Stag at dawn

Those inveterate writers of fiction at the weather centre suggested that there would be good conditions for a sunrise landscape shot this morning. A little sunshine and some early morning mist and I might get that shot of the Somerset Levels and Glastonbury that I've been thinking about for a while now.

I should have known better than to trust them.  Inevitably, as I stood on the side of the Mendips this morning, waiting for the sun, a thick bank of low cloud over to the east prevented any sort of proper sunrise.  Eventually, the cloud cleared sufficiently for my extra, which is charming in its own way, but it is not the shot I was hoping for.

Landscape duties done, I put on the long lens and went for a walk along the West Mendip Way, which crosses the 3 nature reserves at Westbury Beacon. I was vaguely hoping that I might get a decent shot of some hares or even see the fox cub again.  As it was, my efforts were rewarded with this fine roe deer. I managed to slowly creep a little closer to him, before he became aware of me, but once he had spotted me the game was up and he barked at me in surprise.

I hadn't realised that Roe Deer bark when alarmed, but it seems that they do, and it is a surprisingly loud noise. I reckon that I was every bit as surprised and alarmed by the noise as the Buck was by having let me get so close.