Brown Hares & Chinese Water Deer 15th February 2014

 Wind was blowing a gale but decided to visit and area of the A5 in Bedfordshire where I knew it was likely to see at least the Chinese Water Deer that had escaped from Woburn Deer Park some years ago and now lived feral in the surrounding arable fields. A opportune stop in a concrete access to one of these arable fields to have lunch gave me an instant viewing of two Brown Hares only about 50 metres away. hunched down  sheltering from the wind. All the photo's were taken from my car.

 Having a good scratch

The Chinese Water Deer are easy to spot in the arable fields during the winter period. Note the male in the foreground with the long incisors. 

Kestrel, Barton Hills NNR, 28th December 2013

 Walked from my home in Luton to Barton Hills and took my new camera along hoping for some possible shots of Red Kite that frequent the area. Did see one briefly but it soon disappeared in the wooded area. However was soon entertained by this female kestrel hunting across the hillside on top of which I was sat giving good photo opportunities. 

Water Vole, Leagrave Common, Luton. 31st October 2013

 The River Lea in Luton still has populations of water vole including the source of the Lea at Leagrave Common. Carried out a quick check while walking along the bank and found latrines and feeding stations confirming the water voles continued presence.

Did not see any water voles on this visit but have added this water vole photo I took in 2010

Fallow Deer Rut, Ashridge 17th October 2013

Ashridge is a great place to watch the fallow deer rut, especially if you know where to watch from. On this occassion watched two bucks clash together with antlers locked, releasing, some times strutting along side each other before clashing again. Finally after about 15 mins one of the bucks conceded and moved quickly away.

Despite the sunshine, the light conditions and distance of the deer was not great for my camera and wish I could have captured more of the rut in action but hope to improve in future visits.

 On returning to my car noticed some bucks together not embroiled in the rut. This buck was  aware of my presence but was in no hurry to move away but eventually moved of the track into the woodland.

Followed shortly after by these two bucks following one after the other before joining the former.

Dormice Checks June 2013

I have been involved with carrying out Dormouse nest box checks since they were released as part of a PTES programme into a woodland in Central Bedfordshire in 2001. Population has continued and breeding noted. Though numbers have been fairly small using the nest boxes over the years, the dormice have spread through the wood and on this occasion in June was checking an area that had been coppiced about 7 years ago. This lovely and lively female posed long enough for the photo opportunity and after being sexed and weighed was returned to the nest box which was out back in place.

Despite the warm day the second dormouse was in a state of torpor making it very easy to handle. Rather than disturb the dormouse too much it was just weighed and not sexed before being returned to the box. There are around two hundred nest boxes spread around the wood and during the winter period boxes were put into new areas to check for further spread of the population.

Ardnarmurchan April 27th to May 4th, 2013

 

Another weeks visit to Stag Cottage at Glen Hurich, Arnarmurchan this time with friends John and Julian and once again full of wildlife, scenery and lovely walks. Pine Martens were on top form and very obliging to pose for us, all seen from the cottage window. This time we added a fallen conifer branch to give a more natural look where possible. We recognised at least four different individuals including this male above but thought there might have been five?

 

 

A bonus was the Pine Martens appeared while it was still daylight any time from 8pm. Since the last visit I had brought a trail camera and this was put to good use capturing 60 second video coverage in both daylight and darkness.

 

 

 One of those magic moments when one of the pine martens decided to look over the rock to see what goodies were available. On this occasion Peanuts and peanut butter.

 

 

It was very noticeable despite knowing of our presence at the window the pine martens were very wary of the presence of each other in the vicinity. Some times as in this video one would quickly make way when another possibly more dominant pine marten appeared or chased it off. At times there were very aggressive moments to each other especially between males and at night there eerie yowls could be heard on such encounters. There were other moments when they tolerated each other, maybe a pair or parents and siblings from last year? Their were also a courting couple and two occasions.

