Yesterday, we went to nearby Woburn to pick up an order from a china shop. This afforded us an hour's walk in the Deer park of the Duke of Bedford. We were very restricted on where we were allowed to walk and so not able to get too close to the deer - as my photographic results reveal.
The deer here is Pier David's Deer or Milu. The chinese name 'Milu' means 'four unlikes' because it was thought that it had the hooves of a cow, the head of a horse, the antlers of a deer and the body of a donkey. All the Milu deer now in existence world-wide are descended from the 11th Duke of Bedford's herd in Woburn.
"During the rut in July and August, stags wallow in mud, plastering it on their bodies and antlers. The stag will festoon its antlers with vegetation." so reads our Reader's digest field guide to animals of Britain.
My son and husband chose which photo to post today. I am clearly more inclined to the abstract than them as my choice would have been different.
@onewing@gaylewood They started off in China, some were exported to Paris (and then on to Woburn) and the rest were killed off. I think most around the world are now in Zoos. Thank you for your comments and interest.
Wonderful to watch, but I suspect you were far away when you took this image, because it looks quite pixelated. Either that or you have used some software to give a painterly effect.
@marshwader both. Yes it was pixelated and I was too far away for my lens to really cope. So I added some additional filter to slightly exaggerate the effect and make the most of something I couldn't change.
