By Richard Ashmore There's nothing mellow about this seasonal sensation as testosterone-fuelled stags battle it out against the stunning backdrop of Richmond Park. Photographer Mark Bridger, 45, took these quintessential autumn pictures in the last two weeks at the famous deer park in south west London. October and early November are the traditional time of the rut when stags lock antlers to compete for mating rights with the females. Arriving at dawn Mark caught some of the action on camera watching a pair of fallow deer fight for over an hour. In the background a herd of females is visible seeming to watch the action like a ringside boxing crowd to see which male will come out on top. Mark, from Sevenoaks, Kent, said he had to get up at dawn to make the most the fabulous autumn light framing the rut. He said: "The two males locking horns were fallow deer, much lighter than the larger red deer and they must have been fighting for about an hour. "Watching them in the trees were the female deer, they decide who to mate with depending on who wins. And then another male tries his luck and the whole thing starts all over again. "These stags don't eat or sleep for weeks, all their energy is directed at fighting for the chance to mate with females. "They give off quite a horrible smell as well which I think is attractive to deer but not to humans." ENDS