A Magical Moment In Time - The Deer At Chatsworth Make A Wildlife Photographer's Day
An incredibly rare sight and something I'll never forget." A humbled photographer shares a very special snapshot in time with us - another gem to be cherished, in Villager Jim's Collection of photographic treasures.
It wasn't a particularly a nice day on the first Saturday in December and James Dobson, Peak District Online's dedicate wildlife photographer, wasn't expecting to come home with any of his usual stunning wildlife shots this particular morning. It was cold, quite windy and the sky was a dull blue grey but little did he know how magical the moment he was destined to capture. His patience was rewarded tenfold, when he second guessed the watery path the fallow deer at Chatsworth Park in Derbyshire, were about to take.
"I could tell they were really spooked," he said. "I'd been watching them for a while and they were constantly looking around them, with their beautiful brown eyes wide and ears twitching in all directions". He went onto to explain how the resident fallow deer herd had all been quite far away from the river at first, grazing quietly and minding their own business, as they do most mornings.
"Something made the skittish animals panic and they all scampered a little nearer the river. They could hear something I couldn't - I still don't know what it was that scared them but when one went - the others followed. I held my breath for a very long time I can tell you! "He laughs.
"If you live and work in the Peak District it's very easy to take this gorgeous part of the world for granted, " he continued, "I feel so grateful my job allows me to see it through a lens every day. It makes me look more closely and to be able to capture a moment like this makes me feel very privileged indeed"