 



 

Pine Marten caught on the trail camera again, this time in low light.

 

 

 

Pine Martens are very agile, climb very well and balanced on the smallest of branches. Fine sense of smell meant they did not miss any of the food put out.

 

 

As well as peanuts, peanut butter and the fruit cake we put out each evening, the pine martens got the occasional treat of an egg. Never took them long to spot these and quickly left the other food in favour of the egg. Tended to take a few attempts to find the best way of picking up the egg but they always took this away with out breaking it or eating it on the spot as in the video above.

 

 

The advantage of having a trail camera meant not missing any events of interest after we had long since gone to bed. This was one such occasion when a courting couple were caught on camera, playing together and getting very amorous.

 

 

There was also a badger who visited every night but the earliest we managed to observe was at 12 midnight. The rest of the week the badger was caught on the trail camera in the early hours of the morning. All the footage was of the badger feeding on the remaining peanuts left by the pine martens.

 

 

Visited Ariundle nature reserve once again and like the rest of Britain the vegetation was a least a few weeks behind. On past visits in the same period the Gorse was well into flower and the trees in bud. On the last few visits here have been lucky enough to have great views of an Golden Eagle.

 

Old bridge on route to Castle Tioram

 

Ardnarmurchan is has on the whole only single track roads and only a small amount of traffic. The Point is the only place you are likely to find a set of permanent traffic lights and only here due to no passing bays on the approach road to the point.

 

View from the Point on a windy but sunny day

 

While their Julian befriended this Border Collie who apart from chasing the cars approaching the car park very much captured our attention with his antics and was fascinated by the incoming waves or what was coming in with them.

 

Their are various places on Ardnarmurchan where you can see Common Seals basking on the rocks at low tide and not easy to miss. Almost sure to see them at the Hide between Strontian and Resipole

 

Red Deer such as this female are a common sight and you will certainly see them on route to the Point from Ben Hiant to Kilchoan. They were on the road or nearby most days between our cottage and Strontian, usually in small groups.

 

 

 

Glen Miodart is one of my most favourite places and make a point of visiting on a good day though the weather in Scotland can quickly turn. The views are splendid here and have even nick named it Cuckoo valley as in May you are most likely to hear if not see one here. Golden Eagles are frequently seen here to.

 

Sanna Bay well worth a visit, great beaches and clear sea. Weather was very changeable on our visit this time with a mix of blue and grey sky

Winter visitor's from January 2013

Over the winter period from January 2013 we had species

of birds not previously recorded in our garden over the

thirty years of living at this address in Luton. Species such

has reed buntings and more occasional siskins and been

 seen over the past few years but this time around we also

had up to three fieldfare, redpoll's, a single blackcap as well

as the pied wagtail .Unfortunately unable to get photos

of all but here are some of them. Including our friendly

robin who made such a nice pose it could not be left out.

 

Female & Male Reed Bunting's

 

 Fieldfare

 Pied Wagtail

And of course the Robin



Fallow Deer Rut at Ashridge, October 2012

Visited  Ashridge in October 2012 early one morning at first light to view the Fallow Deer during their rut and not disappointed. Despite low light was able to get some half decent footage of this fallow buck. Also saw two foxes on the way in to the wood, one chasing the other in a not too friendly encounter between the two of them. The point where I view the deer is not far from the main access drive to the monument and visitors centre so a bonus to visit the café there which opens at 8am for breakfast afterwards.

Badger Visitor

Was contacted by a lady in Dunstable who had found a hole dug in one of her borders, and had noticed

bumble bees flying out of the hole. A badger was the suspected culprit so went to visit and with permission set up the trail camera up at the top end of her garden where signs showed the animal passed this way. Picked up the camera next morning and this is one of four clips of the badger caught on camera. The lady concerned though not to keen on the hole being dug in her garden and the bumble bee nest being raided was keen on wildlife and looked forward to showing the video clips to her grandchildren which I had saved for her on CD.

