Diaries of a Cheshire Wildlife watcher

Pond taking shape at last!!!!!!!!!!

2012-01-26T12:07:00.000-08:00

This week I have mainly focused on pond building and I have seen a few new species in the area from a Hare, Fox and a Buzzards nest plus Watervoles very close so the pond maybe a place for them to use as a place to feed exciting!!!. So after a few days of digging I decided on using the clay and mud dug out as a raised bank where I can plant reed bulbs as well as cover the bank in moss, fungi and most importantly rotting branches to encourage the growth of the mosses on the bank.

If the water drys up over the summer or does not clear then I will have to use a pond liner but I think by this time next week it will be fully mossed up, water plants in and then its ready to let nature do its work.

Thanks for reading

Mike

More underground Mink footage

2012-01-25T10:45:00.000-08:00

I went to pick up the camera trap from the Mink filming location the other day and the batteries had ran out due to it being there for over a week and recording lots of the Minks activity as well as Mice and a Wren popping in and out of the hole.
The footage on the card this time was of the Mink taking leaves down into the Rabbit hole so I think its building a den to give birth which will be a unique thing to film below is my reasons for not taking any action to stop the Mink breeding as lots of people have suggested I should.

For me it is a tough decision and as I bought a trap a while ago with that idea in mind and nothing ever came of it but I thought that I am there to document them not kill anything, if I humanly dispatched it then it would not make a dent in the population around here as the constant travel of them up and down the canals, rivers and streams would quite easily replace them if I started controlling them then it would have to be 100% committing to it and would be a constant task of bait and kill so its not anything I can take up anytime soon plus the wildlife trust seems to miss out my local area due to the lack of interest they say. The rivers down here flood alot so most of the banks are not suitable for watervoles but there are a number of areas where Watervoles are but I have yet to film them and they are inaccessible by Mink plus now the Otters are coming back here once they settle hoping they will have an effect on the Mink in the area.

I hope that answers antibody's questions regarding Mink and my reasons for leaving the Mink family to there own devices as I am sure the interesting part will be seeing what prey they bring back to the den as so far they have brought a fish in but I missed the part when the fish was brought up to the hole and only filmed it disappearing down into the hole.

I had to bring the camera back for a recharge so
hopefully I can get the camera back into position by the weekend.

Thanks for reading

Mike

A new area on my Local patch - Dane Reservoir!!!

2012-01-24T11:12:00.000-08:00

On Sunday morning I went to explore an area I have never explored before on my local patch and as a child I remember going to the area and that is very overgrown but not much else as I think we got scared off and did not get the chance to have a proper look around.
On my way round I got few shots of the sunrise down by the river as we walked past the Fox area on the way to the reservoir area.

The reservoir is fenced off and you cannot access it but you can easily film through the fence and I thought that this would be perfect for water birds that are abit shier and like the quietness of the calm water that is out of the wind. There were a few Mute Swans over the far side and a bird not seen very often around Middlewich which is the Tufted ducks and Goldeneyes which soon left when the engineer came to service the pump that filters the water.

In the photo below you cannot see the shallow water at the end of the pool where there is alot of duck weed that would provide plenty of food for ducks and water fowl so I will be checking here every so often looking for some rarity's and may even camp close by over the summer as the area is very quiet and wild plus a hell of a trek to get to and looks like a great site for filming Owls.

I found some other gems nearby that will be posted soon and it is at the area where I filmed the Fox marking its territory and the other day I put a Woodpecker box up on tree where I saw a Green Woodpecker land several times in one week and in Middlewich we don't see them very often and this is my first I have ever seen and to see it on my local patch was great.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Building a place for Nature-A new Pond called Brock pool

2012-01-22T09:06:00.000-08:00

A few days ago we began building a Pond and I chose an area in the middle of an area of wasteland and as I know the areas owner I am sure they are fine with my little bit of conservation. The area is perfect as the ground is always water logged due to the mossy and clay ground so water is always alvailable and does not disapeer into the ground which takes away the need for a pond liner and as there is a slow flowing stream is nearby I am sure there is no threat of the pond drying up.
The pond began to fill up as we dug out the soil so it looks very promising and with a little bit of help and time the pond will be great for wildlife in the area so I can't wait to finish the planned design and then begin on the area around by adding a feeding station, planting trees and all the other finishing touches to the pond then mother nature can take over plus maybe add a few fish to attract some fish eating birds that are active in the area.

Promising start

An hour later

Then 2 hours later

There is lots more digging to do at the site and as the area is hard to get to its all manual digging with a spade rather than a digger so thats my exercise plan for the month. Once spring begins to show I am going to leave the digging and begin on the cosmetic look of the pond. This area shall be known as Brock pool in my future blog posts and I am hoping it will be a big success I have done a little drawing of what I am planning for the area so I will post that next time.

A quick note - I saw these prints on some of the dug out clay today but I am not sure what made them, any ideas are most welcome but I am thinking a member of the mustelid family.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Underground Mink footage

2012-01-22T07:34:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick post showing the footage I managed to get of the Mink that went down a Rabbit hole I filmed on a camera trap down into the rabbit hole and as you can see the Mink definitely notices the camera there or does or notice my scent on the camera.

I was pleased with the results and I found interesting watching the animal trying to figure out the what this new item was that had been placed on its path.

I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did.

When I went to pick up the camera yesterday I ended up in the river from the top of a river bank but luckily I managed to grab a tree to stop me falling in face first I landed on my feet with a big red mark on my back to show for it from when I fell back against the tree all my brother Ryan could do was laugh.

I am fine but it hurt at first but it could have been worse as no kit was damaged in the fall plus I like the danger sometimes as it gives you an Adrenaline rush which warms you up on a cold winters day.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Finally filmed a Fox on my local patch at last

2012-01-21T05:36:00.000-08:00

After visiting the place where I first ran into the Fox a few days ago I wanted to film the Fox and after a few hours sitting in my one man hide by the river I spotted the Fox marking its territory along a steep path above the river which runs along a river Badger sett. I had my camcorder ready and got a little bit of footage before a dog barked and it retreated into the undergrowth.

I hope to put some food in the area to try and film the Fox much closer using my camera trap as well as some time on the other side of the river with DSLR and Pro camcorder in my hide to see if there is more than one in the area.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Kayak hide finally finished and picking up the camera trap

2012-01-17T12:37:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post today as I finally finished my kayak hide the other day but due to the weather I have not been able to test yet as the flashes has been frozen and the winds have been too strong to test it safely but hopefully in the next week or two I may get the opportunity to get on the water.
The photos below show what the finished kayak hide looks like I can't wait to use it for filming especially in the summer as it should make a nice sun shade when its gets so warm and as theres no shade but I am most looking forward to using when it rains and I will be nice and cosy under my hide with the rain hitting the water while the wildlife passes by unaffected by my presence.

Hide up when waiting for wildlife to pass by

Hide down when paddling

I will post a photo of how I attached the hide to the kayak in my next post.
Today I went to pick up the camera trap from the Mink hole and after checking the card I noticed that I had a few clips of the Mink just starring at the camera trap then returning to the water I will upload the best bits tomorrow once I edit them into a short clip.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Mink Mink and more Mink

2012-01-16T10:25:00.000-08:00

I decided to check the area where I saw the Fox the other day and as we arrived I spotted this Mink sniffing and marking pieces of wood by rubbings its body over them the wood and branches have formed abit of a dam on the river and the Mink was diving in and out of the holes there were Mallards and a Moorhen nearby but the Mink did not seem bothered by them and continued to fish.

As it was midday the sun shined right down on the mink giving a great quality image. After half an hour the Mink left the water and went down a on the bank I was watching from.

I know how much damage they do to an aquatic environment but they are still entertaining but hopefully soon the local Otters may begin breeding on my local patch or who knows maybe they already are. As I had a camera trap in my back pack I decided to leave the camera on the hole overnight to if I could film the mink leaving once the sun went down.

I shall return tomorrow to see what I have captured on the camera and have another look for the Vixen I saw on the opposite bank fingers crossed I get results on both.

Thanks for reading

Mike

A frosty morning walk by the river

2012-01-14T10:55:00.000-08:00

Today I woke up abit early due to there being a frost and the sky was clear and the sun was rising with a stunning orange glow so I wanted to get out by the river to see what was out and about. After deciding which part of the river Dane I wanted to have a walk by I packed up my gear and set off to an area where I first began my interest in wildlife and where I took my first photograph of a Kingfisher diving up out of the water as well as perching on a telephone wire.

I also used to fish and swim on this stretch of the river when I was a kid so I have many fond memories of the area. After dodging a Great Dane that sprang out of know where I began scanning the river banks and enjoying the rising sun that lit up the sky with an even brighter Orange colour.

I noticed many Pheasants in the tops trees and one Pheasants seemed to have thought that it could hide in some dry grasses but I don't think it quite got the right idea of how to hide from predators as the photo below shows I thought it was quite funny how it turned around to see what the flash was about.

The reason why these Pheasants were hiding was revealed around the next bend and it was a Fox on the opposite bank scent marking and sniffing in the undergrowth I tried to get my camera out but it heard my back pack hit the ground so it shot off up a hill and disappeared within seconds this is great as it may have a den nearby I will return tomorrow around the same time to see if its around again this time with camera/camcorder already to get a photo and footage.

The area where the Fox was hunting is inaccessible by walking so I may use my kayak and sale over to see if I can find the den so I can film them more closely.

Thanks for reading

Mike

A break in the weather - First Kayaking session of 2012

2012-01-08T12:05:00.000-08:00

On Friday the weather finally got better the wind had died down and the rain had stopped leaving us with a very warm day for testing my new kayak and taking it out on its maiden voyage and after loading it onto its wheels and taking it 15 minutes away to test on the canal it was a abit of struggle at first due to the banks being so muddy. After getting on the water I felt very comfortable in my new kayak and felt slightly nervous being higher up as in my old kayak I was sealed in and much lower in the boat but at least with my new craft theres no chance of a puncture with its strong structure.

Two Swans joined us as we sailed over to the deeper water of the flashes I am hoping they will settle this year hopefully in reed beds further up the canal as I would not want them to settle on the flashes due to the terrible threat that a pair faced last year when I think the male was killed as some thoughtless individuals who wanted to fish there mush have been chased off by the territorial Mute Swan and there thought was to shoot it rather than take the hint and respect the Swans and fish some where else.

After half an hour of paddling around checking Otters pass for Otter spraint which I found abit of and this time last year the area was cut off and inaccessible due to the whole area of water being frozen over. This year it is warm and calm with no ice or snow anywhere to be seen and on my way back I spotted a floating piece of polystyrene that seemed to have green plants and various weeds growing into the base of it so its a floating garden that I am sure the ducks will appreciate when they begin nest building on the flashes.

One last thing I noticed was the large amounts of Waders 30- 40 hiding in the reed beds I think I spotted a Snipe or two but most of the were Sandpipers of some sort. I could not get close enough to get any footage or a photograph due having no camo or anything to hide me so I have a modification idea of adding the hood part of a chair hide to my kayak so I can pull over me to create a floating hide.

More on that in a future post when I find time to experiment with the idea.

Thanks for reading

Mike

An afternoon in my one man hide at Buzzards rest feeding station

2012-01-04T10:39:00.000-08:00

As the weather took a turn for the worse yesterday with heavy rain and strong winds up to 30mph I decided upon spending some time in my one man hide at Buzzards rest feeding station and after getting comfortable and cosy in my chair hide out of the harsh weather I noticed a few new visitors to the feeding station the first a female Greater spotted woodpecker arrived for a feed on the insect fat log and then flew off to join a male bird and then the pair began to display as if the beginning of spring was in the air and they were pairing
up to begin nest building together.

