Summer days are shortening....

It's been a while since my last post and with the government brain reprograming I knew things needed to get better soon. As in the photograph below the clouds parted and the sun shone well in terms of annoucments towards Wales unlocking and holidays allowed once more so I booked a cottage in Wales and waited anxiously for the unlocking of my second home so I could return to visit a few of my most loved places.

On one of my walks on the hotter days at the end of June I sheltered in a woodland glade and ended up getting the best encounter with a hunting grass snake as it slithered through the leafy woodland floor.

Tasting the air

Rising up over a fallen branch which really made the snake hiss

I also put my new Google wifi camera to work although my new mammals gate got a few visitors the the Foxy guests I am trying to attract never showed up.

It may only be July but I see and feel the changes of the summer fading and things becoming scraggy and the cooler nights and mornings bringing wet grass and browner leaves at ground level.

-In my next blog The first holiday after lock down with some surprising encounters-

Thanks for reading Mike

A day in the forest

On one of my days off, we jumped on the bus to visit Delamere forest for a few hours as the Dragonflies and other wildlife would be having their last hurrah with the warm weather we are having sporadically. As the weather was very pleasant but too hot for me I was glad to have the tree cover and having not visited Delamere for a few years it was nice to visit midday in the week rather than when there are lots of outdoors lovers around.

My first Cheshire lizard warming up by the lake where all the wildfowl were perched on the half-submerged trees.

Although still a wonderful place for wildlife and lots of deep forest to explore it seems it more for the people than nature now. I remember coming to the forest and going into the cafe and shop which sold wildlife-related products. The exciting thing was a large window in the cafe seating area where you could watch lots of birds feeding on all the bird feeders placed out with various foods to keep the birds fed but that was when winters were cold and snowy but now the feeders have gone which was a little disappointing. Hopefully, the trees that have now matured outside my desk window are perfect for bird feeders to hang on and now we have quite a large rowen berry tree so who knows maybe Waxings in the garden over the winter.

More Nature things to come from my summer adventures!!!

Thank you

Mike

Archive blog I forgot to post Waxwings still around in Spring!!!!

With Spring in full swing and I have begun to visit my Badgers setts to get ready to photograph the Cubs first emerging from the setts. This year they must have been born late as last year we had 2 bouncing around one of the sett holes.

On the way to the Badgers the other evening I had heard a strange but similar call and as I went to look where it was coming from we spotted 30 plus Waxwings. They were in a high tree on the edge of Middlewich town but they flew off further away from town. Later that week my brother found the flock perched up and relaxed in a tree feeding on the new spring buds.

I got a few photographs but the best I got was posted below and as I had 2% power left on my DSLR I was pleased with what I managed to get especially as its so late in the year to see them.

Seeing so many Waxwings still here makes me wonder that in a few years will Waxwings be breeding here and after seeing them quite happy and healthy makes me think that it could be sooner than we think with summer being just around the corner.

Stay wild and enjoy the Spring while it's here

Mike

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

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.

A new local find :-)

With local wild places becoming crowded and closer to becoming developed with housing and various other plans. I decided to search in some new places outside of my usual wild places to find some quieter and more undisturbed places. I spotted this Fly agaric Mushroom at Shakerley Mere last Tuesday and the area is becoming one of my favorite weekly places to visit.

I have even found this perfect picnic bench by the lake with a perch where I can place some bird food and enjoy the birds coming back and fourth while I relax and enjoy the outdoors.

 I found this hidden spot which I will be exploring more the next time I visit and I will take a few more photographs of my wildlife findings and habitat.

I love wooden bridges over trickling streams

 Tonight I am trialing a new WiFi camera setup tonight in the garden. I am powering on 12vt mobile backup battery which is nearly lasting an hour which is perfect. I may even see some of the 16+ hedgehogs that pass through my garden looking for food each night which may be a record. A few are hibernating in the hedgie houses in the garden already but more are visiting lately. Luckily not many get squished very much on my concrete island and there main predator the Badger whose numbers are 0 on my local urban patch. As well as filming wildlife I'm hoping to use to catch a few poachers out with this new kit if I can run on a 3G network created my Iphone.

