Mountain Life
The wildlife that lives on the uplands of Wales is very precious and much of it is rare. It has also specialised to live and grow in a relatively infertile habitat and exists in conditions which are often hostile. Iolo discovers choughs nesting in an old mine shaft in Snowdonia, rooks nesting on the Black Mountain, peregrines nesting above Rhondda Fawr and wild goats rutting on the Rhinogydd.
Diary of a Cameraperson – Steve Phillipps
The goats were pretty hard work. I spent hours hiking in the mountains with my camera in the rain looking for them. Also we nearly missed the rut but were lucky because one female was left in season and all the males were after her which actualy meant we probably got better footage than we would have mid-rut.
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The feral goats are difficult to follow. Although they're not timid, they don't tolerate a close approach, so they constantly move on as you follow them, so you have to keep moving with them all day with heavy equipment in the difficult terrain.
With only this one female in oestrus, the males would all hang around her and follow her when she moved. As soon as one rose up to mate with her, another would butt him off so he wouldn't have a chance!
The kids are gorgeous but even more tricky to work with, for two reasons. First, they're smaller so you need to get a bit closer to get a good-sized shot. Secondly, the mothers are really nervous when they have young, so they tend to move them away as soon as they get wind of you.
There's mixed opinion about whether the goats have a rightful place in Snowdonia but I can't imagine the place without them!
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