Killarney National Park is the best place in Ireland or Britain to study red deer stags.
That's according to Nick Gates, producer and director of the BBC nature show 'Wild Isles'.
The programme sees David Attenborough celebrate the rich variety of wildlife across Ireland and Britain.
Filmed in extraordinary detail, it shows new behaviour from animals we think we know well - and from others whose existence here may come as a surprise.
This Sunday's programme features red deer stags in Killarney.
Nick Gates told Newstalk Breakfast this is the best place to see them.
"We filmed it during the end of 2020... and having decided that that was the best place that we could film red deer in the whole of Ireland and Britain," he said.
"We sent a film crew that I was part of to capture what is one of the most beautiful landscapes in the whole of this series".
Mr Gates said watching the deer rutting was "remarkable."
"That behaviour when you've got the best part of 200kg [of] each animal powering into each each other.
"Antler is one of the hardest organic materials on Earth, and they slam into each other with such force.
"It's such a powerful spectacle".
Mr Gates said the fights can sometimes spill over into nearby waters.
"[This] make for an utterly enticing spectacle", he said.
"We really hope that it'll be a grand finale to the grasslands episode this weekend".
A Puffin is seen on Wild Isles. Picture by: BBCHe said before they even get there, a lot of work goes into the project.
"There's a huge amount that goes on to get us even to the point where we're in the field filming.
"Lots of research, lots of reces, lots of work with brilliant local naturalists, farmers, rangers.
"When we get on location... that's part of 65 days on location with sometimes three different camera teams working in different areas.
"The way we get that behaviour is to really get into the heads of the creatures that we're trying to film, so that we can begin to second guess what they're going to do next.
"That takes time; just studying individual animals out in the wild doing what they do every day".
'We all have responsibility'
Mr Gates said he hopes people take away one message from the series.
"We all have a collective responsibility - we know how depleted the nature is here," he said.
"Everyone can play their part in helping it return - whether that's planting a box full of wildflowers on a balcony... or getting involved in your local parks team.
"Those little actions all add up and make a huge difference," he added.
Listen back to the full interview below:
Wild Isles airs Sunday at 7pm on BBC One
