Eric & Lesley's Wildlife Blog - Wildscotphotos

A Clean Beaver

14/7/2018

We have been following Beavers in our area for a while now. This is our seventh season. In that time they have spread, but equally, they have been killed in some places. They now have legal protection but with caveats. For me, as a wildlife photographer they are exciting and challenging but when you get lucky, very rewarding. Last year, for the first time I enjoyed watching mutual grooming and, on a different evening one suckling. The enjoyment was spread over 33 evening visits.

This year's highlight so far has been this one grooming. To me, he resembled a large fat hairy man with a bar of soap in the shower. I even have a short video clip of his behaviour. Since I am not far away and visible a part of the pleasure is when your subjects allows you to share a moment.

A Fox Find

29/6/2018

Its high summer now. Birds are difficult to find since they are often with young or active only very early and late in the day. It is, however, high season for mammal and bug watching. Today we found ten species of butterfly with a few dragonflies thrown in for good measure. Since we are in a heatwave they are relatively easy to find but a challenge to get close.

With mammal watching you either have to get up incredibly early or stay out until dusk. Earlier in this week I was able to stay out until some Foxes came out to play. In all I saw five foxes but had to be content with fewer in any one picture. In my part of the world there are no easy Fox pictures so this was a thrill. I'm sure I've seen many more dead ones than live ones.

Hare Today

13/4/2018

Perhaps we expect too much of our weather but it still seems that the season is limping on towards "proper" Spring rather than galloping. A few projects are underway at an early stage some of which might produce a result - Kestrel, Black Grouse and Badger.
I was parked up by a field scanning for Black Grouse when I noticed three very active Hares running around. They continued carousing around for some minutes and once or twice came in range of the camera.
I suspect that Mad March Hares were more likely to be an April phenomenon in Scotland anyway.

Return of the Stoat

18/1/2018

Winter is here - lots of snow and unpleasant weather. That said, it is probably worse both to the North and the South of where we live. The roads can be tackled with care so I ventured out to my hide to get photos of the smaller birds that visit, in particular the Long-tailed Tits. A snowy backdrop is generally very photogenic.
At one point I saw a movement in the distance and thought it was a Squirrel then No, it must be a Stoat. It soon approached giving me an all too brief once-over before departing. Last August I witnessed a Stoat take a vole in exactly the same spot. This time it left empty handed.
A rare moment of thrill for a cold day and it was soon time to return to the car, try to warm up, then head home.

Over Ear

19/11/2017

My hide is at a particular location to get pictures of Red Squirrels so I see them all year around. At this time of the year I am looking to see if the ear tufts are present. There's a little bit of variation; I think that the adults have fuller and earlier ear tuft production but its hard to be sure. The ear tuft season is generally November until March.
The squirrels are still coming to grab my food offerings then beating a hasty retreat. They seem bent on thwarting my efforts in getting a picture, however this day one relented. I had, what I call, moved the furniture around a bit so it was initially a bit confused. As a result it went to the end of the branch and swished its tail to indicate displeasure. Nevertheless it got the food and I got a pleasing picture. Result all round.

Dormant?

18/10/2017

Last week we visited Norfolk and Suffolk. We have fairly regularly spent time in that part of England. It is rich in birds and sometimes opportunities for bird pictures. That said, it is now full of photographers with big lenses and sometimes bigger voices. We did see a good selection of waders and wildfowl. The waders were either passing through or arriving for winter. In the case of the wildfowl they will mostly spend the winter there in milder conditions than the northern climes they choose for breeding.
Our highlight of the visit was not a bird but a mammal. Its not often I get to see a new mammal. We were able to meet up with an field worker who was able to show us a Hazel Dormouse. Fortunately it was dormant otherwise it would have bolted. We were able to leave it safe when we departed. A thrill.

A Rare Sight

18/8/2017

I spend quite a bit of time in hides, often alone in my own hides. It is monotonous but not necessarily boring. This week I had a rare sight. A (Bank) Vole was foraging close to me. I noticed it and was hoping it would come closer although it barely showed above the vegetation. From the corner of my eye I saw a movement. Then it was all over. A Stoat has caught the Vole. Fortunately It remained around for a few moments before Jays approached and it disappeared into cover.
It all happened so fast I was glad I use my camera almost daily otherwise I would have been so gobsmacked that I wouldn't have taken the shot. I am sad for my late furry friend although realistic that this is how Stoats are and there's nothing we can to prevent it; we just have to admire and wonder at the intricate balance of nature.

Sichuan Time

17/11/2016

After our visit to Tibetan China we concluded our Chinese trip by visiting Sichuan Province for two extensions. Birds were a bit disappointing - perhaps the bulk of them had migrated through the areas we visited. I don't know. However for the first location we had a specific mammal target - the Red Panda. I am happy to report that we succeeded. For the second of them we hoped to see the Golden Takin and again we were successful. You can see more of out trip pictures in the trip Gallery.

Tibet

7/11/2016

Last month we travelled to Chinese Tibet where we took a lot of pictures. That said, we struggled quite a bit with the altitude. We hoped to see Pallas's Cat as it had been seen on previous trips. In the event, we were not disappointed. Not only saw but we were able to get close and enjoy this cat - the highest living small cat in the world. What a thrill and credit to Jesper our leader. It is due to his fieldwork over many years that enabled us to see such a precious animal.

Close Encounter of the Mammal Kind

4/4/2016

Spring is spluttering along, not quite sure whether it is for real yet. Certainly temperatures are nothing to write home about.

Last weekend we spent on Scotland's west coast at a B&B. We didn't choose it randomly - we knew there were chances of things happening. Looking out the window I spotted an Otter eating a fish so I gathered my kit together and raced to where it was. I secured a number of pleasing pictures before the fish was finished. It then proceeded to amble closer whereupon it drank in a rainwater pool before returning to the water and disappearing. For a wildlife photographer I was in heaven. Close encounters with Otter are difficult and we have spent quite a few hours in fruitless attempts in the past. It was also extremely gratifying that the subject never knew I was there and was the one that left first.