Weasels abound

Over the last month I have seen an increase in Weasel sightings on my trail cam. I know weasels frequent the site as do all the other mustelids, I have records of badger, otter, stoat, mink and polecat, but there is something about the weasel. The badger will always be my favourite animal but there is something about the character of this tenacious beast that interests me.

It always surprises me how small weasels are, between 175 and 248 cm and they can move like lightening. Due to their frenetic foraging pace getting a photo of a weasel is difficult. I stumbled upon one in 2014 which hid in a tiny hole in the trees and managed to get a few shots as he watched and waited for me to leave.

Mostly diurnal their daily activity occurs in periods of 12-130 minutes. Its high metabolism and hunting style means that it must eat up to a third of its body weight a day. Foraging is usually done undercover and quickly presenting two problems for camera trapping. In fact reviewing my records shows that all sightings have been in September and November or March April.

The first clip shows the weasel in the bottom right moving out of shot and then running back around the field of view.

Earlier on the 7th November I got a good clip showing the Weasel climbing a tree, showing of its agility. Weasels are primarily predators of small mammals and this particular tree is a favourite of Wood Mouse who forage around it and themselves climb it. Interestingly the mice are never seen before it is fully dark so it is possible that the weasel is following a scent trail.

It might seem the weasel is adept at climbing but two days later on the 9th it had less success at climbing as captured in the third clip.

To finish with a statement about what this means. Recent sightings represent a significant increase of presence for this species. It suggests, that given weasels  foraging distance of between 549 and 840m often with preferred foraging areas within 100m of the den suggest that at least over this winter an individual has taken up residence. With the vegetation gone this means that further sightings maybe be made or this could be an individual dispersing through this area and will be gone soon. It will be interesting to see.

To finish I leave you with my picture taken back in 2014. Note the barbed wire to give you some sense of scale of this enigmatic creature.

The General Election and the Environment

With just 11 days until Election Day I thought it was about time I had a look at the environmental policies of the three main parties.  I went through each manifesto and tried to extract the relevant policies and statements. The Labour manifesto was the easiest to read with their whole first section entitled 'A Green Industrial Revolution', this was a promising start and laid down an early marker, very few parties put the environment so high on their agenda.

The Liberal party had the most environmental policies and whilst the Conservative manifesto was harder to decipher had some very good policies. Interestingly there are several points on which two or more parties agreed. Some of the policy areas are bold statements of legislation or action but many are vague notions of hopes and wishes and we all know what they can turn into.

I have laid out the findings in the grid pictured below:

Overall this hasn't made my decision of who to vote for any easier. Only labour categorically plans to cancel the Badger Cull and no party talks of rescinding HS2 both of my two big policy areas. The Conservatives mention reviewing the HS2 but early details show that HS2 will continue. The Liberals have good biodiversity plans and labour is better on Climate with the Conservatives better on Plastics and Marine protection.

I know the environment will not be the only policy area of interest to most people but it is important that it is considered. With Brexit possible there is a massive opportunity to strengthen our environmental laws and equally as big of a risk of them being watered down or lost.

Take time to read the manifestos and take time to look at the environmental policies. We need action now and our government whatever colour it maybe needs to act. They have all laid out their plans for us to see and now it comes down to reading, understanding them and forcing them to enact them when elected. The last sombre point I will make is trust, many parties renege on their manifesto pledges, we should not allow this, we should hold them to account. The time of faith in our politicians seems to be over and so evaluating which party is to be trusted to work for our environment and planet is up to each individual.

Good luck in your deliberations and I hope this analysis helps you in small way. Take your time, think and vote intelligently.

State of Nature - Is there a disconnect in nature conservation?

This week saw the start of another one of the BBC Natural History departments flagship programmes helmed by our national treasure, Sir David Attenborough. ‘Seven Worlds, One Planet’ looks at the planet’s natural resources continent by continent with the BBCs usual blended of stunning cinematography, ecological measures and dramatic storytelling. These programmes are something we in this country do well and Sir David himself has done so much to spread the word of what is happening to our planet.

Common Darter

Here at home however things are not as rosy as they seem. Earlier this month the annual State of Nature Report was published. This yearly stocktake of our own natural capital paints a mixed picture and raises an interesting question, why are things still so bad in this country.