Another bird that we have been hoping to show up at the feeders was a Nuthatch and today a pair came to feed but seemed very territorial so I am assuming 2 males disputing over feeding at the bird table. I want to film the Nuthatches next so hopefully this week I can some more time in a hide at Buzzards rest if all goes to plan.

I just missed getting a shot of this Robin with its wings out but unfortionately it turned in the opposite direction and flew off with abit of food.

Last but no means least a flock of Long tailed tits seem to keep visiting now and then to feed on the insect suet blocks that I place in a metal suet cage and on a log hanging in the tree. I was very happy with the shot below as they are so erratic in there movements as once one leaves they all seem to follow.

I also noticed this little Vole living under the bird table and every time abit of food is dropped by a bird nearby out it comes to collect it and retreats back to the safety of its hole as just after it retreated a Buzzard flew by and it was going to land but was startled by us packing up our hides before it began to rain and darkness began to fall.

Thanks for reading

Mike

My 2012 - 12 challenges revealed

2012-01-02T10:57:00.000-08:00

After alot of thinking time here they are my 12 wildlife tasks for 2012:

1 - Badger cubs filmed in daylight at Brock wood.

2 - Otter box complete on island camouflage and cameras in.

3 - Kayak on the sea and film marine wildlife.

4 - Film Polecats on my local patch.

5 - Film fish shoals on my local river.

6 - Film Barn Owls on my local patch.

7 - Build 10 water bird nesting rafts and place around Otters pass lake.

8 - Film a Lesser spotted woodpecker on my local patch.

9 -Film Watervoles on my local patch.

10 - Film at an active Fox den.

11 - Film stoats at an estuary

12 - ????????????

I will leave this as a surprise as they say I will leave the best till last.

I am hopeful at completing most of them but I have a thrown in a few tough tasks that have been troubling me for a while so fingers crossed I can complete them all.

Thanks for reading

Mike

www.MikeMottram.co.uk

First post for 2012 - My personal wildlife challenge 12 for 2012

2012-01-01T04:04:00.000-08:00

So for my first post for 2012 is about my tough task which will take place over the next 12 months so the idea is I am going to set myself 12 wildlife challenges for this year and below is the list of tasks I want to complete before the end of the year I think each one will be tricky to complete and due to time constraints with everyday life who knows if I will complete them all if any.

Only time will tell but as long as I have fun along the way I will be happy just to have tried.

I will post the list later today once completed.

Thanks for reading

Mike

2011 a quick wildlife year review

2011-12-31T11:47:00.000-08:00

I nearly forgot to post this but here it goes my five best moments there have been so many but below are the five most memorable moments of the year. So I begin my 5 best wildlife encounters over 2011 with my encounter with Grey seals on the North wales coast and it was my first time seeing a large Seal colony with pups playing in the shallow clear waters of Angel bay, Llandudno in North Wales and it was a beautiful wild scene that I will always treasure.

Number 5 - Grey Seals of Angel bay

http://cheshirewildlifewatcher.blogspot.com/2011/03/filming-at-north-wales-pt-1.html

Number 4 - Badgers of Brock wood

A first for me this year was seeing the local Badgers at Brock wood feeding out in the day light over the summer months and after spending many days there I was accepted and the whole family came up to feed and that was at about dinner time when the sun was at its hottest so lets hope the recent news does not affect my local sett any time soon.

http://cheshirewildlifewatcher.blogspot.com/2011/07/closer-to-badgers-with -new-food-mix.html

http://cheshirewildlifewatcher.blogspot.com/2011/07/closer-to-badgers-with-new-food-mix.html

Number 3 - Flamingo on the flashes

This was a unexpected treat over the summer when I was surprised to see a Flamingo on a flooded part of my local canal feeding right next to a Grey Heron plus it got in the local paper.

http://cheshirewildlifewatcher.blogspot.com/2011/07/surprise-on-canal-flamingo-at-flashes.html

Number 2 - Oystercatchers on a car park
On a weeks filming in North Wales in June I spotted this pair nesting on an unused car park by the sea and as we walked past I noticed the nest with eggs so I decided to leave my camera and back off and as they were in busy urban environment they came right back to the nest unbothered by my presence.

http://cheshirewildlifewatcher.blogspot.com/2011/06/2-weeks-in-north-wales-pt-2-of-6.html

Number 1 - Coastal Red Fox family on the Little orme

My most memorable moments was filming a coastal Fox family in June and as it was so late the cubs were getting very confident and beginning to grow up fast and venture off into they own territory's but I was lucky enough to capture footage of the family together as they sunbathed on a cliff edge with the Irish sea behind them a wonderful experience that I will hope to have again over the summer in 2012 but hopefully I can follow they from earlier in the season this time.

http://cheshirewildlifewatcher.blogspot.com/2011/06/2-weeks-in-north-wales-pt-4-of-6-foxes.html

Not forgetting a big thank you to all the people I have met through the blog and some of you have become friends and when I have been out filming and we have chatted over wild encounters or life in general I hope I get to meet more of you in 2012 as well as catching up with some of my wildlife watching friends I have met up with in 2011 so I can show you some of the amazing wildlife and countryside on my local patch and some hidden gems I have found in the UK over the past few years bring on 2012.

Thanks for reading

Mike Mottram

Final post of 2011 Lets hope 2012 is a wilder year

2011-12-31T11:13:00.000-08:00

This is my last post of 2011 so I would like to wish all of my readers and friends(you all know who you are) of me and my blog a happy new year and may

2012 be a fantastic year for you all but most of all I hope its a great year for wildlife.

In 2012 I am going to push my self further and take on new challenges with filming and photography from Sea kayaking to doing some really amazing conservation work on my local area so keep reading my blog over the next year for more Diary entrys from a Cheshire wildlife watcher.

Thank you all for your comments and feedback over the past year

and lets all have a wilder 2012.

Thanks for reading

Mike Mottram

2011-12-24T07:10:00.000-08:00

Just a quick blog post to say

Merry Christmas and a happy new year

to all my readers and fellow bloggers and as its been a great year I will be posting 5 of my best wildlife encounters/outings in the last few days of 2011 so come back after boxing day and see which ones I choose.

Warm regards

Mike Mottram

Kayak modifications for wildlife filming and photography

2011-12-18T04:49:00.000-08:00

After a few days of thinking about treating myself to a new kayak for Christmas and I found this one which is a fishing model in camo colours and has has rod holders built in which is a big plus for me buying this model and 3 areas for kit the net bag holder at the back and 2x Large waterproof Hatches one at the front and one next to me perfect for spare batteries, food and emergency/first aid kit but as I have only just ordered I have some modifications to make on it and plus try it out on the canal fingers crossed I should have before the end of the week and work on it over Christmas.

The drawing below shows how I want to turn the kayak into a wildlife filming kayak for use on slow moving rivers, lakes and canals. I am thinking that I can take a tripod apart and fit the the head part of a tripod into the fishing rod holder then I can fit my camcorder onto the tripod mount to film wildlife from my boat in reed beds or film my point of view which would be great to use on the fast flowing river on my local patch of middlewich.

I will post more information and photos once I actually have the kayak in my possession.

Thanks for reading

Mike

A well earned rest - A trip down to Wales on a winters day PT 2 of 2

2011-12-17T07:44:00.000-08:00

As we walked around the Little Orme with a strong cold wind blowing into us and as we were on the edge of a cliff we soon hurried along due to the drop below us. I had a quick look in the area where we thought the Foxes den was located but unfortunately there was no sign of Foxes or a den and there was still thick bramble so I am guessing its hidden away and as I did not have my thick thorn proof trousers on I could push in any further hopefully i can revisit in January or when I go to film there for a week in February as there are a few migrant birds I want to film.

The two main birds are Snow Buntings and Short eared owls which have returned to North Wales this year and a fellow wildlife photographer has kindly told me of the place where he has photographed them recently so if I can get down there soon it would be a first for me but I cannot reveal the location due to the dangers to these beautiful birds and as they hunt in the day they are really venerable to human dangers which has happened before in the North Wales area and I would not want to put them in any danger.

Photograph taken by Ashley Cohen

See more of his photographs on Flickr at iBirder Photography

On the way back I went to check up on a Gannet carcass that me and my brother found on a beach and buried so that we could collect in 2012 and hopefully the feathers and flesh will rot away and the bones will be left so fingers crossed we will have a full gannet skeleton including that fantastic beak they have that enables them to dive with such speed and accuracy for fish out at sea.

I was sad to leave North Wales and return home but as the sun went down on the beach I knew it would not belong before I return to North Wales in 2012 and my filming weeks there would begin in a few months so I can begin booking cottages and making plans of kit, locations and what new experience I want to have there and in 2012 its sea kayaking so yesterday I treated myself to a new Kayak which I will post about on my next blog.

Merry Christmas and thanks for reading

Mike Mottram

A well earned rest - A trip down to Wales on a winters day PT 1 of 2

2011-12-12T08:57:00.000-08:00

Last week I managed to get a few days booked off for my birthday and as I had arranged a day tip to Llandudno with my brother and a friend from work for Friday I had a couple of things planned before then but I thought I would post about the day trip to North Wales.

Luckily the weather was not to bad even with the cold breeze coming in from the sea and as we arrived at the pier the sun managed to break through the clouds and give some good light for a few photos of the wading birds that seemed to be very closer to the pier than in the summer which was a great opportunity to get some close-ups of Redshanks. I only normally see in ones or twos usually flying in the opposite direction as they are known to be the ones that alert other wading birds to danger but today they were not bothered by our presence as well as the Redshanks, Oystercatchers and my favourite wading bird the Turnstone were also feeding as the tide pushed them closer to the pier.

Most of the images below are taken from footage I filmed as I let my mate use my DSLR and as hes new to the wildlife photography field most were from a distance but he will get there.

Time for a nap

Redshanks as sunrise

This Redshank was checking all the empty shells for food

As we were hoping to walk around the Great orme I wanted to get going but as we reached the first bench on the path up to the Orme I spotted a fin come out of the water then disappear and as we had seen Porpoises here during the summer and Autumn I was sure It was them in a group of 5-6 individuals young and adults and I got a full view of them right below me I wonder if they are now breeding and living in Llandudno bay as it seems very strange to them so many times in the same place and same time of day.

I managed to get a small piece of footage of a Porpoise breaking the surface and that was tricky like trying to film a needle in a haystack due to them diving back down so quick.

As we walked further round the Great orme it got too windy and alot colder so we turned back and watched the Porpoises while we had our dinner then it was off to the Little Orme and Angel bay to see if there was any Grey/Harbour seals with young on the beach and also have a look for the coastal Fox den which I should post about tomorrow.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Been abit down but now I am back with a vengeance

2011-12-05T12:46:00.000-08:00

After losing my hide and realising the area was not safe for me or the wildlife I was attracting to the feeding station and as its the game bird shooting season (Pheasants, Partridges) I don't want to aid them. I decided to begin searching for a new area where I can film wildlife in a unique setting from woodlands, forests , rivers and streams I searched every where around my local area and at last I found about 5 small areas of varying habitats all hidden away. I will monitor 4 of the areas over the next year and rather than settle in one place I will be moving around alot more so each area does not get too much attention brought to it as I want to make sure that there will be not disturbances from any unwanted attention.

My first area is fantastic place with a few small ponds and a great place due to the mammal activity in the area from lots of Wild birds including raptors and Owls, Curlews, Otters, Foxes and Badgers but also the possibility of Water voles but I have to setup the apple feeders around the pool edges. I need a few days in the hide but the great thing is I can see the whole area while filming the feeding birds I can watch the Vole feeders as well as look out for any other wildlife in the area.

