The Rut!

It's that time of year again...

Over the next few weeks the annual rut will take place; this is a fantastic time to observe the deer, it is a fascinating time of year. The males that have spent lazy summer days together, growing antlers and putting on weight (in preparation for the rut) become less tolerant of each other and separate.

Triggered by shorter daylight hours, they will begin to call; the Red Deer have a loud bellow that can be heard over long distances while the Fallow make a noise that can be best described as a belching rasp!

Bellowing Deer: Photos courtesy of Ben Pickersgill - Flickr

Wallows are dug out in a wet area with thrashing antler and pawing hoof, they are urinated in before wallowing begins to give the animal not only a fearsome appearance but a pungent smell too! Antlers may be adorned with grass for a similar reason. All this display, vocal and physical, is to intimidate rivals and to attract females. Bucks will “parallel walk”, walking along side each other over long distances, calling and sizing each other up. Fighting is a last resort. Antlers clash, locked together in a pushing match to decipher the strongest animal, this may go on for some time with two evenly matched individuals. The weaker one will eventually back down and retreat, the victor will often at this point, call at them in celebratory fashion. Injuries do occur but are thankfully uncommon. During the rut the males cease feeding.

Wallowing in the mud: photos courtesy of Ben Pickersgill - Flickr

The differences between Red & Fallow Deer

The two species of deer here at Tatton employ two different strategies to facilitate successful mating. Red Deer physically herd together a group of females known as a harem and move around with them, defending them against any interloper. Young males are often seen on the peripheries of the group, opportunists waiting for the alpha male to be distracted!

Fallow Deer have a totally different technique; they choose a territory, often in woodland on raised ground. This is known as a “stand” where the Buck will call from to attract does into his territory. Branches in the area will have scent on them, smeared from a gland just below their eye; this is visible on the buck’s face. 

The females only come season for a twenty four hour period and only during this time will she stand for the male. If she is not covered early in the rut, she will again come into season later, but this is not ideal as it leads to late calves the following year.

The rut ends in November; then the males gorge themselves on acorns desperate to replenish energy in time for the on set of winter.

We would like to thank Ben Pickersgill, a park visitor who very kindly sent in and allowed us to use these wonderful Deer images, that really capture the Deer Rut.

For more fantastic images of the parkland and its wildlife visit our Facebook page or find us on Flickr. 

Darren Morris, Park Ranger

Join in our winter wildlife events in the parkland

January is the perfect time to blow away the cobwebs and work off the Christmas pudding in the historic parkland at Tatton Park, in rural Cheshire East. There are two parkland events this month to encourage visitors to pull on their walking boots and experience the wildlife of this stunning 1,000-acre deer park.



White deer in the snow

©Gary Cross



On Sunday, January 15 enjoy some winter wildfowl watching at the ‘Allen Bird Hide’ overlooking Melchett Mere. Members of Knutsford Ornithological Society and a Tatton ranger will be on hand to help visitors to identify different species of birds and also to help inquisitive twitchers use a telescope for fantastic, close-up views. Winter Wildfowl is a free, drop-in event between 11am-2pm for both beginners and experienced bird watchers. Park entry charge of £5 per car applies.



The hide is positioned on one of the most beautiful areas of the parkland, at the water’s edge of Melchett Mere off Knutsford Drive and provides a stunning view across a 500 metre stretch of water into the meadow and rough grassland of the deer park.



Winter visitors to the mere include many species of wildfowl including; goldeneye, teal and tufted ducks. Cormorants, shovelers and little grebe are often sighted and a juvenile whooper swan has recently been seen on the mere. Visitors may be lucky enough to see a smew, a rare duck which has in the past been spotted at Tatton in early January. Bird feeders around the hide also encourage many woodland birds such as finches, tits and the impressive great spotted woodpecker.

If deer are more to your delight, join the rangers on Tuesday, January 17 for a Deer Walk and Light Lunch.

Tatton Park is one of the best places in the North West to see these extraordinary animals up close (and not quite personal). A deer park since 1290, Tatton is now home to over 400 Red and Fallow deer, who roam freely within its 1,000 acres of parkland.



