Unsettling Encounter.

[Dale.]

He couldn't see me , which makes it a bad eyed deer.

Now the puns are done, time to tell.

Heading out of the woods tonight after a kingfisher vigil, which resulted in sightings of the KF but no pics. I'd decided to then watch the nest after the vigil for a while. Definately chicks now, 5 visits by the male in under an hour. On my way out, I decided to stop by a perch I'd put out a few weeks ago, as the male was mainly flying away from the nest out that way. I stood there for about 10 minutes, no KF. Then I heard something on the opposite bank and to my disbelief, a roe doe jumped down the bank and into the river. My camera was in my bag on my back now and I knew if I moved, I'd scare her, so I decided just to watch instead. She made her way out of sight, with no clue I was there.

I was happy, despite no images, just to see her was a treat. I stayed put for another few minutes and I really should've anticipated this but a buck then did exactly the same things as the doe. He froze though, I think he heard me but I'm sure he never saw me for a good minute. My camera was still in my bag on my back of course. The old saying, 'the best camera you have is the one you have with you' (or in my pocket in this case) sprang to mind. I grabbed my phone and got a few pics of him and some video.

He stayed put for over a minute, just sniffing the air and looking my way. I'm in the woods in full camo as it's getting dark, he's in the open, he couldn't see me. I put my phone in my pocket and decided to try for my camera. I knew I had little chance of getting my camera off my back and out of the bag and I was right, he bolted the way he'd came.

I packed up again, ready to cross the river myself as the car was further along on the other side. I heard the buck calling, probably to the female, that eerie barking sound they do, quite chilling in the woods as it gets dark.

View: https://youtu.be/vBGgDU6URKs

 

[Sky]

Aaarrrgghhh! Now you've let the side down Dale - a photographer and you take a video in portrait instead of landscape? I thought only plebs and Faceache users did that.

Anyway, a great story and I'm sure it was a great experience to be so close. Why is it these things only ever happen after you've put your kit away?

 

[Dale.]

Aaarrrgghhh! Now you've let the side down Dale - a photographer and you take a video in portrait instead of landscape? I thought only plebs and Faceache users did that.

Anyway, a great story and I'm sure it was a great experience to be so close. Why is it these things only ever happen after you've put your kit away?

Lol, hopefully I'll have my camera at hand next time.

 

[Deleted member 34016]

Nice but come on Dale sort yer phone out to a proper orientation buddy

 

[Dale.]

Nice but come on Dale sort yer phone out to a proper orientation buddy

In fairness, it was only at the time I realised my phone could take pics, let alone be orientated.

Whatever happened to a phone just being a phone?

 

[Deleted member 34016]

In fairness, it was only at the time I realised my phone could take pics, let alone be orientated.

Whatever happened to a phone just being a phone?

Oh dear- do we have to drag you screaming in the modern world then Dale

 

[Dale.]

So is it now a phone with a camera, or a camera with a phone?

 

[Stuart Philpott]

I honestly believe they can't see us up close bro I can show you time after time, they are all like this... Getting to that place under a nose is not easy but if you get there roe are undone !!

does this help?

first rule of wildlife togging if there is a 0.0000000000001 percent chance of any image the camera is in your mitts .................... ditch the bag you use a tiny light camera even the heaviest is only a 5div and 100 to 4000 unless you correct me, if not throw that bag away apart from when you have NO CHANCE of an image say driving a motor way, other wise camera is in hand or in reach
2nd rule of WT always press shutter whether ready or not press it
3rd rule only carry phone switched off.....some XXXX will always ring just when hours of waiting are about to come to fruition it's the law of sod Dale / Lol I have no idea how to switch a phone off so give it to someone else
4th rule no piccies are not no piccies, they are always there in your head,you just can't share nowt but a tale you take 'em to your grave and smile and before ya pop your clogs they still will give you goose bumps.

you got no 4 spot on, but make your lass beat you if you ever go out with a bag again !! :banghead:

Ahh mate I utterly loved this it is all of our ( my failings) wrapped up in a simple phone vid

But mate how ever good any camera is it's always doesn't get the shot if it's in a bag and that my friend is cold hard simple fact

Great post buddy loved the story loved the honesty Bags are for keeping dust off not for toggin

take care

stu

 

[Deleted member 34016]

Who knows Dale - so many variations

 

[Dale.]

