Mammals not in our Garden

 Last month's blog posting featured mammals that have visited our garden but I don't want you to think that they were the only mammals I have ever seen. I have photographed and filmed many other mammals in the UK over the last few years, so I thought that I'd share some of these with you.

Here are just some of the mammals not in our garden, starting with a common garden visitor for some people, the Red Fox., which I have seen in both an urban context and in a rural context.

Firstly here is a short video of a Fox visiting the caravan park at Crystal Palace near London back in 2018:

This would probably be considered as an urban Fox, the next one however was in a field adjacent to a holiday home we had rented in Somerset in 2015, it was definitely a more rural Fox:

I have seen foxes in our housing estate, but to the best of my knowledge they just haven't ventured in to our garden.

Next up Squirrels, now you know that we have had Grey Squirrels visiting our garden, but not proper Squirrels. I am of course referring to the much cuter and definitely more native Red Squirrel. Here is a photo of such a creature that I took in the woods near Carrbridge way back in 2006:

Red Squirrel in Glencharnoch Woods, Carrbridge

They are quite hard to capture with a camera as they don't sit still for very long, except if the are visiting a feeder. I have seen Red Squirrel in many places ranging from Speyside down to Formby in Lancashire and have managed to catch one or two on video:

Here is one visiting the feeder at Anagach Woods near Grantown on Spey:

And here is one filmed using my trail camera, taken when we were staying at Tarland Caravan Park in Aberdeenshire (yes it is also at a feeder):

Very cute all the same.

Let's move on to somewhat bigger mammals now...................Deer........................  there are several species of deer you might see in the UK but ignoring the more exotic species such as Sika, Muntjac and Chinese Water Deer (mainly because I haven't seen them) I want to concentrate on the three most common species.

Let's start with the most common in our area, the Roe Deer. I see these smallish deer quite regularly, particularly in the fields and woodland edges at the back of Edinburgh Airport. Here are some Roe Deer hinds sharing a field with some Greylag Geese near to the Pepper Wood:

I filmed this sturdy Roe Deer buck in another field nearby, just off the old railway track:

I have been fortunate to see Roe Deer on many occasions over the years, each time it has been a pleasure and reassures me that wildlife will find a way to survive.

Slightly more tricky is a deer that is much less common in Scotland, I am referring to the Fallow Deer of course. Back in 2015 we were on holiday in London for a few days and took a trip to the place you are almost guaranteed to see Fallow Deer, Richmond Park, we weren't disappointed:

Fallow Deer in Richmond Park

White Hart Grazing

Back in Scotland we do have a large deer that is slightly easier to see, provided you go to the right places, and have your camera at the ready:

Red Deer in the Snow near Aberfeldy

Red Deer Stags in Winter

You don't always have to go up to hills in the middle of Winter to see these magnificent beasts, sometimes you can get a 10 pointer stag at the side of a layby on the A82 (if you know what layby to go too that is!)

Red Deer Stag at Loch Tulla Viewpoint

A Magnificent Ten Pointer

The next mammal is a bit of an embarrassment to me, mainly because I haven't made the effort to go and see them in the wild, even when I know where they can be found. I am talking about the beast that is known as the Badger. I have been reluctant to go to known Badger sites and sit in the dark woods being eaten by midges for hours in the hope that I might get a glimpse of one.

I have seen semi-wild Badgers in Somerset may years ago, they had been provided with a home (a man-made sett) but otherwise could go out into the wilds to forage at night. Does that count?

The nearest I have come across them in my local patch is some Badger footprints in the mud at Pepper Wood:

You can tell they are Badger prints and not a dog as they are wide and have five distinct toes each with long claws.

Moving swiftly on, another mammal I have seen on several occasions and in various places throughout the country (including Avalon Marshes in Somerset and Loch Duich in Kintail) is the Otter. 

I however have failed miserably to capture a decent image of the Otters during these wildlife sightings and have to resort to showing you captive Asian Small-clawed Otters I filmed at the London Wetland Centre:

A poor substitute for a sighting of a wild Otter, but entertaining non-the-less.

I do however have plenty of photographs of wild Rabbits, but I won't bore you with that and instead will show you a video of a wild Brown Hare:

Once again my 'go-to' place to see Brown Hares round here is the fields at the back of Edinburgh Airport. I have yet to get a proper view of Mountain Hare but not around here I am afraid, I did however see Irish Hare on Mull back in 2013. I know that Mull isn't in Ireland, but it does have a population of Irish Hares!

What about the marine mammals I hear you say!

