Success at the forest.

After the last visit to Thetford Forest, I was eager to get back again. So with the mornings getting lighter all the time, it meant I was up even earlier and at the forest in good time waiting for it to get light enough to move. I always like to arrive early and watch the forest come to life. It is certainly better than arriving too late! Maybe its a sixth sense, but I always get a feel while waiting, for what is going on and what sort of day I might have. The weather forcast was certainly looking a lot better than last time, with a warm sunny day in prospect.

As soon as it was light enough, I started out. I, as I nearly always do, started off by driving along one of my favourite forest byway's. This can bring great rewards sometimes as animals are not always that scared of a vehicle. This morning though it started off very quietly with the first thing I saw being a Fox which in fact was very wary and didn't hang around. Once the sun started to appear through the trees though, so things started to emerge to enjoy the first decent rays of sunshine for a few weeks.

I started to notice the Roe Deer out on the edges of the forestry in the warming sunshine, and it wasn't too long before I had my first good chance to stalk a nice Roe buck. He was just on the other side of a shelter belt grazing in the early moring sun. Everything was in my favour, and I knew that if I was carfull and took my time, I should get reasonably close and get some good shots. Some good sized trees offered me plenty of cover to close the distance on him, and so I started the stalk.

As I got closer and could get a better view of him through the binoculars, I could see that he was an older buck with his antlers still in full velvet. The light was very good so I did not have to worry about useing a tripod so this helped my progress a lot. They are obviously a very valuable bit of kit, but in situations like this, they can just get in the way. If the light had been poor, I would have to have tried to use it. As I moved in closer, I started to get one or two nice shots. He then done the best thing he could do and came off the field and cut diagonally across me to start rubbing the branches of a Birch trees.

His antlers were obviously starting to itch causing him to want to rub the velvet. He was now close enough so that he could now hear the shutter of the camera. It is always very tempting to keep taking pictures, but if you take just one or two and then let the animal settle before taking another one or two, it is suprising how quickly they can sometimes get used to the noise just as long as there is nothing else to arouse their suspicion. This is exactly what happened. He looked straight at me a couple of times as I was leant up against the side of a tree to steady myself. But because I kept still and still blended in with my surroundings, he found nothing more to be wary of and carried on as normal. I was able to get some lovely shots of him before he wandered off further into the trees and eventually disappeared. A good start!

I got back in the truck and continued along the byway, now out through arable fields. Then a Hare came across the track in front of me and sat out on the field not thirty metres away. It then proceeded to groom itself and clean its feet. The sun on it really seemed to make it glow and I got some very simple but very pleasing shots. By this time, the sun was well up above the trees and I started to see different sorts of birds. Saw plenty of Meadow Pipits and the odd Stonechat. Got some nice shots of a Pied Wagtail on an old wall that was just sitting there enjoying the sunshine.

I then saw the female Hen Harrier that I saw last time. At least I presume it was the same one as it was hunting over the same area. That and they are not exactly a common bird to see! Just after that I saw three Buzzards all just starting to ride the thermals alltogether. Now they are a bird of prey that are getting much more common and easier to see. Got a couple of interesting pictures of one of them being mobbed by a Carrion Crow. I then decided to try a different part of the forest.

It was now the early part of the afternoon and I thought I knew where I might be able to find one or two Roe Deer out on the open fields, especially on such a warm and sunny day. And indeed it wasn't long before I came across a couple of youngish bucks out grazing. Also on the same field as the Roe were a herd of thirty Falllow Deer. They all took hardly any notice of the truck and I was able to get some more unusual shots of one of the Roe bucks grazing with the Fallow in the background. Just something a little bit different. Just after I left them all, I saw my first Brimstone Butterfly of the year. Its a butterfly that is probably easily overlooked throughout the year, but it was very vivid and really stood out being the first one of the year.

It was still early in the afternoon, but I decided that I had got more than enough photos for one day and decided to head home earlier than usual.Though before I did, I decided to have one last drive down the byway I had started off on first thing in the morning. I was very glad I did. About half way along the track, I came across a youngish Muntjac buck. I carried on for a little further and then parked up. Again I didn't need my tripod and just walked back quietly with my camera. I soon found him again in exactly the same spot. He was listening intently, probably just wondering if I had gone right away.

He slowly settled down again and started to feed along the edge of the trees. It took me about half an hour to slowly cover a distance of about forty metres, but I was able to get to within twenty five metres of him! I was then able to spend about ten or fifteen minutes taking very natural shots of him. Twice he looked straight down the lense at me but found nothing to be too alarmed about. He eventually wandered off further into the trees and I left him in peace.

I have plenty of pictures of most deer, but I always find it a real thrill and a buzz to get so close to a wild animal like that and then come away again with them not really knowing you have been there. To me, that is what proper wildlife photography is all about. It had been a very good and rewarding day, and just to top it off, when I got back home I saw the first Swallow of the year flying around the house and garden. It really looks like summer is on its way and with it a whole host of wildlife photographic opportunities!