Relaxed Red Deer

All of my previous encounters with the Red Deer Stag have so far been during the early morning so I decided to make a midday visit looking for any changes in behaviour patterns,  First off he was harder to find as when finally spotted was sitting near a hedgerow into which he blended very nicely, As I approached with him watching me he stood up looking a little agitated so I backed off a few paces and sat near the opposite hedgerow,  He seemed happy with that and started to graze a little before deciding to sit down again providing me with some very relaxed looking portraits,  He was still sat there when I finally retreated an hour or so later.

Morning Mud Bath

I was nearing the field gate in the Half way wall on Porthgwarra heath at sunrise and met the mature Red Deer Stag coming the other way, He seemed to be in more of a hurry than me so I gave way like you tend to do with anything with a set of metre wide antlers,  This majestic looking animal trotted on down to a semi dry pond and started to hoof and gore at the muddy pond bottom and observant viewers might note that he was getting quite excited about it,  Before long he was rolling in the muddy mess that he had created and when he came back up he looked a right mess,  He leisurely walked away looking really pleased with himself and at the top of a rise he looked back down with his back to the rising sun and he was instantly majestic again,   I was delighted at having witnessed a form of animal behaviour that I thought I would never get to see,  Happy Days !!