A video of some filming I did at the Badgers poo pits nearby to the pools at the beginning of 2011 so I am excited to return to the now named ***Buzzards rest*** and begin working on some projects that I have been meaning to finish.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Tawny glade hide update

2011-12-03T06:21:00.000-08:00

After realising that I needed to find out if it was the wind blowing the camo off my hide or if anyone was stealing items from the Tawny glade hide bird feeding station so what I decided to do was to leave a fishing rod that I no longer need in the area where I left the roof of the hide up to see if it would still be there over the next few days.

On the next day I returned to find that the fishing rod was gone so now I know we have theif stealing from the hide so this morning I removed the roof and collapsed the main structure and now it looks like we were never there and we will let it return back to its natural state and probly pop by every few days so I can drop off some bird food but mainly to make sure that the wildlife of the area is safe.

Below is one of the camera tests I did with my Iphone before the hide was taken down when I fitted an old piece of plastic guttering to the hide to get the birds feeding closer.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Trouble at the Tawny glade hide

2011-11-29T08:55:00.000-08:00

After work yesterday I wanted to go to the Tawny glade hide to top up the feeders after a windy weekend and on arrival something did not seem right as the hide back door was up and the front of the hide was wide open and after checking we noticed the front camo panel had gone. I don't know if it was blown away during the bad weather at the weekend but as that was the only thing gone and I knew how secure it was I am thinking that it was taken by someone who found the hide and decided that they would take it so just to be safe we have taken down most of the hide except the roof and wooden frame so we have some where to shelter if bad weather comes in and today it did about 20mins it rained heavily so it was lucky I left it.

I have got some great footage and photos from using the hide for now so I have brought it home with some of the bird feeders but I have left a few small feeders and bird table so I can still drop off food so the birds are not affected and so they do not have to look for a new food source. But for now we will watch and check for signs of any unusual activity and as I have been going there for many years I usually can tell if anybody or anything has been there.

I am gutted that someone would take something of such little value but saying that I cannot be positive that anyone took it as the wind was so strong and for all I know the Badgers could have taken it and used it for bedding but to be safe I will leave any more hide building for now and I keep my guard up as due to it being the hunting season it could easily be someone wishing to do harm to the wildlife around my hide. But as we left in the fading light I spotted to the two Tawny Owls huddled next to each other in a thick shrub that gave us the name for our hide which for now is sadly no more. But fingers crossed I can solve the mystery of the missing camouflage then it can be rebuilt stronger and better than before in a new area so I can film the wildlife without causing any disturbance.

Thanks for reading

Mike

A walk around my local patch and a few little surprises along the way PT3of 3

2011-11-28T11:50:00.000-08:00

On the last part of my journey I picked up my kayak and waders from home and headed towards Otters pass and my main task was to access an area on the edge of the reed beds which is a narrow canal where mammals and water birds pass along to get from the reed beds to Otters pass, the narrow canal was inaccessible due to fallen trees so my plan was to wade out into the shallow areas of the canal and cut down the fallen trees that are blocking my access to the wild canal. After cutting them down and moving them to the edge of the canal I returned to my kayak to explore the wilder areas of the reed beds where I could hear many Water rails calling.

I might put some nest rafts here as it looks like a perfect place for water birds to nest and as the water here is calm and out of the wind the chicks should be safe and have no trouble with rising waters due to the thick reed beds but if I can make a small thin channel into the reed beds so I can remotely send in my RC camera Goose to film in the centre of the reeds to get a ducks eye view.

After a long walk I decided to have a well earned rest on the Bench at Otters pass and to pass the time I went through my 3000 IPhone photographs and found some I forgot about and here's a few of the best.

Penrhyn bay, Llandudno, North Wales

Damselfly eating a Mayfly

Sunset on a North Wales beach

Penguin at Welsh mountain zoo, North Wales

Kayaking at Otters pass

Filming from my hide on a summers evening

Irish sea from the Little Orme, North Wales

Thanks for reading

Mike

A walk around my local patch and a few little surprises along the way PT2of 3

2011-11-26T08:39:00.000-08:00

Pt 2 of 3 a long afternoons walk - As I knew I was passing by the Tawny glade hide half way around my walk around my local patch I took a piece of old plastic guttering for the hide so I could bring the birds to the front of the hide and a closer experience and get them used to the hide more and sometimes they were coming right inside the hide and flying out the other side. I took the photo below just after putting some seeds on the new feeder which they used straight away but after realising that it blocked the camera views we relocated to the side of the hide so not to restrict any view from the front.

Below is one of the first test shots of a Great tit from the new view but its very tricky as the birds take a seed and fly to cover so you have to be very quick.

As the Sparrowhawks are back and are setting up there territory for next spring about 50-100 metres away I understand why they are so nervous and we always know there nearby due to the call of the Long tailed tits that seem to follow them around as if to keep the enemy in view until they leave the woodland area I hope to get a camera on the nest when the weather worsens and both birds leave the woodland to find prey but I wll post about that in the future.

Not bad for a first shot and this bird was about 6 metres away the next stage is to try and get some macro close-ups from close range.

After leaving the wood I wanted to visit the river to check for Otters signs and now that there is less ground cover areas which were hidden by nettles and brambles are accessible revealing holes and signs of mammals from footprints to droppings and food leftovers.

I visited one of the Otters favourite spots and Winter is the time when I begin to track the male Otters visiting times to this spot and as they can travel miles you can see how important it is knowing when and where the Otter visits to scent mark.

Today there was some fresh spraint and digging with prints heading down river from a few days before so I know hes still visiting the spot and the next time he returns he will be coming upriver but to get the exact day I need to check the spot everyday then work out the amount of days in between so I can predict the next sighting night which then enables me to setup cameras ready to film but as I am still gathering data it might not be till next spring before I am 100% positive on an exact night when the river Dane Otter will show up.

One more post to complete my long walk and that follows

my journey from the river to the canal and Otters pass.

Thanks for reading

Mike

A walk around my local patch and a few little surprises along the way PT1of 3

2011-11-22T09:28:00.000-08:00

Today I decided on having a long walk today around my local patch and the wildlife hot spots to see what was around and I covered about 8 miles from walking through the woodlands and passing by the rivers, streams over farmland and down by the canal as I felt I needed a few hours of of being in the outdoors to clear my head. On the way I found many mushrooms springing up every
where from in the woodlands to on the side of a main road.

I found this unusual specimen growing by a path next to a main road I have heard of this happening before but I have never seen this happening and it looked like a great thing to get a photo of so I used my iPhone to get a quick shot.

I don't know much about mushrooms so if you know the names then let me know.

I found this bird of prey plucking post this is where raptors bring there feathered prey to pluck the feathers out and eat there meal and they often use the same place to eat so I think it will be a good place to film and hopefully set up a hide and the bird of prey in question should be a Sparrowhawk.

In a hurry today so I will continue the walk blog tomorrow but I will end with a photo I captured of a beautiful autumn scene down by the river and as the sun
was shining down on it, I felt warm inside due to the bright orange glow.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Cancelled first test /Camping filming at Otters pass due to ????

2011-11-21T11:06:00.000-08:00

A few days ago me and my brother Ryan kayaked to Otters pass island to prep the area for filming and camping. After clearing the tent pitch of roots and vegetation we discovered an active nest of red ants under all the dirt so we have to cancel the test until the next possible opportunity as there is only a small area to pitch the tent so I am going to check over the next few days to see if they have gone and if the temperature drops they should go back underground as I don't want to wake up covered in red ant bites.

UPDATE AFTER SEEING THE WEATHER FORECAST - If the weather does change and gets colder then I think it will be impossible to camp out due to the fog that surrounds the island over the winter which will restrict the CCTV cameras view.

Another problem is that the dinghy that was going to carry the kit over has a puncture so I need to repair that first before even attempting to arrange a night test. Once repaired I have the perfect test for the dinghy which is to collect some bright red apples from the opposite side of a canal bank which inaccessible by foot and as most of them fall in the canal I don't think they will be missed and at the minute I could do with all the apples I can get for the watervole apple feeders as I am down to my last 10.

Thanks for reading

Mike

I finally got a half decent photo of a shy Treecreeper at TGH

2011-11-20T06:12:00.000-08:00

A quick post today about a little bird that's tricky to get a photograph of due to its shy nature and its speedy way of feeding up and down tree trunks but this individual began feeding on the tree trunks next to my hide feeding station so we were very close and was unaware of our presence. After trying to get the photo of the bird still and after timing the shot as the Tree creeper was at the perfect height to get a photo of I managed to get the photo below and I was quite pleased as every time I have tried to photograph them in the past they have been in dark woodland or too high in the trees so the photos always came out rubbish.

It snacked on many Earwigs it found underneath the bark on the tree trunk I ried to get a photo but it turned and looked up into the canopy probly due to the return of the GSW as the apple is just below where the Treecreeper was feeding.

The final photograph is of a Coal tit that decided to fly inside the hide through one of the lens holes and help itself to the seed bucket but it soon flew back out once it realsied we were in there and then it landed on the feeder wire and looked over as if to say that was close.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Another great afternoon at the Tawny glade hide

2011-11-19T13:04:00.000-08:00

Just a few photographs from today's visit to Tawny glade hide and the first visitor of the day was this male pheasant who was very wary of the hide and gave me a stare through the camo netting as if to say how stupid do you think I am so maybe I need to add more camouflage to the hide.

The Greater spotted woodpecker returned with another woodpecker friend and provided me a few shots of them sticking there tongues out to get small pieces of apple and I had to be very quick pressing the trigger but after afew shots I managed to get a few photos of the woodpeckers incredible tongue.

You can see the apple on the Woodpeckers tongue which they normally use to get insects out from crevices in the trunks of tree or in the tree canopy.

The Grey Squirrels here seem very shy and wary of the hide but they are growing less fearful and coming closer to the hide for some food and drink.

Just a quick edit of the photo above and I think it makes the Squirrel look like its begging for food and in B/W the Grey Squirrel looks better than the feeder shot above.

Last but no means least this little Blue tit was the first to feed from my hand and take some sunflower seeds and over the winter I will try to film them doing this as the search for food becomes harder for our feathered friends I am sure the other woodland birds will soon be following there lead.

As you can see even cropped there is so much detail and colour as the light around our woodland hide is quite good as we built the hide in a woodland glade so the light would always be good for taking photographs as long as the sun is shining.

Thanks for reading

Mike

The first day of Winter on my local patch

2011-11-17T08:20:00.000-08:00

I was quite excited about going to Tawny glade hide today due to the sudden drop in temperature and it really felt like a winters day with fog covering the fields in the countryside and the feeding station was bare of food but luckily I had abit of food including peanut butter, peanuts and apples so they would have enough to last till tomorrow when I can take some more food down there. While having a rest in the hide I finally got the close-up footage of the Great spotted Woodpecker having a feed on the peanut feeder and an apple covered in peanut butter and sometimes you could see the long tongue that the woodpeckers use to get insects from tree crevices when pecking the tree trunks.

I also spotted this Male Pheasant feeding cautiously on seed which is a common game bird around my local patch but it a new bird to the hide so as the weather gets colder more birds are indeed coming to feed at my station so I am very happy and excited on what will be stopping by in the future.

Having a drink from one of the water collectors

The photo of the day was this GSW having abit of peanut butter that I placed on an apple.

An apple a day makes the Woodpecker stay!!!!