I honestly believe they can't see us up close bro I can show you time after time, they are all like this... Getting to that place under a nose is not easy but if you get there roe are undone !!

does this help?

first rule of wildlife togging if there is a 0.0000000000001 percent chance of any image the camera is in your mitts .................... ditch the bag you use a tiny light camera even the heaviest is only a 5div and 100 to 4000 unless you correct me, if not throw that bag away apart from when you have NO CHANCE of an image say driving a motor way, other wise camera is in hand or in reach
2nd rule of WT always press shutter whether ready or not press it
3rd rule only carry phone switched off.....some XXXX will always ring just when hours of waiting are about to come to fruition it's the law of sod Dale / Lol I have no idea how to switch a phone off so give it to someone else
4th rule no piccies are not no piccies, they are always there in your head,you just can't share nowt but a tale you take 'em to your grave and smile and before ya pop your clogs they still will give you goose bumps.

you got no 4 spot on, but make your lass beat you if you ever go out with a bag again !! :banghead:

Ahh mate I utterly loved this it is all of our ( my failings) wrapped up in a simple phone vid

But mate how ever good any camera is it's always doesn't get the shot if it's in a bag and that my friend is cold hard simple fact

Great post buddy loved the story loved the honesty Bags are for keeping dust off not for toggin

take care

stu

Ah Stu, some top tips there. Right enough, my bad with camera in my my bag. In my mind , I was done for the day, it was close to dark in the woods and I'd kinda given up, again, my bad. I always bag my camera to cross the river, just incase I trip. It's odd how even just a few inches of water can unstabalise the footing, I can walk on the same stones/pebbles dry without a thought but put some water over them and at times, I'm like a flapping albatross. I actually carry 2 bags, one with bits and bobs, including binos and scrim, tick/insect repellant, drink etc. I will ditch the bits and bobs bag if I'm using my hide and carrying that lump around instead. I also have my TC in my camera bag, together with my little M5 and 150-600 and tripod on the side. I rarely use the TC, as it's 2x and plays havoc with the aperture on the Siggy but it is handy at times.

Fair cop though buddy.

I love number 4, this encounter will always be in my mind and with some dodgy video footage to back it up, just 2 magical moments with the doe, then buck.

I am staggered by the M5. It's tiny and whilst it's no 5Div, with the Sigma 150-600 on, it's as compact as 600mm will ever be. I get the extra 'reach' as well and image quality is very good for what it is. It's basically a compact 80D. Most of my KF photos have been taken with that combo, for what it is, it's brilliant. Next time though, I'll bag it at the car when I'm done.

Watch out for a buzzard vid coming soon to the birds forum, this time, camera not in my bag.

 

[Nod]

4th rule no piccies are not no piccies, they are always there in your head,you just can't share nowt but a tale you take 'em to your grave and smile and before ya pop your clogs they still will give you goose bumps.

This! SO much this!!! Mk 1 eyeball is the best camera we have, it's just the storage medium that can be a problem.

 

[Stuart Philpott]

Dale me and rules ha ha like I do rules ,ahh mate you are and have always been an inspiration to me forgive me having a crack with you it's always going to happen though I guess you know that by now .

Yeah I guess I live for those magic moments with some little bird or beastie , I really want to get " the shot" mate so so much it's hard when I don't make the grade but it can't be at any cost and I'm also pragmatic and deeply cherish the memories.

A little tale to try and explain where no 4 comes from Sadly i'm loosing me mum to Alzheimer's well not loosing but ya know what I mean I'm not after sympathy it just is and so many other folks are worse off. Anyway just before she started to suffer she told me something she never has before. and it sort of stunned me .

Before I could walk literally months old I'd crawl to a french door and would be there for ages face pressed against the glass, she couldn't figure what her mad son was up to, so she took to lying down beside me. There was always something there a bird a mouse what ever...that's where no 4 comes from mate .

Soul food bro.......... makes ya heart sing Tis weird that nature and that utter fascination can be in someone before they could walk I strongly suspect many of us here were made the same only it's never recognized, frankly I'd never have known bar a fluke convo with mum and me blabbing on about sommit fluffy

Many thanks Nod tell me about the storage medium, and i'm not referring to mum there either !!

