Alpha males

We got down to Petworth Park early this morning for the first of our annual visits to watch the rut, and it was all kicking off. There were also photographers all over the place: groups standing in lines, individuals lurking behind trees, long lenses pointing everywhere you looked...and us, sitting on anthills (no-one was home). A couple of stags came and sat down together for a rest about fifteen metres from us and it was quite surreal being that close to these beautiful creatures who had clearly decided we were no threat to them. Only to each other, as it turned out.