The hunt for frost Deer and sunny Waxwings
JANUARY 24, 2024
The weather forecast stated temperatures of -4c and sunshine .... so potential frosty conditions, improved light and frosty haze on a day off had to mean getting outside with my camera.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your focus, the evening before was wine tasting night, aka 'Wacks' (wine and snacks) at the amazing Wild and Lees in Herne Hill. A top night but not the ideal preparation for beating the morning rush hour.
So after getting up later than planned, de-frosting the car and then encountering roadworks after roadworks, I turned up at Bushy Park 40 minutes late, sun rise fully underway and only 30 minutes of Golden Hour remaining, and guess what I couldn't find any Deer for ages, the decision to go right or left ultimately cost me.
However, don't be hard on yourself Paul, bumping into batchelor Sika Deer provided an image with lots of coloured sparkles, then round the corner was ALL the Deer! Fallow, Sika and the Reds in one huge mega herd, later on, I would find out why!
With all the Deer together, myself and two other photographers it meant we were spoilt for choice, the only problem - the Deer were hogging the shady spots and standing in front of 'noisy' backgrounds, not the ideal photogenic set up. Still we can't be too complaining, they were right in front of us and pretty chilled.
It was also enjoyable lying fully down on the floor with my camera, despite the freezing conditions some nice shots were achieved, even if I ended up looking like a snowman. As time went on, lots of seagulls started to appear, crows and magpies sitting in the trees - waiting .... the noise of a vehicle made me turn round, a 4x4, the Rangers had arrived, something was up... feed time! Clearly the freezing conditions meant additional feed was required on top the already bountiful hay stack, note though dominated by the big Red Deer Stags. I think there was equal measure of birds and deer at this point! Once fed, they began to disperse, providing further photo opps. Once I was done photographing the Deer it was time for breakfast, sausage bap, flat white and time to check out some pics.
There had still been no reported sightings of the Waxwings at either Bushy Park or in Balham, so I decided to wander over to the previous location of the sightings in Bushy. Sure enough, something was afoot, with 20 or so people with cameras and binoculars trained at one particular tree, it could only mean one thing ... 2 Waxwings! Eventually one came out of the shaded tree and into the opposite tree in the sun, despite all the branches and the noise background - jackpot! Job done.
Another great day concluded. What next ...?...