[Farnboro John]

Happy New Year everybody!

I hope not everyone began their year trying to throw off a cold, as I did, but I didn't let it stop me getting into the field. I did revert to a heavier emphasis on birding for the first couple of days, I'm not happy till I'm 100-up, but I still encountered a few mammals along the way.

After a day locally that netted 79 birds including Jack Snipe, Woodcock and Red-crested Pochard, I had a lie-in on 2nd then zipped to Pagham where wildfowl and shorebirds along with 2 Bitterns and a Bearded Tit by the North Wall dragged me up to 98. On 3rd I opened the door to find 20 Waxwings in the tree opposite, and a hooting Tawny Owl brought up the hundred that evening.

On the first the Red Foxes were vocal from about 0300. Maz got up early so Tansy wouldn't dawdle on her morning walk in the dark: we were treated to one fox trotting past us and provoking a chase from the dog (who I just caught as she gathered speed in her chariot) then down by the brook another actually growled at us and held its ground, leading the three of us to retreat in confusion. I couldn't see due to the dark and the steep bank it was looking over, but I suspect it had just acquired a fat Mallard and wasn't going to give it up easily. Being driven off by a fox is a new experience for me.

After my Jack Snipe dawn I worked round the Greywell fields and was very lucky to see a Stoat performing the "dance of death" at the far side of a wide ploughed field, just by the edge of a big Hazel copse. I've never seen this behaviour before and was riveted for the half minute or so before the Stoat vanished into the copse with a Grey Squirrel shaking its tail in anger ten feet above it in an Oak.

The second unusual sighting for January 1st (for me anyway) was a Common Shrew legging it across the track just in front of me. This was followed after considerable scanning of open hillsides by a very distant Brown Hare crouched in its form by a tractor wheel-rut.

Later on I found a female Roe Deer's ears sticking up from deep grass and herbage at Moor Green to put me on six mammals for the year. Despite considerable effort I couldn't find a Rabbit anywhere and a trip to the Badger sett proved abortive as rain finally caught up with me and Clare, who had earlier photographed one of my local foxes snugged down under ivy-clad trees but perfectly visible.

No new mammals on the second but on the third I photographed the fox sitting up sleepily, unaware of me, before he turned round and settled down again next to his presumed mate whom I had noted with him as Tansy and I passed, just before nipping indoors for my camera. At dusk I again visited the Badgers (who stayed underground on a colder evening) and this time finally saw a Rabbit feeding in the fields.

John

[chris butterworth]

"Dancing" Stoats on NYD, cracking record John. I remember watching one performing on a boardwalk alongside a dune slack in 2001. It was going totally berserk - until it fell in!

Chris

[MarkHows]

Happy New Year eveyone as well,

I started with a Field vole on New Years morning, rescued from my cat, followed by Rabbit and Grey Squirrel and finished up with Wild Boar.
Also added common seals at Blakney point and a Bank vole again from the cat but this one did not make it unfortunatly.

Looking forward to another good mammal year

Mark

[James Blake]

Here's wishing everyone a great mammal-watching year.

I really like the way John's annual threads have also become a bit of a Nancy's Cafe for mammal info. So in that spirit, here's a link to an interesting blog post about a year's mammal watching in Bedfordshire:
2010 - a special mammal year

cheers
James

[MarkHows]

Added roe deer, weasel and fox this weekend.

Mark

[Farnboro John]

My only addition last weekend was Fallow Deer, of which there were 70+ in the Deadman Hill/Black Gutter Bottom area of the New Forest. Again the days were mostly devoted to birds, with a Berks clean-up on my birthday (Glossy Ibis to 12 feet, Great White Egret, Dipper, bonus 30 Waxwings) and Lapland Buntings, White-tailed Sea Eagle, stonking Peregrine flyover photographed, low-level beat-up from three Yak trainer aircraft, Hawfinches and Hen Harriers on the Sunday.

John

[MarkHows]

An update for last weeks mammals which was quite productive. Added Muntjac, badger (3), Brown long eared Bat (12), Daubenton's Bat (loads), Natterer's Bat (loads), Whiskered / Brants Bats (loads) and the cracking Greater Mouse Eared Bat. more on the blog

Mark

[skink1978]

Originally Posted by MarkHows

An update for last weeks mammals which was quite productive. Added Muntjac, badger (3), Brown long eared Bat (12), Daubenton's Bat (loads), Natterer's Bat (loads), Whiskered / Brants Bats (loads) and the cracking Greater Mouse Eared Bat. more on the blog

Mark

And to think I was happy to catch up with Red Fox last week! So you didn't actually see the Wild Boar then?

