Vole

I always carry my compact camera when I walk but often in the woods, for wildlife close up, it struggles to focus on the thing I want it to. If there is even a blade of grass between me and the subject it will want to focus on that! Today was one of those days when I wished I had my 'big camera' with me. To be able to manually expose and focus on the little vole that we spotted peaking out of its hole would have taken this photo to a whole new level.

As it is though I was chuffed when my husband saw it dart down the hole and even more elated when we watched it gently inch closer to the entrance again, sniff the air, hesitate, sniff, and eventually poke it's head right out. I had to slowly manoeuvre myself to one side to get a clear view and I'm happy with the shot.  Note to self - take the Nikon next time!

The hunt for the fairy toadstool

I think I have written here before about my interest in photographing fungi. They do fascinate me the way they just appear, mysterious and surrounded by tales of goblins, poisons and fairies. The obvious 'fairy toadstool' - the one of Brownie promises - is the Fly Agaric. Easily recognisable with its red and white cap starting bulbous and scarlet and eventually opening out flat in a faded orange. It screams danger and rightly so!

As the autumn gets a full hold we start to check out known areas for these very photogenic mushrooms. Sometimes we are lucky, other years we may be too early or too late. Sometimes we are rewarded with a newly emerged. It is a complete thrill to find them and even better if they are in an easily accessible spot.

This year we found a couple early on and then a few weeks later, thinking they were probably over, we almost missed the third one.

The Fly Agaric, forever my fairy toadstool.

Update from the hedgehog hospital

I gave the hedgehog hospital a quick call the other day to check up on 'Roger'. He had gained about 100g since going in which was great. He didn't appear to have any other health issues and will overwinter with them and hopefully be released in the spring.

A waif and stray

We were driving out with our granddaughter the other afternoon and passed the village green when something moving in the leaves caught my eye. It looked like a tiny hedgehog so I made my husband drive round the green and pull up and it was! I knew it shouldn't be out in the sunshine, and also that it looked too small to be able to make it through hibernation should the weather turn soon. The only thing I had in the car was an old towel so I caught it in that and we returned home to find a box which we filled with straw and some food and water. As it was a Sunday, and the local hedgehog hospital was closed, we left in the shed overnight. The next morning I popped it on my kitchen scales and was surprised to see it came in at over the recommended hibernation weight of 600g but, as it had been out in the daylight, we ran it over to the hospital anyway to be checked.

Our local hedgehog hospital were at bursting point! There were hedgehogs in boxes everywhere but the woman took mine and weighed it again - 149g!! Well no wonder my cakes never rise! I realised after that I had reset the scales as I was walking to the shed and it hadn't registered the bowl.

The hedgehog was found a box and a warming pad and I signed the relevant forms. I have a reference number and I will give them a call next week to see how it's doing. I passed the village green yesterday and I was so thankful we noticed the little thing as the groundsman was out on his ride on mower!

A mouse in the house (actually the shed)

We had to move a sack of bird food in the shed the other day and behind it was a mouse nest. It was built mostly of grass, although there was a chewed up plastic seedling pot in there too, and it was attached to the inside of an upturned wooden crate.  The bird food had been infiltrated and the nest was surrounded by seeds. I set the trail cam up in the shed overnight to see if the nest was still being used or if we had disturbed it too much.

The mouse (not sure which sort) didn't appear to be in the nest at the time as he/she turned up about an hour or so later. The trail cam was set off numerous times overnight where the mouse kept returning to the nest to remove food and take it elsewhere. I watched carefully to see if any young might have been moved but pretty sure there weren't. Eventually the nest collapsed from all the burrowing! We felt bad at having disturbed it but it does appear to have just been a food store. When moving its food the mouse was only gone for a few seconds so I assume it has found another corner in the shed to use. The footage below is when the mouse first came back to the now exposed nest. It does look rather confused!

Autumn

I love autumn, the colours, the air, wildlife becoming active again - beginning to stock up and hanker down. The later dusks and dawns are easier to view with mists and stormy clouds, pinks, purples and orange skies. Below are a few of my favourites taken over the past few weeks.

Hedgehog Diary

I have been putting the camera out in the garden over the past few weeks to see how the hedgehogs are doing. As the evenings are getting chillier I also popped some nice new hay into and over the box in the hope it will make it snug and enticing for the winter. I was so pleased when just the next evening the smaller of the hedgehogs decided to pay it a visit. At first he just stuck his head in to have a look but then he definitely went right in. The camera doesn't seem to want to pick up the movement right by the entrance - it's under a shrub which makes it more difficult - but watching for a couple of nights it seemed I did have a house guest! I crawled under the shrub today and had a quick peak and there were snoring prickles in amongst the hay. Whether he/she decides to make it a hibernation home we shall see but I'm chuffed it has at least been found.