 

[Nod]

Well, I had a brain tumour 9 years ago (well, the surgery to remove it was 9 years ago, the tumour had been there for a fair while before that!) and when I was chatting to the surgeon before the op, I asked him to install the Greek language and a few extra GB (TB were still an expensive/future option rather than commonplace as they are now!) His response was that if he could do either, he wouldn't be working for the NHS!!! The only long term effect of the tumour/op (other than an ear to ear scar over the top of my bonce and a dent in the forehead) is an even worse memory than I had before.

All the best for the Mum situation; I lost mine 6 months after a catastrophic brain bleed - it would have been far kinder to her to have let her pass when it happened but the medical profession insisted on prolonging her agony until she contracted a nasty tummy bug (Clostridium difficile) and they put her on the Liverpool Care Pathway (which would see anyone putting an animal through it jailed.)

 

[Dale.]

Dale me and rules ha ha like I do rules ,ahh mate you are and have always been an inspiration to me forgive me having a crack with you it's always going to happen though I guess you know that by now .

Yeah I guess I live for those magic moments with some little bird or beastie , I really want to get " the shot" mate so so much it's hard when I don't make the grade but it can't be at any cost and I'm also pragmatic and deeply cherish the memories.

A little tale to try and explain where no 4 comes from Sadly i'm loosing me mum to Alzheimer's well not loosing but ya know what I mean I'm not after sympathy it just is and so many other folks are worse off. Anyway just before she started to suffer she told me something she never has before. and it sort of stunned me .

Before I could walk literally months old I'd crawl to a french door and would be there for ages face pressed against the glass, she couldn't figure what her mad son was up to, so she took to lying down beside me. There was always something there a bird a mouse what ever...that's where no 4 comes from mate .

Soul food bro.......... makes ya heart sing Tis weird that nature and that utter fascination can be in someone before they could walk I strongly suspect many of us here were made the same only it's never recognized, frankly I'd never have known bar a fluke convo with mum and me blabbing on about sommit fluffy

Many thanks Nod tell me about the storage medium, and i'm not referring to mum there either !!

Stu, never in a million years would I think you were having a crack buddy. You summed it up perfectly actually, I'd switched off when I should've stayed switched on.

Sorry to hear about your mum. I've lost both my parents but they were spared Alzheimer's. I did see them decline though, particularly my dad, not a nice thing to witness. I hear you.

Well, I had a brain tumour 9 years ago (well, the surgery to remove it was 9 years ago, the tumour had been there for a fair while before that!) and when I was chatting to the surgeon before the op, I asked him to install the Greek language and a few extra GB (TB were still an expensive/future option rather than commonplace as they are now!) His response was that if he could do either, he wouldn't be working for the NHS!!! The only long term effect of the tumour/op (other than an ear to ear scar over the top of my bonce and a dent in the forehead) is an even worse memory than I had before.

All the best for the Mum situation; I lost mine 6 months after a catastrophic brain bleed - it would have been far kinder to her to have let her pass when it happened but the medical profession insisted on prolonging her agony until she contracted a nasty tummy bug (Clostridium difficile) and they put her on the Liverpool Care Pathway (which would see anyone putting an animal through it jailed.)

Wow, I had no idea, I hope you're well now.



I saw my roe doe again tonight, upriver from my KF, she was hobbling though. Too far off for a pic but again, a treat to see her. Hopefully what I saw of her hobble was just the river bed affecting her footing.

 

[Nod]

Seem to be fine apart from the memory. I get an annual MRI to check for a recurrence of the tumour but that'll stop after next year's scan. I was very lucky that it seems it was 100% operable and that they got it all.


Hopefully, your Roe's hobble was just a stumble. They are quite sturdy despite their size.

 

[Stuart Philpott]

I'm always having a crack Dale................... that's why i'm here and to try and learn some be inspired bla de bla and one day I'd love to give a bit back I use a lot of smilies ( emoji) but it never really translates back to the guy you are talking to i'm just not that eloquent. Sure what I wrote is my little take on wildlife togging and an element of seriuos but I want it to come out in a way that don't hurt and makes us smile. There is a joy to all this bro more than getting the shot ,even though the shot is what we chase.

