Thursday, May 31, 2012
Fox hunt
After the fun I had snapping some young foxes last year we have been intermittently been putting down some bird food and dog food in a couple of spots to see whether I could get some more shots this year. We've seen the odd one around (Kay more than me), but as usual I used the trail cam to find out what was happening. The first diners were no more than a magpie and squirrel ......
but sure enough after dark, and on several occasions one or more foxes came through.
The spot I used last year also revealed some foxes on the trail cam, but again after dark, so I wasn't surprised when an evening proved relatively uneventful.
Then one evening on the way back from dropping off some peanuts what did I see on the recently mown field ......................
A good way off, but wonderfully relaxed in the warm evening sun.
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
Local patching
The weather and other commitments have kept the photo trips down, but I have grabbed a few hours here and there.
At Black Rock on the salt marsh I was hoping for a skylark or wheatear, but the odd meadow pipit was the best I found. That said a view of a fly past merlin was a first for me here.
Back at the car park / picnic area the mistle thrushes are back, appearing to listen hard for worms, whilst the flowering trees framed some of the more common birds.
At Caldicot Castle the jackdaws have been building their ungainly nests again, sometimes leaving you wondering how they squeeze in over the top - I plan to go back when the young are near fledging, but I might visit again before then just to see how the pair in the archers slot actually get in and out!
Even nearer home I finally got around to having a first go at the local rabbits. One showed quite well for a while, but managed to find the one plant stem to sit next to, so the second shot is cropped.
The first fledgling blackbirds are around, and the blackcaps are ever more vocal. I've kept an eye on this tree for the last couple of years. Can you see the nest hole? Actually it turned out not to be the large one on the upper right, but the small one on the lower left being topped up by the blue tits, apparently tying bows in the nest material.
A few more pics in the web albums
At Black Rock on the salt marsh I was hoping for a skylark or wheatear, but the odd meadow pipit was the best I found. That said a view of a fly past merlin was a first for me here.
Back at the car park / picnic area the mistle thrushes are back, appearing to listen hard for worms, whilst the flowering trees framed some of the more common birds.
At Caldicot Castle the jackdaws have been building their ungainly nests again, sometimes leaving you wondering how they squeeze in over the top - I plan to go back when the young are near fledging, but I might visit again before then just to see how the pair in the archers slot actually get in and out!
Even nearer home I finally got around to having a first go at the local rabbits. One showed quite well for a while, but managed to find the one plant stem to sit next to, so the second shot is cropped.
The first fledgling blackbirds are around, and the blackcaps are ever more vocal. I've kept an eye on this tree for the last couple of years. Can you see the nest hole? Actually it turned out not to be the large one on the upper right, but the small one on the lower left being topped up by the blue tits, apparently tying bows in the nest material.
A few more pics in the web albums
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