Exmoor, October 2015

I've been back to Exmoor with my family, mainly for the autumn red deer rutting season, this time for the whole of October rather than just two weeks. After one week in Porlock, we moved to a cottage in the Barle Valley for our main stay; a very peaceful setting with a large area of adjoining oak and beech woodland.

This was sunrise at Porlock:

 

A great tit in the orchard next to the cottage:

 

Porlock is close to the high moor, so on the odd good day I was up before dawn. There was the usual mist, sheep, and occasionally deer at close quarters:

 

 

 

 

 

Exmoor ponies were everywhere: on the high moor, at the Exmoor Pony Centre, and sharing fields with other animals such as these Devon cattle:

 

 

 

We then moved to our second cottage. This was view from the front - you could only see woodland, a few fields and the distant moor. There was no other habitation visible and no lights at night.

 

Towards the end of October, the autumn colours reached their peak, with spectacular views in the woods and along the River Barle and the smaller Dane's Brook:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were plenty of deer; but they were very shy, as usual, so for photography they had to be stalked or I lay in wait:

 

 

 

 

During early mornings and late afternoons/evenings, the deer would move out from the wood into adjoining fields:

 

 

 

 

 

 

They also visited our garden, along with squirrels:

 

 

Mid-October is the time for the annual World Bolving Championship which is held just along the lane from our cottage. I took part this year and my red deer stag call did generate a response from a real stag in the valley:

 

Back in the woods, I found a few other creatures to photograph including a fox, squirrels, and a treecreeper:

 

 

 

 

Elsewhere, I managed to get a few photographs of the very shy goosanders on the River Barle:

 

 

Finally, more unusual sights: a water boatman, newly-emerged fungi, lichen and a lovely sunset:

 

 

 

 

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