Thanks for reading

Mike

A unexpected new hedgehog shot

2011-11-16T10:42:00.000-08:00

A few days ago i was looking through an old note book of mine full with filming ideas and one that stood out was filming a Fox feeding from a dustbin on its side. My plan was to have the camera inside the bin filming the entrance and after buying a cheap garden bin and using a bird box camera with a wide lens to get a better shot of the bin and the Fox feeding on the edge of the bin or maybe entering the bin pulling out the food.

So last night I baited the bin with some small pieces of ham and at 10.30pm a Hedgehog turned up and went right inside the bin to feed and sniffed the camera then left. It was a very cold and frosty night so why was the Hedgehog wandering around in November It must be because of the mild weather making the Hedgehog confused and unable to hibernate. I will see if it returns tonight and if it does I will try to weigh it to make sure every things fine if not then I will give it some TLC and put it in a secure area with a hedgehog box, straw, leaves and food and water so it can get to the wright weight and hibernate or at least be in a safe warm area behind my garden office.

Footage will be uploaded by the end of the week.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Back on with the artificial Otter holt

2011-11-14T08:04:00.000-08:00

I have been busy with lots of projects this year but one of my projects put on the back burner has been an artificial Otter Holt to be placed in a secret Otter conservation area in Cheshire and after seeing some other camera projects in action by Kate Macrae from and Sam Corfield at Heligan Gardens, Cornwall have began making there creations look more natural for there wildlife residents using Clay and other woodland materials like bark, roots and after seeing the camera views I am thinking that I will be adding these ideas to the artificial holt as well as two cameras one on the chamber and one on the entrance inside plus a camera trap on the entrance to see if we get any visitors over the winter months as the camera will be inaccessible due to the harsh weather making the Holt a perfect location for any Ottery residents that are looking for a safe place to sleep without having the any human interference or danger from dogs causing them to be injured or killed.

The Otter holt before I added my natural additions and I will post a photograph of the finished Otter hotel once it is complete with Salmon wall paper ;) and all.

The artificial Holt is now in place I have added a tunnel but I have blocked the entrance so nothing can get inside while its still in development so I know that when I go to work on the natural interior of the Holt I will not be disturbing anything. I am hoping that it will be finished in the next 2 weeks before the colder winter weather sets in so I should have plenty of time to get it finished with a little help from my brother Ryan who is always eager to help with a wild project.

Thanks for reading

Mike

A few hours at Tawny glade hide

2011-11-13T06:24:00.000-08:00

I had few hours to spare this morning so I decided to head off to my woodland hide to do some filming and also see what new birds were visiting the feeders and after filling up the feeders we settled in the hide. Within 5 minutes there were a few new species that I have never seen at this new feeding station and the bird bath from Greenfinches, Bullfinches and a few Jays so the birds are finding the food at last still only a small amount of species but I can only think that once the cold and ice comes the station will be packed with birds due to it being in an area of mixed habitats between the town and the countryside.

I have posted a few stills from the video I filmed this morning.

Greater spotted woodpecker watches

First time Greenfinch at the Glade

Greater spotted woodpeckers checks out my Bird table for food

Female Chaffinch right infront of my hide

Photo of the day was this greedy little Blue tit trying keep all the food to itself

I also put out another few apple feeders down by the stream to see if there are Watervoles any where upstream where there is more cover including nettles that still have there sting in November!!!! it has felt like spring over the past few days and I am thinking when Winter kicks in it will hit with a vengeance and the wildlife will surely be surprised and we must help them however we can.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Planning a nights filming on the flashes

2011-11-11T10:56:00.000-08:00

As I have not done any major filming projects over the past few months I have decided to to a nights filming/camping at my little island Otters pass which is surrounded by water so as it can only be reached by kayak we know that there will be no disruptions and the wildlife should be very active from Otters, Owls, watervoles and many other water birds can be seen in the area. On the river banks nearby Foxes patrol looking for food or a mate and at this time of year so there should be plenty of Fox calls from the surrounding countryside. The island will be our base camp and we will be filming with 4 CCTV cameras connected to a monitor with DVR ready to film any action. I have yet to finalise the camera positions but on the map below I have placed blue dots in the areas where I may be placing them overnight.

I have all the equipment to camp there from a comfy pop up tent to thick sleeping bags to keep out the winter frost so we should be warm enough but as we already have a bench there and I have spent a a few cold and dark early mornings contemplating future projects at Otters pass so I know how relaxing and quiet it is there once the sun goes down and night falls. I cannot reveal any more yet but I am planning a test next weekend with two cameras and I will reveal more on tomorrows blog on the camera positions and what else we will be doing on the test run.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Tawny Owl box arrives - Time for some upgrades

2011-11-10T11:18:00.000-08:00

A few days ago the Tawny Owl box I ordered arrived and as I did not see the measurements I was suprised how big it was and as I bought it in forest green so it should fit into the woodland perfectly and the Tawny Owls that have been hanging around the area should discover it pretty quickly as they are there mosts day when take a wander through the woods I can't wait to add the cameras to box. For now I will add 2 cameras one facing down into the box and the other facing the entrance and then once they start using I can add an extra box over the door at the bottom to fit at camera right on where the Tawnys will lay there eggs. I have all the cameras and components so I will get cracking on the upgrades and it should be up at the woodland by the end of next week and to monitor the box I will put a cheap camera trap facing the entrance of the box on a nearby a tree to capture a photo of any visitors to TOB1 (TAWNY OWL BOX 1).

UPGRADES FOR THE BOX BELOW

Thanks for reading

Mike

A few short updates from the past few weeks

2011-11-08T08:49:00.001-08:00

I have been doing lots of stuff the past few weeks from working on the Tawny Glade hide mainly getting it ready for winter and now the feeders are right next to the hide windows so I can get some close up shots of them feeding and a quick update on the birds visiting this new woodland feeding station are the Great spotted woodpecker and Goldcrest but they were only there for a short while so I ended up just watching them and was just glad to these great birds feeding on the food and feeders I put there. I can't wait to see what birds the winter weather brings into the woodland but I have just bought a few bags of food to last through the winter months and as I have plenty of raisins in stock ready for the Berry eating birds I am hoping to get very close to some of the Fieldfares and Redwings that visit the holly trees to feed on the bright red berries and as its next to my house I do not have far to go.

I also visited Tatton park with a friend who I let use my DSLR while I filmed to see if there were any last minute rutting going on but everything seemed relaxed and Red Stags were in small groups with does mixed in but the thing that surprised me was that the bigger Stags were all pretty much layed back and were enjoying a well deserved rest.

The real stars of the day were the Fallow Deers which rut was just beginning and as you can see below it was a very relaxed rut but there were a few Fallow deers nipping in trying to steal a mating opportunity while the main Stag was busy chasing others away from his harem. A white Fallow Stag was the main culprit but every time the main Stag came in the white one were soon back off.

As the clocks had changed the light began to fade early and this Fallow Deer came over the hill and stood out against the blue and white cloud sky and it looked stunning due to the Deer being in the shadows creating a black silhouette of a fantastic stag in perfect rutting condition.

Shadow of the Victor

Over the next few weeks I have a number of things I want to do from going to North Wales to pick up a Gannet skull that we buried in September hopefully any flesh will have been stripped away by now leaving the skull of one of the most beautiful sea birds that breed on our coast. I have to get the Bird boxes up at the woodland ready for roosting birds that may nest in them in the spring but my main aim is to get the artificial Otter holt over on my kayak to Otters pass piece by piece which should be interesting so with that thought I better get on planning and working on a few side lined projects due to the change in seasons.

Thanks for reading

Mike

An unfortionate story regarding my local Barn Owls

2011-11-07T12:22:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we set off to local piece of farmland where Barn Owls nest in an old tree and we were going to see if there were any Barn Owl pellets or small mammal skulls that get washed down during heavy rain through the tree cavity's and come out at the bottom of the tree. On the way we met a local lady working her dog in the past she has let us film the Badgers in her garden and on passing we told her where we were going and as she is a fellow wildlife appreciator she new the Barn owls nested and hunted in the area as the tree is on a regular dog walkers route. She told us that the tree had collapsed and that she had informed the farmer about the tree who then came and checked it out but I nothing about what they are planning to do about the loss of a Barn Owl nest site but as I have seen the local Owl group putting up Boxes on trees on farmland in the area there are many other places for the pair to use I just hope they do.

It looks like some kind of woodworm/insect had eaten alot of the tree leaving piles of saw dust and and rotting pieces of wood with holes and burrows in.

Jackdaws also used the Owl hollow some years as well as the other smaller crevices in the tree for nesting as the twigs came be seen blocking up the rest of the trunk making the rest of the hollow still intact.

After a chat about the tree and other wildlife related topics we arrived at the tree and after a quick check that it was safe to approach the area we noticed that the whole of the inside of the tree was hollow and it had split halfway down sending nesting material, Owl pellets and branches everywhere and at the base of the tree was a pile of sticks, small mammal skulls and buried underneath all the nesting material and saw dust was 2 dirty white eggs and one was cracked underneath with rotten egg leaking out and the other had a crack in the bottom and the yolk had leaked luckily but the shell was intact and hopefully I can fill with plaster of Paris to keep the shell intact and then I can add to my other finds in my garden office.

I will try to find out whats happening with the tree and if it will have to come down but I will also find out more on the conservation to help the Barn Owl's on my local patch but if the tree stays up the area where the hollow is looks in tact because its above the split in the tree and my only guess is that the eggs had fallen down into the tree cavity which probably happened during the nesting season as other have seen the adults taking in food so I am guessing the rest of the clutch hatched and fledged but I have only seen the Barn Owls once and that was in June on warm summer evening I just hope it was not the last time I see them hunting in this area on that sort of evening.

Thanks for reading

Mike

A quick video preview of the Brock wood Badger clan

2011-11-06T12:33:00.000-08:00

After going through a few HDV tapes I filmed on this year I found one that had lots of Badger footage on. The Badgers were filmed at Brock wood over the summer after watching the tape I decided to edit some of it down as a preview for one of my short films to be called

Diaries of a Cheshire wildlife watcher shorts - The Badgers of Brock wood
Which one looks best for a dvd case print???
CLICK PHOTOS TO SEE THEM BIGGER

These shorter films will be about 5-10 minutes long and will act as previews or updates on what wildlife or techniques, kit we are using to get each shots I am hoping that my ideas will give others inspiration to have ago at doing the same thing and building on my thoughts to create more ideas on ways to film our wonderful British wildlife.

I hope you enjoy this quick edit as much as I did filming the Badgers. I really enjoyed editing the clips as they reminded me of the moment they first emerged on a perfect warm summers afternoon.

Thank you for reading

Mike

On the trail of Watervoles and a nice surprise at Tawny glade hide

2011-11-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

After realising that there was one mammal on my list the Water Vole that I had not filmed yet this year and as its November and nearly winter the plant cover by the stream is starting to die back and reveal areas of ground where the mammal in question hides and feeds so I thought it was about time I tried to track them down with a few techniques picked up from other wildlife watchers that have filmed them before. The idea of bringing them into view was an apple feeder which consists of a piece of wood with long nails hammered in this is where the apples will be placed and should stopped anything taking the apples into the undergrowth.

After the first night the apples had been eaten to the core so what was eating the apples was it the Water voles that I had been looking for?

I found the droppings below around the apples and I was told by a fellow wildlife photographer they were water vole droppings so I am in the wright area its just going to take some time and Patience so hopefully by this time next week I will have a photograph or footage of the Water voles on my little stream in Cheshire. Once I have the proof then the conservation work begins and an exciting phase in my filming of them will begin in Spring 2012 but that's a secret for now.

