John's Mammals 2016 (1 Viewer)

[Farnboro John]

I'm heading into the field early tomorrow morning and out all day, so to make sure everyone has a facility whatever they see in however long a day on the First, I'll kick next year's thread off now.

My New Year plan is bird-orientated but I'm hoping to pick up a few mammals along the way (at any rate more than I saw in the Fens the other day).

Happy New Year everybody!

John

 

[Farnboro John]

96 birds (missed the century again) - full list on the joint Jan 1 thread. Rabbit the only mammal.

At Beckley Forest we found only a few boar hoofprints and the forest rides have been seriously opened up so there is less cover, and the conifer plantations have new rides through them to similarly reduce any feeling of security within them.

John

 

[MarkHows]

Happy New year everyone.

I had a trip to Lakenheath on the 1st, Roe deer and muntjac, Burwell fen for more roe deer and brown hare
On 2nd I went to Minsmere for red deer, grey squirrel, muntjac, rabbit and otter.

Mark

 

[Carol Baldock]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10206736252257799&set=pcb.10206736264218098&type=3

Happy New Year everyone.
a visitor to our garden at 8.50am, this morning

 

[Farnboro John]

Well, its going slowly, but it is going..... Grey Squirrel, Red Fox and Roe Deer added to the 1 Jan Rabbit. Happily my foxes seem to be starting to get back to normal, with Black Notch and Double Top turning up together for chicken last night at a sensible time instead of around midnight (or later.) I also had three Red Foxes having a very vocal debate by the car park at work this morning!

Dorset Sunday, hopefully some mammal action down there to report later.

John

 

[Jos Stratford]

Been back in Lithuania for two days now and I'm sitting on a grand total of one mammal - Red Fox. Should climb a little this coming weekend.

Planning a big year in the UK this year John?

 

[Farnboro John]

Been back in Lithuania for two days now and I'm sitting on a grand total of one mammal - Red Fox. Should climb a little this coming weekend.

Planning a big year in the UK this year John?

No, I'm resting on the laurels of last year's 54 mammals in UK (plus two in the Baltics).

I do have some high points on the way though including a trip to Scotland in March and a non-birding week in Italy later in the spring that I hope will yield a few ticks from both Chordata and Arthropoda. In autumn its round two of John v Shetland rarities.

In between times I shall be trying to fill in digital gaps in various photo lists and twitching anything new I can reasonably get at.

Next winter I hope to be on the spotlight that finds the Lynx.

I don't expect to be bored!

John

 

[Morg]

I don't actively list mammals but do visit John's mammals threads as a lurker - glad he is back

Had an Otter in the sea off Barns Ness in Lothian today - first I have seen there!

Geoff

 

[edenwatcher]

Think lots of us lurk and are glad that John is back. Just got a camera trap, will see what that produces...
Friends a few miles away recently had pine marten on theirs.

Rob

 

[Farnboro John]

Clare and I were out yesterday enjoying the fine weather - at least in the morning....

I had a Red Fox cross the road on my way to pick her up. We started at Blandford Forum looking for Otters. The river was very high, with only a few inches of the seven-foot weir showing as a low blip in the brown rushing current. Clare spotted an Otter after about an hour but I was completely incompetent and managed not to see it at all. I did catch up with Kingfisher and added Grey Squirrel and Rabbit to the day list before we decided to move on.

Up in the New Forest we found cloudy weather but headed off from the Puttles Bridge car park to look for deer. Out on the heath we found a herd of 34 Red Deer including some stags, and a small group of Fallow Deer hurried out of the far woods to take up a position near them. It was apparent from their behaviour and demeanour that disturbance from humans and more worryingly their dogs is a regular problem for the deer. At this point our luck ran out and the rain absolutely hammered down - at one point it was hail! We hid under hollies and firs until it slacked off, then made quickly for the car.

Changing target again we nipped over to Blashford and unashamedly pursued year-tick birds, knocking off the elusive Ferruginous Duck and some Goosanders, plus the adult Ring-billed Gull (with relief now Wally is MIA) and Slav Grebe.

We finished the day out on the open heaths of the North west corner of the Forest, where after we had photographed the iconic ponies, a Peregrine shot up out of the valley in front of us and a few minutes later a gorgeous grey ghost male Hen Harrier floated past for a glorious finale.

John

 

[Farnboro John]

A few pix from Sunday:

White Fallow doe
Red Deer
Very wet young Red stag
New Forest Ponies - all right, not wild mammals, but nice light.

John

 

[MarkHows]

I had to work all weekend but put my Longworth's out and had a nice haul.


5x Harvest Mice
4x Field Voles
1x Common Shrew
1x Wood mouse

More on my Blog as always


Mark

 

[Farnboro John]

Great result - I haven't any small mammals per se at all this year yet!

First photographic encounter with Black Notch this year last night, though.

John

 

[snlw]

That's a much better haul Mark!

 

[Richard Prior]

Golden Jackal spreading west

Thought this report might interest readers of this thread, I spotted it yesterday in the 20 Minutes free daily newspaper in Switzerland:
" A hunter shot a Golden Jackal last weekend, taking the animal for a Red Fox; This error provides the first physical proof of the presence of this species in Switzerland." There's a photo of a G J taken by a camera trap on 27 December 2015 in the same area with the article. It goes on to say : "The first trace of this species in Switzerland dates from winter 2011/12... it's been breeding in Austria and north Italy since 2007. With this recent development, Berne now accords it the status of "protected native species"."
Maybe I'll get one on my Garden List in my part of the Alps in due course (was chuffed to observe 9 Chamois together on the mountain behind our house two days ago, so I can't complain)!

 

[snlw]

Spent yesterday in West Sussex. The only mammal I saw on the drive down was a Roe Deer crossing the road, only just, in front of me. I was down there to do some hibernaculum bat counts. I was in the group that checked the two disused railway tunnels. The day did not disappoint with 259 bats counted. Most were Natterer's, Daubenton's & Whiskered/Brandt's but there was one other bat, The ♂ GREATER MOUSE-EARDED BAT!!
A great day out!

Simon

 

[snlw]

Also from yesterday this book was recommended to buy -http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1472922026?refRID=17Z2SM2X9PEY5HPXV5S8&ref_=pd_rhf_pe_p_img_1

 

[Farnboro John]

Spent yesterday in West Sussex. The only mammal I saw on the drive down was a Roe Deer crossing the road, only just, in front of me. I was down there to do some hibernaculum bat counts. I was in the group that checked the two disused railway tunnels. The day did not disappoint with 259 bats counted. Most were Natterer's, Daubenton's & Whiskered/Brandt's but there was one other bat, The ♂ GREATER MOUSE-EARDED BAT!!
A great day out!

Simon

Well done Simon, time I joined Sussex Bat Group, I keep thinking about it.....

John

 

[Jos Stratford]

" A hunter shot a Golden Jackal last weekend, taking the animal for a Red Fox; This error provides the first physical proof of the presence of this species in Switzerland."

"The first trace of this species in Switzerland dates from winter 2011/12

The 2011/2012 individual was caught on a trip cam put out to monitor Lynx - it is a confirmed Golden Jackal, not a trace.

 

[snlw]

Well done Simon, time I joined Sussex Bat Group, I keep thinking about it.....

John

I think you should do too!