I am extremely lucky to have a friend in Aude who is a great wildlife photographer. I often rely on him for images.
Self-taught, Michel Fernandez was at one time the president of the LPO (Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux) Aude, but now concentrates on photography.
His passion began with insects and birds, but quickly broadened to include all of natural life, from reptiles to mammals and plants, especially orchids. Eager to immortalise nature, he decided to photograph it.
Very quickly, he came into contact with a group of friends driven by the same passion for photography with whom he shared techniques and approaches to wildlife photography.
When asked, he stresses that there are rules to be followed.
“For certain animals, like large mammals, you have to be hidden and camouflaged from head to toe; show as little skin as possible and above all camouflage your face.
“We must also pay attention to the direction of the wind which can carry our scent to the animal. Another important point: total immobility because their vision is based on movement, the slightest gesture will give the game away”.
Practicing these rules takes discipline, acceptance of a certain amount of discomfort, a huge dose of patience, but such practice leads to exceptional images.
In March 2010, he created his website www.mes-photos-nature.fr highlighting “The image hunter that is the nature photographer does not kill... he immortalises”. (A nod to his past as an insect hunter).
Without forgetting the motto specific to any self-respecting nature photographer “Observe without ever disturbing”.
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The subjects he has photographed are many, but here are a selection of the ungulates – hoofed ruminant mammals of the deer families Cervidae – that are seen in the Pyrenees.
Deer, stags and fawns
The most common deer to be seen in the high altitude forests is the Red deer (Cerf élaphe). It is a large animal, males weighing up to 300 kg.
The stags grow their antlers (bois) each year in preparation for the rut (brame) which starts in mid-September, after which they are shed in Spring and, if you are lucky, you have a chance to find them.
The purpose of the rut is to impress the hinds (biches) and prevent them from mating with other stags.
The stags display with a drawn out bellowing roar, very impressive to hear, a primitive sound which can travel over several kilometres.
Red deer and fawnMichel Fernandez
Rarely do two stags have to resort to combat – the quality of the sound is enough to signal to rivals and potential mates which stag is the most attractive to sire the offspring.
The deeper the roar, the bigger the stag. Much of this action can take place at night, and this year we heard a battle with the clash of antlers near the Mill, but it was a dark night, so sadly invisible.
After mating, the hinds then separate from the stags to give birth in early Spring, and will gather in herds with their close female relatives.
The stags forget their rivalry, and can also form herds. Found at lower altitudes is a much smaller animal, weighing a tenth of a Red deer and more the size of a large goat, called a Roe deer (chevreuil).
This is the deer occasionally to be heard barking out a dog-like alarm when one spots you and runs off through the woods, flashing white rumps as they go.
The males shed their 30 centimetre antlers between October and December, and immediately start to regrow them, finishing in March.
The rut comes in mid-July and August, but the females can delay the embryo implantation until the end of the year, giving birth in May/June.
The well camouflaged fawns (faon) have the instinct to lie still in long grass whilst their mothers go off to browse.
The hinds and the fawns stay together until the following summer.
Pyrenean chamois or Izards
There are two other ungulates that can be seen in the higher mountain pastures. Of the two, the Izard or Isard is more common.
When I see them they are usually in small groups, with one sometimes posted in a prominent position seeming to keep a lookout.
Like all prey animals they have to stay constantly alert for danger from predators, bears, wolves, and of course man, although hunting (la chasse) is strictly controlled.
Living high in the remote mountain regions, access by vehicle is not easy, and I once came across a young man butchering a carcass and loading the meat into a rucksack so he could carry it – at least partly on foot – home.
Like many mountain animals, the rigours of winter can drive them lower to milder climates.
They are endemic to the Pyrenees, whilst their cousins the chamois are more widespread throughout the Alps and indeed beyond France.
They are notably smaller and lighter than chamois, but both are capable of scaling steep cliff faces being equipped with flexible hooves that grip the rock face.
Notable features are the striking markings on the faces, and the pair of swept backward dark horns. Both males and females carry horns, but the males are normally larger.
Both Izards were nearly hunted to extinction during the 1940’s, mainly to produce ‘chamois’ leather, but numbers have increased since they are protected, and the conservation status is now of least concern.
Finally there is a stockier animal called a mouflon.
You have to be lucky to see these, as the numbers are very small.
A pair of Mouflons with their massive hornsMichel Fernandez
They are a reintroduced ancient sheep species having disappeared from the mountains at the end of the Pleistocene era (the ‘Ice Age’ stretching from 2.58 million years ago to 11,700 years ago).
I was once lucky enough to come across a small family group of just the two adults and a young one high in the mountains of the Pyrénées-Orientales.
They are strictly protected, and unlikely to be hunted. Similar sheep species are to be found throughout Asia.
As can be seen in the image above, these animals have massive horns, and the males will engage in rugged battles for dominance. These fine images are a testament to Michel’s art, skill and patience.