Well, I have seen Dolphins and Porpoises in the Forth Estuary, I have witnessed the Dolphins at Chanonry Point fishing for salmon in the Moray Firth, but as usual I didn't catch them on film. I did however manage to capture a (not great) video of some Dolphins swimming in the bay at Stonehaven:

Back in 2014 whilst visiting Tentsmuir I spent about an hour watching dozens of Atlantic Grey Seals hauled out on a sandbank which was gradually disappearing on an incoming tide:

Grey Seals on Sandbank near Tentsmuir

Sandbank disappearing under incoming tide

This little video captures the Seals' reluctance to leave the sandbank until the very last minute:

That is about the sum total of my marine mammal photos and videos.

With regards to my land mammals (excluding humans) all I have left is a few fuzzy photos of Field Voles and Bunny Rabbits...................... Oh! unless of course you want to see my favourite video?

Pine Martens at Cruachan, you beauties!

They say to be a good wildlife watcher you have to be at the right place at the right time. I would also add that you need to also have your camera ready if you want to share it with others.

I guess I will need to go looking for Badgers now.

Take care everybody

cheers

Teddyedward

Mammalian Visitors 2021

 Usually when I post a blog relating to creatures that visit our garden it is predominately birds that feature in this blog, with the occasional mention of insects, mammals, butterflies, etc. This posting is slightly different as I wanted to concentrate on the mammals that have visited our garden in this past year.

Before you get too excited about views of Foxes, Badgers or Pine Martens frolicking on our lawn I have to warn you that none of these exotic creatures have visited our garden this year. so with that in mind I will start with a mammal that I am always pleased to see in the garden, namely the prickly little Hedgehog:

Hedgehog rooting around our Back Garden

Smile for the Camera!

A welcome visitor because it helps keep down the slug population and also because it is cute and doesn't mind being photographed.

This one was photographed back in March and it looked quite fit and healthy after its winter hibernation. It was in our back garden, but Hedgehogs have also shown up in our front garden, whether it was the same one I don't know.

Here is a video of this Hedgehog in our back garden during the day, taken in March:

A few weeks later (in April) I caught this Hedgehog sniffing around our pond in the front garden at night:

It may be the same Hedgehog but I can't be sure; I know that in the past I have seen two Hedgehogs in the garden at the same time.

Another visitor who can be seen day or night is our resident Wood Mouse:

Semi-resident Wood Mouse

We think he lives under our shed, but we only see him in the Winter & Spring months (December to April) so I would say he is semi-resident. Probably takes a long Summer break somewhere more fruitful as I tend not to put bird-seed out during the Summer and early Autumn.

Here is a video taken back in March which shows the Wood Mouse and a Chaffinch trying their best to avoid each other:

I am not sure who is scared of who? (and I don't think they know either).

The one creature that they are both scared of visits our garden day and night; it is definitely not a resident, and there are more than one of them. I am of course talking about the Domestic Cat.

We have cats who visit our front garden during the day, drinking from the pond and generally lazing around in the grass. They do occasionally show some movement when a small bird comes to the pond for a drink.

At night they tend to prefer the back garden for prowling around, like this long-haired cat:

Or this short-haired cat:

They sometimes try to hunt down our little Wood Mouse but so far he has been lucky enough to avoid capture; in fact I saw him a few days ago:

Looks healthy enough to me.

 For the first time ever (or certainly the first time I have seen it) we got a visit from the Wood Mouse's larger cousin; a Brown Rat:

That was back in May and we haven't seen it since (which Moira is pleased about). Maybe one of the cat's got it? Would probably have to be a chunky farm mouser to take down an adult Brown Rat. 

Another rodent that has been visiting our garden over the last few months and has been entertaining and annoying us in equal measure is a Grey Squirrel (well two Grey Squirrels to be precise). 

Grey Squirrel on Shed Roof

Roof Runner

Grey Squirrel (aka Tree Rat)

Had it been a cute little native Red Squirrel then I would be over the moon, but alas it is its bigger non-native cousin. I don't actually hate Grey Squirrels I just don't want to encourage their spread into Red Squirrel areas. Although I don't know of any Red Squirrels near where I stay; you would probably have to go over to Devilla Forest in Fife to find the nearest population.

As I mentioned the Grey Squirrel can still be entertaining; here is one trying to get to our bird feeder on a snowy day in November:

I have tried to chase it away from the bird's feeder but it isn't really scared  just looks at you then goes back to feeding, only running away when you get really close to it:

I have made a plastic shield (using an empty chicken breast container) and attached it to the feeder hanger; this seems to have the desired effect of making it awkward for the squirrel to get in and eat the seeds. 

