After a disappointing spring looking for foxes, and a busy summer travelling, there were very few sightings of foxes, Now back at home, we decided to put out the cameras again. Not much to report, a fox, rabbits, randy pigeons, cat and a muntjac deer. It is a start, as we search the garden for the best position to set the cameras.
Category Archives: wildlife
Dancersend BBOWT Nature Reserve and Fungi
17th October 2024
We were lucky enough to attend a special BBOWT trip to the Dancersend Nature Reserve to explore the reserve’s woodland areas in search of fungi, guided by a knowledgeable fungus expert who has written several guidebooks on British fungi.
The journey to Dancersend was an adventure in itself, as we navigated narrow, single-track country roads. Thankfully, the drive was smooth, with no encounters requiring a tricky reverse! Upon arrival at the site, which also houses an extremely impressive Edwardian-looking Thames Water pumping station, we were warmly welcomed by representatives from BBOWT. Before setting out, we gathered for an informative talk about the reserve and what we might discover.
Dancersend, in the Chiltern Hills, is a diverse and rich nature reserve, nestled, known for its variety of habitats, including ancient woodland, grassland, and chalk streams. This blend of ecosystems makes it a haven for wildlife and fungi alike. Established in 1941, it was one of the first nature reserves in the region and has since been carefully managed to support rare and endangered species.
As we began our walk, we were reminded of the vital role fungi play in woodland ecosystems. These incredible organisms recycle nutrients, break down dead matter, and form symbiotic relationships with trees. The dying and dead ash trees, victims of ash dieback disease, proved to be hotspots for fungal growth. Initially, we struggled to spot anything, but as our guide shared tips and tricks, our eyes quickly adjusted. Soon, we were finding a wide variety of fungi, each with its unique shape, colour, and texture.
We were treated to tea and cakes back at base where R found several boxes of natural history themed books for sale. She bought only three being, apparently, “severely hampered by lack of cash”.
We had visited Dancersend before, sometime in the last century. A colleague from Walker days, Jan, had lived there for a while,
Moorhens and Foxes
1st June 2024
The weeks before we went on our Outer Hebrides holiday, I had been monitoring a Moorhen nest in our wild garden pond. Interesting visits from a fox who came around several times but gave up trying to scavenge the eggs. Foxy didn’t like getting wet. As fate dictated the eggs hatched when we were away on holiday. Luckily, they started to hatch as we left, so I did get some video footage of a couple of chicks. The constant movement of the Moorhen, and vegetation caused the trail cams memory card to fill up in two days.
Looking for Foxes 6
6th April 2024
It has been a full month since I shared the video documenting our foxes. However, the passing days have ushered in a sense of stagnation. The adult foxes continue their routine traverse across the field, perhaps eyeing the neighbouring chickens with intent, yet showing no signs of ousting the resident rabbits. Occasionally, a male pheasant makes fleeting appearances in the vicinity, though we now observe just one solitary bird frequenting our feeder. Gone are the days of jumping up and knocking the feeder to get some seeds. This pheasant, leaps up & down, squawks and flaps his wings. It doesn’t appear to cause any food to drop, but he’s working on it.
A pair of Moorhens briefly graced us with their presence as they crossed the mound, prompting me to redirect one of our cameras towards the tranquil pond. Despite the addition of rabbits to the scene, there seems to be a palpable absence of avian activity this month. However, a solitary Eurasian Jay did make a rare appearance, briefly breaking the monotony with its presence.
Looking for Foxes 5
9th March 2024
It has been a month since I last shared any updates from the wildlife cameras. I’ve been diligently moving them around the garden, but unfortunately, sightings of foxes have been almost non-existent. However, I’ve come across some remarkable footage of foxes on other YouTube channels. I highly recommend checking out the ‘Nature Live Camera’ hosted by Morten Hilmer on his land in Denmark. There are a couple of clips from the live video feed capturing foxes in action: here and here.
So, what can I report from our own observations?
- A grey squirrel, though thankfully it doesn’t frequent the bird feeders too often.
- Rabbits, included this month just to prove their presence in our area.
- A pair of Moorhens, intriguingly investigating a rabbit hole. Could they possibly be considering nesting there? We typically have a pair of Moorhens that visit and breed around our pond, so I’ll be setting up a camera to monitor the area closely.
- A male pheasant, a familiar sight as he wanders our field, enjoys the bird feeder, and pays visits to our neighbours.
- Foxes, with a couple of rare sightings captured. The last sighting revealed a pair of foxes; one can be seen crossing from left to right, and behind a fallen tree, there appears to be the reflection of another animal, presumably another fox.
Here’s hoping for more exciting sightings in the days to come!
Looking for Foxes 3
3rd February 2024
Another week of fox hunting. Camera in a slightly different position, hoping to see more investigation by the fox. Plenty of rabbits feeding at night. During the day, a group of starlings came to feast amongst the leaves. There was just one sighting of a fox, she looked to be investigating a home amongst the ready built dens. Still, plenty of time before she has her cubs. Next week the camera has been moved to show a wider view of the likely den area. Let us hope for some foxy pictures.
Looking for Foxes 2
27th January 2024
Another week by the pond, and not much to report. Plenty of rabbits, a definite need for an AI application to filter them out of the videos. A grey squirrel, an import from the USA, unfortunately it has found the bird feeders now, but has not learnt to climb. A sighting of a Muntjac deer most evenings. One sighting of a Fox.
Looking for Foxes
20th January 2024
As the new year begins, it is the season for foxes to find a home to raise their young. Next to our field pond, there is a large mound of earth that is friendly to wildlife. Rabbits use it to dig their burrows. In early January, when the weather was sunny, many birds came to feed amongst the fallen leaves. We saw starlings, redwings, fieldfares and garden birds, including a cheeky blue tit that pecked at the camera. We also had many rabbits, a squirrel who luckily has not discovered the bird feeders, and a mouse. The fox visited several times, inspecting the holes. It won’t be long before the rabbits move out for a while when the fox cubs arrive.
Please ignore the date on the camera, the day and time are correct, but the month is wrong. This is January, not March.
Red Kite Taking a Bath
30th October 2023
With its rufous body, angled wings and forked tail, this majestic raptor is easy to identify. I was lucky enough to spot this Red Kite in our field, doing something unusual. It was splashing in a puddle, bathing itself. It stayed there long enough for me to grab my camera and capture its image and a short video.
The Fox Cubs
30th June 2023
It has been a long while since I posted a video about our fox cubs. This five-minute video shows the fox cubs still with the Vixen down at our waterhole. The timeline is from mid-end June.
On the waterhole (pond) you can see a pair of moorhens racing around the pond, and preening. In one shot at about 32 seconds in you can see a fox cub on the bank, and the moorhens in the pond.
At 45 seconds in, a Muntjac (?) deer makes an appearance, after which we see a Vixen and her two cubs walking along the bank in the darkness.
During daylight hours, a grey heron comes fishing and catches a small unidentified morsal of food from the pond.
More fox cubs and their mother appear during daylight and darkness, often to come for a drink from the pond.
A Greater Spotted Woodpecker appears at 3.15. It hangs around entertaining us for a few seconds.
Not so nice is Ratty at 4.45.
Finally, a Jay comes for a drink.