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John's Mammals 2011 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Farnboro John
- Start date
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Finally on line at home. I am back. Prepare for avalanche.....
John
John
Mike Richardson
Formerly known as Skink1978
Welcome back John!
Farnboro John
Well-known member
OK, lets just summarise where the year has got to, and then I can fill in the details over the next few weeks and start banging some photos on as well.
My mammal year list stands at 46 in the UK, with an additional 17 in India. The latter will have to wait till I get the trip report under way, the former in chronological order are:
Red Fox P
Grey Squirrel P
Stoat
Brown Hare P
Common Shrew P
Roe Deer P
Rabbit P
Fallow Deer P
Water Vole P
Mountain Hare P
Chinese Water Deer P
Muntjac P
Wood Mouse
Otter P
Red Squirrel P
Noctule Bat P
Serotine Bat
Soprano Pipistrelle P
Badger P
Daubenton's Bat P
Mink
Water Shrew
Sika Deer P
Bank Vole P
Grey Seal P
Common Seal P
Red Deer P
Common Pipistrelle P
Brown Long-eared Bat P
Edible Dormouse P
Barbastelle P
Natterer's Bat P
Alcathoe's Bat P Tick!
Bechstein's Bat P
Wild Boar P
Lesser Horseshoe Bat P
Common Dormouse P
Whiskered Bat P
Brown Rat P
Greater Horseshoe Bat
House Mouse
Risso's Dolphin
Lesser White-toothed Shrew P
Common Dolphin P
Minke Whale P
Harvest Mouse.
The Ps indicate animals photographed. Highlights would have to include the Windermere Otters (any sign of them being back?),the amazing PTES Petworth bat trip, the reddest Red Squirrels in the universe on the Isle of Wight, and perhaps most particularly, 150 Common Dolphins all round the pelagic boat from Scilly in October and a Scilly Shrew in the open for over two hours near Old Town Church for full frame pictures in the sunshine.
In other wildlife I photographed Vagrant, Lesser and Common Emperor dragonflies as well as Dainty Damselfly.
Four lifer birds in UK (Slaty-backed Gull, White-throated Robin, American White-winged Scoter and Long-toed Stint) kept that pot bubbling along nicely as well, so I don't propose to get upset over disappearing tanagers.
No complaints really.
John
My mammal year list stands at 46 in the UK, with an additional 17 in India. The latter will have to wait till I get the trip report under way, the former in chronological order are:
Red Fox P
Grey Squirrel P
Stoat
Brown Hare P
Common Shrew P
Roe Deer P
Rabbit P
Fallow Deer P
Water Vole P
Mountain Hare P
Chinese Water Deer P
Muntjac P
Wood Mouse
Otter P
Red Squirrel P
Noctule Bat P
Serotine Bat
Soprano Pipistrelle P
Badger P
Daubenton's Bat P
Mink
Water Shrew
Sika Deer P
Bank Vole P
Grey Seal P
Common Seal P
Red Deer P
Common Pipistrelle P
Brown Long-eared Bat P
Edible Dormouse P
Barbastelle P
Natterer's Bat P
Alcathoe's Bat P Tick!
Bechstein's Bat P
Wild Boar P
Lesser Horseshoe Bat P
Common Dormouse P
Whiskered Bat P
Brown Rat P
Greater Horseshoe Bat
House Mouse
Risso's Dolphin
Lesser White-toothed Shrew P
Common Dolphin P
Minke Whale P
Harvest Mouse.
The Ps indicate animals photographed. Highlights would have to include the Windermere Otters (any sign of them being back?),the amazing PTES Petworth bat trip, the reddest Red Squirrels in the universe on the Isle of Wight, and perhaps most particularly, 150 Common Dolphins all round the pelagic boat from Scilly in October and a Scilly Shrew in the open for over two hours near Old Town Church for full frame pictures in the sunshine.
In other wildlife I photographed Vagrant, Lesser and Common Emperor dragonflies as well as Dainty Damselfly.
