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John's Mammals 2020 (1 Viewer)

Farnboro John

Well-known member
Off we go again, with Wood Mouse my first mammal of the New Year. It scuttled across the road between Farnborough and Fleet like an electric toy, paused for a half second and then ran on into the far verge.

Out birding all day with Clare and Steve I missed a Roe Deer Clare spotted near Odiham (but she'd already pointed out a Red Fox I would have missed because it was off the line of the road) and we all had a bunch of Grey Squirrels. Steve for his part noticed a Rabbit near Eyeworth that both Clare and I missed.

Happy New Year everybody!

John
 
Happy New Year John. Wood Mouse was my first mammal as well. Feeding on the seed put out at Parkend. Two also showed on my youngest’s trail cam during the night.

Grey Squirrels were the only other mammal seen today.

Rich
 
Rabbit recovered at Moor Green Lakes two days ago, nice and local. I didn't see Roe Deer there, which was a surprise, but yesterday had a quick run round RAF Odiham after work and found four Roe Deer in a field near the boundary fence as well as more Rabbits sitting in the edge of a hedge enjoying the sunshine. The big surprise was a female/immature Merlin that killed a Skylark over the field I was looking across to the deer field - very good local bird!

John
 
My foxes have been absent for a week or two (probably bingeing on turkey carcasses) but Big Whitey put in a couple of visits last night, being fed by Marion and me on separate occasions. Nice to see him, I always worry a bit when they disappear for a while.

I was particularly concerned on this occasion after finding two hard-boiled eggs left out on next door's lawn just too late to prevent Whitey getting one. I removed the other to the bin after he ran off with the first: its always possible there's a neighbour out there less keen on them than I am, though in conversation everyone seems quite happy to have them around. Anyway, it appears there is no problem at the moment.

John
 
Whitey woke us up at about 0100 this morning calling insistently: territoriality, contact call to another fox or what I'm not sure. I know it was him because having been woken up I went downstairs to feed him, in the course of which I heard two more foxes calling away to the rear of the house. When he resumed calling he was far enough away not to prevent me getting back to sleep!

John
 
Hi Mark, nice report and some great pix!

I too have been abroad on holiday but it will be some time before I am ready to start the report on here.

One taster photo of one of the few mammals we saw - it was a bird trip with incidental mammals - so what is it and where have I been.....?

John
 

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Correct ID... cheers Mark!

This evening I went out to dinner with Maz and my brother's family. He kindly picked us up which saved us driving. On the way out from our road, vixen Rip scampered across the road in front of us, easily recognisable by her diminutive size. As we were leaving the pub/restaurant, the Millhouse at North Warnborough, a Daubenton's Bat was skimming the millpond - a sign of the warm winter I guess, though it's not so warm tonight!

On the way back into our street, we saw Big Whitey searching the parking bays for food. He was easily recognised by his jauntily angled tail, limp, pale fur and large size even for a dog fox.

As neither has visited us for a while it was nice to see they are all right.

John
 
Big Whitey came for chicken both very late Saturday night and at a more normal time last night. Nice to see him back - my records show they always become erratic around Christmas but it's always a tense time till they resume usual behaviour.

John
 
Still only Big Whitey visiting at the moment. The fox breeding season is in full swing and last night he turned up limping much worse than usual, and early (about 2030). Fortunately I had already decided to take the first fox photos of 2020 so had the camera fully prepared. From what I got of him sitting down waiting to be fed, it was apparent that he had a bite on his right jaw (not too bad) - so although I couldn't see his bad leg properly, most likely he had been in a fight with another dog fox and got the worst of it, including a bite on his bad leg as he fled. He is three-and-a-half after all.....

Anyway, he came back at 2130 and Maz found him waiting for her first thing this morning as well and fed him again, so he certainly isn't starving, whatever the results of his wooing/territory maintenance.

John
 
Not too much from me as I have been working almost every day since New Year but had this muntjac in the garden. It visits regularly.

Mark
 

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That's a nice garden visitor - unless you are a keen gardener I guess....

Psycho checked in for chicken last night, so he's all right. No limps, though I didn't take pictures to check for bites, so his mating season must be going well.

John
 
Some nice otter action in the Brecks on Saturday had two large cubs and mother for an hour, pity the light was so terrible.

Mark
 

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Behind our house the other day. Don't know if they're doable - was thinking Stoat or Polecat. Never seen Stoat round here, but single figures of roadkill Polecat within 5 miles of here over the past 10 years, as well as one doing its best to join their ranks under my wheels last year (year before?). Any takers?
 

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Behind our house the other day. Don't know if they're doable - was thinking Stoat or Polecat. Never seen Stoat round here, but single figures of roadkill Polecat within 5 miles of here over the past 10 years, as well as one doing its best to join their ranks under my wheels last year (year before?). Any takers?

Looks mustelid all right but maybe too small for Polecat? (I confess I've no experience of Polecat tracks though I have of Stoat in snow.)

If you have a trailcam it might be worth deploying it. (Nail a Polecat and gain a lodger, for sure.... ;))

John
 
Been continuing with my homework on these, and I think Grey squirrel is probably the current front runner. The fact that one of the five toes seems to be slightly further out on one side than the other would seem to point in that direction. Oh well, it was exciting for a little while!
 
Big Whitey is back to normal regularity now, with Rip showing up once in a while. Haven't seen Psycho for a couple of weeks - not since last reported on here.

Had a trip down to the New Forest today, Muntjac on the verge of the M3 on the two-lane stretch between Basingstoke and Winchester. Quite a few different groups of Fallow Deer from the car while driving around the Forest, but none while on foot, so no pictures. Both deer species were year ticks. Other than that just Grey Squirrels.

John
 
Decent view of 2 Otters swimming together in Applecross Bay last week. About 200 metres along from the pub by the houses. Also the usual Red, Roe Deer, Red Squirrel, Brown Hare, Common Seals and Bunny.

Rich
 
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