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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

John's Mammals 2017 (1 Viewer)

Belgian Bowhead

Has anyone gone for the Belgian Bowhead? And connected? One well-known mammal watcher narrowly dipped, despite fortuitously being in N France as the news broke yesterday and haring to the site. I can't do today/Mon, but if it is seen again tomorrow, I'll go Mon night if anyone wants to hook up.
 
Over the last week or so I've seen my first Groundhog, up from hibernation and looking for fresh grass now the snow is slowly clearing. (They are also known as Woodchucks here. Marmota Monax if anyone wants to look it up. I think Prairie dogs out West are sometimes called Groundhogs too, these are larger, and may be familiar from Groundhog Day the film).

Also finally saw a Porcupine, we had a couple nearby last winter so this was a very late first sighting for me.

Managed to snag a photo of the local skunk too.

Then this afternoon, I finally dragged myself out for a walk in the rain and was treated to an audience with two of the local beavers. The large lake here is beginning to thaw, the ice was still at least a couple of feet deep at the weekend (we augered), but the edges are now melting out, and there is room for the Beavers to get out and up onto the bank to the trees.
Three winters back, one of the Beavers set up home for the winter, just by our lake access, and we saw it very regularly. In recent years I've only seen them whilst out in the kayak, so it was nice to get close views again - I was rewarded with my first slap of the year!
 

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People also call groundhogs Whissle Pigs. Not me but some.

Great skunk photo! I want one.

I also have no beaver photos.
 
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People also call groundhogs Whissle Pigs. Not me but some.

Great skunk photo! I want one.

I also have no beaver photos.

Whistle pig! I love it, not heard that one before.
If it is any consolation, I've been living in Canada for almost 8 years now, no moose or bear sightings, despite lots of visits to appropriate places. The treat will be all the better when it happens I'm sure!

I have also only seen a Fisher on one occasion, and was too gobsmacked to get a photo.
 
No. 14 for me. I think this is a deer mouse. The tail is bicoloured, the ears are large. Body light brown, belly white.
There are 5 different types of mice in Quebec, some of which are hard to differentiate from each other.
 

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No. 14 for me. I think this is a deer mouse. The tail is bicoloured, the ears are large. Body light brown, belly white.
There are 5 different types of mice in Quebec, some of which are hard to differentiate from each other.

I think it a white footed deer mouse, anyway nice spot, I have never seen one.

Mark
 
I have been busy with other stuff recently so not much to report but I did have a few recent sightings to report.

Water vole - Cambridge
Chinese Water Deer - Woodwalton Fen
Bank vole (Honest although the photos is terrible) - Fowlmere RSPB


Mark
 

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Seen yesterday near the Black Sea coast! Also two Brown Hares.

Chris
 

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A good couple of mornings at Fowlmere

Fallow Deer, Muntjac, Brown Hare, Grey Squirrel and some cracking Water Voles.



Mark
 

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I have been away with my regular overseas team: two weeks in Israel, got back yesterday evening. Report will be in the vacational trips section in due course, I'm not going to gezump it on here but we did see a number of mammals during the trip. :t:

John
 
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Has a wonderful morning at Santon Downham with two otters a mother and a cub, I watched them predate a water vole.

And my first Chinese water deer at Lakenheath RSPB.

Mark
 

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And more Chinese Water Deer at Woodwalton Fen and a rabbit in Kent

Mark
 

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Last Sunday I got my first closeup photo of a white-tail deer in several months. I hard it walking and found it my back yard down the hill in the woods. It was in some brush. Focused on the top of the head to get though the sticks. Then framed it once I had a focus. As a result the left eye is fuzzy because there was a stick partly in the way.

I only got one photo. It took off and all of a sudden 5 other deer that were frozen still and I had not seen took off also. These critters stand so still and are quite camouflaged. It's always neat how I might see only one but there are actually 5 or 6 around so still that I don't see them until they start running.
 

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I've been stalking our beaver pair in the last week or so. If I can arrive before they do, it is a personal victory if they then go about their stick collection without being bothered by me - I managed 30 minutes without a slapping the other evening - a new record!
Anyhow, I'd settled in yesterday, and was treated to a close encounter with a Muskrat instead. They are about fairly regularly, but quite skittish. This was a real treat, swam along the edge of the lake, then stopped ~8 feet in front of my hiding spot, and spent 10 minutes feeding. Fab. Check out those claws.

Also finally added raccoon to my year list. They've been showing up on my trailcam all year, but after dark. This one came to check out the bird feeders at dusk. I think mid April must be a record for my latest first viewing of the year!
 

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"I managed 30 minutes without a slapping the other evening - a new record!"

Sounds like me and my wife!

I can report that the foxes have settled down after our two-week hiatus in Israel, with current regular attendance from White Tip, last year's cub who I presume is a helper this year as she quite often takes food away, Big Whitey who is a massive white-tipped dog fox that has only recently learned to come for food, and (I think) a visit the other night from our old friend Double Top. I haven't tried for photos since getting back but will do so during May if business quiets down.

Haven't seen much else although I had three Red Deer stags in velvet in a field near RAF Lakenheath on a plane-spotting trip the other week and a brief Muntjac outside the fence at Weeting when I nipped in to year-tick Stone Curlew on the same run (which after the jets I finished with the Dotterel trip at Therfield).

John

John
 
Just returned from Borneo having seen 44 mammal species including Sunda Clouded Leopard.

Trouble is, having already seen Tiger, Lion & Leopard, I feel obliged to add Snow Leopard and Jaguar for the full set of big cats (I know, yes there are 2 species of Clouded Leopard but the mainland variety isn't really available) . Expensive problem to have ;)

Martyn
 
Water shrews showing well at Jacks Pond (The Lodge RSPB) and the pond near the sand martin colony(Minsmere RSPB)

Mark

I gave the Minsmere ones a good go last weekend and clanged out. Mark, you seem to have a knack of connecting with these things: any advice on times of day/weather conditions to improve one's chances?

John
 
Some wild boar and fallow deer from the Forest of Dean

Mark
 

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