Cool, misty mornings on the nature reserve, can hide the excitement of the annual rut for one of our largest, often unseen mammals: the secretive Fallow deer.

For Fallow, the rut begins late September, with peak activity between early October to early November. The impressive bucks will establish and defend a small territory, which is termed a rutting stand. They will make deep belching sounds, in the hopes of attracting lots of does.

An early morning walk on site, may offer the opportunity to observe from a distance, the excitement when two similarly matched bucks come across each other. The bucks will effectively size each other up, walking side by side, evaluating their competitor’s size and condition – this is called parallel walking.

If equally matched, this advances to clashing with antlers, but there is the opportunity for one buck to walk away before it progresses, if during the parallel walking, he decides he cannot take on his opponent – some might say a measured approach to deciding who is top buck!

From the very big, to the very small – walks across the site at this time of year, can also yield some fantastic fungi finds. One of the more delicate species is the Angel bonnet – often found in clumps. It is also called the late season bonnet and can be found on fallen trunks and deadwood of beech and ash trees. An interesting identification feature for this species, is its iodine like odour which is strongest when the mushroom has been dried.

One of the most colourful species on the nature reserve at this time of year is the unrivalled spindle tree – easily identifiable over the winter due to the shockingly bright pink fruits, and equally bright orange seeds, which look a little bit like popcorn. Here on the nature reserve, it can be spotted amongst hedges and on the edge of scrub, proving to be a valuable and colourful addition to the scrub assemblage across the mosaic of chalk downland.

Not only is it an ancient woodland indicator species, but it also supports a variety of species: the caterpillars of moths such as the spindle ermine feed on the leaves, as does the caterpillars of one of our earliest butterflies, the holly blue. The bright pink fruits will be consumed by birds including blackbirds, thrushes and robins, by small mammals, and even foxes have been observed foraging on them. For us, this species is best observed rather than consumed!