[MarkHows]

Originally Posted by skink1978

And to think I was happy to catch up with Red Fox last week! So you didn't actually see the Wild Boar then?

Not this week, saw them a couple of weeks ago, still hoping for that photo.

Mark

[Steve Babbs]

I guess the wonderful day at the rubbish tip didn't add much John. I never did look for the water voles, I was too scared to go that far from where people were looking for the gull - a bad move.

[Farnboro John]

I did see a Water Vole that day, Clare spotted it swimming across the channel, but it wasn't close and there was no hope of a photo. This weekend I dipped Red Deer in the New Forest - Britain's largest terrestrial mammal - quite an achievement in its own way but not one I am pleased about!

Half a dozen distant Fallow including a white one didn't compensate.

Bittern and Bramblings showing really well at Blashford (pix of both) did to some extent.

John

[Marcus Conway - ebirder]

Pretty much just mountain hares for me. have been working at a new site in the Monadliath

[StuartReeves]

Originally Posted by Marcus Conway - ebirder

Pretty much just mountain hares for me. have been working at a new site in the Monadliath

Cracking photo Marcus!

[MarkHows]

Added Fallow deer, but got a reasonable pic of a badger.

[Farnboro John]

Clare and I went up to the Peak District to try Dove Stone for Mountain Hares on Sunday and it was great.

The walk in is very short compared to accessing Derwent Edge, there is a tarmac and gravel track right up to hare level and you can then work back just below the ridge line where the hares lurk in the shelter of boulders and grass tufts.

We had about a dozen of which one allowed us to within 30 feet for frame filling pictures (no snow though unlike Marcus's belter above!).

We also had a look at the Torside res site in Richie Moores' book and I absolutely don't recommend that: go to Dove Stone is my advice.

Through the rest of the day we had Rabbits, Grey Squirrels, and a stop at Little Brickhill on the way back yielded five Chinese Water Deer and four Muntjacs.

Since even the Mountain Hares in Derbyshire are from translocated stock, effectively our five species of mammals were all introductions: fortunately one of my local Red Foxes saved the day for me just as I arrived home.

John

[Farnboro John]

Still getting lots of views of my local foxes. One of them was running on three legs the other morning, his left front leg off the ground and obviously painful. A great commotion the previous night from a garden where the little yappy dog is always out, including a persistent series of pain yowls, suggests maybe he got bitten - it doesn't seem to have stopped him using the route through the next morning however!

A second fox that I don't recognise is very long and bushy, with a massive brush with a big white tip (something often illustrated but morer rarely encountered!) followed him along the same route and sent yappy apoplectic.

Other than that the Roe Deer at work have been showing occasionally.

The presumed escaped black Rabbit along my road is still with us after a month despite the amount of cats and foxes around. It has also evaded a few human attempts to catch it.

John

[Marcus Conway - ebirder]

Otters have been on show in Inverness for the past week or two. It was also last February that afforded the best views.

[Farnboro John]

Originally Posted by Marcus Conway - ebirder

Otters have been on show in Inverness for the past week or two. It was also last February that afforded the best views.

Are they giving point blank views again?

John

[edenwatcher]

Waterhead pier in Ambleside might suit you better John. See Birds in Cumbria thread for link to video.

Rob

[Hotspur]

Had a few mammals at sea in the Moray last week - nothing very exciting. A couple of Porpoise and 3 Grey Seals. Also a Fox padding around on ice on in North Lincs failing to get close to a redhead Smew.

[Farnboro John]

Originally Posted by edenwatcher

Waterhead pier in Ambleside might suit you better John. See Birds in Cumbria thread for link to video.

Rob

Kinnell!! Is that a daily show or does one require considerable luck?

John

[edenwatcher]

I gather it is daily. A friend saw them at New Year. His young son had views down to 10ft. Sadly we won't be down until early April ...

Rob

[Marcus Conway - ebirder]

Originally Posted by Farnboro John

Are they giving point blank views again?

John

Very obliging as always.

[Farnboro John]

Added Wood Mouse for the year last week, other than that, nothing really going on. Bird-wise a Cockatiel over my house yesterday.

John

[Isurus]

I just came across the blog linked below following a link from a link and so can offer no thoughts on accuracy but thought the last sentence of this post warranted a mention here in case anyone wants to follow up:
http://mustardplaster.blogspot.com/2...afternoon.html