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We knew our safari had really begun the moment the tiny plane bumped down onto the dusty airstrip. Before we had even collected our luggage our driver and guide, Fred and Kevin, (Yes, I know, not exactly African names!) were already waving us over with huge smiles. It felt unreal to step out into that warm […]

They are back! A few years ago, a fox family had taken up residence nearby. It was a treat to see them, and they were featured in an earlier blog post (links are provided below). After a couple of years of disappointment, they have returned! A mother and five cubs.  I had a very close

Rather than doing separate posts for different sightings from the last couple of weeks, here is a round-up of what has been happening. I have had the trail camera out several times, so I’m sharing some of the best bits below. These include deer, badgers, a fox, and a hare. Exciting times. I’ve put the

Ever seen a badger chase roe deer? It is only brief, but watch the video below. There is also a video of the dipper feeding in the river Tame. It has been a while since I put the trail cameras out, but I’d seen several deer in a specific area, so I set two cameras

Seals, highland cattle, deer and plenty of birds were seen on our campervan trip to Scotland. A wonderful Spring trip taking in Oban, Machrihanish, Islay, Arran and Culzean. It turned out to be something of a whisky trip, but as this is a nature blog I thought it best to stick to animals and not the

The deer stalking and photography has been somewhat slim pickings lately. There have been a few sightings but nothing that warrants a blog post. So, as an alternative this post is all about birds! The first selection are from the garden. We had a flurry of snow, but that didn’t deter the usual visitors. It

I have been having something of a poor spell with the local wildlife. The deer especially seem to have all but disappeared. This in turn affected how often I was going out. Yes, the weather has been somewhat awful, but that is a pretty lame excuse really.  In the past, whenever people said I was

At the time of writing this, the weather is pretty awful. However, the previous weeks have been very dry and hot, so I thought I would make sure the local badgers had some water. I got an old paint tray and put it out near an entrance to the sett, then set up a trail

Sometimes one can go through phases where not much really happens; nothing seems to appear, where before there was plenty. It has been a little like that lately, but patience and perseverance is the key.  In just one day there were deer, a sparrowhawk, a dipper, a fox and even badgers! All were seen in

One of the places we like to visit in our campervan, is Masham, North Yorkshire. Not only does it have THE best fish and chip shop and a brewery, but it also has a wetland nature reserve – so win, win, win! It was a short, two night visit to Masham. The first afternoon we

Getting up early and taking a long, steep walk uphill, is certainly worth it to see these wonderful animals.  It was January 2022 when I last went to seek out the mountain hares. That time I was very fortunate as there were three of them on the hillside. This time there was only the one,

After a rather quiet time of not seeing much, especially the local deer, everything seems to have happened all at once! There was a close encounter with three deer. Finally, I got to see a long eared owl, and after leaving the trail cameras out – plenty of video of badgers! It has been a

After a few days of staying indoors, due to the cold outside and the cold in my body, I had to get out and take in the wonderful landscape. The hills and moors covered in a scattering of snow and frost, making for wonderful scenery, which I didn’t want to miss out on. I hadn’t

Ever since I started following the local deer about 18 months ago, there have been at least five or six in the valley and woodlands, but it seems this is no longer the case. In the summer and early Autumn, unfortunately there were reports of roadside casualties nearby.  So now it looks like there are

I have seen a Red Stag in Saddleworth! I first saw it when I was in the local woodland. I was stood next to a tree for a few minutes when I heard something. I turned and looked to my left and I was amazed to see a huge set of antlers. Then the rest

I was curious as to whether badgers were still residing in a local sett. I had not seen much of them this year, for one reason or another, but I wanted to know if they were still there, so I decided to put a couple of trail cameras out to see. I first came across

A week or so ago, in the garden, I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. Not unusual in itself, as it is an area where birds visit and some feed off the ground, gathering up fallen nuts and seeds from feeders. However, this was something completely new. From a hole in the

So far this year, I had only seen a deer with its young several weeks ago (from a distance), or caught on the trail camera (see previous posts). However, that all changed in the space of a few days. I had heard of a sighting of two kids, very close to home. I didn’t get

I decided to get up early one morning and go for a long, local walk; down lanes, up hills and across fields. Something I am not keen of though is cattle. As soon as I set out, up a short path to cross a field, there was a herd right in my way. Do I

The header photo above was taken in early June (see blog post She has had her baby). Since then I had only seen the mother a couple of times, no sign of her kid. That would not be unusual as the mothers leave their very young safely hidden while they go off for a feed.