Squirrel Guard

The Squirrels are not visiting our garden very often now; in fact the last time one visited it fed on the Sycamore seeds that have blown in from an adjacent tree:

I can live with that!

Another mammal to visit our garden in 2021 was once also labelled as a rodent, but has since been reclassified as being of the family Lagomorpha (which also includes Hares and Pikas). You've guessed it, a Rabbit.............. not the rarest of creatures but the first time we have had one in our garden:

Rabbit in our Back Garden

Brer Rabbit (not rare Rabbit)

Dodgy Close-up

It visited our garden a few times in September but we haven't seen in recently. I imagine a Fox visiting somebody else's garden might have got it?

I will leave you with one last mammalian visitor; it is not a rodent, it likes to climb trees, it is quite rare and it is the largest mammal we have had visiting our garden this last year:

It is of course..................... a Tree Surgeon................. Sorry if you were expecting some exotic wild creature (who knows, he might be?)

That's all folks!

Take Care

Teddyedward

Grantown and Lossiemouth

 In September we took a trip to one of our favourite haunts, Grantown-on-Spey Caravan Park, this time it was a little bit different as we were joined by my sister and brother-in-law with their caravan. We were lucky enough to get pitches next door to each other, which made it easy when we decided to share the evening cooking duties between us.

We still did some of our regular Grantown activities like walking the Dava Way (well part of it) and it was nice to share the experience with others:

Cairngorms and Caravan Park from Dava Way

Old Railway Cutting along the Dava Way

Rowans in Fruit

About half way along our walk we stopped for a drinks/snack break and to enjoy the scenery:

Snack Break on the Dava Way

View from Snack Bench

We continued along the path until we reached Lady Catherine's Halt:

Lady Catherine's Halt

 It is a bit of a mystery why it is called Lady Catherine's Halt as the Dowager Countess of Seafield (referred to in the above information plaque) was in fact Lady Caroline? The Grant family insisted that a 'request stop' be provided by the railway company at the East Lodge of Castle Grant in compensation for the railway line passing through their land. This was quite often a condition imposed by the landed gentry when a railway company requested permission to run a line through their land.

Although the actual halt was a bit basic, the gatehouse and entrance arch at the East Lodge was far more impressive:

At Lady Catherine's Halt

Archway at East Lodge

Florence & Moira at Castle Grant's East Lodge

After this we headed back to the caravan park, it was a nice little walk.

We visited a few of our regular places on this trip including a walk through Anagach Woods down to the banks of the River Spey. We even visited the small museum in Grantown (a place we hadn't been to before) and learnt more about Lady Caroline (not Catherine) and the Grant dynasty.

However the highlight of the trip was when Danny took us all to Lossiemouth for a day trip. Danny had worked in Lossiemouth many years ago and Florence had visited it as well, but we had never been there before. Our first stop was at East Beach, where the River Lossie joins the Moray Firth:

Breakwater at East Beach

Moira at East Beach, Lossiemouth

Florence at Lossiemouth

Sands at East Beach

It looked lovely in the Autumn sunshine, but whilst it was tempting we didn't go paddling at the beach. Two reasons mainly; in September the water would be freezing and the bridge crossing over the River Lossie to get to the beach was closed for repairs (and has been for years I believe!)

No! we were content on dry land and enjoying the views:

Enjoying the views at Lossiemouth

I will share the views with this little panoramic video:

We were all feeling a bit peckish so decided to head along to Lossiemouth Harbour where there were some eateries. On the way we passed part of the harbour which no longer held fishing boats but had been turned in to a marina for pleasure boats:

Lossiemouth Harbour

Lossiemouth Harbour Marina

Not all boats were for pleasure

As well as all the yachts and cabin cruisers there were a couple of Army Combat Support Boats moored up. Were they there on business or pleasure? who knows?

We had a bite to eat in the Harbour Lights Restaurant, where the food was very good. After lunch we had another stroll around the harbour area:

Lossiemouth Harbour & Harbour Lights Restaurant

Moira at Lossiemouth Harbour

Naval Mine collection box at Lossiemouth Harbour

We then made our way back towards East Beach, where the Terns were busy diving for fish:

Every time I tried to capture on video the moment the Terns plunged in to the water I failed miserably. My future career as a wildlife cameraman seems very much in doubt. I did manage to capture them flying.................... and also sunbathing on the beach:

You may have noticed that there were two types of Tern on the beach; I think the smaller ones (with the red beak) are Common Tern and the larger ones (with the black beak) are Sandwich Tern. I am sure the birders out there will correct me if I am wrong.