After watching the apples for a while I spotted a small Vole probably a Bank Vole taking a few bites and then disappearing off into the vegetation unfortunately still no Water Voles so I am left with this thought was it just a Bank Vole eating the apple or is there a Vole of the water variety feeding on the apples so only time will tell but I will post if I get any more results on filming or tracking down the Water Voles.

After having no luck with the Water voles this Tawny Owl made the long trip to the stream worth while and if you have read my previous posts then you know it has taken me a while to find the Tawny Owls and today they were sitting together hooting as if to tell the other off and when there eyes met with mine they both flew off to find cover and a place to wait until night fall a great end to the day.

Thanks for reading

Mike Mottram

First post for a while - Autumn is a busy time of year!!!

2011-10-31T13:06:00.000-07:00

Over the past few works I have been out doing lots of things wildlife related and by the time I have come in I have been to tired to sit at the PC and write a decent blog and after having a bad foot for 2 weeks I have still continued with being out filming it has really made things tough but after a few changes to my back pack weight I think I am getting back to normal and nearly 100% back to full health so I will begin with a quick post about the mystery of the woodland bird table raider!!!!.

At my Tawny glade hide something or someone had been turning the table upside down so to catch this night time raider I set a trap and below is the guilty part and I must say I was rather excited it was a something rather than a someone otherwise my work and conservation would have been for nothing so now I will try and film the whole clan of Badgers visiting the Hide and next time I will get the hide and bird feeders in shot but they cannot get inside due to my Badger proofing that I will blog about in the future.

In the video below watch how the Badger gets to the food on top of the table

Thanks for reading

Mike

Red Deer slow motion preview

2011-10-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

I thought a would write a quick blog post today as I have alot to do and my first job is to edit my footage together for my preview DVD to give to anyone interested in my work. Below I have posted some footage of a Red Deer stag chasing off a rival and this was just to see how good the quality would be if I slowed it right down to see every movement of a Stag running at full speed and if the antlers clashed it would have been an even more amazing piece of footage but I guess its another piece of video to try and get either this year or in 2012.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Tatton Deer park -Footage and screen caps

2011-10-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

After returning home from filming the Deers at Tatton park I watched the footage we captured and there was some great stuff from smaller Stags waiting to take the opportunity to challenge the Stag with all the hinds down on the grassland areas and the contender below was in no rush to challenge the king of the hill anytime soon but every so often he would get up to show the younger stags who's boss.

Over the hill next to the group of Stags we found a huge group of hinds with a very large male who began mating with his hinds and one younger hind tried to mount the Stag which really did not seem to bother him.

We also filmed a rival male challenging the Stag above for his harem of hinds but he soon saw the rival off but no antlers were locked the only dueling we saw was two younger males facing off at the edge of a larger males patch I think they must have been practising.

This male Fallow Deer was very surprised and shot off into cover with a group pf hinds as we headed out from a woodland on the way back to the car which was a fitting end to the day.

Since visiting Tatton park and seeing the Deer in a natural environment where they are behind fences and blocked in by cattle grids so its amazing to see them act so wild and still have a fear of man when the park must get so many visitors how they stay like this really surprises me and now even more than before I respect the speed and power of these beautiful animals that are really at home in the Cheshire countryside.

Thanks for reading

Mike

An afternoon filming at Tatton Deer park at Last

2011-10-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I finally got to Tatton park to film the Red Deer in rut the weather was cloudy, cold and a little bit wet but this did not effect the day at all and after a few hours we had some fantastic footage and photographs documenting this amazing event that is happening all over the UK.

Below is some more information about the Rutting Red Deer :

October in the UK sees the start of the rutting season for red deer the rut is a period when the biggest and strongest male (stag) rounds up a group of females (hinds) for mating. Of course every other male deer wants to do the same, but there's only so many females to go around. In order to maintain control over a group of females the stag must constantly drive away rivals. The stag announces his superiority over other males by constantly bellowing out an echoing roar, which sounds something like a cross between a chainsaw and a burp. I guess if we had to shout for days on end like these guys do we'd end up making a similar noise. Sometimes shouting is not enough, and when contenders approach the females they need to be chased off. Occasionally fights between males can break out, and this can lead to some serious clashing of those magnificent antlers

The Fallow Deer stags were also very active and they had there fare share of hinds to mate with but they did not seem as aggressive as the Red Deers so we managed to get quite close to them but as with the Red Deers the Fallow seemed very nervous and would run off if you surprised them or got to close.
Fallow Deer lying in the sun

Red Deer stag and his 2 hinds with a wonderful backdrop

Red Deer buck

Red Deer buck watches from the woods

Ryan filming a Red Deer buck

The king of the hill this Red Deer stag had plenty of hinds

I had a great afternoon photographing the Deer and it seemed that even with the weather we still go lots of amazing footage and as it was my first time filming them and visiting the park I was really surprised by the backdrop of the hills so I hopefully will be visitng Tatton park again before the rut ends and I must say that I think the Red Deer are my new favourite mammal due to there power and size they are animals that deserve to be respected and as the sun went down at the end of the day I got this last shot to end the day.

A group of Fallow Deer at sunset

Tomorrow I will post some of my footage I filmed over an hour watching the Red and Fallow Deer I just wished the sun would have been shining and we could have stayed longer.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Tawny glade hide - Birdtable is turned on its side whos done it???

2011-10-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

Over the past few days of visiting Tawny glade hide the ground table has been tipped over and all the food has been eaten this got me thinking about what creature had done it my first thought was the Grey Squirrels that get very focused on getting at food at any cost as they are very energetic and knock things around but could they tip it over so I am not so sure its them. Which leaves me with 2 mammals a Fox or Badgers and I know they are nearby but I did not think they were come any where near due to not seeing any signs in the area around the feeding station and I know foxes use areas of the wood due to there strong musky scent they leave when marking there territory's.

When I was there thinking of how to deal with this new set back I photographed a few Tits waiting to feed on the table and with the brown autumn leaves creating a wonderful background for a photo of them I thought a would take a few snaps.

So to determine what is knocking the table over I thought that sometime this week I will setup a camera trap to film the table overnight to see what animal is the culprit until then the mystery continues.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Kayaking on the flashes on a dark Autumn morning

2011-10-16T05:07:00.000-07:00

Last night we packed our kayaking kit up ready for an early morning session on the flashes in the dark so I needed my light kit for setting the kayaks up by the canal which consists of 2 bright lights on 2 tripods which in the end worked out really. As it was our first time setting up in the dark with all the kit I was excited to get on the water and lie back and enjoy floating around looking up at the stars. It was a clear, cloudless sky the moon was full and shining bright lots of stars lit up the sky and the main thing was that the water was still making it perfect for spotting any night time creatures. As were on the way down we heard a few pairs of Tawny Owls calling back and forth which really created a wonderful scene of a perfect Autumn morning. After a 10 minute walk from my house I loaded my gear onto the kayak after pumping it up making sure each valve was tightly closed as I did not want that sinking feeling especially in the dark.

I managed to Jam one of my bright camcorder lights on the front of my

kayak under my back pack so I could see where I was heading and was lucky I did as a few fisher man had camped on the towpath and even with the light I could see any lines but as I used to fish I thought they would be fishing on the bottom so no threats of hooks getting caught on the kayak were possible but I did here a bleep of the bait alarm going off so we must have disturbed there lines a little bit I just hope they did not think they had caught anything. After crossing the canal to the larger area of the flashes I spotted Moorhens still a sleep on there reed bed platforms not bothered by me sailing past them within a metre or two, I think I could have stroked them if I had wanted but I did not want to disturb they dreams of a perfect summers day eating bread thrown in by the canal boaters.

My brother Ryan kayaking on the flashes and as you can see from the background it was very dark

After an hour of relaxing and paddling around with the search lights looking for any movement on the flashes then at last the sun came up lighting the sky with an orange glow then a cold visible mist on the waters surface began to form.

After breakfast at Otters pass island we paddled back across the flashes packed up our kit and went back home to refuel and change our kit with plans to go to the Tawny glade hide to film the wild bird flocks gathering at the bird feeding station.

The feeders arrangement has changed since filming this video so I will post in the future to as I moved the feeders closer to bring the birds nearer to the hide.

Thanks for reading

Mike

A few forgotten photographs/memories-Pc clear up

2011-10-13T12:19:00.000-07:00

I began the long task of clearing up my PC desktop today and I decided to start with the photographs by deleting the duplicate and rubbish images then I began backing up the best on my Seagate hard drive and below I posted a few of the best I forgot about and the photo bring back great memories and I was glad to find them.

Me filming the Badgers on the first attempt at Brock wood on a warm summers afternoon.

Early evening filming with a camera trap and the Badgers began changing the camera angle.

One day this Badger popped up to check for danger and I managed to film before it disappeared back down into the sett.

A beautiful Butterfly on a summers day in a wild flower meadow.

An early morning sunrise I captured when I went kayaking on the flashes a great way to start the day.

A few quick snaps of the Blue tits at my hide feeding station captured in flight with all wing feathers exposed I really love them as they remind me of the Matrix due to the slow motion feel in the wing capture.

There are lots more photos to sort not forgetting the videos to sort through so if I find anymore media I forgot about or a favourite moment that I captured then I will post about them sometime in the future.

Thanks for reading

Mike

A quick post - Garden office and inside office

2011-10-13T11:45:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post today with a few photos of my indoor and outdoor offices just to show you where I write my blogs, edit videos, record narration and make all my camera kits.

My garden office - A place I can work and watch wildlife

My indoor office - where I get all my inspiration

I will be posting more about my garden office and the cameras I have setup in different areas of my garden aswell as a few new site pages on Diaries of a Cheshire wildlife watcher website showing two very special places where I do some of my filming and conservation work.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Night kayaking on the flashes - A great first test

2011-10-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday evening we decided to try something new and kayak on the flashes after dark to see if we could see any nocturnal wildlife on the water. We had lights fitted to the front of our kayaks so at least we could see where we were going and I used my night vision scope while my brother used an IR torch with a Sony handy cam on night vision mode. It was a strange experience being on the water in the dark but if I was any comfier or relaxed I would have fallen asleep I managed to get abit of footage of the Mallard group that follows us when we kayak on the flashes during the day but other than that we saw nothing really and as a test trip is was very successful. I hope to try again soon and I will be bringing some other pieces of kit including a Bat detector as we spotted a few Bats feeding on the waters surface another piece of kit I will be taking with me will be a night vision CCTV camcorder for on the front of my kayak to capture my view.

I will post a photograph of my pimped up kayak the next time i go night time kayaking as on the first test I was very adamant on getting on the water and packed up very quick due to having to walk 2 miles down a very dark canal towpath home.

Thanks for reading

Mike

10 bird boxes to buy but which ones do I choose?

2011-10-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

I have abit of money to spend this month on my 2012 Bird box filming project where I will try to film the birds around my local area including water birds as well as the everyday birds from Robins to Blue tits all in natural woodland and waterway habitats.

Below are the birds I wish to film in a woodland setting and with abit of select placing at the right time of year the birds may use to roost during the cold winter nest then in spring then will use to nest in but it should be quite a challenge and even if 1/10 of the bird boxes are used it will still be a start in my next post I will write a list of the birds I wish to film nesting in a woodland habitat.

