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The sounds of the seasons in Richmond
The sounds of the seasons in Richmond arrive before you see them. A swift’s scream high over the river in May tells you summer is coming. The first roar of a stag in Richmond Park means October has turned. These are the voices of the borough’s calendar. You learn them without trying. The dawn chorus […]
Richmond deer and the first time you saw them
Richmond deer make themselves known before you see them. You hear the bellow first, low and guttural, rising through the bracken like something out of a nature film. Then you spot the antlers, the pale rump, the stocky shape moving between the oaks. If you grew up somewhere else, this moment feels impossible. Wild deer. […]
When the dawn chorus in Richmond wakes you at half past four
The dawn chorus in Richmond reaches its loudest in late April and early May, when you might find yourself wide awake at half past four. Blackbirds start first, their fluting notes cutting through the dark. Then thrushes join in, then wrens, then robins, building into a wall of sound that makes sleep impossible. Richmond Park […]
Richmond’s robins claim the winter quiet
Richmond’s robins own the winter air now. Step outside at dusk and you will hear them: clear notes cutting through the cold. Every other garden bird has gone silent. The robin sings on. They defend their territories all year, these small fierce birds. But in winter they sing alone. No blackbird chorus. No wren chatter. […]
Richmond deer at dusk, a hundred strong and moving as one
Richmond deer appear at dusk in numbers that stop you mid-stride. A hundred animals crossing the grass together, moving like a single breathing thing. You hear them first: the soft drum of hooves, the occasional low bark cutting through the quiet. October brings the rut, and with it the park’s loudest month. Stags bellow from […]
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