Four lifer birds in UK (Slaty-backed Gull, White-throated Robin, American White-winged Scoter and Long-toed Stint) kept that pot bubbling along nicely as well, so I don't propose to get upset over disappearing tanagers.
No complaints really.
John
Mike Richardson
Formerly known as Skink1978
Just read your blog Mark. John and I must have just missed you on Sunday.
I'll be reading about the Risso's with interest.
chris butterworth
aka The Person Named Above
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Beds/Bucks border Muntjac and Dorset Sika:-O
Reeves's Muntjac, and I've always been told Japanese Sika, but no doubt someone has definitive gen.
But I also got one shot of Indian Muntjac at Bandhavgarh.
John
Reeves's Muntjac, and I've always been told Japanese Sika, but no doubt someone has definitive gen.
But I also got one shot of Indian Muntjac at Bandhavgarh.
John
MarkHows
Mostly Mammals
StuartReeves
Local rarity
Farnboro John
Well-known member
A bit uphill over the weekend. I spent Saturday at the new Otter hot spot at Blandford Forum. Frankly I do recommend it but you may have to put in the hours or a couple of visits depending on what you want out of it.
I arrived at 0730 Saturday morning to be told as I was casting around for a start point that the dog Otter was under the black bridge fishing. This was correct, and I was then able to follow him for an hour and a half along the river. He was absolutely unconcerned by my presence and entirely concentrated on his own business. The locals, by the way, are entirely friendly, entirely pro-Otter and very helpful.
Unfortunately the light was not great on Saturday morning and I did not get pictures anything like those from Windermere last winter. Other photographers on their second or third visit showed me pictures of full Otter dentition. For the rest of the day I had no further sightings though apparently a female was showing above the stone road bridge at the north end of the Otters' beat.
However, I became abundantly aware I was in Kingfisher City UK! Over the course of the day I reckon I saw 5 for certain, but allegedly someone walked the length of the river in BF a day or so before and counted 14!!
Directions are on HOSlist.
Dos and don'ts:
DO talk to others at the site, you may get gripped off with a mega picture but you may also get latest gen and/or hints and tips on best spots.
DON'T stand on the West bank below the blue bridge by the bottom weir, as the bank and the culvert just below the bridge are regular Otter routes past the weir and you will block them. Uncool.
DO walk the length of the beat from the modern road bridge at the south end to the stone road bridge at the north end. You will find a lot of potentially good places to get pictures at different times of the day depending on the light.
Sunday was a birding day dipping Blackpoll Warbler in the morning and Rough-legged Buzzard at the Burgh in the afternoon. The Burgh did supply 2 ringtail Hen Harriers and 4 Short-eared Owls, not to mention 2 Stoats together and several Brown Hares.
John
I arrived at 0730 Saturday morning to be told as I was casting around for a start point that the dog Otter was under the black bridge fishing. This was correct, and I was then able to follow him for an hour and a half along the river. He was absolutely unconcerned by my presence and entirely concentrated on his own business. The locals, by the way, are entirely friendly, entirely pro-Otter and very helpful.
Unfortunately the light was not great on Saturday morning and I did not get pictures anything like those from Windermere last winter. Other photographers on their second or third visit showed me pictures of full Otter dentition. For the rest of the day I had no further sightings though apparently a female was showing above the stone road bridge at the north end of the Otters' beat.
However, I became abundantly aware I was in Kingfisher City UK! Over the course of the day I reckon I saw 5 for certain, but allegedly someone walked the length of the river in BF a day or so before and counted 14!!
Directions are on HOSlist.
Dos and don'ts:
DO talk to others at the site, you may get gripped off with a mega picture but you may also get latest gen and/or hints and tips on best spots.
DON'T stand on the West bank below the blue bridge by the bottom weir, as the bank and the culvert just below the bridge are regular Otter routes past the weir and you will block them. Uncool.
