A muntjac on the edge of the village was a change from the usual hares and rabbits.
29th March
I headed to the Brecks after work nut the weather put pay to my plans but as I passed Weeting the reserve was open, I had it to myself. There were rabbits everywhere and I quickly located a stone curlew. A woodlark was displaying, and a small group of roe deer crossed the bottom of the reserve. It was an hour before I got my first sighting of a stoat with something in its mouth, but it was gone down a hole. It left the hole and vanished in a hollow and disappeared. It returned this way and I got a view of it carrying a kit in its mouth clearly moving den site and I got a couple of other brief sightings but its route was mostly obscured. Still very nice to see.
The hedgehog returned to my garden again this evening and this time I was ready with the camera and some food which he seemed to enjoy.
28th March
Taking advantage of the light evenings paid a visit to a site I had been given for some exotics in Cambs, there were 9 hares in the vicinity but none were very approachable. Neither was a rabbit but I got some record shots. I did not have to wait too long until my target arrived a cracking male Reeve's Pheasant and it was joined by another. I watched for a few mins before they left through the undergrowth and were not seen again during my stay. Signs in my garden during the weekend gardening were confirmed as hedgehog in the early hours as it was rooting around the edge of my pond, so I put some food out for it, nice to see it is still around.
26th March
A late start after the motorbike MOT which it passed, I was going to do some herping but the weather was against it, so I opted for mammals instead but it did not go well only a common shrew for my efforts. A visit to Dungeness to look for the stoat that has got a den in a certain area did not produce either and there was not much of note there either. Off to the wild boar, the trail cams had mixed news on had stopped working one had slipped and was pointing the wrong way, but the third had loads of pics of wild boar, badger and fox. I staked out the feeding station for a few hours but nothing at all so headed for home, and had fox and hares on the edge of the village. What a poor day still I guess I was due for one.
25th March
A bank vole at a brief stop on the way home but no photos.
24th March
A few incidental sightings of wood mouse unfortunately it died of shock after being brought in by my cat, and a pygmy shrew foraging by the side of the road on my way to work, but as soon as I got out of the car to get the camera it ran off.
22nd March
An errand saw me in Kent for some of the afternoon but the rest of the time was my own and in the summer sunshine I took a look for herps. No adders but two slow worms and two common lizards for my efforts. I also had my first common shrew of the year dashing about in the undergrowth. I headed to Sussex to restock the wild boar feeding site and install the now repaired trail cameras. It was a mammal fest well rabbits mainly but a feral ferret did a hunting run after them and disappeared into the undergrowth. A few grey squirrels and a fox the only other mammals spotted, but I did flush a woodcock on the walk out. It was time for chips but I only had enough money for chips or the tunnel so I had to forgo the chips.
21st March
A noctule bat not far from work just before dusk.
20th March
Another cracking day, we headed for home with a few stops along the way, first was Arne, where we had some cracking sika deer however the point I chose to stand in was a wood ant nest, not very clever and did not please my wife. A couple of the young stags were doing some antler locking and battling but it was just a bit of practice and not too forcefull.
A few grey squirrels and a hare were also seen, and there was a roosting tawny owl. We then headed for the New Forest and after a few stops to see various ponies we reached Boulderwood where the fallow deer herd were all resting not doing much at all. There were no stags in the heard at all, so we headed for home via various parents for tea. A roe deer the only thing of note.
19th March
A weekend away in Dorset with friends but I managed to get out and about. Nursing the effects of several pints of real ale did not make the search for smooth snakes at my first stop any easier and it was still a little cold as I could not find any despite a long search. I had better luck with the sand lizards at a second site with several showing nicely. Next it was onto Lodmoor RSPB where a brief search located the long staying but sleeping Long billed dowicher along with a cracking summer plumaged black tailed godwit and a snipe. A wander round produced two spoonbills and a couple of cetti's warblers, my first butterflies of the year a comma and a peacock were enjoying the sun. There was nothing of note at Radipole so I headed to Portland for some wall lizards, which is when it all went wrong. As I entered the quarry a dog ran up to me bit me on the leg and ran back to its owner, the trousers were shredded and blood poured from my leg. I spoke to the owner who refused to enter into a conversation about recompense for the trousers and ran off. A few photos of the owner, dog and the getaway car were taken. I headed back to Weymouth for a visit to the hospital (tetanus, antibiotics and dressing of the wound) and then on to the police station, all which took its time which meant I missed the rugby (small mercies eh!). Chips and beer finished off the day.
15th March
Finally able to get out of work during daylight I popped up to Lackford Lakes but the Baltic gull was not showing but a few yellow legged gulls and 14 goosander were present. A muntjac was feeding in a reed cut but by the time I had got to a point with a clear view it had moved off. But the journey home produced another muntjac in a field which allowed me to get out and film it, no photos due to the near darkness, but the video was ok. A few frogs and toads on the toad crossing allowed some photos.