The report highlights some staggering results, species abundance has fallen by 13%, 41% of terrestrial and freshwater species show decreases. Of species classified as critically endangered 111 vertebrates, 440 fish, 232 fungi and lichens and 405 invertebrates are at risk of extinction. Our protected spaces do not all have favourable conditions, and many are not managed exclusively for nature. Whilst pollution has declined the effects of climate change are not being mitigated. Woodland cover is increasing but management is not keeping track. We have lost 1000 hectares of wetland between 2006 and 2012 although some there has been some great post-mineral extraction remediation. As for invasive species 10-12 non-native species are establishing in the UK each year of which 10-20% cause serious adverse impacts.

If we look at the Aichi Targets, the measures we have committed to on the international level and should meet by 2020 however the UK government has assessed that as a country we are only on track to meet 5 of the 20 targets.

These are gloomy statistics many of which most conservationists are more than aware of. Day to day those on the frontline see the changes in fortune for all our species, and there are a lot of conservationists out there. The UK has a strong tradition of voluntary support for nature conservation and the public invest large amounts in conservation charities. The RSPB has 18,000 volunteers and more than a million members, the National Trust has 5.6 million members and the Wildlife Trusts have a combined membership of over 800,000. There may be a degree of overlap between the organisation, but this is a substantial voting and lobbying block. The report shows that volunteering has increased by 46% since 2000 which is also reflected in the rise in entries to the National Biodiversity Network. Financially the public sector has seen a decline in spending in the UK but over the same period spending on international biodiversity has increased by 111%.

What does this all say? To me it says there is a fundamental disconnect in the way we view nature in this country. The BBC flagship programmes give us a vital understanding of the nature of the world and their spectacular sights force us to address the problems that we see. Perhaps we view those problems a little imperialistically, many of the countries with the richest biodiversity and most in need are the poorest and our donations ‘help’ them make the right decision, whereas we as a rich country have nothing to fear from our perhaps less eye catching wildlife. Its easier to sell a majestic lion or magnificent elephant than the elusive pine marten or humble hedgehog. I am not saying supporting world biodiversity is wrong nor that the BBC has the wrong focus, just that our ability to translate this into local action. Volunteering is increasing and membership is blossoming, but nature is still declining. We need to use this State of Nature report as a wake-up call, cull out the dry statistics and try and convert it into a call for action. Saving the rain forests is important but so are lowland wetlands in the UK. This is not an either-or situation, local and international need to work in tandem. The challenge for all conservationists is to convert this public culture of involvement and support into actual action, action at the ground level and at the governmental level. Balanced with this we need to extol the positives to avoid the negative becoming too overwhelming and promoting green fatigue.

The State of Natures is sombre reading and Seven Planets, One world is a marvel lets use both to inspire and motivate all to turn things around.

A Visitor to the Mill

Things have been remarkably quiet the last few weeks. We are somewhat in the doldrums of birding on the site, the summer visitors have left and any of the possible winter visitors have yet to arrive. Mild weather however has kept the insect populations alive and well. Even today I still recorded a Red Admiral and there are multiple species of dragonfly present.

I have been having some difficulty with these larger dragonfly, this late in the year I usually see the odd Brown Hawker and the abundant Common Darter but over the last few weeks I have been seeing a number of greenish blue dragonfly. At first I assumed these were Emperors however their flight behaviour and size didn't seem to fit. I tried getting closer views but none seemed to help.

If they weren't Emperors which I only see in small numbers in high summer then that left perhaps Common Hawkers or Southern Hawkers. Then today I came across a pair of dragonfly locked together in mating in perfect sight. I took several photos and even a short video clip.

The images were perfect for identification showing clearly the eyes, thorax and key colours on the abdominal segments.

Female

 A careful exploration of my guidebooks revealed that these dragonflies were Migrant Hawkers. It is known as a species of late summer and autumn and only became a British species since the 1940's and is continuing to expand north and westwards. In the south-east populations are still buoyed by migrants from the continent.

