Around & About in March

Posted on 27th March 2020 by Richard

Lockdown begins, bad for us, good for nature

After some weeks of the Coronavirus Pandemic spreading itself across the U.K., the Prime Minister announced what would be a virtual shutting down of the Country, we were told to stay at home with only essential shops remaining open.
Luckily we were allowed daily outdoor exercise and although officially limited to one hour, where I go for walks is mostly to places where people don’t go. In other words, further out into the horizons.

Kestrel

The town of Bishop’s Waltham has many walks and close by places to explore. The houses on the north side of the town border the South Downs National Park and to the south it’s mainly fields with streams flowing into the River Meon. North and south I have about 6 variations of circular walks ranging from 4k to 8k, so depending on my general state of mobility, this is a nice variation.

Jackdaw – Goldcrest – Deer

Song Thrush – A late Fieldfare (early March) – Common Buzzard

There are some benefits of being indoors so much and that is to look out the window more and see what’s going on nature wise more closely than usual maybe.
Outside mt window, we’ve had Long Tailed, Blue, Great and Coal Tits, Chaffinches, Goldcrest (right outside my window), Starlings, Jackdaws, Goldfinches and not forgetting Blackbirds and Robins of course

There’s always one close by !

Not only has Bishop’s Waltham the fields and River, but also a derelict Abbey (or Palace) and two large ponds no further than a 200 meter walk from my Flat.
Both are separated by the Winchester Road; the North Pond is largest more natural with varying depths of water which attract Herons and Cormorants, the south Pond was man made back in the day solely to farm fish. This attracts fewer water birds but does attract Kingfishers, Grey Wagtails and Gulls.

Much to see in the coming months !

The Fox Cubs have left

Posted on 25th August 2017 by Richard

Cubs depart leaving mother Vixen solo again

After quite some days of not seeing our resident fox taking food away to feed her young, it seems the Cubs have now left to find territories of their own

Daphne’ as we call her, is needless to say still arriving and all the time she has a limp, we intend to carry on doing so.

What has emerged is that like we do nature watches, she does human watches and will sit at the top of the Garden just relaxing whilst watching what we’re up to.
Before she was preganant in Spring she’d sit on the derelict Windmill roof and just watch me doing the Grdening !

Our Ginger cat takes no notice of her and it’s likewise with the fox. They’ll often sit a few meters apart in relative comfort.

Yesterday evening, she turned up, had something to eat, sat down, lay down, yawned and had 40 winks!

It is pleasing however that examining her poops, there are Blackberry pips and other stones in it, so she is getting around OK. In fact, we’re now feeding her slightly less and see how this continues.
One thing we don’t want to do is take any of the wild out out of her, we’ll never go closer than about 10 meters and that seems to suit us both.

With Autumn and Winter not far off, it will be interesting to see how she gets through.
Whatever, she’s alway welcome here, a proper Garden Feature !
[fblike]

Spotted Flycatchers Fledged

Posted on 31st July 2017 by Richard

Spotted Flycatcher

Great news to close off July is that at least two of the Spotted Flycatchers have fledged.
I say this as the Parents are still taking food into the nest, the two which have fledged are ‘talking’ to each other, one of either side of the Lane.

Our resident Fox

Her four Cubs must be around the 4 / 5 month old mark now (Video to follow shortly) although she is still taking some of the food away with her so I presume they’re still about.

Her poorly back leg still gives her a bit of jip now and again, for that reason we still feed her a bit which hopefully has taken the strain off her searching for food for the Cubs.
Saying that I notice there are a few Hazelnuts and pips in the poos scattered her and there so I hope the Cubs are now well enough trained to survive on their own when and if they have to.

A short trip to Conningbrook Lakes

Normally I will walk from my home over the fields and along the Great Stour to Conningbrook Lakes, but not quite up to that yet, so it was nice that someone said they’d come with me if I drove to the far side where there’s a shorter walk to the Eco and Northern Lakes.

Besides a good selection of Buterflies and Damselflies, there wasn’t much about but two pf three Herons put on a good display and it was nice just to get out for once, I normally go there twice a week, I haven’t been at all for eight !

August is upon us and time gets nearer and nearer to weather change and migration. Summer is great of course, but you can’t see the birds you hear and coastal climes are pretty thin.
Late Summer though brings about deepening colour, heavier leaf with many changes taking place. I always think it’s not about 4 seasons, it’s about 365 days, every day something new happens, something stops and something turns up.
[fblike]

Fox and Hedgehog both doing well

Posted on 13th April 2017 by Richard

Our Resident Fox

The Derelict Windmill beside my place is at present a Maternity Ward for some Fox Cubs.
As I think I’ve said before, due to a fight or the mating process, the Vixen is only using 3 legs. The affected leg doesn’t seem to have any wounds so I’d guess it’s a sprain or strain, doesn’t seem broken..
With this in mind and knowing she has young ones I’ve been feeding her up also leaving food which she can take back to the youngsters whom I believe to be about 5 / 6 weeks old now.

