The resident roe deer at Underhill Wood

Last night I arrived in Wiltshire soon after 9pm, in time to have a pint with JT at his local. We then went dow to the woodland nature reserve he has created and spent a fun couple of hours chatting. Eventually JT went to his wonderful 'shepherd's hut where he sleeps and I set up an airbed and sleeping bag on the floor of the barn.

The barn has extensive floor to ceiling glass doors which I could see out of from my bed. Before sleeping i set up my camera just in case there was something to film as I awoke.  JT told me that the resident roe deer strolls around the extensive woodlands early in the morning and might even have its fawn with it.

I awoke at about 6-30am and got up to make a cup of tea. I looked around the south side of the barn and noticed this deer walking through the edge of one part of the managed woodland area. I grabbed my camera from the table and managed to gently open the door so that i could poke the long lens through the crack.  I followed its slow movement for a bout thirty seconds until suddenly the wind picked up and blew the door wide open with creaking hinges.

The door of course heard it and looked immediately towards me, so I had time to shoot this picture before it ran away towards the woodland behind it and made wonderful leaps to clear the grassy scrub. Sadly my camera's settings weren't suitable for fast movement so this image will have to do.

The rest of the day was spent with a macro lens and a couple of zooms filming all the flora and fauna mostly around the lake JT has created using water from the natural springs. I have hundreds of pictures which I will sort through and give the best to JT for his Underhill Wood Nature Reserve website, and I'll put some of them on my own Flickr gallery in due course. I've already given him a few pictures from my first visit to the wood a couple of months ago which are linked on the website. I hope to visit regularly, to watch it evolve and contribute more pictures through the seasons to act as an archive of life on the reserve.