Chewing on It

I took a different route to the area with the deer this morning and spotted this maturing red deer stag in one of the local fields. I say maturing as he seems to be quite lean, with none of the tell tale marks associated with being involved in the rut. I didn't notice the thickening of fur around the neck, that the fully mature stags always seem to have. There are quite distinct herds, across the area, so this one is not in the same herd as the stags I've photographed recently. He's a good mile and a half from where I saw the others.

I checked out the trail cam and was amused to see one of the hinds close up, sniffing at the casing of the camera. I must remember that my scent is still noticeable on these things!

I've added an extra as I've come across a new bird I haven't photographed before, a linnet.