Dunham

Dunham Massey is a stunning Georgian House with an extensive Fallow Deer park. With the bright sunshine creating an azure blue sky, the day was ideal to get out and take photos of the wildlife and try to get some more macro practice.

The first port of call was to the front of the house itself before hordes of people got in the way of the shot. As it was, I still managed to get some bodies on it, but nowhere near as busy as it got much later in the day.

Having turned off the main path, I headed towards one of the lakes and the exploded bull rushes - perfect nesting materials for the local birds.

The light once I set foot into one of the original plantations was lovely and the obelisk stood out magnificently. I was expecting the obelisk to be in memoriam of a loved member of the family, so I was pleasantly surprised when I read the engraving on it - "Langhorn Grove. Planted AD 1914" - this lovely monument was in honour of the trees!A lovely thought.

By another plantation I tried out my macro skills on a very tiny fern that was growing at the base of a rotten stump. A spot of lying on the ground getting muddy and wet, but I think the shot came out pretty well. Not too far from here was a fenced off are where a very talented chap turns his hand to creating sculptures out of fallen trees and stumps: side by side were the Wood Fairy Rising and this fellow - Old Stumpy.

Onwards and heading towards the old boundary wall and a small group of Fallow Bucks were grazing and lazing around a huge fallen tree. taking a chance that they might flee (a few of them did) I crept towards the tree and soon found myself within touching distance of this very handsome buck. He stayed for quite some time playing with the little branch above his head and nibbling on the grass by his feet. After he'd had enough and wandered of to the shade of the plantation, I again tried my hand at macro, this time on some bracket fungus.

The last place I visited was the large lake which housed a Koi Carp, Coots, Moorhens, Tufted Ducks and a very graceful swan.

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