After enjoying watching toads on Tuesday, I returned to the pond with my underwater camera. The results were good. One loan toad chased the camera and attached himself, confusing it with a female toad. The other fact that I did not expect was that they communicated underwater. The soundtrack shows this.
Toad Spawn is formed as a “string” of eggs, while Frog Spawn is in “clumps.” I have shown both in the clips.
Toad is holding onto my camera!
Yesterday we collected our trail cameras placed at a Badger Sett in the New Forest. It was great to see several Cuckoos en route (see yesterday’s post).
Got a bit muddy in the process trying to get some photos of a small fungus.
In the UK and Ireland, it is known as the Bog Beacon,( in the USA it is commonly referred to as the Swamp Beacon.) This little fungus occurs only in very wet places and looks like a flower popping out of the water.
1st New Forest Pony foals of the year were also spotted during today’s walk.
The camera had some good Badger footage.
OK it is not a David Attenborough production but our trail camera footage from the New Forest has griven us some interesting results. This post gives further clips of life around New Forest badger Setts, I hope you have time to take a look.
One clip shows good interaction between 2 badgers I hope some youngsters may be about later in the season. There is also a clip in day time of a passing herd of Fallow deer.
Raptors on film, a short film of recent local raptor encounters. Buzzards – Kestrel – Marsh Harrier.
Buzzard from trail camera others from standard digital camera. All wild birds.
Day and night wet or dry there is always someone crossing the ditch. Trail camera footage and stills from the film.
Roe Deer.
Lots of Robins pass the camera with their bright red breast you would think they would stand out but in the autumn leaves, they are quite camouflaged .
Bird spotting around a bird feeding station. I placed a small camera trail on a tripod and let it run. The sounds of the forest are worth listening to in the film.
Duck! no “Buzard” in coming straight at our trail cameras – he actually clipped it with his feet knocking it over.
Water remains short in our local patch due to the drought grass is brown and many of the water holes and ditches have dried up boggy areas are much dryer than this time last year. One advantage appears to be the lack of Ticks as I have only had one or two on me this year whereas last year I was getting those numbers per day!
The lack of water for the wildlife got us thinking about using water as a way to attract animals to our trail cameras. Last week we sunk a washing-up bowl in a local ditch where we had placed cameras in the past and filled it with water. In 2021 our trail cameras at this spot had filmed a Buzzard bathing in the ditch. It worked – see footage below it starts with 2021 Buzzards bath and moves on to last weeks recording at the same spot with a dry ditch.
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}
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.
Continued Reflections from my World. 