As well as buying 10 bird boxes for the project I will be building 10 floating nest platforms for my local flashes using recycled wood from the river and old car tyres that will enable the nests to rise with the water level instead of the nests being submerged underwater and destroying the eggs something needs to be done. As the flashes water rises due to man made causes for example the locks being opened during heavy rain destroys I believe that man should solve the problem so I have taken this task up and the nest rafts should be on the water at the end of winter probably early February time and as I have tested a design and is on the flashes now it should be quite easy to complete after a week of working in the workshop. One thing I need to solve is how do I hold the floating rafts in place I can either tie to the reed beds using rope but does not seem sturdy enough to put up with the wind and rough water that can sometimes occur on the flashes so I will have to get my thinking cap on when I next go kayaking on the flashes which sometime this week if the weather improves.

I will also post the birds on the Flashes that I wish to film nesting on or in the nest rafts/reed boxes. I also must not forget the artificial Otter Holt I am currently working on that will be in place at Otters pass before Winter arrives in November.

Thanks for reading

Mike

An afternoon filming at Tatton Deer park

2011-10-09T05:03:00.000-07:00

After realising that the Deer rut has begun and really wanting to film the event I decided on looking into places nearby where I could film them and after remembering Tatton park where Fallow and Red Deer are kept and they live naturally in 1000 acres of woodland with grazing areas so I hope to go Monday afternoon after work to have a walk around and find both species of Deer. If there rutting excellent but I must remember to keep a distance due to there power and increased aggression at this time of year so as long as I respect them and stay alert I should be able to get some good footage including photos and slow motion rutting sequences.

The weather looks good with sunny spells and strong winds so it should be a great afternoon out filming the Deer of Tatton park. As the park closes at 7pm we should be able to get the glowing orange sunlight of sunset shining down on the deer giving the oppotunity of some beautiful footage that I have wanted to capture for so long since seeing the wildlife footage of Peter Mcmurdie who is a fantastic cameraman from Cornwall heres is site if anyone wishes to see any more of his work. www.petermcmurdie.co.uk

For more information on Tatton park - Click here

Thanks for reading

Mike

I had to cancel due to bad weather

A new Bird bath at the glade hide and a new ground table

2011-10-08T12:52:00.000-07:00

Over the past few days the Autumn winds have caused the leaves to fall from the trees to the woodland floor and now the area looks so different but at least the Tawny's should be easier to spot. At the hide have built a new ground table from wood found floating down my local river and after sanding it down and painting the wood was transformed so after designing a basic ground table then building it I was rather pleased. After 2 Min's of waiting in the hide sitting comfortably on some old chairs we found in our cellar and reusing them in the hide we were really surprised that 4 birds a Robin, Blue tit, Great tit and Coal tit all had a feed on the peanuts I put on the table straight away.

Another thing we had to build was a natural bird bath and we decided on using a old Roses tin as its watertight and the perfect size for a shallow bathing and drinking pool and as it will be for the woodland floor so Badgers and other mammals can drink from as well we decided on popping to one of the Badger setts to collect some clay that the Badgers dig up and leave around the sett entrance. The clay is perfect for making the pool natural and making the Roses tin unmovable and as the clay is wet at the moment we have stuck leaves and moss collected from damper areas of the woodland to finish it off. Now I need to fill with water and film the birds using the bird bath so fingers crossed I can film tomorrow using my pocket Hd camcorder on a ground tripod to get those close up shots of bird bathing in a natural woodland pool with an Autumn scene behind.

Its does not look much in a photo but believe me its looks great on camera so stand by for footage from the new table and bird bath.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Hedgehog shows up early so I get a few shots

2011-10-06T08:59:00.000-07:00

Last night I looked out of my window at 8.30pm and I noticed the Hedgehog feeding on the platform and as the street lights that shine on my garden were still on so I managed to get a few photographs due to there being enough light for a few shots.

On the filming side I moved the CCTV camera round to get a few different angles of the raised platform each night and every time I opened my window it would run off into the Hedgehog box area so I am guessing it must be sleeping in the box its about time I reconnect the camera backup to see if anyones at home and I hope there is.

Thanks for reading

Mike Mottram

Closer to the Tawny that has settled at Tawny glade

2011-10-05T10:18:00.000-07:00

I managed to get a couple of hours this afternoon at Tawny glade hide today but this time I decided on using a different route to the hide and after avoiding every stick as the wind howled through the trees causing leaves to fall from the canopy covering the woodland floor with red and brown leaves giving the woodland a different feel from the emerald leaves of summer.

I reached the hide and in a tree above the hide we spotted a young Tawny facing the opposite direction as I got closer a Blue tit called raising the alarm and the Owl turned round and flew off deeper into the dense treeline. I left it in peace so it would return to the tree so on the next day I canwear my guilliesuit to so sneak closer and film or get some photos of the Tawny from inside the hide.

Spot the Tawny Owl-I took this on my Iphone as I did not have time to get my DSLR out.

Thanks for reading

Mike

River recycling - reusing wood washed down the river

2011-10-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

After doing some river walking on my local river the Dane with my waders on looking for any signs of mammal activity and one thing I noticed was how much wood was building up blocking the river. The wood is getting washed into the river due to flooding onto farm land and the fast water taking fence posts or any other timber down river this got me thinking of what I could do with the good quality wood that is building up and creating dams on the river and my first idea was a new bird table for my garden as the old one is falling to bits and a new Bird table for the Tawny glade hide.

I have got a few pieces of good timber but I need to dry them out then sand them down and treat them with a varnish. Once done I will draw a design and begin to build I will begin with the Tawny glade bird table as I only have enough for a ground table. I need to find a way to carry a big, heavy block of wood that is by the river for my garden table before I start building it.

Thanks for reading

Mike

On my way to Tawny glade hide I make an unfortunate discovery

2011-10-03T10:29:00.000-07:00

I wanted to spend a few hours at Tawny glade hide today and see what shows up to feed in the morning and as I work every morning during the week and only have the two weekend mornings they are very precious to me I always like to spend time in my favourite places to film and on my way to the hide I spotted a sad sight of a large dead Badger by the side of the road it looked like a big male and must have been hit by a car in the night but the main reason I think it was hit was that it crossed on a humpback bridge so it did not stand a chance.

I have never seen a Badger death here before so hopefully it was a one off and as the Badger was near a few setts I visit often I am going to check on my local setts to find out which one it belonged to but a sad sight to find when you have got so close to these wonderful animals that live so close to our homes and are persecuted in the country but manage to live quite happily in a urban environment.

The Badger was gone when I walked back past so luckily someone removed it to keep them a secret in the area.

I will update on my findings once I have checked all my local setts.

Thanks for reading

Mike

A new bird at the glade hide and I give the hide a new name

2011-10-02T05:47:00.000-07:00

As it was absolutely boiling today I went down to the Glade hide to cool down in the shade as it was after work and on a Friday afternoon I could not wait to get down there and as my new camouflage had been delivered I decided to get it on the hide to block the edges to make the hide more invisible. The feeding station seemed quiet and I could not understand why until I looked up and caught the glimpse of a Tawny Owl looking down onto the feeders obviously waiting for an easy meal of a bird or rodent coming in for food.

I tried to locate the bird but the area around the hide is very thick and dense so it was tricky but I got another glimpse of it flying low to the ground but it disappeared again so I finished the hide and left with the plan in mind to return at the weekend before sunset and it was there again and it flew off to a different tree but it was calling this time probably due to the low light making it perfect for the Owl to begin its nightly activity. I wanted to capture the Owl calling so I set at a sett to check up on my new Badger family and as they are very active and the camera records sound it should record background noise so I will post my findings tomorrow fingers crossed we get some calls of maybe one or twos Owls calling to each other establishing new Territory's.

Oh yes before I forget the Glade hide is now called Tawny glade for future reference.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Bird bath at the glade hide and providing some extra fruit

2011-10-01T12:11:00.001-07:00

As the glade hide has been up for a month now and the feeders are being used by mainly Tits and Robins I want to attract a few more birds into the area from Finches and Woodpeckers to the many migrant birds such as Goldcrests and Redwings so I have gathered some apples from a local orchard to throw around the wood and create some stock piles in the area and who knows in a few years we may have apples growing in the area.

Another issue was water for bathing and drinking as I noticed the birds would feed then disappear and return telling me they were going to the closest water source to drink then returning to feed again. So I decided to add a small water source to keep them around longer and save them energy.

I used a plant pot and water tray it does the job but its not very natural so I will add some clay and moss to make it fit in with the woodland habitat and hopefully film the birds using the bird bath with a small Hd camcorder close up with a great woodland setting behind them.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Preping for winter wildlife filming with a little online shopping

2011-09-29T12:06:00.000-07:00

Today I wanted to spend a little cash on items for the winter before they go up in price and luckily last year I kept a note book of wildlife I saw but mainly notes on problems and issues I faced when being out for long periods in winter weather so I could solve them this year and the winter section was a very long list as you can see below from the few I listed.

Back pack-Woodland snow melting and soaking equipment as well as blizzards.
Icy paths -Tough to walk on ice and get out when snow melts and refreezes.
Spare outdoor clothing/Footwear-After being out in wet or snowy weather I was unable to go back out so I had to wait for clothing/Shoes to dry.
Spare batteries - Cold weather really drains the power from equipment.
Cold filming in hide day and night - Even with lots of clothing and hot drink still very cold.
Getting ill from being out to long -A way to stop me getting ill and a way to warm up fast.

So the items I ended up buying were

Waterproof backpack cover- I found a very cheap item and it just goes over your backpack and keeps any moisture or snow out when walking under the trees and the snow melts.

Ice grips- I bought 4 pairs of grips with very strong metal spikes on straps that go over your footwear and stops you from falling down giving you grip on icy footpaths stops you from falling meaning you do not hurt yourself or damage any equipment.

Batteries and a battery cover - I bought spare batteries for my important kit mainly DSLR and Pro HD camcorder as well as a battery cover to cut down on power drain.

Sleeping bag- I bought a very thick mummy sleeping on sale due to camping season being over and as they have a hood on should be comfy and warm for night time filming but I may have to cut some hand holes to press and access the camera.

Over the counter medicine and a small camping cooker- I bought some Buttercup syrup to stop and help fight a cold or flu if I start to feel a little under the weather which usually works, Lip balm is a must especially if your out in really cold weather and there is a freezing wind. To warm up fast I bought a small camping gas cooker to boil water which is good for a fresh cup of tea and you warm your hands up on the flame or from the steam coming off it.

Now I am officially spent for now so I better get saving for those Christmas peasants and food for the birds as it will not be long before Winter will be here and I cannot wait until its time to get kitted out in all my outdoor gear and take on the ice and snow with my camera gear.

My brother out in the snow in January 2011

Thanks for reading and if you have any question just ask them below.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Turnstone Tuesday an afternoon at the beach

2011-09-28T11:48:00.000-07:00

I decided to finish work early on Tuesday to spend the afternoon at North Wales for a few hours of relaxation by the beach with a friend and my brother we ended up taking a football as well as my DSLR and I decided to leave my HD camcorder at home as the afternoon was for a few hours of fun on the beach and as the sun was shining it was a wonderful afternoon and on the way back to the car on one of the rocky walls I spotted my favourite birds the Turnstone in a group of about 30 but the great thing about this shot was the background with the blue sky and the green algae on the rocks really made the shot special. The light was perfect and shined right down on the group giving some great detail and colour in their feathers so I was very please with the shots I just wished I had my camcorder to film them feeding.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Badgers - 0 / Hedgehogs-1 A great result

2011-09-25T03:30:00.000-07:00

As I was not successful on the first night of filming the Hedgehog due to it not being able to find the ramp up to the raised platform.

So on the second night at about 10.30pm exactly the same time as Friday night the Hedgie showed up and went straight up the ramp below is a screen grab taken from the footage that i recorded onto my Sony mini dv recorder so its not the best quality photo but it shows the shot I wanted to get and as it only took 2 nights I am ecstatic about it. I will be probably save the main footage for DOACWW episode 1 but i had another camera filming the setup from the side so I will upload that sometime this week.

