Monarch of the Park

Bushy Park is London's second largest Royal park and home to freely roaming herds of deer.  Right now we are in the middle of the rutting season with testsoterone-laden males fighting for their ladies.

I didn't see any such excitement myself (I should probably get up earlier!), but was intrigued by this splendid male specimen who seemed to have netted himself a harem of up to a dozen does, and eveytime one roamed away from the herd, he chased her back.

Not all does had been "caught", and the extra shows a little group under the trees just a few yards from the busy road through the park.