Report on the NNPNUK Fieldtrip to Bushy Park on Tuesday 6 October 2026

On misty dawn in West London, on Tuesday 6 October, 13 NPNUK members, including two new members from Croydon, gathered at Bushy Park to photograph a wide range of wildlife, but mostly the rutting red deer stags, to be immediately surrounded by the hubbub of bellowing stags, the clashing of antlers, and the swirling mist. As the dawn light strengthened, after mantling their kit, the members split into smaller groups and set off across the park. In addition to the main attraction, there were grey herons, egrets, several species of gull, cormorants and, as the sun rose, even an occasional dragonfly! Coffee in the café followed later in the morning, with old friends happy to be catching up.

For the pernickety purists amongst us, 10C cooler would have enabled steam to flow from the Stags’ nostrils to accompany the bellowing, but as the images below suggest, this was a very successful field trip.