Its hawking pattern following a pattern is similar to that of the Emperor but it periodically breaks off and will hunt higher and deviate more from its path, fitting the behaviour I had noted. This is the first time I have managed to confirm a new dragonfly species on the site and I will have to review my notes from last year to see if some mis-identifications may have crept in.

Jewels on the Wing

I have been collecting data on the wildlife of 'my patch' for over 15 years now and its about time I did a little more with that information.

At this time of year we are approaching the end of the Banded Demoiselle flight period and so I thought it appropriate to explore their population dynamics since 2003.

How has their population size changed over time? Has the time they first emerge got earlier or has the length of their flight period changed. I can answer all these questions in a series of graphs.

Graph 1 - Number of maximum individuals recorded each week

This graph shows that between 2003 and 2013 the population was fairly static at less that 150 individuals in flight er observation. This increases markedly in 2014 with number rarely dropping below 200.

Graph 2 Date of First Emergence

Over the 16 years of study there is very little change in the week number in which the first Banded Demoiselle is seen. The trendline does indicate a very small trend for slightly earlier emergence times but is unlikely to be significant.

Graph 3 Length of Flight Period

Whilst emergence maybe getting ever so slightly earlier the duration of their flight period has remained static at approximately 15 weeks (11-20) although it could be said that this has only become more stable since 2013 with the variance in data becoming less than preceding years.

Graph 4 Maximum Emergence

This last graph partners with the first to take a more in depth look at the change in population, Here the maxima count values for each year are plotted highlighting the rising curve.

So what does all this mean? Well we can say that the population of Banded Demoiselles at the Saxon Mill is stable and actually increasing year on year within the same defined flight period. These sort of studies are very useful at looking at patterns but only go so far. We need some other level of data to explain the changes. Is the increase in numbers due to a change in sex ratio, better food availability or a reduction in predators. This opens up new avenues for investigation, I am reluctant to introduce the spectre of global warming but it is in temperature dependent species such as damselflies that its effects can be noticed.

You have to be careful in analysing data as well. You need to know about the ecology of the species, Banded Demoiselles spend two years as larvae before emerging therefore the population increase seen starting from 2013 reflects an increase in eggs laid in 2011.

The Missing Lynx by Ross Barnett

I rarely get chance to read wildlife books but I always manage to get through at least over the summer and this year I chose The Missing Lynx by Ross Barnett. It was recommended to me in the BBC Wildlife magazine and seemed to fit my current view on the current direction ecology and conservation needs to take in the modern world.

The book looks like it is about the proposed reintroduction of Lynx to the UK but this is misleading, as the byline states this is about all our missing mammals. For me, as a child whilst dinosaurs were interesting it was the mega fauna of the Pleistocene that were more fascinating. When writing a book on the natural history of Warwick I read through the records of Aurochs and Mammoth that once roamed on the same landscape I call my home.

Ross takes a balanced and light look at the range of fauna that once lived in Britain. He devotes chapters to key groups such as Hyena, Bears, Sabre-tooths and so on. He delivers the material with charm balancing the science of how we know with humour and flair. 

As a scientist himself who works in the field of genetic analysis Ross' expertise shines through and he explains fascinating details of evolutionary theory, likewise he places these animals in an ecological context with skill.

He invokes a real melancholy in his writing for what we have lost. His passion for these past creatures is palpable. He accounts for each species disappearance and doesn't shy away from laying the blame at our (mankinds) door. You may think that this would make the book depressing but his final chapter on the future of these mammals whilst still lamenting their loss highlights the positive actions that can be taken.

Ross explains the success of wolf reintroduction's in America and in Europe and how the beaver reintroduction in Scotland is a flagship for positive conservation action he also makes a clear case for Lynx reintroduction.

This books is for anyone interested in how our landscape was so very different from today or sees the potential for rewilding and reintroduction as key conservation policy for the future in the UK.

The book is available from all good bookshops.

Rabbits

Rabbits are a species in Britain that can often be overlooked. They are a common site across much of the country but their fortunes have risen and fallen considerably over the generations.

Its is believed the Rabbit that we know and love today was introduced to Britain by the Normans although the fossil record indicates that they had been present in prehistoric times but gone by the Neolithic. The Normans farmed them for fur and meat with warreners being appointed to look after the rabbit warrens.