DO walk the length of the beat from the modern road bridge at the south end to the stone road bridge at the north end. You will find a lot of potentially good places to get pictures at different times of the day depending on the light.
Sunday was a birding day dipping Blackpoll Warbler in the morning and Rough-legged Buzzard at the Burgh in the afternoon. The Burgh did supply 2 ringtail Hen Harriers and 4 Short-eared Owls, not to mention 2 Stoats together and several Brown Hares.
John
Last edited:
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Working backwards through the year, Maz and I had a mega fortnight on Scilly, of which the mammal highlights were unusually many.
We both like travelling on the Scillonian (well Maz does when its fine) and used it in both directions this year. We hadn't even cleared Lands End when someon called "dolphins" and quickly amended that specifically to Risso's Dolphins. Ten of the big, grey, scar-marked, blunt-nosed dolphins were loafing off the starboard quarter, slowly falling astern. Like an idiot I hadn't prepared my camera and by the time I was ready, they were gone. Some people just don't learn.... or perhaps all of us catch ourselves out occasionally.
Four days later I was up on Kittydown trying to get to grips with a Black Kite that was giving great views but just would not glide into the right bit of sky for my lens, when the radio announced that somebody was watching a Lesser White-toothed Shrew in the open, giving prolonged views, on the Peninnis track from Old Town church.
I legged it down the hill and arrived at Higher Moors just as Spider was dropping off a bunch of birders. He then kindly gave me a lift to Old Town church and I ran the rest of the way to where the original caller could inform me the shrew had just gone into a hole. Dohh!!!
Fortunately I didn't have to wait long before a whiffling nose reappeared, shortly followed by the whole animal, which settled in the sun for ten minutes and was even visited by another, paler Lesser White-toothed Shrew! After that it began foraging, scuttling about in the open along the edge of the boulder beach. I rattled off many photographs and after about 40 minutes remembered that Marion had never seen one. Accordingly I walked into town, fetched her from the flat and returned to the site to find the shrew was still on view, hunting between the rocks and ambling about at the bottom of the yellow-sand drop-off. During the entire fortnight I saw two typical Scilly Shrews dash across my path, but I was lucky enough to happen on Steph Hicking and Gordon Wilson photgraphing another that they had found limping along the road by Higher Moors so I had excellent prolonged views of two. Amazing.
We watched for another half hour and set off for a celebratory cream tea. We hadn't gone far when two more birders came running and asked for exact directions, so I led them to the spot and the shrew was STILL showing.
A few days later I went on a pelagic on the Sapphire, and we were visited by about 150 Common Dolphins that jumped all round the boat and wer bow-riding, diving underneath the boat and all sorts, for ages. They or another pod visited us again on the way back in.
In between times (and there were plenty of birds to chase on Scilly this year) I was making efforts to find and photograph Black Rabbits, which are quite common on Scilly but for some reason wouldn't come anywhere near me. It turned into a bit of a running gag for the birding population, with everyone anxious to tell me how easily they had scored.
I finally followed the top tip of the season, around the gun battery on top of the Garrison beyond the camp site, and found seven Black Rabbits feeding quietly in the evening sunshine. I got pictures of several and was finally satisfied.
On the return voyage on the Scillonian we were lucky enough to encounter two Minke Whales as well as getting brief views of yet more Common Dolphins, but being ready didn't help with the Minkes which were rolling through and down again far too quickly for photos.
Even just on mammals I would judge this year's Scilly season a roaring success.
John
Pix:
We both like travelling on the Scillonian (well Maz does when its fine) and used it in both directions this year. We hadn't even cleared Lands End when someon called "dolphins" and quickly amended that specifically to Risso's Dolphins. Ten of the big, grey, scar-marked, blunt-nosed dolphins were loafing off the starboard quarter, slowly falling astern. Like an idiot I hadn't prepared my camera and by the time I was ready, they were gone. Some people just don't learn.... or perhaps all of us catch ourselves out occasionally.