I also had some footage showing both the hedgehogs in the same shot. The bigger one is feeding when the smaller ones comes along. They do eat together for a while but the smaller one is nervous, jumping back when the bigger hog snuffles in his direction.

A (nother) walk in the woods

I may have mentioned it before but we often walk in our little local meadow and woodland. It's our go-to place for a quick mile or so wander. I rarely go without taking the camera as whatever time of year there is normally something to photograph. Revisiting a place often also provides a little insider knowledge of where to look for certain species. Each autumn we know where the fungi will often grow, and in the late summer which sunny spots are favoured by the butterflies and dragonflies.

A visit to the beach

We had a lovely walk along the beach at Old Hunstanton the other day. We walked away from the town and pretty soon it was very quiet with only a couple of horse riders and dog walkers around. The tide was right out so the wading birds had lots of pickings and we spotted little egrets, oyster catchers, curlews, terns, shags, sanderlings, redshanks and various gulls.

Little egret

Redshank

Oyster catchers

Oyster catchers

Little egret

Common terns

Common terns

Sanderlings

Oyster catcher

Any ID-ea?

One of the things I have a real problem ID-ing is dragonflies. It doesn't seem to matter how long I spend looking at them in my photos and then online I can't ever seem to get a definitive match! PS -The other one is fungi (and a mis-identified mushroom is not good news so I now don't even bother trying!)

This time of year when the rest of nature is quietening down before the rush of autumn, the bugs, and especially the dragonflies, are the obvious wildlife to photograph. Get the timing right and they will be basking on a fence post or twig, soaking up the rays.

Local fox surprise

We walk in our local meadow and woods a lot and whilst I know there are numerous species living there, apart from the rabbits, birds and insects we have yet to see a badger for instance. Although I have seen a stoat - fleetingly!

A few weeks ago we went for our walk early evening - we are normally morning walkers - and as we entered the woodland my husband saw it first and whispered to me to stand still.  A fox about 25 metres from us. He/she (I think a she) was sitting quite happily watching us. The area has recently had the brambles cut down which helped our view. I stood as still as possible while clicking away with the camera. Eventually the fox stretched, yawned and disappeared into the undergrowth. I was thrilled! I know people who live in towns and see foxes every night but out here in the countryside you often sadly only see them dead at the side of the roads.

We left it a couple of nights then went back. I thought our chances of seeing it again would be slim but I took the bigger camera just in case. We were lucky again. She was sitting low down this time on a pile of cut brambles but she saw us straight away and again didn't seem bothered by our presence.  We've been back at a similar time since but no sign of her, now we know she is definitely there though I shall always go past cautiously just in case!

Wicken Fen

We took a wander at our local NT reserve the other day. Wicken Fen is the National Trust's oldest reserve and it's only a few miles from us. I have no idea why we don't go there more! It was a warm morning but we went early and for the most of it we were on our own. As its name suggests the reserve is mostly undrained fenland and has over 9000 different recorded species, some very rare. The dragonflies were out and about and we came across a few tiny toads making their way across the paths. The reserve also use cattle and wild Konik ponies to graze the land.

I promised you the sky!

As this blog title suggests I hope to share images of other aspects of my natural world, not just the furry and cute! After all who doesn't love a sunset ? Ok not many people love the snakes bit but it's all about the range of stuff we can see, feel and experience!

As it happens I have yet to see a snake this year but sunsets have been plenty and it was a cracker the other evening.

Hedgehog Diary

As posted a while ago we now have a hedgehog house in the garden. I've been feeding what I thought was a hedgehog for a few months in the hope it might find the house too. At the same time my husband bought me a trail cam for my birthday so we could watch whatever comes into the garden at night. It turns out I am feeding at least two hedgehogs - one much bigger than the other - and a cat! Whilst I'm not keen on feeding the neighbouring cats this one did look suspiciously like one that had gone missing from a few streets away so I contacted the owners and they took a look at the footage. It turned out it was theirs and after some calling and treat shaking they found it dozing under a nearby hedge. I've stopped putting cat food out for a while to discourage the cat from coming back as it means it is having to cross a main road. So far I've not seen either hog venture into the house but I've just bought a bag of hay which I'll pop in there as the nights start to cool down and hope it attracts one or other. Meanwhile lots of food for the little one to feast on and pile on the pounds!

Time for the bugs

As the birds disappear from the garden the bugs begin to show. We have had a few red admiral butterflies in the garden this year which is great as I don't remember seeing any at all the last few years. We also have lots of bees. I have numerous lavender bushes at the front and back and they just love it!

My favourite little bird

Long-tailed tits have just the sweetest faces and yet they arrive in the garden like a mob! One will settle on the feeders and suddenly the trees are noisy with their calls. They don't stay still for very long either and when they do stop on one particular branch they will be swinging, often upside down. They are extremely photogenic but not exactly model material!
They don't hang around and within a few minutes they'll be gone and we might not see them back for a few weeks or more.