The Hedgehog & the Moggie

Some more mammal interaction from our garden. This time involving a hedgehog and a moggie. Looked like the moggie had thought the hedgehog might be worth pouncing on but wisely

thought better of it.

More Fox & Hedgehog clips plus Cat chasing Fox away

Some more video footage in our back garden showing hedgehog and this time the female fox feeding in same area and taking little notice of each other.

This clip shows the female collecting the biscuits that are treated with a homoeopathic sarcoptic mange remedy. On the Sunday night she ate the biscuits on the spot. Its difficult to know whether when collecting them she is taking them back for cubs or hiding the food for later consumption. On this occasion she returned shortly after with the biscuits still held in her mouth again on another clip a short while later (not shown here) without.

Interesting moment here the clip goes straight into an interaction with a neighbours cat who takes objection to the fox in its considered territory and chases the fox out of our garden.

The trailcam had was set up attached to a iron washing line post and showing in this clip is a daylight picture covered during the past few nights. We currently have a pair of Robins who's chicks have fledged and you can see on of the fledgling's being fed on the birdbath. Have tried to make the garden wildlife friendly with pond, a small meadow area currently full of cowslips and plants to attract butterflies, bees and other insects. We have hedgehog boxes around the garden with one in use. Planted a mixed hedgerow to the right of this picture a number of years ago and have planted firethorn as a berry source for birds.

Close encounter between a Fox and Hedgehog

Set up my newly purchased trailcam in our Garden on Saturday 5th May for its first trial and it provided
a number results during the night including one I was not prepared for, a close encounter between an hedgehog and a fox. The hedgehog approaches the fox with caution but ends up feeding along side the fox which just ignores its presence. On further footage shortly after the hedgehog was feeding on its own coming to no harm with its encounter with the fox. Unlike the female fox in the footage below this fox did not have mange and I think its possibly male but not sure.

Female Fox, visitor to our garden

Female Fox visited out garden on a few occassions during the night, seen here feeding on cat food put out to entice in front of the trailcam. You will note by the lack of fur on the tail that she has mange but take a closer look at the footage wher she turns and see if you can spot she is lactating.

Field of Poppy's, Chicksands Wood, Bedfordshire 27th June 2011

Came across this large field of poppies approaching Chicksands Wood. Although there was not much seen in the wood on a very hot and clammy day this splendid sight made up for it. Have never seen so many poppies over a large area.

Ardnarmurchan May 2011

One of the highlights after a long journey from Bedfordshire made by Diana and myself once again was passing through the magnificent Glencoe with its awe inspiring mountain's which really get you in the mood for the delights that lay ahead. A very popular walking and climbing area with easy access along A82. There is also a visitors centre where you can find out much more about the area.

The final approach to Ardnarmurchan takes you across Loch Linnhe on the Corran Ferry a short journey of around ten minutes and brings you into Ardgour where you then head westward along Loch Linnhe on the A861. Make sure you stop at the view point a short distance on which overlooks two small rocky islands which at low tide you will see a good many Common Seals basking. Finally as you approach Strontian and the tip of Loch Sunart the two lane road is replaced by a single track road with its many passing places so meeting other vehicles is not a problem. You will find the traffic far less here and perhaps after the initial nervousness of using single track roads you soon begin to enjoy the splendours and slow pace of life. This is all part of the way of life on your visits to Ardnarmurchan.

Our Destination was Stag Cottage, a former gamekeepers cottage now owned by Liz & Richard Hallam who have renovated the cottage to its present splendour furnished with antiquity which adds so much to its character and a homely feeling. Its is in a isolated situation at Kinlochan in Glenhurich and is reached by a steep climb on a narrow winding road from Strontian which then descends just as steeply into Polloch. The drive along this road is adventurous if you are not used to it but well worth it. There is good walking in the area and Loch Shiel is easily reached along a forest track from Polloch.

