John's Mammals 2014 (1 Viewer)

Farnboro John · Dec 31, 2013

Two hours to go. The foxes have been calling every night, lets hope they have a go tonight as well. I'm going to try to get some birding in before the rain arrives, hopefully I'll pick up a few mammals as well. Five is a typical 1st January, I'd be surprised if I beat that this year but you never know!

John

prhodes · Jan 1, 2014

Only time I'm perhaps ahead John. Fox in the road in front of our garden under the street lights and apparently not in the slightest worried by the fireworks. Great mammal spotting in 2014. Phil

MarkHows · Jan 1, 2014

The first mammal of the year more Yellow necked mice in the garage.

Mark

Farnboro John · Jan 1, 2014

Didn't hear a thing overnight and bad weather kept most mammals under cover today. In between chasing birds I had about forty dark Fallow Deer in the field below the Pulborough Brooks reserve centre (they had little choice: the entire valley is flooded) and a Grey Squirrel feeder-raiding at Moor Green late this afternoon. Two for the day and the year.

John

ClarkWGriswold · Jan 1, 2014

Good luck with the list again this year John. Yellowstone should get some interesting additions.

Rich

Farnboro John · Jan 1, 2014

ClarkWGriswold said:
Good luck with the list again this year John. Yellowstone should get some interesting additions.

Rich

Yes, only seven months to wait!

John

MarkHows · Jan 4, 2014

Today I visited Draycote Water where for the last couple of months an Albino Grey Squirrel has been living. It was quite easy to track down being so obvious.

It lives near the hide which is at the north end of the lake, residing in a large nestbox and feeding nearby and on the hide feeders.

Also a cracking drake Smew and a Great Northern Driver present there a nice visit despite the torrential rain.

Had to stop for the black squirrels on the way home to make the set.

Mark

Jos Stratford · Jan 4, 2014

Red Squirrel again today, becoming a right regular I'm happy to say.

Ultra mild winter here, so no ice ...means the Beavers are still nibbling down my trees ...buggers, anybody want them posted to the UK?

Farnboro John · Jan 5, 2014

I was at Draycote Water on Thursday morning on my way to Manchester for my mother-in-law's funeral and also nailed the albino Grey Squirrel by the bird hide feeders. It is a cracking animal and well worth a visit. In addition to the GND and Smew, I found the local Goldeneyes to be a good deal more accommodating than most.

On Thursday afternoon I hit Dovestones hoping for Mountain Hare but found none despite walking right up to the ridgeline and working along it fairly thoroughly. I did get Raven and Red Grouse for the year.

Today I had a few hours free so nipped across to Formby Point where 6+ Red Squirrels in a variety of colours entertained and eventually offered photo-opportunities.

John

AlexC · Jan 5, 2014

I'll enjoy following this year's mammals!

snlw · Jan 5, 2014

Finally bumped into the Fox outside my flat this morning to get this years mammal list up & running. Might give the Draycote albino a go this week is work allows the time!

Farnboro John · Jan 5, 2014

Draycote Albino Grey Squirrel

John

Farnboro John · Jan 6, 2014

Formby Point Red Squirrel

John

Farnboro John · Jan 8, 2014

My birthday today and an afternoon off to enjoy the absence of driving rain. Finally added Rabbit and Roe Deer for the year at Moor Green.

John

Hotspur · Jan 8, 2014

Bumped into a surprise Bottlenose Dolphin at Brixham when I went down for the diver on Monday. A known animal with a notch out of its fin.

Farnboro John · Jan 11, 2014

Had to go to North Wales and visit an uncle with advanced cancer today - he's my late dad's brother and I bear his name, apart from more ordinary family and personal respect considerations - so I drove up in the dark and had a scurry along bits of the coast. I added a few year birds, its always nice to have my first shag of the year, fnarrh fnarrh, and took ten mins on the way to see Uncle Jack to stop off for the Great Orme goats. I'm quite happy to year-tick these (as opposed to the IOW ones which are heavily penned in) and today a combination of bright sunshine and human disturbance (grockles, not me) yielded some nice pix of which I will post a selection when I can find the time to process them.

I also recommend Llanfairfechan boating lake which has a pair of pretty confiding Goosanders coming in and out. Unfortunately the Dipper wasn't playing while I was there today.

John

Farnboro John · Jan 12, 2014

A tough day not seeing Parrot Crossbills in Ashdown Forest was rescued by the delightful Grey Phalarope in the kiddie paddling pool at Hove - another bizarre location added to the long list of weird places good birds turn up.

We zipped round to the West arm of Shoreham Harbour at last light hoping for the Glaucous Gull but dipped. However, a single Purple Sandpiper scuttling about with Turnstones was decent compensation and Clare then blew the rest of us away with a breaching Harbour Porpoise. I've only seen this species breach once, at Strumble Head: jealous of the sighting as well as the year-tick!

John

ClarkWGriswold · Jan 12, 2014

Hi John. Hope you had a good Birthday. My first mammal of the year was an Otter on Kenfig Pool. Grey Phal in a paddling pool must take some beating.

Rich

Farnboro John · Jan 13, 2014

ClarkWGriswold said:
Hi John. Hope you had a good Birthday. My first mammal of the year was an Otter on Kenfig Pool. Grey Phal in a paddling pool must take some beating.

Rich

It was mind-bogglingly weird. The pool is a designer puddle - sloping at about 1 degree of incidence to its edges, no vertical sides - lined with rubber surfaced with tiny shale bits, in tasteful blue and yellow. Around it are kiddies in wellies, beaming families watching as their offspring wield camera phones at this temporary resident; in between are ancient hairy birders in their usual mountain man gear, glorying in the bird and wondering when the cops are going to feel their collars for hanging round kids with huge cameras.... great bird though.

Birthday wasn't bad and Maz took me to the best local Indian restaurant, The Ancient Raj in Frimley, for a fantastic dinner.

John

Farnboro John · Jan 14, 2014

Some pix:

Goosander at Llanfairfechan
Great Orme Goats

John

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