One wonderful Easter Sunday from Dawn to dusk

While most people were tucked up in there beds early on Easter Sunday morning I was out enjoying the peace and the possibility of some wild encounters on my local patch. A few weeks ago I walked into a young Otter down on the local river catching it's breakfast before it saw me and disappeared off upriver leaving only prints on the muddy banks.

My wild encounters started when 2 Badgers ran into me and continued to chase each other into some bushes when I watched them have a roll around in the undergrowth with plenty of calling before returning to there sett at first light.

I continued on across some scrub land where I heard a Grasshopper Warbler and saw some Blackcaps gathering nesting material for there newly built creation in a bramble patch. The smell of the Hawthorn blossom in the fresh morning air was beautiful and combined with a sighting and the smell of a Fox made quite the spring aroma
Hawthorn/Blackthorn

Swans patrolling the canal

Sheep having lambs is wonderful to see at this time of the year

Grebes mating on the canal

A Coot searches for nest material under the surface

I thought I had stumbled into the Otter again but it turned out to be a Mink as the sun rose

A stunning sunrise along the canal

Canada Geese back in the warm sunlight

Sunrise over the picnic benches

When the sunrises under this bridge the light is so warm and refreshing

Lots more to come in the next few weeks as I'm off to Wales for a week!!!!

Stay wild and thanks for reading

Mike

Blogging takes a back seat but were back!!!

Had a few weeks off blogging but I am going to try again but with keeping an eye on local wildlife mainly toads and keeping watch on Badgers setts as baiting has been seen in the area. With better weather coming in my business has been busier than usual so it's been hard to keep up with posting new content. In early February we headed off to Wales for an afternoon by the sea and a nights camping but as I got rid of my larger slumit pop up tent it was quite cramped in a smaller beach tent.

For a couple of week's we ended up relocating Male and female Toads off the canal Towpath from danger and into the water where there respected others await.

 Over the past few day's I've seen and heard so much from Green Woodpeckers to Otters and even Frog spawn up a tree but I'll post that in my next blogs.

 Appreciate spring as its only just the beginning of the wildest and best 2 seasons
of the year in my opinion.

Thank you for your continued support

If you wish to donate to Diaries of a Cheshire wildlife watcher so I can make more time to post my daily blog then I would be most grateful and I would place any funds back into my passion for protecting and filming/photographing wildlife.

Mike

My passion and my business is Wildlife!!!

Go Wildlife watching is my online shop that's been in business since 2009 supplying lots of useful wildlife watching products from Wildlife camera traps to Wildlife watching hides. We stock over 500 wildlife watching, wildlife photography, and wildlife filming products. The wildlife watching gear shop is run by me Mike Mottram and I'm involved in many areas of the Natural history field from wildlife observation, wildlife filming, wildlife photography and more recently wildlife conservation and rescue. My passion for wildlife and the Natural world began over 20 years ago. 
I have learned and seen so much since setting up Go wildlife watching while testing the wildlife watching products we sell in our shop. I started Go wildlife watching from nothing and over the years it has enabled me to find the best and most unique wildlife watching kit that will hopefully get you some amazing views and encounters with wildlife in many different habitats in the UK or around the world.

We sell lots of wildlife filming, wildlife photography, and wildlife watching products only available below:

Thank you

Wildlife watcher Mike

2017 where has the time gone!!!

Just a quick post to mark the first day of 2017 and the beginning of a new year with lots of Nature and outdoorsy fun. This year I hope to share more things I've been up to Wildlife watching wise as last year I felt I wanted to go out and enjoy rather than searching for the best photographs.

 I will also be searching for that dream house whether it be where I live now or on the coast who knows only time and my budget will be able to answer that. Normally I have 7 weeks in a holiday cottage by the sea but this year more wild back packing and hopefully this way we will be able to save some money. I have started customizing my own camping gear and as I bought myself a cheap sewing machine for Christmas and having lots of camouflage and waterproof material. I'm hoping to make a breathable, waterproof and cozy bivy bag to sleep in and keep my gear dry. I am trying to make something which is more portable and comfortable as for some reason I find tents attract too much attention and lose a lot of heat so to save money rather than buying one seems to be the best option.

More on that and other wild things coming soon.

Happy new year 

Stay wild and protect Nature

Regards Mike

Watching wildlife - A busy month so heres a few updates

It's been a busy few weeks since I last posted and having not taken many photographs. I decided to rest a little this Christmas and just enjoy watching wildlife and the outdoors rather than focusing on photographing and filming wildlife. I've also had a birthday, a week on the coast, checked out a holiday home and started work on a new conservation area hopefully your enjoy the updates below.

  My huge piece of triple Chocolate birthday cake from a tasty Conwy bakery near the harbor

Here's a link to their shop Facebook page if your ever in the area

Having sold a few bits of my own kit and my wildlife watching supplies this year to pay for one of my other favorite passions. In 2017 I will be hopefully doing more wild camping in the North Wales and Anglesey area once I get my new light camping gear soon. As I have a few days off work in February I'm hoping I can be ready for a few nights camping on the coastal mountains if I can find the best gear to keep warm and comfy as I'm sure Spring won't be arriving that early next year.

Updates to follow in my next blog post

Thank you and keep watching wildlife

Mike

A new opportunity...

One from this years trip to North Wales on a summers evening watching the sun fall below the horizon. At the minute I am looking into possibly getting a holiday cottage that I can use myself and rent out to holiday makers in the area in 2017. Fingers crossed I've covered all my bases and calculations are correct. I'm going to view the property in December :-) and If all works out I can possibly keep some kit there which will allow me to do more Camping/sea kayaking when I feel like it.

Memories from Summer Badger cubs bounding

With Spring and Summer 2016 well behind us and Winter not far away, I took a look back to my memories of summer and one wild encounter I don't like to miss. On many a warm evening during the months of May to August I would head off through the countryside by canals and lakes to my secret Badger glade where I have spent many years protecting and photographing the clan here.

This year was so special as a pair of fluffy cubs seemed to be always out playing and looking for food while there parents slept and would often come out four a minute or two then return to the safety of the sett. Sometimes the sow would call the cubs underground if they started to go to far from the sett.

 Here is a few of my favorite summer photographs of the cubs before they became wary of these 2 legged creatures around there sett which I am always glad about as I know that human dangers may never be to far away.

 Sometimes they would stay hidden and a Badgers arse would be the only view as the sun fell

 They came close enough to film on our phones some days which was Amazing!!

I love the image below as it captures the Teen Badger cub on a moonlit night just emerging for a few hours of mischief and fun plus learning all the skills it will need to become an adult Badger.

Thanks for reading my blog
Stay wild, be happy and be safe

Mike