We moved a little further along the waterfront towards the mouth of the River Lossie, here you could see the 'unsafe' bridge that was awaiting repairs:

The Mouth of the River Lossie

Bridge over The Lossie to East Beach

Just about this point I noticed a bird in the water swimming purposely towards us; is it a Penguin I thought? 

No it was a Juvenile Razorbill! ......................... of course it wasn't a Penguin, you don't pick them up around this coastline.

I don't know what is happening with their food source further out at sea, but this year I have noticed more Guillemots and Razorbills feeding closer to the shore than normal.

We walked round to the entrance to the bridge, where Danny had parked the car and had a last look back at Lossiemouth before heading out of the town:

Looking back towards Lossiemouth's East Beach

Actually that wasn't our last look back at Lossiemouth as we stopped at a vantage point above the town and I grabbed another couple of snaps:

Looking down to Lossiemouth

Lossiemouth and East Beach

Thank you Danny for taking on a lovely day out, much appreciated.

It really was the highlight of our few days away.

Well that's all folks! as Bugs Bunny would say.

Take care

Teddyedward

Gems of The Fife Coast

 At the end of August we took the motorhome over to Fife for a few days break at Silverdyke Caravan Park in Cellardyke. This area is part of the East Neuk of Fife and contains picturesque villages and towns such as Anstruther, Pittenweem, Crail and of course Cellardyke. 

Cellardyke gets its name from the practice of herring fishermen drying their nets on nearby walls. The herring nets would deposit silver fish scales on the walls (or dykes) which would shine in the sun. The place became known as Silverdyke, local pronunciation led to it being written down as Cellardyke.

Once we got settled in at the caravan park we took a stroll down to Cellardyke Harbour, commonly known as Skinfast Haven:

How the Harbour has Developed Over the Years

Skinfast Haven

Like many of Fife's coastal harbours Skinfast Haven has changed and developed over the centuries and this former fishing port has become a popular tourist attraction and you are more likely to see yachts, kayaks and other pleasure crafts than fishing vessels.

I loved the different types of stonework on the slipway, from natural rock to cobbles to concrete, more evidence of continual use over the centuries:

Various materials used on slipway

I also loved the fact that the 'drying greens' on the harbour were still in use, albeit for clothes rather than fishing gear and nets:

Skinfast Haven in Cellardyke

Eddie at Skinfast Haven

After exploring the harbour we walked along George Street heading in the direction of Anstruther:

George Street, Cellardyke

Sharps Close, off George Street

A little further along we reached Toolbooth Wynd where we could access views of the sea once again:

View from Tollbooth Wynd

Looking South Towards North Berwick

Moira at Tollbooth Wynd, Cellardyke

We carried on along James Street until we reached the East Shore of Anstruther:

Anstruther's East Shore

Isle of May from East Shore, Anstruther

Just round the coast from the East Shore we reached Anstuther Harbour and the thriving tourist hotspot of Shore Street.

Anstruther Harbour and Shore Street

Boats in Anstruther Harbour

Anstruther Harbour contains a mixture of boats, as well as the ubiquitous yachts and pleasure cruisers there are also working vessels that fish for crabs, lobsters and prawns. There is even an historic 'Fifie' fishing boat which is almost 100 years old. You can find out about this in the fisheries museum on East Shore (well worth a visit).

What I really enjoyed was the names given to some of the boats in the harbour, see if you can spot which are leisure crafts and which are working boats:

Brrrmbrrrm (named by a child?)

Mary Doll (Rab C's boat?)

Feckin Boat (maybe a bit tempremental?)

We had a walk along to the end of the pier to take another couple of photos:

Towards Castle Street and the Dreel Burn

Towards Anstruther Golf Club

Moira from Anstruther Harbour Wall

We headed back to the caravan park for a little relaxation and a bite to eat.

After we were fed and watered we took an evening stroll back down to the shoreline at Cellardyke, this time we headed Northerly along the Fife Coastal Path towards Caplie. First stop was at the Cellardyke Tidal Pool, known locally as 'The Bathie'. This old tidal swimming pool has recently been restored and is popular with wild swimmers, and those that just like a cold bath:

Cellardyke Tidal Pool (The Bathie)

Tidal Pool with Isle of May in background

We then walked a little way along the Coastal Path, enjoying the scenery and the setting sun:

Welcome to Cellardyke

Towards Caiplie

Rocky Shoreline at Kilrenny

Before we reached Caplie we noticed that the sun was setting fast we decided to head back to the caravan park:

Moira at Sundown

Evening Shoreline

Sunset over Silverdyke

Time for a beer, then off to bed.

