John's Mammals 2020 (3 Viewers)

WalterRayle · Mar 27, 2020

I was delivering medicine down a fairly remote country lane yesterday in Hampshire and had a dead Hedgehog by the road side, how unlucky can it have been given how little traffic there is on the road at the moment?.

Back at home in the evening the regular Woodmouse was inside the bird feeder again enjoying stuffing his face, while a Tawny Owl sat on the garage roof above it, probably oblivious to the snack a couple of feet below it.

bustersymes · Mar 27, 2020

An ex-weasel

Rather envious of that Mink sighting (although of course I'd rather they weren't here in the first place). Yet to see a live one.

I posted in the 2019 thread a few months ago about a lucky encounter with a Weasel on my patch at Therfield Heath in Herts. Well things immediately returned to the status quo - i.e. no Weasels - until three weeks ago.

The seemingly constant wet and windy weather, and presumed relative lack of voles, had caused the local Barn Owls to hunt regularly in daylight and I spent a few evenings with the camera watching them hunt. I was returning to the car one evening and accidentally flushed an owl that was out of sight in the long grass. On seeing it had prey, I managed to get a quick photo, and on looking at the image was amazed to see it had caught a Weasel! Not sure quite how unusual this but it's certainly not the most common prey item. I imagine they put up more of a fight than the average Field Vole! I guess it temporarily reduces my chances of another encounter with a live Weasel even further, but it was very interesting to see.

Andy

Farnboro John · Mar 27, 2020

bustersymes said:
Rather envious of that Mink sighting (although of course I'd rather they weren't here in the first place). Yet to see a live one.

I posted in the 2019 thread a few months ago about a lucky encounter with a Weasel on my patch at Therfield Heath in Herts. Well things immediately returned to the status quo - i.e. no Weasels - until three weeks ago.

The seemingly constant wet and windy weather, and presumed relative lack of voles, had caused the local Barn Owls to hunt regularly in daylight and I spent a few evenings with the camera watching them hunt. I was returning to the car one evening and accidentally flushed an owl that was out of sight in the long grass. On seeing it had prey, I managed to get a quick photo, and on looking at the image was amazed to see it had caught a Weasel! Not sure quite how unusual this but it's certainly not the most common prey item. I imagine they put up more of a fight than the average Field Vole! I guess it temporarily reduces my chances of another encounter with a live Weasel even further, but it was very interesting to see.

Andy

Great sighting and a remarkable photo - bravo!

John

JWN Andrewes · Mar 27, 2020

Superb capture Andy, always something new to see out there, just need to keep 'em peeled. Poor bloody Weasel though!

Farnboro John · Mar 28, 2020

Big Whitey and his vixen Rip visited together last night. She has no fur on her belly and very full teats: he permitted her to take the first chicken portion from literally under his nose (where I had thrown it for him, to ensure Rip, who is tiny, wasn't bullied by Big Whitey insisting on priority.) So they have cubs.

Photos of the happy couple (well of the individuals) later.

John

Farnboro John · Mar 28, 2020

Big Whitey and Rip photographed yesterday evening celebrating cubs with a chicken dinner, waited on by me.

John

Big Whitey

Rip X 2 showing naked belly and swollen teats.

ClarkWGriswold · Mar 30, 2020

Max was chuffed to get his first fox on the trail cam a couple of nights ago.

Rich

Farnboro John · Mar 30, 2020

ClarkWGriswold said:
Max was chuffed to get his first fox on the trail cam a couple of nights ago.

Rich

Its in the right place then, and that's a real skill. :t:

John

PYRTLE · Mar 31, 2020

Have you seen this John

https://www.googleadservices.com/pa...wju-qPkrcToAhXMQhUIHaXNDpQQwg96BAgLEAs&adurl=

ClarkWGriswold · Mar 31, 2020

Farnboro John said:
Its in the right place then, and that's a real skill. :t:

John

He’s over the moon John:t:

dantheman · Mar 31, 2020

https://twitter.com/manishkumar457/status/1241988724839395328

Saw this on twitter last week (hope it wasn't because it was linked from BF)

Farnboro John · Apr 1, 2020

Hooded Seal in Shetland showing well. A pox on coronavirus.....

John

JWN Andrewes · Apr 4, 2020

A black bunny in amongst the normal ones on my walk out this morning.

Farnboro John · Apr 4, 2020

JWN Andrewes said:
A black bunny in amongst the normal ones on my walk out this morning.

Always nice! A fairly regular mutation and seemingly not selected against. White ones another matter.....

John

Farnboro John · Apr 6, 2020

Usual foxes last night but around dusk I noticed a bat flitting around the terrace of houses beyond our front garden and had a slightly panicked scrabble around to find my bat detector (it tends to go AWOL over winter.)

By the time I'd located it and got back out there were two bats and they were different, which confused the heck out of me for a while before I started listening to them properly and realised only one was a pip.

So Daubenton's Bat and Common Pipistrelle were added to the lockdown list, though I'd had Daubenton's Bat earlier in the year at the Millhouse pub at North Warnborough.

John

MarkHows · Apr 6, 2020

I am still working every day so have some sightings on the commute, fallow deer, muntjac and brown hare. not seen any roe for a while
I caught a glimpse of a polecat in a private reserve at work while I was doing some conservation work there. So I threw down a couple of trail cameras and got some nice results.
Sightings of rabbits and grey squirrels at work most days and a soprano pipistrelle at home while watching the ISS the other night. Not too bad.

Mark

Farnboro John · Apr 6, 2020

MarkHows said:
I am still working every day so have some sightings on the commute, fallow deer, muntjac and brown hare. not seen any roe for a while
I caught a glimpse of a polecat in a private reserve at work while I was doing some conservation work there. So I threw down a couple of trail cameras and got some nice results.
Sightings of rabbits and grey squirrels at work most days and a soprano pipistrelle at home while watching the ISS the other night. Not too bad.

Mark

Outstanding! Glad you're OK and envious of your sightings :t:

Cheers

John

prhodes · Apr 13, 2020

Farnboro John said:
Always nice! A fairly regular mutation and seemingly not selected against. White ones another matter.....

John

That reminds me, I noticed an apparently fully white rabbit at the side of the road the other day. Not something you see every day, and I'll look out for him again. (I'm also expected to travel to work as usual but there you go, still got a job I suppose). Stay safe guys

JWN Andrewes · Apr 15, 2020

Happened upon a Fox while out this morning, as it hunted along a hedgerow.

ClarkWGriswold · Apr 15, 2020

Max’s trailcam has now had the following:

Wood Mouse
Shrew species
Cat:C
Fox
Rabbit
Jack Russell
Cocker Spaniel

Have just relocated it in the hope of a Badger

Rich

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