After two weeks away, I went out a couple of times to catch up on the deer. Unfortunately, and a little worryingly, there was not a single one to be seen. I usually see one, even if it is just running away! I decided to put the trail cameras out for a few days to

I was just going out to put the trail camera on location and had an unexpected, but very pleasant, watch of the fox cubs.  I saw there were four or five of them, with one in particular being quite boisterous! I think a couple of the cubs wanted to be left alone, but someone wanted

She has kept me waiting, but finally the pregnant roe deer I have been keeping an eye on has had her fawn (or kid, whichever you prefer). They usually give birth any time between mid-May to mid-June, so she was taking it to the limit. I had seen her the day before; at least I

I was out and about this morning, looking for the pregnant Roe Deer I have been keeping an eye on, who I was hoping had given birth to a kid. She has (whoopee); but that is for another post. Anyway, I had seen the deer and her kid from a distance, but I thought I’d

I knew there were foxes nearby but it was not until my trail camera picked up a little cub over a week ago, that I realised there was a family. A neighbour then told me she had seen the cubs one evening, so, for several nights I was out, hoping for a sighting. Unfortunately, even

It is that time of year when the young of many animals start to appear. This is mum (the Vixen), and she and her partner have a group of cubs. I caught one on my trail camera, but I’m really hoping that I’ll get to see them out in the day playing around, and get

We managed to get away for a couple of days mid-week to Masham, North Yorkshire. A nice stroll along the river Ure leads to Marfield Wetlands, for some bird spotting. Also, on the way home we stopped briefly at RSPB St. Aidan’s. We have been to Masham several times. It’s not far away, the campsite

I set out in the morning to put out my trail camera and as it was not particularly early I did not really expect to see any deer; they would usually be deep in the woods and probably lying down, having a nap. I was wrong! Walking on the track I noticed a deer in

A week of catching up on the local nature, featuring mammals, birds and an amphibian!  Everything from the past week is together, in one nature package. Several walks have taken me down the valley, up the hill, along the stream and down the lanes. All of which means there must be something to see; which

If you see a Roe Buck in winter/early spring, you might think that there is something a bit strange about their antlers; that they look furry.  Roe Bucks shed their antlers around November and they start to grow again in December – they look like furry little lumps when they grow again. When they are

I had some photography fun the other afternoon, capturing garden birds mid-fight; but first the flying deer, which I was not too happy about! I set out one morning to see if the deer were around. Unfortunately there was someone walking just ahead of me with two dogs – not the ideal situation if you

Herons are a regular sight in the area, whether down in the valley, along the river and even in ponds. Many people post photos of their sightings of the herons, including me, but I had no idea where they were coming from … up until now! On a morning walk I saw a heron fly

It has been quite a while since I have seen a fox, so I was delighted when this beauty appeared. I decided to go and put the trail camera out where there is (still I hope) a badger sett. I know there has been a fox in the area too and it may well be

There have been a few deer encounters the past week. There was the usual trio I often see and a couple of solo deer too; and I left the trail camera out.  The trio of deer is a doe and two bucks. This could be a mother and two kids, but it could also be

A week away in Edinburgh, in the campervan. I had not packed all of my camera gear as I was not anticipating there would be much to photograph; I was kind of wrong there! The photo at the top is one of the Highland Cattle that was in the field next to the campsite. At

It seems the birds that had deserted us are back! Although at home we only have a back yard, last year we put up a few bird feeders to see what would happen. To our surprise and delight we attracted quite a few. At first there was the robin, then came blue and great tits.

I decided against titling this, A Hare Raising experience! lol. This was the first time I have managed to see the mountain hares. The previous time I tried they must have been in hiding, but that’s the thing with wildlife; you can’t expect them to be on call! This time though I got very lucky

After several days of appalling weather (cold, rain, fog), it was nice to get out this morning, back to my usual haunt. As usual it was a case of whether I can get to a spot to wait and observe, before any deer got there; otherwise they run off when they hear anyone. On my

Deer have been a little thin on the ground this week. I have seen the trio and solo deer in my usual haunt, but also I have not been out looking for them this past week as much as usual. I took myself off to a couple of new locations and visited country parks, mainly just

I went out for a late afternoon stroll, not to my usual haunt, but still somewhere I have seen deer and fox previously. I spotted something in the distance and looking through my telephoto lens I saw there was a deer. I did manage to get a little closer (the photos aren’t the best quality

After 10 days of covid isolation I was out! So, on with the walking boots and head out for a stroll before breakfast; but after a cup of tea of course! I thought I would do my usual walk in reverse. Spice things up a bit, lol. I was keeping my eyes peeled for anything

There are many, many times when I go for a walk and never see anything, well, apart from the usual flock of crows; there are always crows around! This afternoon I was starting to head back home, ambling along the path, keeping a look-out as usual, but day dreaming too. Then, to my surprise, out

I often see a deer on its own and I think it is the same one. If you are wondering why Angel, have a look at the photo. Can you see the white marking on her neck? It almost looks like a heart. So, being a bit soppy I just thought I’d give her a

The picture is a bit of a giveaway that this isn’t my usual, local haunt. These are Fallow Dear in Dunham Massey. I much prefer seeing deer (and most animals) where I can, in a wild, natural habitat. It’s not as though these in the deer park don’t roam free, but they are essentially fenced