Blogger of the Week!

Well that was a surprise on logging on to Twitter! I have been given the accolade of Blogger of the Week by BBC Wildlife Magazine. Chuffed! Their Discover Wildlife website has a special area - Local Patch Reporters for people to blog about what wildlife and nature they see. There are some fabulous blogs there so why not follow a few, or maybe start one of your own.

Voles everywhere!

We've had voles nesting in the shed, under the neighbour's step, recently they've been in a hole in the wall where the cat flap is (we don't have one now but more on cats in a minute) and either a vole or mouse in the hay that is covering the hedgehog house! Today, however, I spotted two on the garage roof feasting on some bird seed I had chucked up there! The side of the garage is covered in ivy. I assume they are nesting in there, rather than just using it to climb, as there was bird seed on the ground also - an easier option I would have thought, but then maybe they hope they are out of reach of the neighbour's cat who may as well have the word 'killer' tattooed across his forehead!

Vole

Black squirrel

Wandering around The Wildlife Trust's nature reserve at Cambourne the other morning I spotted a black squirrel. It was hunting through the leaves for nuts alongside the more common greys. On posting the photos on a wildlife group later that day it appears many people didn't know black squirrels were even a thing! I know they are seen fairly often in Cambridgeshire, my friend had one in her garden a few years ago and one village has more blacks than greys.  They are actually the same species but with a mutant gene in their coat pigmentation.

Wicken Fen

We have taken a couple of walks at our nearby nature reserve Wicken Fen over the winter. It is the National Trust's oldest reserve and arguably one of the most important with over 9000 species. One of its winter visitors is the Short Eared Owl and they bring in lots of bird watchers and photographers as they hunt during the day across the fens. So far we have yet to see one but there is always something to spot at Wicken from the wild Konik ponies that graze there to kestrels and other birds of prey, deer are often spotted and on our last visit a barn owl in the distance.

Wild Konik ponies at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire

Wild Konik ponies at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire

Roe deer at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire

Fieldfare at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire

Barn owl at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire

Barn owl at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire

Barn owl at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire

Kestrel at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire

Vole re-visited

We did go back to see if the vole was there (still forgot the Nikon!) and so pleased to see it out and about around the hole. It posed quite nicely for us! The hole still looks like it's being used but so far this has been the last sighting.

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.