Enjoy a walk through the stunning winter parkland and learn more about the deer and their habitat from Tatton’s expert ranger team. The walk will finish with a light lunch at the Stables Restaurant. This activity takes place from 10am-12pm and costs £12 per person (minimum participant age 16 years). This activity must be booked in advance; please call 01625 374428 or email tattoneducation@cheshireeast.gov.uk

We hope you can join us!

Eleanor Gorsuch, Marketing

Winter work in the parkland

A walk through Tatton's parkland will reveal several areas covered by Rhododendron bushes, which in recent years have been found to be susceptible to a plant disease called Phytophthora.  Imported from Europe and America, Phytophthora are virulent fungal infections which attack the plant through its roots, often in wet ground, causing the blackening and wilting of leaves, as well as cankers and lesions in the bark of some species. Phytophthora can be transmitted to other plants through ground water, wind and even on people's clothes and footwear.  The Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) class Phytophthora as a notifiable disease. 

It is important that Tatton takes measures to protect itself from this disease and especially the important plant collections in the gardens.  In this respect the Ranger team are being pro-active: we will receive training on how to identify the disease and begin to remove some areas of Rhododendron, particularly those areas closest to the gardens.  This will be labour intensive and we are happy to recruit a team of volunteers to help with this and other tasks on the estate.  Should you be interested in volunteering, please contact the Ranger team on 01625 374414.

Take a walk on a cold frosty morning and look in the rushes and long grass. Amongst the foliage are strings of crystal droplets sparkling in the early morning light.  No matter how cold it is, the spiders living in the estate spin webs to catch their prey all year round. On a frosty morning they hang like festive baubles, glittering.  They show perfectly intricate designs the arachnids produce.  An average spider in warmer months will produce a new web every 24 hours and they are constantly updating and repairing them.  To do this they eat the old web to recycle silk for the new one.

Winter deer feed   ©Peter Spooner

The Red and Fallow deer herds are given supplementary feed daily through the winter.  This consists of carrots, haylage and mineral enriched dairy nuts.  The feeding starts once the cold weather sets in and garzing becomes limited.  Normally we would be feeding by the end of November, but due to the prolonged mild weather this has not been necessary.  The daily deer feed is an excellent opportunity for the ranger team to assess the condition of the herd.  The long line of carrots put out ensures the smaller and less dominant animals are able to feed and enables us to carry out census work accurately.  This winter there is opportunity for the public to witness the feed and observe the deer from the relative comfort of a passenger trailer.  The dates offered are 20th and 21st December (now sold out), 14th and 15th February.  Please book in advance on 01625 374428 as places go very quickly.

There will also be the opportunity to see some of the numerous species of wildfowl that visit Tatton during the winter.  Come along to the Allen Hide between 11am and 1pm on Sunday 15 January - there will be members of the Knutsford Ornithological Society present to give advice and to help you identify the various species with the aid of a telescope.

Darren Morris, Ranger Team

In Our View: Rangers’ Photographic Exhibition



Sunrise in the parkland

©Clem West

A new exhibition titled ‘In Our View’ starts in the mansion on 19 July, running until the end of October.

It comprises of a collection of photos taken solely within the parkland by the rangers. With over 200 years of Tatton Park service between us, we hope our affinity with this beautiful, natural setting is reflected in the collection of our own photos.

The Red and Fallow deer feature strongly in many of the photos, singly and in groups, close up or silhouetted against a beautiful backdrop. However, Tatton’s stunning landscapes and its rich variety of flora and fauna are also very well represented in the collection. The constantly changing weather, seasons and light enable Tatton to provide fantastic and very different photo opportunities all year around.

A wide range of cameras have been used to take these photos, ranging from a ‘humble’ pocket compact to a tripod mounted SLR with a large flash gun!

The exhibition takes place in the mansion from Tuesday 19 July to Sun 30 October (closed Mondays)

Clem West, Tatton Park Ranger