The next morning we weren't up too early and had a bit of a lazy morning before heading out towards Anstruther. It was a bit of a funny morning weather-wise; it was bright enough but a mist or haar seemed to be hanging over the water. 

We milled about Anstruther a bit before deciding to have a spot of 'brunch' at the Waterfront Restaurant. Suitably fed and watered we decided to tackle the Fife Coastal Path to Pittenweem. Our first challenge was to walk along the beach and cross the Dreel Burn Stepping Stones.

The Beach below Castle Street, Anstruther

Dreel Burn Stepping Stones

Now, I have done this crossing in the past, when the tide was in and the water flowing down the Dreel Burn covered the stepping stones by a few inches. It was scary. This time however the tide was out and the Dreel Burn was a trickle............... not scary!

Crossing the Dreel Burn Stepping Stones

Dreel Burn Stepping Stones Successfully Crossed

It was easy-peasy provided you avoided the slippy seaweed.

We then headed along Shore Road towards the Golf Course and Billowness. As we stopped at the beach at Billowness to enjoy the views we could see that the mist was starting to roll in from the sea (oh! Mull of Kintyre ..........oops, sorry about that, wrong place).

The Golf Club at Billowness

The Beach at Billowness

Moira at Billowness

As we continued along the coastal path to the headland we could see how far the mist was now shrouding parts of the coastline.

Saltire on the Billowness Headland

A little further along the coastal path we came across an impromptu art installation, which I guess was produced by a fan of the Electric Light Orchestra utilising the bounty from a nearby shell beach:

A Jeff Lynne Creation?

Shell Beach near Pittenweem

By now the mist was cloaking the rocks in a very spooky manner, so we made haste to the port of Pittenweem:

Spooky Mist-covered Rocks

When we arrived at Pittenweem Harbour it was back in 1850 when photography was in its infancy. The fishing boats were moored up, unable to set sail because of the fog:

A Misty Pittenweem Harbour

Just joking it was only 12:30 (almost lunchtime) and everything was in colour (just a bit misty):

The Boats in Pittenweem Harbour

We carried on along Mid Shore to the House on the Rock:

The House on The Rock

Moira on the Slipway at Pittenweem

Normally the views out to sea from here are fantastic, but on this day they were a bit limited:

Sea View from Pittenweem?

What was fascinating (to me anyway) was the rock formations that created a natural slipway, which has been enhanced by fishermen over the centuries:

View down Slipway to the Sea

Looking back up the Slipway towards Pittenweem

This may well have been the reason why Pittenweem exists, a natural slipway where fishermen could safely bring in their boats and unload their catch.

The mist did not seem like it was going to clear so we had to chose whether to continue on the coastal path or not.

Coastal Path continues along the West Shore

 

Pittenweem Harbour (becoming even more misty)

We decided against continuing further along the shore and made our way back up to the high ground and walked the main A917 back to Anstruther, then on to Cellardyke.

Safely back at the motorhome we cooked ourselves some dinner and settled in for a relaxing night.

The next morning most of the mist had disappeared, with just a haze over the water. After breakfast and doing our chores (caravanners and motorhomers will know what these chores are) we decided to go for a stroll along the Fife Coastal Path heading in the opposite direction, towards Crail. 

As we were meeting up with friends in the afternoon we knew that we did not have time to reach Crail (and back) but we headed in that direction:

Moira on The Fife Coastal Path near Caiplie

Looking back towards Cellardyke

We enjoyed the views:

Isle of May

We enjoyed the wildflowers:

Autumnal Wildflowers

Harebell on Fife Coastal Path

And I even managed to get some videos of wildlife (well birds at least) such as this Curlew at Caiplie:

And this Redshank on the shore near Kilrenny:

On our way back to the motorhome I snapped these lovely views from the War Memorial just down from the caravan park:

Looking North towards Caplie

Looking South towards Cellardyke

Such a beautiful coastal area.

After a spot of lunch in the motorhome we headed out to meet up with our friends Ken and Amanda at the Haven Bar for a few drinks. They are lucky enough to live in Anstruther so it was and ideal place to meet.

We enjoyed a lovely afternoon drinking and chatting in the beer garden at the Haven Bar and really was the icing on the cake in what had been a wonderful visit to Fife's East Neuk.

We will be back, again and again.

Take Care

Teddy Edward