The Rabbit is a survivalist and can thrive in a range of habitats as long as there is sufficient grass to eat and soil to burrow in to. Rabbits also have the ability to breed prolifically, the breeding season can be as long as from January to August and can produce a litter of between 3 and 7 kittens every 30 days. This amazing reproductive rate is important because lots of things love to eat them, they form the main diets of foxes, stoats and buzzards.

Such productivity brings them into conflict with farmers. In the 1950's in an effort to control rabbit numbers in Australia the myxoma virus was introduced to wild populations. This horrible disease internal bleeding and lesions on the eyes that blind them. Britain became infected in 1953 from France and began to devastate populations.

In the mid-1980's I remember you couldn't go anywhere in Warwickshire without stumbling over Rabbits, they positively filled the hedgerows and trackways. Then a contagion of myxamatosis whittled the numbers down to what we see today. Whilst the virus isn't a prevalent anymore outbreaks do occur and they are at risk from Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease.

I took the pictures of the rabbits this weekend at Priory Park, here a stable population exists in the centre of town, multiple warrens are scattered across the parkland. Beloved by dog walkers the rabbits seem to have become accustomed to them and each year at this time it is possible to get quite close to the young rabbits.

They are obviously quite wary but on my bike they seemed less concerned and I was able to approach within a few feet. I was then able to observe them as the grazed on tender grass shoots. It was fascinating to watch the ears twitching. Twitching ears and noses are a common habit of rabbits but it was interesting to watch how they swivelled. As they turned their backs on me to eat their ears would turn round to keep fixed on me, listening for the slightest sound of movement.

Fawns and Cubs

With the Fox cubs vacating the den area I decided to relocate my second camera, I opted to return it to a Badger sett I know of nearby. The sett has multiple holes and the clan have three cubs. What was most interesting is the variety of other animals spotted on this camera over the week.

The badgers were seen on most nights but not as much as I expected. The cameras placement was between two of the main holes and away from one of the exits into the field, it was therefore possible that they used these other holes more often.

It was with some pleasure that I found that my fox family frequented the site a lot, two cubs and both the Dog Fox and Vixen were seen across the week. It is not unknown that Foxes will cohabit with Foxes and although neither appeared together they were obviously tolerated.

The cubs are still active and like to involve the adults in the below clip  you can see one of the adults taking a tumble when following one of the more exuberant youngsters.

Other than the Foxes most interesting was the amount of time a female Roe Deer and her Fawn spent sheltered under the tree. As I pointed out in an earlier post, I had seen both pregnant Roe Deer and Muntjac. This fawn is the result of this. Now confident on its feet but still with the white spots on its back I got some intimate footage of the two together relaxing. The muntjac actually joined them one afternoon, although the muntjac appeared very wary.

Even Wood Mice were recorded scampering about, unafraid that both Foxes and Badgers frequented the site. Birds also appeared including a juvenile Robin, Great Tit and Magpie. I am amazed how many species will occupy one space each with their own niche and how they hardly seem to interact.

More foxes

I had expected this week to see the cubs move from suckling to solid food however this did not occur. This suggests the cubs are a bit younger than I assumed or that the parents do not think they are ready yet.

Over the last 7 days both parents have attended the den more frequency compared 36 to 14 in the previous. Likewise the Dog fox, half-tail, visited the den more. In the first clip you can see some interaction between the cubs, the vixen and the dog fox. Its obvious that the vixen promotes excitement as she carries the milk for them to suckle however the cubs seem just as excited to see their father and will race around him.

Sadly it seems that we have gone from 4 cubs to 3. I am unsure what has occurred, it could be that there are still 4 but only 3 are ever seen together but I would expect all cubs to be present for suckling.

Play behaviour has increased with cubs using litter around them to play with. The cubs show different types of play. One their own they will pounce, chew and toss rubbish whilst when they have companions they will wrestle and chase, pouncing upon one another and exhibiting the typical wide gap display of dominance.

The last clip from this week is of the Vixen resting with her cubs. The suckling seems to be taking its toll on her and she is starting to look tired and thin. She obviously has to hunt well to produce the milk but will soon need to start bringing in prey for the youngest and wean them. This clip shows a rare moment of tranquility where after feeding the cubs she takes some time to stay with them and rest herself.