The Cottage is located not far from the bottom left hand edge of Loch Doilet in the picture, this is a freshwater loch. Red Throated Divers are seen here on occasion and Mergansers are a regular visitor. Sea Eagles make the occasional foray here from the much larger Loch Sheil too. At the iron bridge as you approach Polloch there is always evidence of otters under the bridge in the form of spraints. There has been reports of Wildcat being seen in the area with the most recent a few weeks before our stay near Strontian but have never had the fortune of even a glimpse of this shy endangered cat during our visits to Ardnarmuchan.

Stag Cottage is well noted for having regular visits made in the evening and occasional early mornings by Pine Martens. Thought described as nocturnal in mammal books this is not strictly true and they can be seen in daylight hours too. The female pine marten in the picture would arrive anytime between 7pm and 9pm while it was still daylight and gave us much opportunity for photo shots. A larger male also visited every evening but always after 9pm when we were losing the light and did not make for a decent picture. We were observing the Pine Martens through the living room window from the comfort of chairs so never attempted to use a flash. Both Soprano and Common Pipperstrelle Bats were seen each evening and identified with the aid of a bat detector.


The Pine Martens were very partial to fruit cake and would often take mouthfuls away to the edge of the garden and cache it under brash or in grass tussocks for later consumption. Occasionally we put out a chickens egg which was obviously a prize to them. On spotting it they would immediately leave the rest of the food and take the egg away only returning sometime later. Pine Martens have a very sweet tooth and love jam but on finding out this could cause problems to their teeth stopped using it later in the week.

Pine Martens are Omnivorous and in Johnny Birks booklet published by The Mammal Society in 2002 of food. they take a wide range of food such as large mammal carrion, lagomorphs, small mammals,birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, birds eggs, crustaceans,beetles, hymenopterans, earthworms, caterpillars, mollusc's, hazelnuts, many types of fruit and berry, fungi and edible contents of litter bins. Often shown chasing squirrels these rodents only represent 1% of their diet.

This brave little bank vole we noticed one morning feeding on crumbs below the window sill, left overs from the pine martens including a few peanuts. We started to put out a few bits of food afterwards to catch a glimpse of the small mammal. Normally it would scurry from the heather in the border and scurry back again but finally it paused long enough for me to get a quick picture through the window.



On Loch Sunart between Strontian and Resipole the Forestry Commission have erected a hide which overlooks two small islands Called Garbh Eileen the larger of the two and Eileen a' Chuilinn. As well as some very beautiful views changing with the light and conditions you can observe lots of wildlife and all the wonderful sounds made by birds such oyster catchers and sand pipers. Otters are seen regularly here along with common seals and the occasional grey seals. The latter you will see basking at low tide on the rocks around Garbh Eileen. Eileen a' chuilinn is home to an Herony and their is much activity in the breeding season.

Garbh Eilleen



I have been trying for a while to get a half decent picture of a grey heron but is would seem the minute I pointed my camera in their direction they would notice and fly off. Finally achieved it with this particular heron being to busy waiting for a crab or a fish to appear so it could make its strike. Not to be on this occasion but when it moved nearer the water noticed how well its refection showed up and was able to take a number of pictures with this image being the less distorted.



Common Seal as mentioned are easily seen swimming around the two islands and basking on the rocks mostly around Garbh Eileen. They can also be good fun when they are in their playful mood chasing each over, splashing and making lots of noise.


Our views of an otter this year consisted of two brief encounters and a much better close up of an otter swimming directly below the hide on arrival at 6am. Watched it dive and surface again on a few occasions but not catching any fish or crabs. Suspect they were half hearted attempts and the otter already had it fill as it soon disappeared out of site and possibly some where onto the shoreline to rest. My camera although with me was in my rucksack and having no time to get it out and risk disturbing the otter being so close missed a perfect picture opportunity. The two Pictures above I took in 2008 on the not too distant Isle of Carna situated across from Laga Bay and opposite Morvern where Loch Teacuis joins Loch Sunart.

