First Badgers of 2016 #cutebadgercubwarning

If you have been following my blog for a while now you'll know I visit a Badger sett at this time of year to see if the Badger family has any new additions. At this time of year the Badger cubs are taking there first steps  away from there setts with the rest of the family. I have been trying to see the cubs earlier each year and a few days ago I was treated to some short but sweet views of Brock woods newest youngsters. While out in the warm summer evenings over the past few days the family have gotten used to my scent after a long winter of not really visiting the sett other than to check the area had been undisturbed by those idiots who commit awful wildlife crimes.

The 2 cubs were chuckling away by the entrance but did not want to leave the entrance

Cheeky Badger faces the opposite way of my camera

A quick look before the little one disappears off back to bed

Badger cub looks right at me

Hiding in the undergrowth the second cub appears from a different hole

Hopefully this won't be the first or last time this Spring/Summer I get to photograph them more. Watching the Badgers is one of my highlights of the lighter and brighter days of the year.

Thanks for reading my blog

Stay wild, be happy and be safe
 

Mike

It's about time for some Star photography

With the nights getting shorter and the sun going down later I decided to have ago at something that I have been meaning to try for a few months. I did some research into what settings to use on my camera and after setting my camera up we set off at last light to find a place to get the best star views with no light pollution. Unfortunately the stars were to high in the sky and I could not get them in shot with some of the local natural and man made features.
Hopefully I will be back to visit some of the places I have found and I've also been thinking of trying some night time star photography from my kayak on the local rivers and lakes on my local patch.

With no luck down the Towpath I decided on heading outside my back gate to my local cemetery. Although there is lots of light pollution from street lights, cars and houses I was rather pleased with the shot below as it shows what you can get if you experiment with lights and your camera.

Night photography of stars above my local cemetery and the graves in view making it a little spooky

 You can clearly see Orion and his belt

I will be heading out with my camera at night in the future especially if we get a clear sky and there are plenty of stars to photograph. Hopefully I can capture something truly beautiful that shows how stunning the night sky is even when there is so much light pollution. In April I'll be off to Wales and hopefully I can get better photographs there as there's less light pollution which means more of the night sky and stars can be seen.
Here's an example of the images I wish to take while on the Welsh coast:
Taken by Joel Walley

Thanks for reading my blog

Stay wild, be happy and be safe

Mike

Otter signs aplenty

While out walking with my camera on my local patch lately I have seen lots of signs of Otter signs. I have still yet to see one swimming in the waters right on my doorstep my spirits are still high and I won't give up as I think I am so close. River kayaking with my DSLR is on the top of my list this summer especially on the early mornings when the mist is rising on the waters surface as the sun heats up the water.
Local lake on the outskirts of town

By the local canal

Hidden in a thick river blockage

Down by the river there are plenty of footprints and I always seem to miss the maker

An Otter I filmed on the River Dane a few years and I was bouncing of the walls when I got this piece of footage on a cold winters morning.

One day I'll get to see a Wild Otter right in front of me and I am sure it will be a moment to remember.

Thanks for reading my blog

Stay wild, be happy and be safe
 

Mike

On your bike...

Last Saturday I got out my old bike and as it need lots of work it took me the whole day to fix the brakes, change the inner tubes and give it a new paint job as it was getting a bit rusty. This weekend with my bike all fixed up I headed out for a few morning and sunset rides as I found it's the most peaceful and best times to see the more shier wildlife.

Sunrise on a local lake

Panorama on the Shropshire canal at sunrise

A local brook where I sit and wait to see if any Otters pass through

My bike will allow me to get to places quicker as it cuts down my journey time by half. Hopefully in the Summer I'll get out at sunrise to some local wild places before work as the summer early mornings are not to be wasted, so get out to your local countryside or wild area and just absorb all the sights, smells and beauty that's around you.

Thanks for reading my blog

Stay wild, be happy and be safe
 

Mike

Back from a rest by the sea

Had a week away from social media and photography last week to enjoy a week by the sea. It was a nice break until I got ill and ended up having to cut down the long walks I had planned into closer, shorter walks along the coast as my energy was pretty low. 

So until I feel better enough to blog here's a cute video of a newly hatched Cygnet pecking at it's mothers feathers filmed in the Spring of this year.

Thank you for reading

Mike

Patrolling the local canals to keep the wildlife safe

Over the past few weeks I have started going for a night walk with a small group of wildlife lovers. Lately while walking we have noticed people not known to the area parking up and heading out with torches and species of dogs used for hunting at last light. So to put off these individuals from there activities we have been regularly checking the canal stretches and rural car parks along the T&M for suspicious behavior. As most of the group walks the canals regularly we know who's who and would recognize vehicle that are new to the area but we record number plates in case we find anything untoward. This afternoon we observed and kept an eye on 2 eastern Europeans in camouflage paying lots of attention to a local boaters cargo and as we have had reports of this activity where people come down to research an area then return at night with nets to catch fish and any other water bird life they can catch. As the T&M area of my local patch is where I do lots of filming of wildlife I feel that I am giving back by protecting and patrolling the area to make sure there safe from any human harm especially over the quiet and dark Winter months when boaters are scarce. The canal tow paths at this time of year maybe muddy and slippery but in the darkness there peaceful and on a clear night to get away from the bright streets lights and look up at the stars is a very calming experience.

Thank you for reading

Mike

Nettled in November!!!!!!!!!!

With the days being shorter, wetter but still very mild I have thought that rather than try and squeeze a walk in the evening in the dark when the roads are still busy and there are still people around. I have started getting up early on my days off and heading out on foot for an early morning walk to see what I can bump into and there's a really lovely ambiance in the peace of a cold, dark winters morning when the Tawny's are calling under the stars and moons on a clear sky morning. Sometimes I end up creating new paths or wandering into vegetation I can't see and the other morning I got nettled and as it's November and nearly Christmas I was very surprised that there are still nettles. There also seems to be not many Tawny's calling at the minute so I wonder if the warmer weather and large amounts of green vegetation that's still remaining is confusing the wildlife and holding back the normal signs of winter that we normally see. This week things are due to change and get colder so I will be out for a few evenings enjoying the clear starry sky's and hoping to enjoy the Tawny calls after a quiet start to there Winter pairing performances. Expect lots more Wild blogs with less recent photographs but more of my thoughts, sightings and photographs/videos from this Summer.

Thanks for visiting my blog

Mike