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

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  1. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    Toff seems to be courting a vixen not of our skulk: she's turned up with him (or rather joined him near our door) a couple of times in the last few days and I've seen them touch noses which is unusual except between family members or pairs. She's very wary of me and indeed of flying chicken...
  2. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    Finally for now, Merry Christmas to all from me, Marion, Hoppity, Toff, Rusty, Midge and Ben. Cheers, John
  3. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    Also, I had to make an unexpected trip to Letchworth with Maz, dropping her off to make a visit. Off the leash, I scuttled into town to look for black Grey Squirrels and found about half a dozen. The light was titanically awful but I did my best at the time and in post. John
  4. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    Falling down on the job, no posts recently.... I had a trip to the New Forest recently and dropped in on the Fallow Deer buck herd I can usually find. They were in the normal place and I managed to stalk them close enough for some pictures. I put in a holly tree as well, amazing berry crop this...
  5. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    I had a walk round Moor Green in the week: two Roe Deer, one a buck, and two foxes curled up in snug spots out of the light breeze and very definitely in the sun. Also a couple of Rabbits but no small mammals of any kind. Damps eaves weren't rustling which didn't help in that line. This evening...
  6. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    A snap with a marker of known size (I favour the Bic biro, best writing stick ever) even on your phone, is a good idea and easy to execute even without backside in gear. ;) I envy you the snow: ever since I started feeding the foxes and hoping for a decent fall in which to photograph them...
  7. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    Did you measure the footprints? I'm not sure about Golden Jackal but Wolf prints are of the order of six inches (150mm) long. Example from Spain below. John
  8. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    Caught Midge on camera yesterday. She's a bit over half the size of the male cubs of the year but sturdy and feisty: she's even barked at me when I didn't feed her quickly enough! John
  9. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    Some Fox pictures. I've yet to catch up with Midge and (for certain) Neb - the one of the two for whom I have compared a load of photos I have decided is Ben. Incidentally I've got another fox to positively identify - I have my suspicions - but that must wait for a shot that shows the right ear...
  10. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    I have a result and I think I've figured out how I got confused. The fox I christened Rusty because of his bold behaviour deserving a name before his siblings even appeared, is the one currently coming onto our step (last night about two feet from Maz's ankle). Result. He's not the one that...
  11. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    Strange happening yesterday at fox feeding time. I confess I am baffled - though quite happy.... I thought I had a good grip on who is turning up at the moment. In order of seniority it's Hoppity the three and a half year old vixen, Toff the eighteen month old newly adult dog fox, Rusty the...
  12. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    Juvenile House Mouse pix. John
  13. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    Five and probably all six of our foxes have now put in appearances with Toff looking very large in his new winter coat, with a magnificent long sweeping white-tipped brush and Rusty coming close to identify himself separately from the two other male cubs of this year. Promised Shetland Hedgehog...
  14. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    Not many mammal species on Shetland this year: Otter strolling across the garden one evening and 1-2 in the bay on a few days, usually distant. Several Hedgehogs including one on the garden cattle grid on the night I bothered to take my camera up to the pub, so photos to post later. No cetaceans...
  15. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    The witless Jeremy Vine featured this on his programme today. Not only was it apparent that the Badger issue was more about hole digging than poo but there was a studied avoidance of the word "cat". It is entirely likely that the poo in the perp's garden is largely of cat origin but he doesn't...
  16. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    Well, since my last report we lost Patch (see obituary under "Mammals") and the skulk has been adjusting to the new reality. Hoppity is still around and still feeding her cubs though with reduced frequency as they mostly become increasingly independent. Hops has had a bite on the top of her head...
  17. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    Brown Hare can be found in upland areas and with global warming unfortunately appears to be doing better than Mountain Hare in some (not helped of course by idiot shooters taking out large numbers of the latter in misguided attempts to reduce louping ill incidence.) I suspect the same creeping...
  18. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    Mole sightings appear to be totally random and are therefore always to be appreciated - congratulations Arch! John
  19. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    Yes, they will do that. Not only that but I serve up cooked chicken (because they occasionally go AWOL for a day or two and I'd rather have cooked than uncooked lingering in the fridge) and on the odd occasion that they wolf all of the prepared and I go to get them some newly bought uncooked...
  20. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    Sorry Richard, I meant to respond to this earlier but forgot. Your canid is too tall for a fox. All I can say is the photos don't rule out Wolf on structure and patterning insofar as you can see either. Is there any chance of Golden Jackal in your area? That might explain the undersizing. Both...
  21. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    By the way, the holiday I was on was a fortnight in Sri Lanka after mammals, with Steve Babbs, Roy Hargreaves and John Pilgrim. There will be a report but I'm going to write all of it before I start publishing so I don't stall in the middle - also I have picked out under 600 pictures from the...
  22. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    While I was away, Marion fed the foxes, usually meeting them when she sat outside for a cigarette as is her regular habit. She doesn't know them all by sight as I do, but she does know Patch. She says that although she was feeding them plenty of chicken, Patch (who comes closer than the others...
  23. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    I've been away on holiday... ticked Blue Whale today. Obviously more news to come! John
  24. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    Quick bit of fox news after some investigative photo sessions (nothing to show, detail shots for individual IDs). Rip is not lactating, she has been displaced as breeding female: but she is still around, just more cautious about the other foxes than she used to be. Hoppity is lactating and...
  25. Farnboro John

    John's Mammals 2023

    Patch pulled an amazing stunt the other night. He is regularly harassed by what we believe is a stray cat that we call Whitesocks, who tries to dispossess him of his chicken. Often Patch will eat most of the flesh off the first drumstick and then leave it for the cat so he gets the rest in...
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