Bless you both for the thoughts of me mum, she's a fantastic lady devoted much of her life to caring for others who had a rough deal and she made me a nature nut Simply I worship her thank you both so so much for the kind words, obviously sorry for both you loss. Life is a tough gig lads and yes Nod I'm unable to understand why we put folks through that torment your mum went through, when we are so clever we could be kind. I'm as soft as they come but I can't let an animal suffer . I know it's a complex subject, but there is a simplicity to suffering I can't abide and I don't care much for playiing god and ending a life ,but sometimes however hard that might be it's right. Years of being a stockman Nod means one has to occassionally try and do what's right and be good at that.......... save the tears for later. Very hard to put in words

Nod so so glad you are through it........................ that stuff is all of our worst nightmare

you two hurbuts are lovely


Lets get back to happier stuff Dale roe are habitual,you have lucked into something which if you play the angles right will give you a chance for an image. there is a brightness to them you will slowly learn to understand when ya do post me some gorgeous images on my roe thread bro.

There ya go gauntlet down

belucky both

stu

 

[Dale.]

I'm always having a crack Dale................... that's why i'm here and to try and learn some be inspired bla de bla and one day I'd love to give a bit back I use a lot of smilies ( emoji) but it never really translates back to the guy you are talking to i'm just not that eloquent. Sure what I wrote is my little take on wildlife togging and an element of seriuos but I want it to come out in a way that don't hurt and makes us smile. There is a joy to all this bro more than getting the shot ,even though the shot is what we chase.

Bless you both for the thoughts of me mum, she's a fantastic lady devoted much of her life to caring for others who had a rough deal and she made me a nature nut Simply I worship her thank you both so so much for the kind words, obviously sorry for both you loss. Life is a tough gig lads and yes Nod I'm unable to understand why we put folks through that torment your mum went through, when we are so clever we could be kind. I'm as soft as they come but I can't let an animal suffer . I know it's a complex subject, but there is a simplicity to suffering I can't abide and I don't care much for playiing god and ending a life ,but sometimes however hard that might be it's right. Years of being a stockman Nod means one has to occassionally try and do what's right and be good at that.......... save the tears for later. Very hard to put in words

Nod so so glad you are through it........................ that stuff is all of our worst nightmare

you two hurbuts are lovely


Lets get back to happier stuff Dale roe are habitual,you have lucked into something which if you play the angles right will give you a chance for an image. there is a brightness to them you will slowly learn to understand when ya do post me some gorgeous images on my roe thread bro.

There ya go gauntlet down

belucky both

stu

Cheers Stu.

Yup, she crossed last night, I didn't see the buck. I was downriver at the KF but I can far enough up river to where they cross. It's the same point at which I sometimes cross too.

At my KF today but for some reason, I was on a downer, it just didn't feel right or that it would work at that time. I packed up and left and I'm going to have talk to myself later on. I saw the KFs, even entering the nest hole, the male just now I'm sure, about 6 fish per hour. If the female is still brooding, they're not long hatched. I'm hoping to get the fledging this time, I missed it last time. I would love to get images of that, for myself and my licence return too. Life is about to change though and with little 'un off school and my wife starting a new job, I won't be able to put so many hours in.

It's incredibly difficult at the nest to get images. I'm concious of the disturbance that setting up would cause, it doesn't sit right at all, even though I'm licenced, I'm not licenced to be reckless. I will just observe near the nest for my notes and returns, I have perches out a respectable distance away but well within the territory.

Anyway,

I'll be back at the KF Thursday and when the light starts to go there, I'll walk up to the deer crossing and see what happens.

I spoke to the water bailiff a couple of nights ago. I told him I'd seen the deer crossing the river. He said they do every night.

 

[Nod]

Just wish I had the attention span for wildlife photography. Although aches and pains set in shortly after the attention drifts anyway!!!

Good luck with the KFs (we see a fair few on holiday in Crete - mainly over salt water) and the deer.

 

[Dale.]

Although aches and pains set in

Lol, I know that one, I bought myself a low level chair to sit on whilst waiting under scrim, it's great but only prolongs the onset of said aches and pains. The hide chair is better but even that becomes uncomfortable at about the 3 hour mark.

Stalking, not so achey but not something I often do.

When you think about it, photography can be quite an uncomfortable hobby.

 

[Nod]

Especially for the financial controller...