Leighton Moss...Deer and Bittern.

This is the second installment of my trip to Leighton Moss last week. As I was driving along to the main part of the reserve,following my visit to the Eric Morecambe Hide, I spotted a Roe Deer Buck feeding close to the road. The opportunities to see roe deer so close are rare so I hastily stopped and reversed the car to get a better position for photos. Of course the deer bounded away but fortunately not very far and he stopped to have a good look at me. This gave me the chance to grab the camera and fire off a salvo of shots before the deer departed for the adjacent woodland. A wonderful experience to see this magnificent animal so close and even better to be able to record the meeting,with the camera.Two of the shots grace the beginning of this post.
I carried on to the main reserve where my intention was to see Red Deer,which come out of the reedbeds in the evenings to feed on the lush vegetation surrounding the freshwater pools. My first port of call was the Griesdale Hide. There were a couple of distant deer lying down but soon more deer with a fawn appeared not far from the hide. This family of deer gave some super views in the evening sunshine as they made their way around the edge of the reedbeds. This was turning out to be a super session at Leighton Moss but there was yet another surprise awaiting me at theTim Jackson Hide.
This was to be my last port of call before heading home. As I entered the hide I was made aware that the three others present  were watching something to the left of the hide.I was expecting another red deer but it was in fact a bittern. The bittern stayed close to the reeds in the twenty minutes or so that it was on view,but still gave super views in the evening sun. What a wonderful way to end a magnificent day at Leighton Moss and one that will remain in the memory for a long time to come.