On decent down to Strontain in the early mornings we would often see red deer close to and sometimes on the road. Two of the deer a female and a stag kindly posed long enough for me to take a few pictures from the car. Had we tried to get out of the car with the deer in close proximity they would have quickly run away. Red deer are a common site all other Ardnamurchan so photo opportunities abound.

A herd of female red deer sky lining across from Ben Hiant



Red deer stags between Ben Hiant and Kilchoan

Sanna Bay is well worth a visit and on route to Ardnarmurchan Point. A lovely white beach greets you, one of many in Scotland.Ardnarmurchan Point is the most westerly point of mainland Britian. Its lighthouse is open to visitors and it is possible to see cetaceans such as dolphins and if your lucky a Minke Whale. Numerous sea birds can be seen here best observed through a telescope

Smissary is a an old crofting community with a few cottages retained as holiday homes which can be reached by following the A61 along side Loch Moidart to Glenuig Bay where you take a narrow single track road just past the Public House sign posted to Smissary and follow it through what seems to be a farm yard and onto a car parking area. From here you can do the White Sand walk (walking boots highly recommended) which takes you through the Crofting area. and ends up at a superb white beach with fantastic views. There is a small booklet with walks around Mallaig & Ardnarmurchan including the mentioned you can purchase from the tourist information at Strontian.



On route to Castle Tioram the road takes you past the very steep rocky outcrop of Ben Gheur where peregrines have nested. On this occasion we saw no peregrines but watched a pair of common buzzards circling and calling and a small group of red deer that some how manage to move around this cliff like rocky outcrop with out too much difficulty. We then spotted this very colourful pheasant watching us. It had a metallic green colouration in the bright sunshine, and very photogenic.

At the small community of Ardmolich the A861 still a single track road before Loch Miodart crosses a metal bridge which has replaced the old stone bridge still standing along side. It is well worth stopping here and viewing from the old bridge being a good location to spot Dippers.

From the old bridge a quiet narrow road takes you along side the River Moidart past another small community of Brunery and on to a small a parking area just before the private access to Glenmoidart House. Just a short clamber up a footpath to the a farm track (once a Drovers track) which takes you on a magnificent walk along Glen Moidart to the waterfall and further if you wish. You can climb up past the waterfall to the lochon above. Seldom see many people here and a walk not to be missed and for the most part to the waterfall, easy going.

Loch Shiel is a large freshwater loch that stretches from Acharacle to Glenfinnan and the best way to take in the wonders and history is on the boat trip which can be taken in the afternoon on Wednesday from Acharacle to Glenfinnan or visa versa in the morning or the return if you wish. The single trips meet up with the Loch Shiel bus service to bring you back. On this occasion we not only had very good weather but also superb wildlife seeing two sea eagles together one a juvenile with a radio tag fitted to its back. Further on we saw distant views of three golden eagles being mobbed by Ravens and nearer Glenfinnan a further two golden eagles, being mobbed this time by a single Raven and a common buzzard. The buzzard itself a good sized bird of prey looked small compared to the golden eagle it was attacking. The eagles ability to turn in the air to present its talons to the tormentors was really something to see.

The day before our boat trip we had been talking to a local man near the jetty on Loch Sheil who mentioned there had been an Osprey around the loch over the past few days thought to be passing through as not a common visitor here. Fortunes were definitely on our side this visit as no more than five minutes later the osprey appeared flying over our heads heading across the loch and continuing along the opposite shoreline and out of sight.

Finally a mention for this male Black Throated Diver who is regularly seen hanging around the Jetty area at Acharacle and has been affectionately named Dopey George by locals who use Loch Shiel due to his habit of coming close to their boats and often crossing directly in front of them.

I remember my very first visit to Ardnamurchan and have been hooked ever since.