The new family on the block

Last year I knew we had a breeding pair of foxes, I regularly saw a cub passing to and fro the main camera. This year I have stumbled across a den with 4 cubs. We both surprised each other last week. I was coming round some undergrowth and the cubs were out playing. They are not particularly shy of me, in fact they show a cautious curiosity of me and let me take a few shots of them

The cub featured above still has blue eyes, these change to yellow after about 4-5 weeks. I watched them for awhile and moved one of my cameras to watch them unobtrusively. Having checked the camera yesterday I now have a wealth of information.

I can now tell that the vixen of the family is Full-tail. One of the foxes in the area with a, you guessed it, full tail. The dog fox is half tail and only visits the den occasionally. The video below shows the vixen suckling the young. Suckling generally up to week 4 and visits the den infrequently allowing the cubs to roam about themselves.

Much of their time as cubs is spent playing and learning. There is an old bottle in view which was potentially brought in as a toy. The cubs also like practicing pouncing and one uses a stone for target practice. There is of course many games of chase and tussle.

This play behaviour mimics the hunting skills they will need in adulthood.

The last video clip is a nice shot when the vixen remained for awhile and snuggled up with the cubs.

Whilst a maximum of 4 cubs have been recorded it is clear that whilst there is no runt of this litter they do lead independent lives. 2-3 are often seen but more often just 1. This one might be more adventurous, venturing out when the others stay in the den or more cautious and is staying at the den when the others leave the area exploring.

The eyes in the first picture, seemed off to me and I think its to do with the pupil perhaps not pointing in the right direction, something to watch.

Interestingly prior to me moving the camera I have seen both Half tail and a full tail heading to a second location where a tiny still black cub was seen. I therefore suspect a second den which is fairly close by with a second vixen and perhaps the same dog fox. More observations are needed.

Estimating their age at about 4 weeks puts their birth at around the 13th April which is late in the foxes breeding cycle. Based on this I can expect the parents to start bringing in solid food this week, them to exhibit more dimorphism and darker red fur in 2 weeks time and in about a month a full adult coat. I hope they remain in sight of the camera for this time, I would really like to see what they are fed on, as in this area there is a distinct lack of rabbit but lots of small rodents.

The subtle ways of wildlife watching

I have to declare here and now that I am not a patient wildlife watcher. I find it hard to sit in one place and wait for the animal in question to appear I always become distracted by the other wildlife around me and before long I am off hunting that down rather than the intended species.

I am the kind of watcher who likes to go out and see what nature surprises me with, but even so there are a number of skills any guide book will tell you. Wear clothes that are comfortable and breakup your outline, approach from downwind and walk quietly. Try to arrive before the species and pick a good safe spot to watch from.

For me though there are some other points I would suggest. For these you are required to become part of your habitat. Understand where you are and take a few moments in silence to settle into the habitat, soak in the sounds. Sound is one of the most underrated sense in watching. I often hear an animal before I see it. Animals and birds all move with an element of regularity something that the wind doesn't. Natural features like wind are chaotic and without pattern animals are less chaotic they have a set or parameters and drives that mean that their signs are regular.

I remember learning in my Landscape Ecology lectures about energy flows in nature and in man made landscapes. Humans use energy to force elements in to unnatural patterns, take for example a fence or wall, these are straight linear features which do not occur in nature. Nature abhors pattern and thrives in chaos. You can use this to you advantage, animals like us follow established paths and have regular effects on their surroundings. Sitting quietly you can easily distinguish between a deer trotting through the undergrowth and the wind doing the same.

Still on sound do not forget to listen to the birds. They are excellent watchers and Blackbirds and Great Tits will see you from a mile off and have communicated that to the birds around them. Listen for this, changes in their calls will differentiate between foxes and sparrowhawks. I have used Great Tits many times to track down a top predator, Magpies are especially good for tracking down roosting Buzzards.

Animal especially British Animals are masters of camouflage and so I suggest that what you should look for is what they are looking for from you, the general shape. This is why it is best to crouch or sit low with your back to a fence, tree or wall, it breaks up your shape. Look instead for movement even the tiniest of movements.