12th March
Finally able to get out after family commitments and work, but it did not go according to plan. I got up a bit later than planned and so was a bit late at Woods Mill. I was quickly onto a water shrew but my camera was dead, a quick return to the car for the spare but the shrew had gone, and stayed gone. Spring was beginning, several bumblebees a chiffchaff and mating toads made a welcome distraction. I headed to the boar woods, one of the trail cameras had stopped working! I set hopefully to see some boar, but only rabbits and a fox before the heavens opened and I headed for home after a rather unproductive day.
1st March
A couple of badgers to start the month off mammal wise.
26th February
A mega early start (did not please the wife) to go to Ambleside, I assured her the torrential rain during the whole journey was going to pass and on the whole it did bar one big shower but more of that later. We arrived at Ambleside and was soon at the pier where we bumped into fellow mammalers Kenny and Cat. They had already seen an otter but were waiting for access to the best areas. While we waited we searched out the long tailed duck and saw a few goosander and goldeneye. Finally we were allowed into the car park and it was not too long before we saw an otter fishing under the pier before it came out into the open, showing very closely. It went awol for a while before we spotted it further out. A rain shower made us move into the pier cafe for some breakfast before we headed off. A fruitless search for red squirrels before we headed to Haweswater to take a look for the golden eagle but the nice weather eased away and a heavy rain shower ensured there was a no show. Last stop was a little more exotic to track down some of the parrots in Cumbria and we found plenty 6 blue and yellow macaws 4 scarlet macaws, 2 African grey parrots and two unidentified Amazon parrots, an aerobatic starling roost entertained as well. After some chips we headed for home after a good if long day.
Week commencing 21st February
This week again incredible busy at work but the warm wet weather has brought out the amphibians on my toad crossing, with almost 80 toads and a few frogs, smooth newts and a single great crested newt. Also during the week at dusk I has a single pipistrelle bat probably common we don't get many soprano's where I live.
19th February
Going to a friends in Macclesfield it was an opportunity to visit the peak district and catch up with the Mountain hares, which are usually easy to find, their white fur on a brown hillside. Today however it was snowing heavily and all the peaks were covered making my task considerably harder than usual. I visited a new site at Dovestone reservoir, it was a little walk but not particularly steep but the driving snow made it harder than it should have been. The red grouse were showing quite well, they stood out on the white snow. After a short while I picked up a mountain hare and had 5 individuals in about 30 mins, some showing very well. I managed a few photos between the snow showers but conditions were sub optimal and I beat a retreat to the car to dry out.
Week commencing 14th February
Again a busy week at work, but a few pre work visits to the mink rafts did not produce any mink but did produce a few good sightings. hares were plentiful and showing well starting their breeding activity. A muntjac was quite showy and corn buntings and skylarks were in full voice and grey partridges were starting to display. The second visit had a rather grey theme, a grey day, misty and grim, a grey squirrel the mammal highlight and the great grey shrike the bird highlight.
And I did manage a quick trip to see the Oriental turtle dove.
12th February
After a busy few weeks at work and other commitments I managed to get out and about on what turned out to be a rather mixed day. The weather was great almost spring like but clearly not good enough for the local bearded tits to put in an appearance. After a while I binned them off and headed into Kent after mammals and some less cuddly beasties. First off was water voles, but they were not very co-operative and it took a while to get a view and even longer to get any photos. But it did eventually play ball. But time had moved on and it was time for the wild boar woods, but nothing turned up apart from a rabbit. But the tawny owl show was well worth the visit owls coming to within 10 feet of me. I hoped for better luck at my last destination. My interest in non native species had me trying to see this species for a while and tonight I did. It was cold not ideal for scorpions, but looking into cracks in the wall with a UV light they fluoresce and can be easily spotted. Over 40 Yellow tailed scorpions were spotted in under 2 hours, but most were very deep in the cracks due to the cold weather. A couple were more obliging and I even got a few photos, also present another introduced species tube web spider were plentiful in the same wall.
31st January
A herd of 5 fallow deer on the way to work finished off a really good mammal month.
30th January
More BTO bird atlas again today but not much of note, cormorant, treecreeper and goldcrest the highlights (remember its 95% farmland round here), a few mammals made an appearance a few hares and grey squirrel and rabbit. It was RSPB garden birdwatch as well and the usual yellowhammers attended but the star bird was a lesser redpoll which attended and had been to next doors count as well.
29th January
Time for BTO bird atlas that did not produce much of note and no mammals at all! The afternoon was spent at a rather blustery Dungeness, the beach had a good passage of razorbills and the glaucous gull was still present. The mammals at the boar woods were more obliging, a fox visited before I was set up but the friendly badger arrived at a more convenient time and allowed some photos to be taken. A close tawny owl encounter and several woodcock finished off a rather cold night.
