Reading the morning news(pic heavy)

[stuart f]

Hi folks,I went out for a wander today as we had a fresh fall of snow during the night,and i did a bit of tracking.The fresh fall had helped make the sign more clear.

Anyway i thought you might like a look.

Fox tracks following the fence up the field

Further on i could smell scent marking by mr Fox,it must have been fresh as the smell was really strong, i followed the scent and found his trail,upon looking at the tracks i noticed that he must have had a small cut on one of its pads as there was blood in the track,as you can see here.

It must not have been that far in front of me,judging by the freshness of the blood and the powerful scent.So the game was afoot,i tracked it for about 20 mins,which took me to its lair which is in a small plantation.

Here you can see a little bit of blood in the track just outside its den.

So it was time to move on,as i went farther on and back out into the open field i saw these tracks leading from under a Gorse bush. i'm not sure who the owner of these foot prints belong too,but you can see tail drag in the sign.

And heres home under a Hawthorn tree root.I suspect it might be a Vole.

Farther on and into another wood,i wanted to see if the Badgers were still using a sett that had been disturbed after BT had cut down some trees,that were beginning to cover a telegraph pole,this was done at the back end of the summer. Heres the sett just after the trees came down.

So i was pleased to see that they are still in residence and that another Fox must be sharing the same sett.

Badger prints.

And their neighbour.

And a run onto another entrance hole.

And on the way back to home i found another sign,this time a bird,likely a crow or rook,you can make out the tail feathers and wing tip sign as its landed.Then it walked on over a rabbit track,then must have changed its mind about the direction in which it was going,so did a full circle and walked off to the right of the picture.

Here you can see the wing tip sign and its first foot track.

Anyway i though i would share my day with you.

Phew my posts don't seem to be getting shorter at all these days,i'm knackered writing that up.

Oh and thanks for looking.
Cheers Stuart.

 

[wicca]

That's great Stuart, all that activity may have gone unnoticed without the snow but you caught it just right.

 

[helixpteron]

I really enjoyed reading your 'news', its nice to see the signs of wildlife going about its business, I usually only get to see foxes, squirrels and voles, and the airborne wildlife.

Thanks for sharing that, the more photo's, the better, as every picture tells a story.

 

[Fraxinus]

Better than News 24,
It had interest, Mr Fox has poorly pad.
History, how the Badgers coped with Hurricane BT.
Scandal, Mr Fox playing away with Mrs Badger.
Comedy, Crows Feet in Ever Decreasing Circles.

Great post and Pics Stuart, made me smile whilst up with insomnia again Thanks.

 

[Bushwhacker]

I reckon the one you're not sure of could be a stoat.

 

[stovie]

I'm no expert...by a long chalk... but what say the experts on this subject that the tail imprint and wing impression are those of a pheasant. I can almost see the long tail feathers trailing on the snow as it beats its wings into flight...