Four days later I was up on Kittydown trying to get to grips with a Black Kite that was giving great views but just would not glide into the right bit of sky for my lens, when the radio announced that somebody was watching a Lesser White-toothed Shrew in the open, giving prolonged views, on the Peninnis track from Old Town church.
I legged it down the hill and arrived at Higher Moors just as Spider was dropping off a bunch of birders. He then kindly gave me a lift to Old Town church and I ran the rest of the way to where the original caller could inform me the shrew had just gone into a hole. Dohh!!!
Fortunately I didn't have to wait long before a whiffling nose reappeared, shortly followed by the whole animal, which settled in the sun for ten minutes and was even visited by another, paler Lesser White-toothed Shrew! After that it began foraging, scuttling about in the open along the edge of the boulder beach. I rattled off many photographs and after about 40 minutes remembered that Marion had never seen one. Accordingly I walked into town, fetched her from the flat and returned to the site to find the shrew was still on view, hunting between the rocks and ambling about at the bottom of the yellow-sand drop-off. During the entire fortnight I saw two typical Scilly Shrews dash across my path, but I was lucky enough to happen on Steph Hicking and Gordon Wilson photgraphing another that they had found limping along the road by Higher Moors so I had excellent prolonged views of two. Amazing.
We watched for another half hour and set off for a celebratory cream tea. We hadn't gone far when two more birders came running and asked for exact directions, so I led them to the spot and the shrew was STILL showing.
A few days later I went on a pelagic on the Sapphire, and we were visited by about 150 Common Dolphins that jumped all round the boat and wer bow-riding, diving underneath the boat and all sorts, for ages. They or another pod visited us again on the way back in.
In between times (and there were plenty of birds to chase on Scilly this year) I was making efforts to find and photograph Black Rabbits, which are quite common on Scilly but for some reason wouldn't come anywhere near me. It turned into a bit of a running gag for the birding population, with everyone anxious to tell me how easily they had scored.
I finally followed the top tip of the season, around the gun battery on top of the Garrison beyond the camp site, and found seven Black Rabbits feeding quietly in the evening sunshine. I got pictures of several and was finally satisfied.
On the return voyage on the Scillonian we were lucky enough to encounter two Minke Whales as well as getting brief views of yet more Common Dolphins, but being ready didn't help with the Minkes which were rolling through and down again far too quickly for photos.
Even just on mammals I would judge this year's Scilly season a roaring success.
John
Pix:
Attachments
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Waltzing backwards through the year again, on 5th August I went to the Forest of Dean with Mark and Co., and finally saw Wild Boars there, females with piglets. The following weekend Clare, Mark and I visited Roger and had mega views of his feeder-visiting Hazel Dormice. The views continued beyond midnight, so I decided to have a two-dormouse day and spent the evening with the Edible Dormice at Wendover Woods, obtaining crippling views and, with the assistance of Roy and his red spotlight, photos of them as well. Modesty forbids me to big the pix up, you lot can do that if you like.
John
John
Attachments
Farnboro John
Well-known member
turkish van
Number 1 celebrity badger
The word awesome comes to mind, how's that? Especially love the middle Edible, cute...
JWN Andrewes
Poor Judge of Pasta.
Seen worse.
Farnboro John
Well-known member
During the summer I got around a lot of my usual haunts. One particular trip was to Arne at the end of July to try to get pictures of Sikas in summer coat with full-grown antlers. I was perhaps a couple of weeks too early as the stags still had black velvet on pretty much full-sized antlers but the coats were immaculate and I got some nice shots. It does help that up at Shipstal Point you can walk up to them.
Closer to home I caught one of the brook foxes enjoying the morning sunshine.
John
Closer to home I caught one of the brook foxes enjoying the morning sunshine.
John
Attachments
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Rabbits have also featured in photos this year, including one bold buck living cheek-by-jowl with the canal Badgers. I haven't spent much time with the latter but on one visit I got a nice shot of one having a good scratch.
John
John
