A summer of mammals, birds and other creatures

It's been a busy summer at the beck. With water being short I have picked up some great wildlife shots and here are a selection of my favourites. 

This tawny owl has hunted in the beck and on the videos below you can hear the alarm calls from the blackbirds who will have had young chicks at this point.

Tawny owl hunting

In this shot the owl is being chased - by it slowing down I can see that the chaser is a Jay. The screeching is urgent and I have included the longer version below where the second shriek is heard off camera.

I have seen a male and female fox pretty consistently over the year. This looks like a juvenile so they must have had a successful year. I like the way the moth photobombs the video at the end.

There are many squirrels so it would be wrong not to include them! No red squirrels sadly.

I have picked up these Sparrowhawks in the beck - sometimes bathing. I think the one that peeps is the juvenile although the same size as the parent here.

This is an unusual capture on the camera - a bat flying low and feeding

Otters are rare visitors to the wood. In the previous 2 years they have come in June but the beck was dry then this year so I thought I wouldn't see them. I was pleased to pick up these shots in July & August.

 

On the basis that one of the goals of the work I am doing is to promote biodiversity I am keen to celebrate all new captures on the camera - I see mice often but this is the first rat. I have included the mouse for scale.

Field mouse

Brown rat

Badgers are also common and I like to see them when they are relaxed as in these shots

There are still a handful of deer inside the fence 

  

This is another new discovery for me - a nursery spider. They create webs for protection of their young rather than to hunt with.

I see many birds when visiting and am pleased to pick up shots on the camera.

This wren isn't quite in focus but it's still nice to see him

 This great tit is feeding on the camera!

These chaffinches hung out in front of the camera nicely - see video below

I occasionally see frogs in the beck but rarely catch them on camera so I was delighted when this fella strolled passed in the heat of the day

I had been working with a friend in the beck while this buzzard was calling over head. I was pleased when he did this low fly passed in the sunshine - a wonderful sight although it did feel threatening overhead!

As the summer draws to a close it has been enjoyable to bring together the animal activity at Bel's Wood as a reminder. The focus of Autumn will be planting those trees but meanwhile I shall keep the cameras trained on the beck & up trees both day and night to see what happens there 24 hours a day.