut NONE i'll be very cautious ,but them i'm not dealing with half tame whom have no fear of man. these are juxta to that taught by mum to run at the drop of a twig. They got spooked the other day by someone it was hilarious the first in made such a racket the next lot ran the other way,one couldn't make it up. Jan i'm doin' me homework lots of reading as well as the field stuff taking piccies;) ,I won't hurt 'em mate or they me, But yes due care is I hope being shown for them and for me too:).

Janny now the crops are down the fawns are much more visable,you can see them learning off mum,but even at this young age maybe 3-4months old they are incredibly alert. I've not yet seen one this young do the " hoof stamp, bark, circle thing",but by 6 I have. Ahh mate they are playing with each other now the groups are coming back together,exactly like lambs do. I haven't picks but it is amazing to watch ,six fawns playing tag through some gateways i'll keep with me a long long time


Roger they are the hardest to single out, or not chop anyone in frame:rolleyes: ahh mate I so struggle with this aspect and this subject so frustrating mate ,but it's all learning. But yes framing is poor Haha it's also blummin nightmare but it isn't always that way he he I slap myself over this mate, alot, but so many animals do make a challenge!! Good fun until that lovely pic with the light and I've chopped the fawn who ran into frame in half then both their feet off......all 8:(:eek:

Couldn't make it up buddy

hey ho:D
best post a whole one then

take care both

Stu
 
I know this buck,last seen in march if memory serves,a bit of a grab shot really as he erupted from some brambles close to us,where earlier a lady was actually picking berries. We were both stunned he could be in there. This is seconds after the above fawn pictures were taken so my techs were all to hell ,He's absolutely resplendent at the mo just massive and well built I'll add in a second grab with him on the horizon for the crack:

_70F8420 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr


_70F8423 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

I like this one for some reason mainly light it's prior the the above set of the group,damn me two hours of careful planning get there,for once and the sun goes in,see above, characterised by the oof low veggies I always struggle with while lying down, but often that is the only way to get near to them:


_70F8320 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr


DPP frozen so i'll sign off there

take care

Stu
 
Here are a group reacting to being scared by members of their own herd:exit:,whom entered the wood and made such a racket their siblings turned tail,you couldn't make it up:eek:. Note heads up and in all directions. Also note a special guy one maybe of two we are not 100% sure yet,but it seems very likely.

RH group and lone doe head up left have ,stopped and are now trying to work out what scared them:) Second arriving group go to the first for security


_70F8475 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

Every one has stopped again in alert mode, too spread out to sadly fit in frame. Both are not crops the third image is basically because there was half of one to the left:whistle: this also shows other behaviours I won't dwell on;) bar the heads up of a herd on high alert,not one head down no grooming . Also note how close to each other the left group are that have just arrived ,I'm thinking along the lines of the doe fawn unit being the most base group then that extends into siblings/yearlings the smaller groups and then these amalgamate,into the herd ,This is just observations as of yet it may well be docmented but real info seems sketchy

.Also where are all the boys.hardly any prickets , let along mature bucks,as of yet I can't figure this out. I know mature bucks form" bands" for the summer,but something feels weird here it's october rut ,no groaning barely a chap anywhere,just strange! sorry for waffling

_70F8476 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

Finally these last 3 were taken in the last light before the sun drops behind the trees,so warm is what I wanted., I would be grateful for thoughts,around 15 mins till sundown.

_70F8479 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

seeya

Stu
 
They're fine looking beasts Stu, so beautifully coloured in that light. Is the floppy ears something that happens with fallow, or something abnormal? Keep up the good work. It's always great to see your work and hear the stories that go with it. Quite a few roe round here, which are always lovely to see (except the time one jumped into the road in front of my motorbike) though next to impossible to photograph as you never know where they'll be.
 
Hey Janny ,how ya doing?. It's deeply frustrating that I can't be there in that type of light far more oft,He he, cor those clouds on a base lovely sunny day played with me, if one then factors in the subject and their sharpness it's way less than ideal , there is never a sunset hitting these fields Jan. they are covered by a hill and woodland . Janny they are so damn fit I know a herd local that is really in a much smaller area,no fear of us really ,just a trace left and their shape is so different, I guess they are at their physical peak right now, gorgeous they are !!

good eyes mate well done ,jokingly i reckons a nubian goat got in there last rut:police:


Seriously,haven't a foggiest I know nothing of this as yet. We spotted this guy affectionately called Droopy:rolleyes: a couple of weeks back actually he was suckling a couple of weeks back he's either a little fella,or a real early fawn ..... from his size.Then we saw another on sunday,but I feel slightly different in manifestation.. I've wild theories but no substance or learning to them mate, I have concerns Jan this might be genetic,two fawns in a week is a worry. Jan we don't really know what goes on in the woods as access is limited,but my gut expects to see a fifty fifty split as to sexes I'm bothered by this. I won't elaborate more for the mo Jan if that's ok much to learn,but my gut is oft right with beasties.

There are Roe and Muntjac here too with the fallow ,at home roe and muntjac I've got a few hard won pics from the summer but nothing great Jan nice but ya know.,I can find some fairly regularly Jan, roe moreso than the beer barrels butI've been bumbling about these fields for twenty plus years,you are right they are seriously not easy .Land ownership changed here and with it a high seat was put right where my little spot was UGG. so they are much harder now than a few years back.

This wildlife photography of these animals isn't easy Jan but I love trying,chances happen so quick

I'll post more shortly ,so little time I don't really know what i've got yet certainly only done first culls little editing even just dpp

take care mate

Stu
 
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