With regards to the Brock Meadow Badger sett none showed but as we have only just began working at this sett it may take a while to film them so I will try later this week as its given a dry week so maybe if they struggle to find worms a little peanuts may bring them out. On the way back through the dark forest and back into the meadow we did hear an Barn Owl nearby calling so it confirms that my idea of putting up an Owl box up nearby with a camera in to try and film them in 2012.
My brother watching the Mini dv camera view that faces the Sett

Screen grab from the new sett

Thanks for reading

Mike

A little challenge - The perfect shot results 2nd time lucky and tonights plan

2011-09-24T07:02:00.000-07:00

After setting up my filming kit and waiting for the Hedgehog to appear at about 10.30pm I saw a little nose sniffing the Peanut butter from behind the platform and then nothing so I am guessing the Hedgehog could not get up or find the ramp up to the food. Tonight I will add another ramp to the platform to see if this helps it to get up and fingers crossed on the second attempt we will get the footage we are after.

So now its onto tonight's challenge of filming at a new sett and exploring a stream more on that later but in the meadow we are setting up in has Badgers, Barn Owls and Foxes are very active so I have my kit already to go including a hide and a CCTV setup which will be fed back to my Sony mini dv recorder so we do not have to get to close to the Badger sett. Next to one of the hide windows we are putting dome dog food there to bring in the Foxes for a feed and I will be filming the bait while we wait for the Badgers to emerge and hopefully we get an idea on the number of members there are in this family group known as the Brock meadow family.

Thanks for reading

Mike

A little challenge - The perfect Hedgehog shot in my garden

2011-09-23T12:52:00.000-07:00

Tonight I have set my self a little challenge of getting a shot of a Hedgehog feeding in my garden but I want to get my window with me in shot looking out at the Hedgehog and as my room is on a ground floor it make it a little easier.

We decided on building a small raised platform to bring the Hedgehog into the Best position otherwise my window would not be in shot I also decided on using peanut butter to lure it up to the platform so fingers crossed we will have the footage we need by tomorrow morning and as I can watch from the comfort of my bed all night it should be an easy shot to get and if this works out then I will try and film the Mice, birds and Foxes in the same way.

Check the post tomorrow to see how we got on and also you can read all bout my task for tomorrow night at a new filming location.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Rain rain and more rain plus 2 new areas for filming

2011-09-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been very wet so we decided on spending some time at the glade hide filming the Tits and a new bird that I have never spotted at the Glade hide until today and it landed on my camera trap before posing above one of the fat balls which I managed to film.

The amount of birds seemed to be increasing on the feeders and as snow is forecast for October I better get the hide finished adding the sides and securing the main poles and due to water building up on the roof I need to replace the roof pole ASAP so that's my jobs sorted for tomorrow afternoon and not forgetting the bench I need to build due to having to stand up while waiting for the wildlife to show up.

Once the rain stopped we began exploring a few areas on my local patch and found a new Badger sett at the bottom of a field that is perfect for filming Badgers as its in a slightly different habitat than the Brock wood sett and I am hoping that this is a slightly bigger group as there is alot of holes and signs of activity. Also in the same area I think there maybe Barn Owls, Foxes, Polecats and Water voles but only time will tell.

I will post some photos of the area and if the weathers decent I will be doing some filming down there over the weekend to see whats around.

Thanks for reading

Mike

A sunny afternoon Kayaking on the flashes - Dragons every where

2011-09-19T12:10:00.000-07:00

I got in from work today and as there was a blue sky and plenty of sun and due to being away for a week I decided to go kayaking on the flashes to see any seasonal changes had effected the reeds and birds in the area. After setting up my kayak and getting on the water the amount of Birds was noticeable there were plenty of wild Mallards and a few waders were present on the muddy banks also under the waters surface the Carp were very active. There were lots of Dragonflies patrolling the reed beds flying back and forward mating and seeing off rivals. They were very hard to get close to as soon as I got near them they would be off even creating the smallest ripple would disturb the Dragonflies. I managed to get a metre away and got a few shots of this Migrant Hawker landing on the reeds.

I have learnt lots about Dragonflies this year but one thing seems apparent especially the fact that a certain species would appear in groups in meadows throughout the end of summer and each day depending on the sun and temperature lots of each species would appear to hunt on the insects and breed then lay eggs in the stream that flows through the meadow.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Tales from North Wales September trip - Corvids and Jam tarts

2011-09-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

Due to being stuck inside due to heavy rain I thought I would begin my North Wales posts with a morning we spent photographing Corvids at Llandudno, North Wales they were mainly Rooks and a few Crows on a small area of grassland next to the sea and as I had some Lemon tarts in my bag that I did not have any desire to eat and after being squashed in my kit bag for a few days I thought the Rooks seemed like they would appreciate a free meal and I thought it might be an opportunity to get some great flight and landing shots of them with the sea in the background and after 5mins there were a few in front of us and we sat down on a bench and waited for the perfect moment to get some great shots, as it was a cloudy day and lacking in sunlight we tried for an hour and got lots of photographs before it began to rain so we set off to the Great orme to shelter and do some marine mammal spotting from the headland and I must say we got some great views which will be in the next post.

Missed it by that much

We got alot more shots of the Rooks feeding and gliding by in front of the sea but I will save those for another time or future blog post when things get a little quiet.

Thanks for reading

Mike

A few new feeders at the Glade hide

2011-09-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

I have finally finished the bird feeding station and below is a photograph of the view from the front of the hide with a bird table and various feeders on the side I have placed a peanut feeder and in a tree nearby I have made a Suet feeding log for woodpeckers and other birds to feed in safety and as the log was free it was easy to make using a drill with a special bit that makes larger holes and a hook to hang from and I filled the holes in with fat ball mashed up peanut butter and various seeds. I can't wait to see the birds feeding from the new feeder and it only took about 10 minutes to make.

I am hoping that the feeding station will provide me with a great place to film over the winter months with all my kit setup including lights multiples cameras to capture all the action from slow motion footage of the birds fighting over a place on the feeders to the various birds of prey that may visit and take the odd bird and as the Sparrowhawks nest nearby the male will be setting up territory soon ready for next years nesting season.

Theres still alot to do but its great to see all the wildlife coming in bit by bit.

Thanks for reading

Mike

A stormy day at the Glade Hide

2011-09-15T07:24:00.000-07:00

I had an afternoon at the Glade hide today and the wind was blowing and the rain was heavy and luckily it stood up to the harsh weather. After the storm the sun came out and shone through the woodland canopy and all the birds came out, well the Blue tits and Coal tits certainly showed well in there natural habitat of an English woodland and the Blue tit below was out feeding just after dark.

Here's a few shots from the afternoon and distracted me from getting anything done I also popped by the Badgers and checked they were okay as the sett seemed to be very dry so I put some food down and waited for 5 minutes until one Badger popped its head out for a quick feed and as the wind was blowing down the holes it did not stick around for long.

Thanks for reading

Mike

A new Wildlife Promo Dvd - A tough edit of my wildlife footage

2011-09-14T07:49:00.000-07:00

After getting back home from my holiday and feeling motivated and had clear idea of my future plans I began working on a new wildlife promo DVD today to show some of my best footage edits and photographs to give people who I meet when filming in areas where passers by or as a way to get access to private land or other organisations that are interested in wildlife or in the wildlife field and when they say they would like to see some of my work I only have my business card with links to my sites but after chatting to people I meet I found out that most people have a DVD player but not the Internet therefore they can't see any of my work online so I thought it would be nice to give people something to my work from trailers to short clips I have filmed. Its a tough thing to rate your own work and pick out certain footage that shows your personality and style of filming my work so I am going to go through my archives from the past few years to create a Dvd that I can be 100% happy with but its going to take a week or so as long as nothing so distracts me if any one would like a copy once its finished just email me at ukwildukinfo@aol.com and I will be happy to post a Dvd to you.

One of the scenes that gave me inspiration and motivation last week

Thanks for reading

Mike

Glade hide update - A new bird feeding station and hide is geting there slowly

2011-09-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

After alot of hard work at the glade hide using fallen trees, camo material as well as some rope and nails we finally got a structure up heres a view of the feeders from the glade hide that we began building a few days ago.

About 25% finished and the hide is waterproof thanks to a camouflage sheet that has been I just need abit more camo material and to secure the hide to the trees but I want to add a bench and some more feeders and a small table for an area to write the script for DOACWW and maybe do some buissness work so it will be my forest office if I need some where quiet to work with plenty of fresh air and wildlife around me.

A few photograph's taken over an hour at the Glade hide and as you can see the Tit flock have found the feeders and more will be added to the area from a natural bird bath and bird table with a mossy look adding to a more natural shot when filming or photographing wildlife in the area. I thinks its my new favourite place and I got a feeling that this is going to be a great area and I can't wait to see what else turns up to visit the glade hide.

A bird on a wire

Food at last

Keeping an eye out for the Sparrowhawk

The Tit flock arrives

Thanks for reading

Mike

Checkout my Bio at www.wildlifekate.co.uk and Building a hide in a forest!!

2011-09-12T08:26:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I got a new Bio/my local patch page on a fantastic website dedicated to wildlife called www.wildlifekate.co.uk and it basically shares your videos, photographs, Twitter and blog all on one page here's the link below if you wish to view more information about me and some of my other photographs and video footage.

As all my full week holidays are done for this year I have decided to really focus on areas close to me and as the days are getting shorter I have less time to travel to places to film after work and as my garden is lacking in Birds even if there is plenty of food out so I have decided to create a Bird feeding area in a woodland nearby with a few bird feeders, natural bird bath and some great natural perches with lichen and moss covering them giving a great natural feature for filming from birds like Blue tits, Long tailed tits, Coal tits, Bullfinches, Sparrowhawks, Buzzards and many other birds and creatures should come in for a feed in the day and at night including Foxes and Badgers especially when food is hard to find over the winter and as I am not one to wait building has begun as I have all the materials ready so it should make abit of space in my kit area.

Here's a quick photograph of the work done so far its almost invisible but still needs a bench, bird table and more camouflage and as it is deep in a forest should be a quiet area for filming but this area needs a name so we will call this area "The Glade hide" for future reference

Thanks for reading
Mike

Lack of posts due to internet issues and lots to blog about

2011-09-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

I am now back from North Wales and I am sorry for the lack of posts as I could not post due to my wireless Internet dongle running out of credit and it was too fiddly on the iPhone to write a whole post and add, photographs and videos. But I will post some highlights over the next week or to and as the nights are getting longer and dark early I have more time to sit at the PC and blog instead of being out filming.

We had some nice weather at Llandudno but on the opposite end of the spectrum the weather became stormy with strong winds and heavy rain but as we had our wet gear packed we were prepared but we had some great encounters with Dolphins, Porpoises, various waders and a few everyday birds that are taken for granted photographed in flight by the sea but overall it was a fantastic week and a great end to the summer season.

A few teaser photographs below for future posts

Thanks for reading

Mike

Badgers Night and day what a difference a week makes

2011-09-03T12:42:00.000-07:00

As the Badgers have been quiet for the past few weeks during the day its time to film them at nights as a few weeks ago we were getting so close and getting some fantastic footage of the group but since the rain storms the past few weeks and the sudden increase of wild food available from Hazelnuts, Berry's in the wood and not forgetting the many insect grubs and worms available in the nearby pastures they are probably sleeping off there busy nights during the day. So as the daylight was giving us no Badger footage it was time to begin filming at night to see what the family was getting up to and as I learned earlier in the year they have a special place where they socialise, the area in question is a Badger built dip in the ground where they scratch, play and relax with each other.

