Richmond Park Open Day (Sunday 21 Sept)

[derelict]

Richmond Park Open Day is being held on Sunday 21 September. The Open Day is organized by Simon Richards, the Park Manager and his team.It is held at Holly Lodge, with a variety of stands and activities, and open to all; times are 11.00 to 4.00. Admission is free, although adjacent parking on the grass near the Lodge is £5. i.e. it's £5 cheaper to walk there from one of the other car parks.



This event is part of the PR drive to show how many of the boxes have been ticked in the various strategies, management plans, targets, policies, initiatives, directives etc with which the Park management team have to wrestle throughout the year in addition to actually stopping the place from falling apart under the sheer weight of visitor numbers - e.g. access, diversity, biodiversity, equal opportunities, health and safety, policing, contribution to sporting development for the 12-15 age group (I kid you not -a recent pre 2012 Olympics government survey!). A chance to ask old favourites like "why don't you shoot dogs that chase deer/ring-necked parakeets/magpies?" / "why do you shoot deer?"/"why don't you give the deer contraceptives?/prosecute cyclists for speeding?/motorists for parking off limits?/ people with their eyes too close together?"/ "where do the deer live at night?" &c



But worth a visit if the crowds round the deer get too big if only to see what lies behind the gates... the best place I know to watch foxes stalking rabbits.

The official version is here:

Richmond Park Open Day

[Ukwildlifeo]

lol I love those questions. Not as good as "why does that horse have horns?"

[derelict]

Originally Posted by Ukwildlifeo

lol I love those questions. Not as good as "why does that horse have horns?"

Answering the question "where are the deer with horns?" in April and May is really tricky, especially if the person asking has been to the park before and seen them.

As to the list, I'm afraid I made up the one about prosecuting "people with their eyes too close together" though you could always raise it with the Safer Parks Team police liaison officer on the day...

[d70mpv]

Hi there, I'm really interested in going to the park to see the deer. I've just got a couple of questions - one about stalking them during the rut and the other about ticks (or rather their bites!).

Firstly, are you allowed to stalk them to get close to get pictures (I've a 400mm lens which I was hoping would be long enough [equivalent to a 15ish times zoom lens on a compact camera)? I would imagine that during the rut they'll be extra aggressive and I wouldn't like to get myself in trouble (but equally would like to get some nice pics of the rut). Also, are there any areas that the deer tend to be or do they roam free throughout the site?

Secondly, being a former microbiologist I know all too well the problem with deer ticks that can harbour Lyme Disease. Are the deer watchable and approachable (given the caveats from my first question) in a manner that wouldn't involve wading through large amounts of vegetation? I'll take the usual precautions against tick bites but wanted to know if there were any tips for watching them that meant I could minimise my exposure to the biting things

Thanks, I know it's a little off-topic but derelict your pic says it all and I'm hoping for some expert advice

Would love to make it down tomorrow but I've had an op on my leg and I'm non too mobile at the mo. Plus the trains from here in Cambridge down to London are all a**e about t** tomorrow with rail replacement services for parts of the way. It'd take me best part of 3 hours each way which'd be quite a tiring end to the weekend

[derelict]

Originally Posted by d70mpv

Hi there, I'm really interested in going to the park to see the deer. I've just got a couple of questions - one about stalking them during the rut and the other about ticks (or rather their bites!).

I'd refer you to other threads in "Wild Places" and "General Wildlife" forums - there's a lot of shared experiences in there. And there's a long-running "ticks" thread too...

Originally Posted by d70mpv

Firstly, are you allowed to stalk them to get close to get pictures ?

Don't forget Hampton Court has Bushy Park adjoining it - a smaller version of Richmond Park but flatter and with the same mix of deer. The consensus is that normally the deer in BP are more approachable than those in RP. This is especially true of the fallow does and red stags. In fact I get quite spooked by how close you can be to a BP red stag without trying.

You will find that your common sense and sense of self-preservation are your best guides to approaching red deer in the rut. I always say "30 yards and no further" (try doing that in the wild on a casual visit!) but I've seen plenty of people go closer and none have been spitted. I don't like to watch though.

Neither RP nor BP lend themselves to traditional stalking under ordinary circumstances - the deer are simply too familiar with the ways of people. If they catch you stalking them it will usually be to your disadvantage. You can generally get closer to the deer by sticking to the network of paths that traverse the park as it fits their mental model of acceptable human behaviour.

Originally Posted by d70mpv

...Also, are there any areas that the deer tend to be or do they roam free throughout the site?

The bigger stags attach themselves to the hinds which roam freely and follow them everywhere. There are a number of harems and they will be distributed throughout the open spaces of the park. Ask this question again when you are about to come down. The best time is in early October when the hinds start to come on heat - the action kicks off then as everything with antlers wants a go.

Originally Posted by d70mpv

Secondly, being a former microbiologist I know all too well the problem with deer ticks that can harbour Lyme Disease. :

So do I, having had a dose in Dec 2005 from a 'bad' bite - ironic as ticks generally shun me. The handful of biters I've had over the years are as nothing compared with the numbers I've found walking round on my hands trying to get off. Most of the bites have been on my midriff, from sitting in the grass. The rut is pretty much 'in your face'. There's no need to go wading through bracken stands.

Access -

RP is not particularly accessible to the train traveller. Go to Richmond and take a taxi to the park - and be prepared to pay the driver to do a quick circuit to see where the action is (don't forget to get his number for the return journey as taxis don't ply for business in the park). Extra expense, but the saving in photography time will be prodigious.

[d70mpv]

Wonderful, thanks very much Derelict, right on the money there so thanks for that.