Once you have found your species the deepest urge is to look at it. Animals, especially prey species find this very unsettling. In this case it is best not to suddenly twist your head and fix it with your gaze but instead to slowly turn, allow the animal to get used to you not being a threat. Do not make eye contact, this will often make the animal head for cover at a rate of knots. |Reduce all movements to slow gentle ones, avoid sudden movements.

These obvious tips have helped me get close to many different animals and be able to sit calmly in their presence. It all takes practice and I am nowhere near a master.

Muntjac and Roe Deer multiplying

In the last few weeks I have been far too engrossed in my thesis to a) get out much and b) post to this blog, however the end is now in sight.
In this same time period I have moved my unsuccessful Otter cam to a series of other locations. I have had it at an undisclosed Badger Sett where I was lucky to record 3 cubs and more recently I have had the camera placed over an open piece of grassland and have been treated to some nice deer shots.

Muntjac have been a common sight on my patch for years and I have been lucky enough to see both young and adults. This week however I believe the clip shows a pregnant female judging by the extended belly.

Muntjac are able to breed all year round but this is definitely the season as a possibly pregnant Roe Deer was seen. This is exciting as Roe deer are recent residents to the site and the fact that they are breeding means that they are comfortable enough on the site.

A rather handsome buck has been seen as well which is good.

The Grey Heron

This weeks post is a photo story about the Grey Heron. Heron are a common sight around Warwick. A sizeable Heronry exists in the town and so at this time of year Adults can be found all over the local waterways looking for food.

On Saturday a chance encounter led to a intimate connection with one of these prehistoric birds. A series of small brooks join the Avon, one of which runs near the canal aquaduct. This brook was gushing with water, swelled by overfill from the canal and in it I stumbled upon the Heron.

It was stood leg deep in the water, pacing along its edge. Normally Herons are very flighty. On my own patch they rarely allow you to get close than 15-20 metres but this individual was remarkably unconcerned. Looping around so as not to disturb it I paused on the bridge and unslung my camera.

The heron was well aware of my presence. They have amazing eyes. They are place on the sides of the head allowing for good all round vision but are able to twiddle them forward to give great binocular vision for the all important hunt.

Aside from myself several others came past and stopped to watch, each passer by elicited little more than a glance unless of course they had a dog, where the heron would become more agitated. It would gape its beak and extort a harsh croak.

After a short while, tired of fishing it flapped up onto a branch and proceeded begin a grooming cycle. This further reinforced how comfortable the bird was now barely 5 metres from me. It gave me a chance to watch as it bent its neck around to check the chest plumage and rearrange the feathers under the wing. It occasionally supplemented this with a scratch from one of the legs.

Such a comfortable close up gave me a chance to really explore the animal and focus on the eye and beak. The beak is a solid thing and you can see how its dagger shape is well suited to catching slippery and wriggling fish as well as hopping amphibians and scampering voles. As I mentioned before, the eyes are a sight to behold. There is something primitive and almost dinosaur like in their gaze. When you stare into the eyes of a heron you really can believe they evolved directly from the small theropod dinosaurs.

Woodcock Camouflage

I have been so busy working on my Masters project that I have had little time to post on this blog.
I have continued to record sightings and collect camera trap data and so I am going to present today a few clips looking at Woodcock.

The Woodcock Scolopax rusticola is an infrequent winter visitor to my sight. It s mostly nocturnal and so gets picked up on my cameras. In 2018 it was seen on 8 occasions between January and March and this year over four days in January and February.

The Woodcock has a sensitive probing beak it uses to sniff out invertebrates, you can see this in a clip I took this week.

The last clip I want to show is also from this week and shows the woodcock in daylight. Note how the brown and black striping make the bird very cryptic and hard to see once it stops moving against the backdrop of the leaves.

Molehills and Miscellany

The last few weeks since my flurry of Otter sightings have been the humdrum week to week norm. Unusually mild few new species have been recorded on my patch and the activity at my camera trap has been low.

Small flocks of Siskin have started to appear and Goldcrests have been more prevalent as have the Kingfishers. I was lucky enough to spot one this morning on the backwater fishing. It was the distinctive plop sound of a failed dive that caught my attention first. I was able to track him to the far bank and watch him for a few minutes before a pair of squabbling Little Grebe startled us both.

