RFI Bradgate Park Leics UK

[Marcus Conway - ebirder]

I was wondering if anyone knew the best place to see the red deer rutting -thinking of going tomorrow AM.

Thanks

[davidearlgray]

Hi Marcus, yes its a good place to go to see Red Deer rutting but its better to get there early in the morning as its very popular with the local halfwits as the day goes on!
Also you have to pay £2.50 for the car park at the weekends. Most of the Deer are situated in the middle of the park near the old ruins of Lady Jane Grey's House.
If you need some refreshments the old deer barns sell a good range of cakes and drinks but no bacon sandwichs yet!
Hope this helps?
Cheers,
Dave.
http://davidearlgray.blogspot.com

[Marcus Conway - ebirder]

Hi Marcus, yes its a good place to go to see Red Deer rutting but its better to get there early in the morning as its very popular with the local halfwits as the day goes on!
Also you have to pay £2.50 for the car park at the weekends. Most of the Deer are situated in the middle of the park near the old ruins of Lady Jane Grey's House.
If you need some refreshments the old deer barns sell a good range of cakes and drinks but no bacon sandwichs yet!
Hope this helps?
Cheers,
Dave.
http://davidearlgray.blogspot.com

Very good thanks David. Can yuo tell what the habitiat is like? I have been up at Studley Royal and find that the generally grassy set up makes for plasticy pictures. Is there undergrowth at BP. Also how far from the car? And finally the best place to park??

[Adey Baker]

Check out these shots to give you some idea of what it's like:

http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/146393/ppuser/1805
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/110630/ppuser/1805
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/110455/ppuser/1805
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/110431/ppuser/1805
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/110429/ppuser/1805

Note photographer in background of the last shot - he really shouldn't be on the 'other' side of the River Lin!

Although the deer are used to lots of human presence they can get a bit 'touchy' if you're not careful - hence all the above shots were with a 400mm lens

[Marcus Conway - ebirder]

Perfect, I love the bracken in the shots. Can you give me the onsite info?

[Adey Baker]

There are a few carparks around - the most popular (and handy for the refreshments) is in the village of Newtown Linford. Go through the gates and along the road/path for a relatively short distance before the park opens out into a surprisingly non-Leicestershire type of landscape (it's not just 'up north' where you can climb to a hilltop and view a panorama of the nearby city)

The deer could be to your right in the woodland on the other side of the river (only a babbling brook really) or in the bracken-covered hillside to your left. The 'bellowing' deer in one of the above links walked out of the woods and into the bracken area and it was photographed on one of the many grassy pathways, so there are many chances of different types of shots depending on exactly where they are/lighting, etc.

This link has a zoomable map for access: http://www.picturesofengland.com/England/Leicestershire/Leicester/Bradgate_Park/maps

[Marcus Conway - ebirder]

There are a few carparks around - the most popular (and handy for the refreshments) is in the village of Newtown Linford. Go through the gates and along the road/path for a relatively short distance before the park opens out into a surprisingly non-Leicestershire type of landscape (it's not just 'up north' where you can climb to a hilltop and view a panorama of the nearby city)

The deer could be to your left in the woodland on the other side of the river (only a babbling brook really) or in the bracken-covered hillside to your left. The 'bellowing' deer in one of the above links walked out of the woods and into the bracken area and it was photographed on one of the many grassy pathways, so there are many chances of different types of shots depending on exactly where they are/lighting, etc.

This link has a zoomable map for access: http://www.picturesofengland.com/England/Leicestershire/Leicester/Bradgate_Park/maps

Thanks. I am lugging the 500 so hoefully I conect pretty quickly. I have been trying all week so am understanding the behavious now much better. Is the brook crossable? Are there any no go areas (ie private). I find the stags pretty menacing so I wont be going to close!

[Adey Baker]

As far as I'm aware the area on the right (just re-edited an incorrect 'left' in previous post!) as you walk along (ie over the river) is supposed to be out of bounds. This is the wooded area, so not so good for getting shots (though, as you'll see from my 'hind' shot, there are plenty of chances with a long lens as they move into an open position). The river is crossable in parts but there's no real need to do so for the above reason.

Most of the area to your left has full open access apart from a few walled-off areas - though even these give you a chance of some distant group-shots:

[Marcus Conway - ebirder]

As far as I'm aware the area on the right (just re-edited an incorrect 'left' in previous post!) as you walk along (ie over the river) is supposed to be out of bounds. This is the wooded area, so not so good for getting shots (though, as you'll see from my 'hind' shot, there are plenty of chances with a long lens as they move into an open position). The river is crossable in parts but there's no real need to do so for the above reason.

Most of the area to your left has full open access apart from a few walled-off areas - though even these give you a chance of some distant group-shots:

Thanks again - it's the stag in bracken shots that I want anyway.

[Adey Baker]

Thanks again - it's the stag in bracken shots that I want anyway.


Good luck! Incidentally, despite Dave's comments above about getting there early, the EXIF data on my first shot above, in the bracken, shows it was taken at nearly 11:00am

[Adey Baker]

Did you go today, Marcus?

There were more photographers than deer, I reckon ;)

Lots of expensive glass (plus my cheap Sigma) and one or two well-known photographers there