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

Mike

Gannets at Llandudno

After recovering from my 24 hour cold we were up and out relaxing in the warm late Summer sunshine. It felt like it was June not September as the weather was beautiful and even the sea was warm enough to take a dip in. 

While there I checked out a few areas where I could possibly live when it comes to move there in a few years depending on my financial situation. The main reason I want to live there is the stunning natural beauty in the area and the amount of first time encounters I have had there has just been amazing. The other good thing is the thought of a view over the sea and as North Wales is only an hour so away it would be quite easy to visit my current wildlife patch every now and then.
While walking down from the Great Orme one afternoon the tide was reaching its peak and while walking down we noticed lots of Gulls and 4-5 Gannets coming in close and diving a few meters away from the sea wall.

A Gannet just hits the water below the marine drive on the west shore side

My favorite photograph from the encounter

A lovely portrait shot I managed to get from the landscape shot above

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

Mike

A Mermaids purse found on Llandudno beach

While on our late summers break on the coast of Wales we ended up having cooled down in the sea after a long coastal path walk you would have thought it was June by all the sun worshipers on the beach. As the tide came in my brother noticed a Mermaids purse or a shark/Ray egg case in the shallower water. Usually, we find them hatched or predated but the special thing about this one was that inside there was a small embryo growing inside with a small amount of liquid and it's food sack I think.

After a quick photograph we placed it back in the same place we found it and added some extra seaweed to give this precious creature a chance.
 In 2014 I found 3 Nurse sharks caught by the fisherman and thrown behind a kiosk on Llandudno pier and to see them so small and fragile in there see through protective cases just makes the killing of these sharks more sickening. Every time I visit I always check to see there are none there.

2014 BLOG POST

I have sent my photograph to some Shark experts to see if they can identify the species as I have tried but I'm not sure. See what you think here - http://www.sharktrust.org/en/eggcase_species

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

Mike

A short week by the sea

Last week I spent Monday to Friday in a caravan on the North Wales coast and as I usually spend my weeks in a cottage but as it takes to long to clean a larger property I felt like a smaller rented property would be better.

Our heavy 100 Litre back packs full of much needed gear

On the way there I developed a 24hr cold and by the time we got there and had a quick walk and did some shopping I was worn out. By 6pm I was ready to go to sleep and rest up for the next day of walking on the coast and it was lucky I did as the next few days were very interesting.

More on that soon....

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

Mike

A Local Family out in the meadows

A few months ago at the beginning of summer I was treated to a wonderful British wildlife encounter that I always await for over the long winter months. While out walking through a freshly cut field by a local river  as the sun was about to set and the wind dropped leaving wonderful conditions for an encounter with Fox cubs. We watched as the adult left an area where the Fox cubs were waiting for the all clear to come out into the open. One brave cub followed the adult into the open field to look for an small mammals killed by the grass cutting machinery.

The adult moved off while the young cub explored alone so we decided on seeing if we could get a little closer without disturbing the family. We got quite close using a dip in the field to get about 10 metres away for a couple of shots before a dog walker disturbed the adult Fox which made the cub follow the adult into the safety of the undergrowth.
One of the photographs before the dog walker disturbed this wonderful family

 Cub and Adult Foxes

 The Fox cub is left alone

A few months later I visited the area again and saw the whole family including 5 teen cubs sunbathing and bounding around in the early hours was an amazing and beautiful thing to watch. I could not get any photographs as I was on my bike without my camera so I decided on just watching the family until the sun went behind the clouds that blew in from North.

Thanks for reading my blog

Stay wild, be happy and be safe
 

Mike

Summers end...

With September approaching and the end of Summer with it I thought it would be time to post some of my summer posts which I've been holding back so I can publish on the bad weather days.

My brother Ryan enjoying the late evening sun by a local river

The moon sinks below the horizon as a thick mist forms

View from my kayak on a summers morning

 Hopefully in the Autumn I can get out more with my camera more than I have this summer. I have not had much motivation to take my camera out with me this year very much as I have chosen more of a enjoy the Nature through my own eyes rather than through a lens.

 

Thanks for reading my blog

Stay wild, be happy and be safe
 

Mike