I am always astounded by the vibrant blues on the head and wings.

On a funny note I discovered another use for my trail cam. When I collected the card this morning I noticed a fresh molehill in the field of view. By running through the images I was able to identify when it appeared and was able to ascertain that the mole pushed up the spoil between 12:05pm and 4:06pm on Sat 19th Jan. The movement itself was obviously too slow to trigger the camera itself but it certainly adds incentive to my photo a mole project, more of which in a future post.

The Inner Life of Animals by Peter Wohlleben

One of my Christmas present last year was the delightful book, The Inner Life of Animals of a Hidden World by Peter Wohlleben. Having just completed it I thought I would give you a quick review.
The book is a charming collection of thoughts and musings on animal behaviour, much like this blog is. Over a series of 50 short chapters Peter explores the inner mind of animals. He tackles ideas on emotions animals feel, pain, loss. How intelligent species can be and what our relationship is with them,

He approaches our connection to nature in a pragmatic way acknowledging the use of some animals for food and others as being unsuitable. He questions certain assumptions and challenges anthropomorphism in a similar way that I do. He shows that animals have feelings and intellects as equally complex but it would be foolish to use our on experiences to judge theirs and in doing so believe we can understand their motivation. In fact if there is one single cohesive message in the book it is the analysis of the interplay between  instinct and choice, and I m unsure Peter actually reaches a conclusion on which is supreme.

The book is easy to read. The perfect size for picking up and dipping into but with enough charm and joy to keep you turning the pages for hour after hour if desired. What made the book enjoyable for me was the setting. Peter is a land owner and forester in Germany and so the wildlife he includes is more diverse than our own. In effect the range of animals he relates to our what would once what Great Britain would have been had. The species mix is familiar enough not to be jarring and exotic enough to be enticing. It allows the book to be a journey into a new physical world as well as an inner mental one.

Some people may wish for a more scientific analysis of the mind of animals. Peter does evidence his work with some studies but most points come from anecdotes and personal experiences. This does not devalue his work at all, he is a knowledgeable and engaging guide to the wild and only a fool would not listen to someone of such experience and there are plenty of books out there with neurological diagrams and statistically tested conclusions but none of them will be written with the charm that Peter does.

2018 - A year in Review

Well there we go 2018 is gone and 2019 is upon us and what a year it was.

This year saw the completion of 15 years of surveys on my patch at the Saxon Mill. Sadly much of the year was lost when the bridge was taken out and left me unable to access the patch. I was able to get some access once work started and meant that I only lost 3 months survey data although this was the busiest time, summer, meaning my nest records, butterfly and dragonfly numbers were down.

Over the year I recorded only 49 species of birds, mainly due to me not being able to record the summer visitors, 2 butterfly species, 3 dragonfly species 3 mammal species and 1 reptile species. Of course the hands down highlight was the Otter sighting on my land in early December.

Speaking of which, talk about two coming along at the same time I saw a second otter on the Avon this time behind Tescos heading towards St Nicholas Park. This one stayed around a bit longer and I was able to really watch the movements and the way the bubbles leave a trail when it swam under water. This animal  seemed smaller than the one I saw at the mill possibly a female or sub-adult. It was also more cautious of me.

On the 31st December my long term camera trap completed its first year in its new location. In its time it was activated 3328 times over the 12 months. New species to be recorded included the Hedgehog and Woodcock. In fact the woodcock was quite active early in the year.

The most frequent observation in order is:

430 - Fox. I now know there is a Juvenile, Half-Tail, No Tail and Full tail. 4 individuals using the site.
415 - Grey Squirrel
388 - Blackbird
246 - Wood Mouse
146 - Song Thrush
142 - Badger
121 - Muntjac

Most interesting in terms of camera sightings was watching the Fix Cub grow up and note the rise in Roe Deer being seen more frequently and in greater numbers.
In fact the most recent sighting was off a Buck with its horns just starting to grow.

Once I have had time to process the data pretty graphs will follow.

Here is hoping 2019 is going to be as exciting and rewarding.