12 Mar What is that strange bellowing sound ?

This week between rainbows, rain and sunshine I have been raking up the thick layer of damp heavy leaves along the roads,  planning the weeks ahead,  when this familiar noise broke my reverie. The sound was deep and loud and was incredibly close,  instantly breaking into my thoughts taking all of my attention.  There it was again, so close, it sounded like a cow, but not a cow.  Was it a sick cow I wondered, and what on earth was it doing in the park.  As I stood motionlessly glued to the spot,  waiting to hear rustling within the trees, so it called again, it was so loud !!!  The park once again fell into silence,  the birds were singing, but I had blocked them out to listen to the noise I did not recognise & had never heard before.   As I heard it again I laid down my rake to take a look around, scanning where I thought the noise to be, but nothing.  I stood and listened for a while, thinking is this animal watching me trying to see it, laughing at me ?! I went back to where I was working, picked up my rake and went back to work, but I was listening and watching all of the time.   The same thing happened on tuesday & wednesday too. Each time I searched, but saw nothing.  Stuart joined me late on Wednesday and we worked on into the dark, picking up the heavy soggy piles of leaves I had raked.  It is impossible to use the leaf blower at the moment, as it is so wet.  As dusk turned into the darkness of night, there it was again, loud, clear and so close, a deep loud & throaty bellowing.   I had told Stuart about the cow noise, that was not really a cow sound, and just got a strange look that told me that perhaps I was hearing things, crazy wife with a wonderful imagination  ?!!!!!  But now, with a look of sheer excitement on his face, he looked and said,  “that is not a cow it is a cerf”.  A Cerf is a Stag, and several times during the last 18 months or so  they have been seen  around the Village.  In moments Stuart was off into the darkness searching for the glinting eyes of this exquisite animal, but he was hiding well and not to be found. Thursday we were at a meeting, but on Friday  I was back alone in the woods  once again, and then it happened, so close and so loud,  it did sound like a bit of an odd cow noise, but having investigated online, it was most definately the sound of a Stag.  On Saturday armed with my camera and my rake I went back to work, but this time not a sound was heard !!!!!! Sunday I celebrated birthdays and Mother’s day with my family and today it is dark, miserable and chucking it down with rain. So no stag photography today,  it is indoor work ! Who knows maybe he is still around and I may just be lucky enough to get a glimpse of this magnifcent creature !