She’s a lucky lady; Cat Food Sachets and a daily Jam Sandwich.
This has to be set times though, as the Video shows, put the Sandwich out too soon and something else gets it !

The Hedgehog

He or she is now well over her hibernation, sleeping either in the Shed or the Hedgehog House I built. Certainly hibernated there through Winter.

Luckily there’s an old ‘cat hole’ in the side of the Shed and it’s quite happy going through it for food.
Saying that, I’ve had to devisee a way to stop the Fox to get in, which was doing so a couple of weeks back. There is now an entrance zig-zag to prevent this !

More welcome Visitors down the Lane

The Stream seems to have attracted a resident Moorhen, the ones who, like Pheasants, wait until the last second before you’re right next to it, then gives you a missed beat leaping up and flapping along the Stream for cover!

It was also nice to see the Green Woodpeckers back again. The Greater Spotteds visit daily, but the Greenies haven’t been around for quite while.

The sounds of the Lane are good, laughing Green Woodpeckers, the Chiffchaffs going at it all day, Blackbirds and Robins loud and clear and quiet tweets of the Goldcrests.

New Wildlife Visitors down the Lane

Posted on 29th March 2017 by Richard

The last few days of March brought about a few new visitors, some of which returning and one new addition, a Treecreeper.
Maybe it’s my failing eyesight, but in two years of taking wildlife photos, I hadn’t come accross any, then like a London Bus I’ve had two sightings in a Month !

Our resident Fox has Cubs ?

You may recall I mentioned a second Fox showed up some weeks ago. This morning when she turned up for some food I noticed the Teats being very pert and heavy.
Rather than coming up the drive, she has recently been arriving from behind the Barn, so I guess that’s where it’s all going on.
She still has a limp and if anything got slightly worse, but to try and do anything about it now would be wrong as it would obviously mean separating her from the young ones. Also, I’m not exactly sure where the Nest is, somewhere in the old Derelict Windmill and adjoining Barns.

Grey Wagtails

Every year they come down the Lane; for a few weeks in Spring and again in Autumn.
Never a day goes by where they’re not paddling in the stream or gathering nesting material from the tarmac surfaces around and about.

Hedgehog is back

I’d been searching around the garden for a number of days hoping I would see some droppings thus showing Hedgy was out of hibernation and ready for Spring and Summer.
I’m pretty sure he or she spent Winter in one of my purpose built houses, it seems I was right.

However, since waking I don’t see him go in the Shed where I feed him, but I do see him coming out. Looks like his Summer Home will be within easy reach of food !!
[fblike]

Foxes watching over me !

Posted on 3rd March 2017 by Richard

It was one of those days where I’d waited long enough to do things around the garden, so I resigned myself to having no walks accross ‘my patch’ or further afield.

It turned out to be yet again, one of those days where you no need to look further than your own back door. So many times I’ve walked two or three miles, seen virtually nothing, come home to find the Garden is it’s own little Nature Reserve.

There I was attending to some fencing repairs in the front and had that experience of something’s watching me, I turned around, looked accross the Drive at the old derelict Windmill and Outbuildings and there was our resident Fox (Daphne!!) delicately perched on a nice high spot looking down upon me with that pet dog look of ‘when’s he going to finish and take me for a walk’. Not that I would ever try that with a Fox of course!

‘Daphne’ first appeared looking very poorly last Autumn, so as their is no Livestock in any of the fields which would be in her territory I fed her up. This of course led to daily visits, usually at dusk, with her sitting a few meters away patiently waiting for her Tesco’s Own Brand Poultry flavoured Cat Food (as fed to the resident Hedgehogs through Summer).
Needless to say, she won’t turn her nose up at anything else which may be on hand!

I’ve purposely not got too close to her, wild should be wild in my opinion.

It may seem strange that for a person who has kept Chickens would want to promote a Fox, but it’s surprising how many Chicken Keepers also like them.
After all, the number one duty of any Poultry Keeper (Domestic) is security and protection. The Hens I have lost due to Foxes have been completely my fault; forgot to do something, didn’t do something etc.

Foxes have life and they are wild. That for me anyway = Wildlife !
[fblike]

Preparing for Summer Wildlife in the Garden

Posted on 23rd February 2017 by Richard

A gloomy, dull but dry day, just the job for warming myself up and going round the garden checking out and tidying things up for the wildlife in Spring and Summer.

The Pond

The pond is actually an old Aluminium Bath. I cleared out the weeds (making sure I wasn’t disturbing any hibernating Frogs) refilled and placed some rocks so they just poked above the water.
Not only will this encourage birds on to it more bt act as an escape should any Hedgehog decide to go for a swim.
This will be surrounded by Butterfly friendly flowers and the forever returning one day Lily’s.

I’ve surrounded the pond with fairly rotten branches from last year and the year befores lopping which appear to be homes for many overwintering bugs.

Birds, Bats and Frogs!

