John's Mammals 2022 (1 Viewer)

[Farnboro John]

Christmas Day update: I had the same for dinner as the foxes (well we all had chicken, but mine was a share of a whole bird and they had their usual drumsticks). Patch is not limping for the first time since his bite early in the month. Happy Christmas Patch!

Two days ago I saw a young Brown Rat run across in front of my bicycle on my way back from the Sports and Social Club, possibly the rat had been flooded out as Cove Brook is very high at the moment.

John

 

[Farnboro John]

The foxes are becoming more erratic as the breeding season starts to hot up. Patch in particular seems to be choosing times that avoid what the other dog foxes are doing. That said, only Scally of the other two adult dog foxes has turned up for the last few days. Last night one of the big cubs arrived and was prepared to come halfway up the garden path for their chicken; the night before they drove the cat, Whitesocks, off a whole drumstick that had been left unattended - that's another recent feature, sometimes the foxes will sniff at a thrown drumstick but either wander off or just look aback up and prefer a second.

All very confusing and makes catering a bit of a lottery as their consumption varies widely each night.

John

 

[Farnboro John]

Having started the 2023 thread with a mention of my calendar pic rules, I'm going to close off (from my point of view and failing something momentous to mention in the last few hours) the 2022 thread with the photos that made the calendar for 2023.

January - June in this post.

1-12 =January etc; 13 = the cover.

John

1. Red Fox (Patch) on a morning visit in daylight.
2. Fallow Deer (Bolderwood, New Forest) winter.
3. Juvenile Rabbot, Portland Bill quarry.
4. Wolverine, Bear Centre, Finland.
5. Chinese Water Deer, Woodwalton Fen.
6. Common Seal, Shetland.

 

[Farnboro John]

Second half of the year:

7. Mountain Hare leveret, The Cairnwell
8. Badger, Tundry Pond
9. Hedgehog, Hillswick, Shetland
10. Brown Bear, Bear Centre, Finland
11. Red Squirrel, Bear Centre, Finland
12. Reindeer, roadside, somewhere in Finland
13. Brown Bear, Bear Centre, Finland