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Ashridge Estate is set in over 5,000 acres of open
countryside and stretches along the ridge of the Chilterns and through the Home
Counties of Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. | | Ashridge
- the spectacle of the deer rut. |
The estate has
a wide variety of habitats from woodland and open countryside to chalk downland,
all of which support a rich diversity of wildlife.
The mature woodlands
of beech, oak and sycamores are particularly magnificent during the autumn when
their burnished colours stand out in a spectacular display of colour. If
you're looking for a close encounter with truly wild deer, this is one of the
best places to visit in Britain. Rutting season  During
the autumn there are over a thousand wild animals roaming throughout this parkland,
getting for the autumn deer rut.
The Fallow Deer are easily identified
distinguished by their white spots. At this time of year the males visitors
can see the males locking
horns, calling females and scent-marking during the
autumn rut. As well as Fallow, it's also worth keeping your eyes open for
Muntjac Deer which have been at Ashridge since they escaped from Woburn Park in
Bedfordshire in the 1920's. The Muntjac is the smallest British deer, only
slightly bigger than a large dog. If you want to see the deer look for tell-tale
signs of their presence: - watch out for
deer damage to trees
- listen for deer sounds: during the rut the bucks make
a distinctive noise
- keep your eyes open for deer scrapings
- use your
nose to detect the scent of deer and the smell of their droppings
- look out
for eaten autumn fruits left behind by deer
- get up very early to catch a
glimpse of the deer early in the day
Deer
spectacle  The
autumn deer rut is one of nature's greatest spectacles.
During the autumn
the stags start calling and fighting each other, as they pursue the females.
A
doe is only in her fertile phase for a day or less each year so competition to
mate is incredibly high.
If you want to see the rut, timing is crucial
and it's quite difficult to pin down when it's exactly going to happen.
But
it usually starts around mid October in Hertfordshire and it's triggered by the
shortening of the days and cold snaps in the weather. Dead
wood  Look
around the estate and you'll see quite a lot of dead wood lying around - this
is great for invertebrates and other wildlife.
Insects are attracted by
the dead wood including beetles whilst Bats and Hornets both make use of dead
wood holes. Ashridge is also great for fungi, boasting a wide variety of
types including the Fly Agaric Toadstools (with red with white spots) associated
with birch trees and the 'chicken of the woods' fungus that grows on trees. If
you're looking for edible mushrooms, consult a good field guide and follow a few
basic rules: 1) Never take mushrooms with
gills.
2) Never eat raw wild mushrooms.
3) Don't eat anything you haven't
identified - if in doubt don't eat it!
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