22nd January
A few mammals today a muntjac, a couple of hares and two badgers to round off an excellent mammal week. I did make a bird stop at Lakeside for the excellent and large flock of waxwings in between the rain showers.
20th January
More mink checks with a mink sighting and probable den site identified and prints on a raft, also of note a cracking barn owl.
19th January
A return to the Mink project this week and it got off to a great start, the highlight was a polecat close to last years sighting in the area where lots of rabbits are present. At least 5 brown hares and 20+ grey partridges in the set aside and a corn bunting added to the morning.
15th January
This morning I found myself in Sussex for a bat hibernacular check, after a few hiccups we managed to get into the first tunnel, and started looking for bats, brown long eared, daubentons and natterer's were all quickly located as were a few whiskered / Brant's difficult to separate in this situation but both probably present within the large numbers that were eventually counted. Eventually and after a bit of tension I did locate the large bat I was looking for, I was certain with the ID and confirmation from the experts was a formality that I was watching the Greater mouse eared bat which has been hibernating here for the last few years - magic. It was roosting out in the open allowing for great views but unfortunatly no photos are allowed in the roost. After the checks which produced no additional species I headed to the feeding station I have set up in the woods in the area. A few hours produced a fox three badgers and several wild boar which were very close but would not come to feed (did they sense my presence?) They had visited the previous evening according to the trail cam which had also recorded fox, badger and rabbit, in the last week, top day!
14th January
Only a muntjac on the way to work one morning to report this week, oh and Nikon 134 quid to replace a broken strap eyelet!! do it myself I think.
8th January
A day out in Kent started at Dungness RSPB, where very strong winds made it difficult to bird in. It was quiet but I did manage to find a couple of smew and at least two bitterns were flying around. A weasel crossed the path very quickly and disappeared into the undergrowth and I had some good views of an unmentionable species. I was about to go to the beach for the glaucous gull but the news of the Northern Long tailed tits in Dymchurch altered my destination. A brief stop for some Bewick's swans in a field before reaching Dymchurch. I was quickly onto the roving flock of long tailed tits and eventually onto the Northern long tailed tits. I followed them for a while but photography was a bit challenging due to the conditions and the fact that Nikon have my camera (don't get me started on that! useless @?#~*%) so was using the wifes, but I got a few. The first fox of the year was spotted on the way home.
7th January
Not much to report this week, a bank vole brought in by the cat and a few roe deer at the edge of the village was about it.
2nd January
A leisurely jaunt to Norfolk where we quickly located the Lady Amherst's Pheasant of unknown origin. Next off was Titchwell where the springwatchers were out in force and most of them could not park either! We took a wander, a whooper swan and a bittern the best birds we could muster on the way to the new hide, which looks flash but the money could have been better spent on buying the wildfowlers land next door! All the usual birds were about including a large raft of scoter on the sea. During the walk back we encountered the northern harrier as it flew towards Thornham. We drove to Morston to finish the day with a barn owl on the way, and a couple of common seals on Blakney point for our trouble.
1st January
With no ill effects from the night, I left the house just in time to rescue a field vole from the cat. I then headed down to Pett Levels in Sussex for a real goose fest. I started at the west end which had a couple of tundra bean geese, the main body of geese was at the eastern end but they were moving round quite a bit. The red breasted goose and black brant were easily located just before a large flock of whitefronts flew in, a total of 9 species of goose were present. Next I went to the woods, a woodcock was flushed before I settled down to watch some recent wild boar signs. I was rewarded a few hours later with a wild boar which ran through, but behind me and the camera was not mobile enough or quick enough. I had to leave but staked out some very fresh tracks crossing the path, and although they would not cross the path I got a few distant views between the trees of at least two wild boar.
2010 Summary
Well what a year, first the numbers 31 dragonfly species with notable additions of scarce blue tailed damselfly, southern emerald damselfly and southern migrant hawker. I had to ignore butterflies a little with only 37 species seen this year. Bird wise a very good year picking up some good lifers such as pied billed grebe, solitary sandpiper, American bittern, alder flycatcher, western bonelli's warbler, the controversial house finch, lesser Kestrel and Oriental pratincole in a total of 300 species. But the highlight were the mammals a staggering 59 species and I even managed to photograph 49 of those. The best species were new ones and a double helping of bearded seal clearly the best but the white beaked dolphins and Orkney vole were of course excellent as well.
Herp wise the best year so far with 15 species including alpine newt. Trip wise an excellent year all the trips were in Europe to see some of the best it can offer from the bat roosts of Hungary to the crane gathering in Sweden and some top mammals in Spain all were excellent and plenty more this year.