They have really accepted the camera trap and now they really love to sniff and investigate it but especially the Badger we have called one eye and in other footage the Badger cub climbs up the camera and gives it a quick nip.

I hope to get more footage of the cub playing with the adults but as he is nearly full size I do not have much time hopefully tonight we will get some footage of them playing close to the sett.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Off to North Wales for a week of filming and relaxing

2011-09-03T04:19:00.000-07:00

I am off to North Wales tomorrow for a weeks filming and my last week off for the year so its gonna be a good one and were going to make the most of every minute so who knows how many miles were going to end up walking from filming the Dippers at Dyserth falls, the various Waders and maybe Stoats at Conwy RSPB but I am hoping for alot of marine mammal sightings and also the migrant birds that pass through this time of year and all the young sea birds blown a shore by the stormy seas of Autumn which seems to have begun on the coast.

I took this in 2010 on this week at North Wales so lets hope its this nice.

I am going to try and post a blog in the early evening every day from Sunday to Sunday but I will probably be a sleep by 9pm due to the early mornings we have planned. Hopefully it will be a relaxing and wonderful final week to end the summer season of 2011 and once I get back its time to knuckle down and get ready for winter on the filming side and get the shop ready for Christmas which is a very scary thought.

Thanks for reading

Mike

A very quiet day at the Badger sett and my new piece of kit arrives

2011-08-30T13:11:00.000-07:00

As I have not been to Brock wood for a week due to the heavy rain I wanted to get down there after work for some filming time and see if any changes were going on at the sett and there has been alot of digging and old bedding removed after an hour of waiting not one Badger came out for a snack probably the heavy rain has been providing them with plenty of soft dirt in nearby fields to dig for grubs, worms and as this time of year is the most plentiful for wild food from fruit including acorns and hazelnuts to the variety of insects on offer will keep them well fed till the ground freezes in the winter months so I will cut down on the amount of food I leave until they need the extra help so I better get prepared and build up my stock of Peanuts, peanut butter and as I have plenty of the special ingredient they love so much it should not be too expensive.

See previous post for more information

http://cheshirewildlifewatcher.blogspot.com/2011/08/new-piece-of-kit-wi-fi-camera-trap.html

I finally got my new WI-FI camera trap today and I am impressed by the quality of the unit its alot bulkier than the Bushnell camera traps but I think this one knocks most camera traps currently alvailable out of the water and takes camera traps to a whole new level as you can access and download, delete wirelessly from your IPhone, Android phone or laptop including Mac its truly amazing and is alvailable from www.gowildlifewatching.co.uk sometime soon and its a must have wildlife watchers gadget and its really simple to use I think this is going to make a fantastic Christmas present item because in my book its the Ultimate camera trap and really sets the bar high for its rivals. I will post some footage and photos of the camera in use as I am testing in my garden and I can check the captures from the comfort of my bed on my IPhone.

I am going back to the river tree filming tomorrow as the river level has dropped and is safe to check my other camera that has been filming for 3 nights in a row as well as return the tree camera back to its position.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Under the weather due to the weather

2011-08-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

I have had the flu the past few days due to the bad weather and being out in the rain so I have been couped up indoors and I have had to put alot off from filming the Badgers to getting a few time lapse shots before the green lush countryside starts to fade and take the brown shades of Autumn. I want to mark some tripod places so I can do time lapse from the same position every season to create an 4 season time lapse video for habitats from the flashes to the river and even my own garden, so hopefully tonight I can get a good nights sleep and tomorrow I will be 100% fit and healthy ready to get back to business.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Rising waters and a beautiful end to the day

2011-08-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately due to heavy rain and strong winds I have had to stop filming on the due to the quick rise in the water level and as the log is now inaccessible I removed it just in time. I left one camera in an area facing the log and it is safe from rising waters but until the water returns to a lower level the area hopefully we should have plenty of footage when I can finally access it in the next few days as long as I can get to it before sunday morning as I am away filming in North Wales for a week. I can't wait as last year there was plenty of close encounters from young Razorbills and plenty of waders but the icing on the cake was the Leachs Petrols that were blown in land and the amazing way they run on the surface of the sea.

After a day of rain which meant a day stuck inside working on the computer on various tasks for next week so in the early evening we went to the flashes to see if anything was around but as the sun was setting behind the cloud it was a beautiful although but cold scene and as the nights are drawing in becoming darker early, a chill in the air and today the leaves have begun to fall from the trees marking the end of summer and the early signs of Autumn.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Discovery on a fallen tree by the river update

2011-08-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

With the Otter proving to fast to capture in the current position facing the log I decided on mounting a camera facing towards the end of the log allowing for a better area of capture and hopefully the sensor will pick anything moving over the log. After heavy rain last night and moving the camera I watched last nights footage and found an Otter in full view and then after a few seconds it retreating into the darkness but due to the heavy rain nettles were knocked down blocking the camera lens resulting in IR reflect and partial view of the log although not the best quality it still confirms Otters are using the log regularly and possibly on a nightly bases.
Below is the unedited clip of the Otter

In the clip below I have zoomed in and lightened the brightness for a clearer view of the Otter.

So is this a male Otter passing through or is this a young female establishing a territory or maybe this is a female that has cubs nearby, only time will tell but read my next blog post to hear my theory on my new Otter discovery on my local river the Dane but I am hoping they are breeding and I am so excited what the future may hold on filming Otters on my local patch of Middlewich in Cheshire.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Fallen tree updates - another mammal crosses the tree

2011-08-25T11:18:00.000-07:00

I am having alot of good luck with my first weeks filming by the river as I managed to film another mammal using the tree to cross the river and it turns out Foxes use it to cross the river to access some farmland where there is a rabbit warren which makes sense.

I just hope the Otter returns before I am in North Wales for the final full week this year for late summer filming as well as searching for the Foxes den that we were unable to locate.

Here's a quick photo of one of my framed DVD cover prints and a still of a Badger at Brock wood taken from the first episode of Diaries of a Cheshire wildlife watcher.

I was rather pleased with it and I think I am going make one for each episode I make for the series and display them in my office.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Little Orme Fox footage I found it at last!!!!!!!!

2011-08-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

I decided upon watching a few tapes from this summers filming yesterday and after finding the Fox footage I filmed from my hide during strong wind, heavy rain and after many hours of bad weather when the sun came out we were joined by this teen Fox cub which can be seen in the preview video below.

See previous blog post for more information on our fox filming in July http://cheshirewildlifewatcher.blogspot.com/2011/08/few-photographs-from-fox-filming-on.html

Thanks for reading

Mike

Update on filming on the river tree - Good signs after a few nights

2011-08-24T12:46:00.000-07:00

Following on from the previous post http://cheshirewildlifewatcher.blogspot.com/2011/08/discovery-on-fallen-tree-by-river-and.html I had a few nights filming in the area overnight and below is a preview of the camera view in the day and as you can hear in the background the river runs right under the log giving a great relaxing feeling there was always new spraint whether Otter or Mink I am unsure but it could be both possibly after watching the clips after each night.

On the first night I did not expect anything but I captured a Otters tail disappearing off the screen either the Otter was moving very fast or did not enter the trigger spot I was a little disappointed with the view but it was video evidence of an Otter in the perfect place on a wild Cheshire river which was a great boost for me and as the area is close to where a live its easy to get back and forward for a few hours filming in the night fingers crossed the Otter will be back to the tree and I will get some better footage.

On the second night my suspicions of Mink also using the log for scent marking to be confirmed and I also believe its being used as a feeding area by the Otter, Mink and Kingfishers due to a pool of river being blocked off by a dam of branches and logs where there are lots of small fish.

I will be back filming the river at the weekend as well as going on the hunt to film foxes as they return from urban housing estates to the safety of the countryside so it means a few early mornings as long as the weathers good.

Thanks for reading

Mike

A blue sky day kayaking on the flashes and thoughts of the seasons ahead

2011-08-21T07:30:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago during a period of no rain with lots of sun and the water on the flashes was getting very low and I had many great days kayaking and there was lots around from flocks of Lapwings flying over and feeding on the waters edge.

There were young swallows learning how to fly off the canal bridge railings and as the sky was blue it gave a great background from being in a kayak underneath them. Now they are gathering large groups ready to fly off to Africa this got me thinking about what the flashes will be like in the coming months as I have never kayaked in the Autumn and winter on the flashes and after looking through old photographs of the reed beds dying back which will come in handy to build and get the floating rafts in place ready for when the reeds regrow in spring 2012 and then hide them from sight providing water birds from Coots to Swans a safe place to build a nest.

As I have been kayaking around the flashes a few times a week for the past few months we now have a few companions consisting of a Mute Swan and 3 female Mallards which follow behind the kayak forming a very unusual flock but the other day the Mute Swan came right up to my kayak and began calling with its grumbles and luckily I had abit of bread left from the minnow trap and my DSLR with me It felt like it was posing and keeping perfectly still when I had my camera on it and in return I gave them all some bread and since then if there around they soon come over to say hello and get some bread if there lucky.

Staring contest

Regarding the winter kayaking as long as the flashes isnt as frozen as in the video below it should be fine as long the ice is thin.
Thanks for reading

Mike

Discovery on a fallen tree by the river and a plan for Otter filming this week

2011-08-20T12:55:00.000-07:00

Today we headed to the river for a checkup on signs of Otters and as theres abit of a chill in the air and all the plants are getting a little brown, seeds and fruits are getting ripe but soon the river plants will be dying back and once Autumn and winter returns I will be back on the trail of filming the Otters so today was a day of river walking and many Otter footprints were found and on a very quiet part of the river with low water level and a great area of stones to set up a filming area the spot is easily accessible via a garden so I will have to get permission from the owners to do some nightime filming from the area and the best thing is that it takes 2-3 minutes to get to the Otter filming spot.

Another area I found was a collapsed tree which will make a filming spot and only accessible through deep water and it would be on with the waders and all my kit in an inflatable dinghy but they were plenty of droppings of varying sizes and colours so I am unsure of what left them either Mink, Otter or Polecat or maybe another mustelid as all have been either seen nearby or signs of them found very close to the area discovered. I will be doing a few nights of filming down by the river before the nights get to cold this week so I will post if I get anything on my Handycam as long as I don't fall a sleep it should be an interesting few nights and a first time experience being down by the river for a whole night but I can't wait I may need to get out a winter wear just in case it gets abit chilly.

Thanks for reading

Mike

SAVE THE BADGERS AND VOTE NOW TO CHANGE THE OUTCOME

2011-08-18T10:32:00.000-07:00

SIGN THE 38 DEGREES PETITION TO MAKE THE GOVERNMENT RETHINK THE BADGER CULL

The government has announced plans to start culling badgers. There's been a big debate among 38 Degrees members about these culls. Some of us believe killing badgers would be wrong under any circumstances. Some of us believe that if the science really proved that shooting badgers could make a real dent in the cow TB problem, it would be a tragic necessity.

But 87% of us agree on this: the government's current plans to shoot England's badgers simply don't stack up. The government’s own scientific advisers warn that it won't solve the problem of TB in cattle, and could even make it worse.

Government scientists say that if a cull isn’t carried out “in a co-ordinated, sustained and simultaneous manner according to the minimum criteria, then this could result in a smaller benefit or even a detrimental effect.”

The government is consulting on the plans right now. If we don't stop them, badger shoots could begin in a matter of months.

Can you take 30 seconds now to add your name to the petition

CLICK THE LINK BELOW

SAVE THE BADGERS