Wildlife

Seen on Grand Cayman Island, high in a tree at the tiny tourist spot of 'Hell' :)

Anyone getting near the top of the Rock of Gibraltar will have seen these lively interesting Macaque monkeys. Here are just two of the many but watch out - your camera or lens could go missing very quickly with these about. Taken near the top of the rock looking west.

Here on Arran just out from the village of Kildonan on Arrans South East coast is a rocky shoreline that is home to these common seals. I took this just as the tide was rising yet further forcing these seals to go swimming.

At home we see one or two urban foxes and so it was with surprise that I spied this one high on the side of a hill keeping a lookout of the crows at this very obvious den. A few moments later she hopped out and was on her way back out of this large valley towards the nearby urban sprawl on the hunt for food no doubt. My lens and closeups of her revealed that she probably had pups in here. The nearby crows were also showing interest here as can be seen.

Red Deer Rut at Tatton Park, Cheshire The sound of a red deer stag bellowing is both unmistakeable and unforgettable. At this time of year stags are battling to show their dominance to gather together a harem of females. As always, beautiful at full screen. See pip

Taken from our stopped bus, as our driver screeched to a stop on seeing this near Lake Louse. We knew we were lucky seeing this. It was about 100m from our road, moving by a river. The bus was stopped and I managed to get this through a open window but trees and foilage marred the view somewhat via this long 270mm (400mm equivalent) lens. I was pretty happy with this capture though as my fellow bus riders got nothing like this. Of course our driver had his hand on the ignition and foot near the accelerator in case it crossed the river and ran towards us :) "Grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) have concave faces, a distinctive hump on their shoulders, and long claws about two to four inches long. Both the hump and the claws are traits associated with a grizzly bear’s exceptional digging ability. Grizzlies are often dark brown, but can vary from very light cream to black. The long guard hairs on their backs and shoulders frequently have white tips and give the bears a "grizzled" appearance, hence the name "grizzly." The correct scientific name for the species is “brown bear,” but only coastal bears in Alaska and Canada are referred to as such, while inland bears and those found in the lower 48 states are called grizzly bears." - defenders.org

Another taken from our moving bus near Johnson Canyon. 'The elk or wapiti is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in North America and Northeast Asia. This animal should not be confused with the still larger moose to which the name "elk" applies in British English and in reference to populations in Eurasia.' Wikipedia

I think this is a cow moose as the male bull moose has big antlers. Maybe a young one though? Not far from our road. Our driver who was once a park warden here, chastised a car driver here, who had stopped his car just next to our bus and was creeping ever closer to the animal with his camera, quite unaware it seems just how dangerous these wild animals could be. 'The animal Alces alces, called the moose in North America and the elk in Europe is the largest of all the deer family Cervidae, distinguished from other members of Cervidae by the form of the antlers of its males.'

Seen whilst on the roads through the Rockies near Emerald Lake. This taken through the window of our moving bus.

Seen in the Johnston Canyon.

Sometimes we are so intent on seeing a whole scene that we miss important ingredients. Here at Braemar’s 'Duck Pond' I was so intent on photographing the nearby heron that I almost missed this Deer. It stood there for some time just keeping a wary eye on it's surroundings as a dog had jumped into the water at the other far end. Of course, a fence always adds now to the attraction too. I wish you all, a great weekend, Herb

Seen near the fish pier of Argostolli on the Island of Kefalonia. - We could see a crowd of people standing on the sea edge looking into the water. Imagine our pleasant surprise on seeing a number of these turtles there. Each one about a metre in length. 'Loggerhead turtles are named for their large heads that support powerful jaw muscles, allowing them to crush hard-shelled prey like clams and sea urchins. They are less likely to be hunted for their meat or shell compared to other sea turtles. Bycatch, the accidental capture of marine animals in fishing gear, is a serious problem for loggerhead turtles because they frequently come in contact with fisheries. Loggerheads are the most common turtle in the Mediterranean, nesting on beaches from Greece and Turkey to Israel and Libya. Many of their nesting beaches are under threat from tourism development. Sea turtles are the living representatives of a group of reptiles that has existed on Earth and travelled our seas for the last 100 million years. They are a fundamental link in marine ecosystems and help maintain the health of coral reefs and sea grass beds." : www.worldwildlife.org/species/loggerhead-turtle

Scenes from our mini-safari near Port Elizabeth, South Africa in 2014. Nice full screen Click on PiP in top left of each picture for bigger views.

Too much media attention for these animals. After the recent demonstrations here in Bristol and London, these foxes decided to follow suit. They found the statue of a human in my garden and toppled it over. Good job it was not near the sea or they would have dragged it there before throwing it in. (all from my garden, yesterday - do you recognise my bird bath?) pip Enjoy.

As we sit by the glass door of our holiday cottage I spot some movement just beyond the door area. At first I thought it a mouse of some kind but later found out it was a little 'bank vole' looking for bits of food dropped from the nearby bird feeder. A cute little mammal for sure. See Pip. "Bank vole (Myodes glareolus). The smallest of the UK voles, the bank vole is active during the day and night. The bank vole is the smallest UK vole with a reddish-chestnut coat and an off-white underside. Like all voles, it's a stocky little animal with a blunt snout, small eyes and ears. Its tail is short – just half the length of its body. At first sight, they can be confused with field voles, which are greyer with a shorter tail, or wood mice, which have a longer tail and move much more quickly. They can climb bushes in search of food. Diet: Fruits, nuts and small insects." Enjoy full screen

I have related to one or two of my friends and relatives the story of our garden badgers. This was taken just over a year ago in our back garden. I had decided to get a wild-life camera that was triggered by a movement sensor with an infra-red light after our garden was being continually wrecked during the evenings. One year on and our lawns still gets pulled apart every few days. The idea of the camera was to see what was doing the damage. They never come during the day and we do not feed them, although tempted, as you can imagine. I think this trio was a mother and two cubs. At first we thought them very cute but after wrecking two of our lovely lawns we now view these slightly differently. We think they have a sett somewhere near our railway linear park walk but they can range miles for food. I imagine that they pull away the top layer of soil and grass to get at worms and grubs. - This camera does capture in colour but during the night with this light it defaults to monochrome. Sorry no sound. Enjoy full screen.

Mother and daughter take a nights rest in our garden between grounds. ~ We have been seeing these together and separately for some time now, since the one on the left was a mere pup, but we can never forecast when we will see them next. In reality they could be sisters but the sleeping one is definitely older and more infirm whilst the younger standing fox is also very submissive to the other. We have not seen them again since taking this. Maybe because their favourite route here, along our railway walk, has just recently had a major renovation, with much of its surrounding undergrowth and trees tidied up by teams of workmen. See PiP of perhaps the same pair in our garden, taken last June. The second PiP possibly shows mum at their den. Nice full screen

Along the banks of the Rochdale canal are a few fields. These are surrounded by fences and we see some splendid examples here. The banks of the canal with its adjoining fields are also full of Canadian Geese which at this time of year are almost all paired up in readiness for breeding. As can be seen, frost is still with us at the moment. Enjoy full size and have a great week.