A late start for us…. but the mist still lingered, and the frost was slow to lift even though we enjoyed a bright winter sun.
Our destination was a South Derbyshire wood. A good choice as the Oak were still vibrant with the last of the leaves and the Beech, now leafless able to show off their tall dynamic trunks. The low sun now reaches corners of the woods than only see sun in the winter giving the woods a whole new feel.
The Red Deer Rutting season should be long gone by now…. but we could hear a couple of very noisy Red Stags bellowing in the far distance.
But our encounter was with a group of young Deer. I guess they were keeping their distance from the mature Stags. The group seemed to have a couple of young Stags (are they called Harts? )… one I guess was a second year Stag, the other in its first year, both being shadowed by an older Stag. They seem to be herding a group of young Hinds…. possible next year’s Harem. 🙂
The Deer peacefully moved on… and so did we. It was sunny, invigoratingly fresh, but somewhere warm beckoned to warm our bones.
For December it was indeed a grand day…. what I always refer to as a bonus day. A late start but I don’t think we missed out.
I hope you are enjoying some equally good bonus days…. but as always…
Please Remember ….
Stay Safe …. Be Kind…. Look After Each Other
14th December
(C) David Oakes 2022
DAVID OAKES - IMAGES. 