Roe Deer family.

May 3, 2022May 3, 2022 / Andy Finnegan / 7 Comments

Since the first lock-down, we have been watching the local deer population in a small pocket of woodland bordering the edge of the built-up area close to home. There is a healthy population of Roe deer with two dominant, Roebucks who have their own group of Does. Kids are usually born in May or June.

Using a long lens and camouflage we have over the last 3 years recorded the life cycle of these animals. We also started using trail cameras.

Last week we set up cameras in a spot where we regularly see deer and also find evidence that they have cleared a sitting patch. This post shows some of the footage from these trail captures. {only a small percentage of what was captured} I have also posted some stills taken from the films. It shows the interactions of the family group which I think is a privilege to see. It was a surprise to see that 2 of the Does had given birth {one with a single kid and the other with twins} fairly early in the season. {end of April}

Red Kites.

April 28, 2022April 28, 2022 / Andy Finnegan / 6 Comments

Red Kites in the Brecon Beacons- A success story. 35 years ago I saw my 1st Red Kite they were on the brink at that time and about only 25 pairs were in a stronghold in the Brecon Beacons. Over the years their numbers have increased and their range increased. It has now been successfully re-introduced to England and Scotland. It is estimated that there are now 4600 pairs in the UK, While we were on our recent campervan trip to Mid-Wales we visited a Red Kite feeding station at Gigrin Farm near Rhayader.

The farm became an official Kite Feeding Station in the winter of 1992/93 following a request from the RSPB. Today it welcomes many visitors for a daily feeding session where up to 600 birds come to feed.

Hark a Lark.

April 28, 2022April 28, 2022 / Andy Finnegan / Leave a comment

The Skylark is a LBB {a little brown bird}. It is a streaky brown colour with a small crest, which can be raised when the bird is excited or alarmed and a white-sided tail. It can fly, vertically up in the air. Often you can hear them high above fields singing their hearts out. When you locate it , it is often just a tidny speck up in the sky – it is a bird you hear before you see it.

In the Brecon Beacons in Mid Wales, I spotted this Skylark on the ground.Thenfirst time I was able to photograph one. They are ground-nesting birds and this is one of the reasons why their numbers have dramatically decreased in recent years and are now on the “Red List”.

Small wonders.

April 24, 2022 / Andy Finnegan / Leave a comment

Last week I set up one of my trail cameras with a close-up filter and placed it in our local woods in a hollow tree and added some birdseed. I was pleased with the results the film below shows mice and at the end a rat.

Also spotted a regular Roebuck looking a bit shabby with his winter coat.

Reptiles.

April 21, 2022 / Andy Finnegan / 10 Comments

I have recently been looking for reptiles on my walks – I have seen a few lizards and snakes crossing paths disappearing into the grass or shrub. Several placed pieces of corrugated iron which make a good hiding place for snakes to hide as they warm have proven unsuccessful in attracting anything so far.

In the New Forest, there is a small centre where they have pits with a few of the local reptiles that are found in the forest that you can see if they show themselfs. The centre has been closed for the last few years due to COVID but is now open a couple of days a week. We visited yesterday and were able to get a few pictures without falling in!

Adder.

The Adder is the only venomous snake in the UK. It spends time soaking up the sun. They have a distinctive, black zig-zag pattern along their backs. The female is larger than the male and is copper or brown in colour while the male is silvery-grey. Adult Adders measure between 60 and 80cm in length.

We were lucky enough to see a female in the sun approached by a male.

If properly treated, the worst effects of the snake’s bite are nausea and drowsiness, followed by severe swelling and bruising around the bite. No one has died of an Adder bite in the UK for many years.

Sand Lizard.

Due to the loss of habitat, the Sand Lizard is one of the UK’s rarest reptiles we were lucky to see this male in full breeding colours. they have a life span of up to 20 years.

Slow Worm.

Slow worms are legless lizards may people wrongly think they are a snake. Occasionally, individuals may have small blue spots behind their heads, a feature that is more common amongst males than females. This slow worm was seen on Monday’s walk and quickly made an escape into the vegetation. We also saw a Common Lizard on the same walk but he was too quick and disappeared before I could take any pictures.

Long-tailed Tit.

April 16, 2022April 16, 2022 / Andy Finnegan / 2 Comments

Long-tailed tits are easily recognisable with their distinctive black and white colouring with a hint of pink. They have a tail that is bigger than their body. They are often seen in small, excitable flocks and can number up to 20 birds. most flocks I see locally number between 6 to 8 birds. These small birds look like flying balls of fluff. and are said to be one of Britain’s cutest birds.

Length:14cm

Wingspan:16-19cm

Weight:7-10g

Hover.

April 14, 2022 / Andy Finnegan / 4 Comments

Kestrels are small, chestnut brown birds of prey. They are often seen hovering over fields or by the sides of roads. They feed on small mammals, such as voles, shrews, mice, and small birds. They also feed on invertebrates and worms.

New Forest April visit.

April 4, 2022April 4, 2022 / Andy Finnegan / 2 Comments

Our first visit to the New Forest in April this year with a fair walk deep into the forest to collect camera footage from where we left our trail camera last week. Returning to the van we found another Badger’s sett – we now know where 3 setts are located – It is interesting that once you understand these mammals’ behaviour and how they build their setts you can spot clues in the landscape where to look. Below is the footage from my brother’s camera which got the best footage.

As always some Fallow deer sightings on our walk.

After the badger walk, we checked out a forest pond, where we saw our 1st ducklings of the year. This mum was being hassled by a group of drakes so she moved them away onto an island out of their reach.

Bird ID help.

April 2, 2022April 2, 2022 / Andy Finnegan / 4 Comments

Mediterranean Gull or Black-headed Gull (summer plumage).

For a long time, I tried to spot Mediterranean Gull among all the Black-headed gulls and was never quite sure I had seen one, last year I spotted a pair at Titchfield haven and when you see one it is clear they are different from the nearby Black-headed gulls. This year there are a lot more Mediterranean Gull although some distance away I made this film to show the differences.

Another pointer that is difficult to see in pictures or at a distance is the Black-headed Gull’s head black is in fact dark brown when you take a close look and the Mediterranean Gull has a jet black head colour.

Cadman’s Pool.

March 28, 2022March 28, 2022 / Andy Finnegan / 7 Comments

One of my favourite starting places in The New Forest for a walk is Cadman’s Pool It was the idea of Arthur Cadman who was Deputy Surveyor of the New Forest in the 1960s. The pond is on Ocknell Plain, and at the edge of Stoney Cross Airfield (a WW2 aerodrome). It was dug to enhance the aesthetic appeal of this corner of the Forest.

After a circular walk and the placing of our trail camera’s on a badgers sett we found on last weeks walk in the area I was able to spot some wildlife on the pond.

These Mandarin Ducks have paired up and seem to have established their home on Cadman’s Pool. As I have posted before there is a group of about 6 ducks on Eyeworth Pond which is about 2 miles away as the crow (or duck) fly’s so I suspect these have relocated from there.