Life near the forest edge

Now that the Lancaster bomber has destroyed our old house (Thanks Robert!) we are left to scavenge at the edge of the forest. What fun.Recently I have been following the lives of a group of Fallow deer who live in the Kings Wood. These deer occasionally come out onto the local farm pastures to rest, and I was really please with my photograph of them on the horizon, This group of hinds can be seen resting, oblivious to the presence of the camera. This is my favorite kind of photography.

More often, the deer can be seen in the forest, keeping a good distance from the public paths and seeking shelter in the trees. The Kings Wood has several valleys, falling away from a ridge. It is difficult to see into the depths of these areas and the deer can quickly nip from one valley to the next, unobserved.
The hinds and the stags form separate groups for most of the year, only coming together at the rut. At this time of year it is quite difficult to know whether you are looking at hinds or stags at a distance - much easier when the stags are in antler.