Day 130 - Deer at Dusk

I went out for a Red Deer walk this evening, led by the Eastern Moors Partnership.  The walk was in the same area where I photographed the stag that featured here in last Friday's post.

We set off around 5pm and hadn't walked far when we saw the first stag.

Foolishly, I'd left my binoculars at home - they usually live in the car, but came into the house when I unloaded after last weekend's trip to the coast and I had forgotten to put them back in - doh! Though I can use my zoomy camera as substitute bins anyway and to be honest, I went out to enjoy a walk on the moors mainly - I'm not a huge fan of deer (though I don't dislike them particularly!)  and I can see them any time as they're pretty easy to find on Big Moor and there are a few closer to home as well.

More exciting than deer was the baby adder found on a path...

Then a short eared owl (I haven't see one of those for a while) and then a female hen harrier too - most unexpected!

The light was pretty rubbish - and fading - so my photographs are all terrible, especially the hand-held-at-full-zoom ones, but here are a few anyway!

Here's a challenge - Spot the Deer!

There was a lovely sunset as the group stood on the moor...

And I loved walking back after sunset, with torchlight, surrounded by the sounds of the bolving stags! I love being out at dusk and after dark - every time I walk after dark I tell myself I should make it more a more regular occurrence, but never do!

Did you spot the deer?

Here's a blurry and dull, full zoom photo (the one above was taken at partial zoom.

This was the closest deer and you can see how far out he was in the photo below, taken without any zoom - you can just see the green shape, right of centre - that's where the above deer was standing.

I mustn't leave it so long before I go for a dusk walk again!