Delta Ged, Volunteer Ranger @ National Trust Lyme Park : Week 43 05/11/2014

Photo Blog Week 43 - Wed 05 November 2014

Apologies for being almost a week late. I've been busy with family trips and meet ups.

After a missed week, I returned to the Park to find an eerie quiet descended. Autumn is passing and most leaves are dropped and the damp air seemed to be sucking in any sound.
Most of my photos this week were of the red deer who were happy to be approached in their current post rut affability.

End of The Rut

Last time I was in, the Red Deer were in small groups comprising a mature Stag a harem of Hinds with a few young stags. Lone mature stags wandered around exploring the edges of territory and roars announced presence and warned off.
The hinds are no longer in season and the stags are all spent, the result is large mixed groups in more accessible areas of the park, a group of about 150 were on the back of Cage Hill with many mature stags at rest amongst them. The Rut is over.

Winter Opening

note: the following comments are my understanding - please refer to National Trust; Lyme Park Calendar and Timetable for up to date full information.

Winter opening is now in place with the Hall closed until after the winter. Conservationists will be lifting carpets and packing away textiles and other items which would deteriorate exposed to condensation as the temperature in the hall is allowed to fall over the winter. Much work will be carried out during the winter months but I suspect the conservationists will be huddled in fleeces, scarves and woolly hats.

The formal Gardens are now only open at weekends.

The Admissions hut is not attended on a normal weekday and the Park is available free to enter to explore the parkland, woods and moorland. The Playscape is open and the Timberyard cafe is serving hot drinks and snacks.

Fallow Deer Park

The Fallow Deer enclosure is now locked down with Lime Avenue and the path from the car park across the back of the hall to Hampers Bridge closed.
This will help the grass paths to recover but more importantly reduces stress on the Fallow Deer which are a Mediterranean species not ideally suited to our winter temperatures. They will have their feed supplemented with corn and vitamins to keep them in good health through to next spring.
Good places to check to still see the Fallow Deer are through the fence at the top of the car park and through the gate just inside Drinkwater Meadow. Also try the high ground edges next to the wall in the trees adjacent to the track through Drinkwater Meadow to Knightslow Wood.

Blue skies behind Cage Hill