I’ve four Tit Boxes in total and one more suited for Robins.
The Bat Box has been up for two years now so I’m hoping human smell has gone and the wood has got to be a little more natural.
The Summertime Frog Shelter is just an old roof top tile placed next to the pond and with the cover there should supply a nice dampish cool atmosphere.

The House Sparrows last year nested in four areas of the house eaves, but some babies were taken by Jays, so I’ve put some chicken wire up in their favourite locations.

Hedgehog House – Rabbit Hole – Loppings for wildlife

Hedgehog House

I’m not touching this as I’m certain there’s a Hedgehog in there still sleeping, she or he were last November and last Autumn I noticed a track going inside which was duly overed over the next day.
Certainly not Rats as all seems undisturbed.

The Wood Stack

I’ve been putting all the larger branches I’ve cut down around and about in one big pile on the edge of the wasteland area at the back of the garden.
Last year never a dull moment watching Wrens and Dunnocks flying to and fro, it also attracted a rather nice walk way for a few Rabbits.
It’s strange that we’ve had Rabbits in the Garden for a few years, but they never seem to eat any of the Vegetables !

The old Lorry Tyre Cover, now Daphne’s Feeding Station !

Foxes

I’m still feeding ‘Daphne’ the Vixen. Last Autumn she sustained a rather nasty limp, which I believe was caused by a fight. Being too hard to catch, I decided to just make sure she was getting food and although a long while, she seems pretty back to normal.
By that I mean she sits and waits for her Tesco’s Cat Sachet late afternoon….every day!

The Bug House

Last Autumn it ws a joy to watch the Leafcutter bees flying their bits of leaf into the holes, turning round and pushing them in firmly, so I’m expecting new ones out and about again soon.
I’ve already seen a few Bumble and Honey Bees about, so this is encouraging.

It’s all going on, or about to down the Lane !
[fblike]

Foxes & Nuthatches around the Garden

Posted on 9th January 2017 by Richard

Fox mating time

It’s the time of the year for Foxes to get together for mating and this seems to be happening with our daily visiting Fox down the Lane.

Daphne, as we call her, has been coming here since early Summer. I started to feed her as at that time she seemed quite poorly.
Needless to say, she got wind of this and it became a daily procedure of sitting alongside the Garden in the large drive waiting for food to be suitably served.
This could be any time from 2pm !

Over the last week or so much barking has been heard in the early hours of the morning, mainly in the front Garden. It would seem that young ones will not be far away in late March or April!

Birds around the Garden

Yesterday I did an experiment as to how many varieties of birds I could see in a 10 minute watch of the Feeders – Blackbirds, Dunnocks, Robins, House Sparrows, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Long Tailed Tits, Collared Doves, Starling, Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Nuthatch (quite rare here).

Don’t forget the 2017 RSPB National Birdwatch – 28th to 30th. January. Information on the RSPB Web Site here

Thorn twigs around the base of the Bird Table to prevent Rats and Mice climbing !!

All n all pretty pleasing, especially the House Sparrows for which we have probably a dozen nesting in the Ivy at the back of the house during the night.
With such a decline of these once extremely common Birds, it’s a joy.

With some snow on the way it will give me a good opportunity of strolling around both the Garden and Fields to see what footprints I can find. For some time I’ve been wondering if Badgers are present on the perimeter of the nearby woods. If they are there, an added bonus and I can set up my Trail Camera accordingly.

Dungeness Birdwatching Early November

Posted on 10th November 2016 by Richard

Reading all the local Birding Blogs it seems apparent that things are pretty quiet on the bird front, certainly in October and I quote one long and experienced Birders comment ‘The worse October I remember’.
Half the problem has been the mild weather though, migrants coming in seem mainly to be on time, but the recent mild weather has maybe stopped many Warmer weather birds not to venture off.
This certainly appears the case with Swallows, still many about.

A walk around the old Lighthouse showed some Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests, always a pleasure to see.
A walk down to the Beach didn’t produce anything other than the usual array of Gulls flying over the warm water being pumped out from the Nuclear Power Station.

I then went on to the RSPB Reserve where I picked out an Avocet feeding amongst a load of Lapwings, some Teals and Cormorants. From the Dennis Hide one could see 4 Great White Egrets mixing in with 5 Little Egrets.

On my way around the circuit it was nice to come face to face with a fine looking Fox, obviously not long from being in the Blackberry Bushes.

Speaking of Foxes I was intrigued to come across a rock on which a Fox had very carefully done a dropping neatly on top. Made for a nice decoration but the mind went in overdrive as to how he or she did it!

Once again my quest to see a male Bearded Tit came to nothing. I got the usual Birders response of “Oh, you should have been here an hour ago”. This remark is becoming quite standard with me!

As always though, great to go down there, even if it is only for the sea air and the wonderful bleak scenery. Love it!

Wildlife Diary

Recording wild life through the year around Hampshire, Kent and elsewhere

Tag Archives: Foxes