25/05/20205 Leasowe, Wirral

Blond Fox: Take a look at this rare blond fox cub, a pale fox cub lacking the dark noise, orange fur and vivid orange eyes. This is caused by albinism, a genetic mutation that affects melanin production. It's a rare form, one that i haven't come across before. 

Matt Bett has vixen who has been chosen the hole under a shed at the bottom of his garden for a couple of years to have her cubs. This year she had given birth to three cubs, of which one is blond, not red.

Red Fox: Here is one of the other fox cubs, with more normal colouration, having bright orange eyes, and stunning orange fur with a black noise and darker edges to the ears and eyes.

Unfortunately and in someways typically the day I chosen  to go was a rainy and windy, after a nice long warm week of weather too. 

I think the poor weather had an impact of the fox cubs and kept them form showing better and spending more time outside of their den, understandably. 

The foxes didn't venture far from the entrance hole but still gave me a great look at them and gave me a great opportunity to see the difference between the colour variations of both fox cubs. 

If Matt will have me back I plan got choosing a better day and hopefully get them in a good mood where I can watch them out on the lawn feeding and playing.

Can't wait. 

16/05/2025 Smithy's Hide, Chorley, Lancashire

Tawny Owl: It doesn't happen often if at all but I've struck gold, 18 karat gold!

With thanks to David Gibson I found a photography hide that not only offers the best views you could ask for of tawny owl but a hide with a really great set up too. Smithy's Hide in Chorley.

 

This Friday was my birthday, turning old, so to cheer myself up and I booked in with Kris. We arrived just before 7pm and after a brief and friendly induction from Sue we were soon joined by the male tawny owl. It perched up in the day light as we were talking to Sue standing outside the hide. 

This was good start, within 20 minutes of waiting in the hide the male tawny returned and put on a super show, we had dozens of visits throughout the night. 

I was blown away by the views of photographic opportunities this hide owl gave us.

Sue Smith who set up Smithy's Hide has worked hard created a unique space to photograph wild birds and tawny owls. Her photography hide is equipped with heaters, access to toilet facilities, double beanbags, scrim netting over the viewing shutters, mobile phone charger, hooks to locate your camera bags and coats and comfortable padded seats. 

Sue has a great set up with the hide overlooking a well constructed reflection pool, lots of natural perches and external lighting. Everything you could ask for, and the start of the show a wild tawny owl that comes within a few feet of the hide and 

Tawny owls are our biggest common owl, familiar in Britain’s woodland, parks and gardens. They are famous for their ‘too-wit too-woo’ call often referred to as being the song of the generic owl.

But it isn’t the call of a single bird, but instead made by a male and female calling to each other.The female makes a ‘too-wit’ sound and the male answers with ‘too-woo’! 

Sue has put in an enormous amount of effort in to gaining the owls trust who come to the hide very night. 

For anyone who has looked into booking or have booked a wildlife photography hide will know the rates can be, well lets say pricey. Well to book into the Smithy's Hide with will cost you £20 per person, that right, 20 quid, peanuts in comparison to some other local wildlife hides. 

I will put a link to the Smithy's Hide facebook page below, here you can join and DM for bookings. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1224753778841421/

Keep the good work up Sue, it's all paying off. 

06/05/2025 Grafham Water, Cambridgeshire

Spotted Sandpiper: Look more closely at these pictures, it's almost like this little wading bird has hearts on it. This bird has been showing well all weekend and I held my nerve for when I was working down this way after the Bank Holidays.

Grafham Water is England's third biggest reservoir nestled in 1500 acres of bucolic countryside, but thankfully the bird kept to a small area of the vegetated bankside called the Plumer Park..

With the exception of its heavily spotted breast, spotted sandpiper are very similar in appearance and habit to our common sandpiper. They have distinct spots on their belly during their summer plumage stage and the adults have yellowish legs, an orange bill, and brown on top with black spots underneath.

The Spotted Sandpiper breeds near fresh water across most of North America where it essentially replaces our Common Sandpiper. It is the most widespread breeding Sandpiper in  North America. They migrate to the southern United States, the Caribbean and South America for the winter and are rare vagrants to western Europe.

Very much like the common sandpiper they also bob up and down, bobbing their tail up and down while feeding. The function of the sandpiper tail-bobbing is unknown with guesses ranging from the mildly plausible such as aiding in balancing on rough terrain to the absurd such as pumping body oils over their feathers to improve waterproofing.

08/04/2025 World's End, Denbighshire, Wales

Black Grouse: Black grouse in Wales are primarily found in the upland areas of North and Mid-Wales, particularly in areas where habitat management and predator control have been implemented. One of the premier location is a stunning places called World’s End.

World’s End is a narrow vale located between Wrexham and Llangollen in Denbighshire, Wales and is a very popular destination with walkers and cyclists owing to its spectacular scenery and outstanding landscape.

While their numbers have declined in recent years, ongoing conservation efforts are helping to increase populations, especially in areas like Ruabon Mountain

Black Grouse are a lekking bird and they are very site faithful for their leks. Somewhere around 30 birds gather in what looks like a small disused quarry. 

The blackish blue males have distinctive red wattle over the eye and show a striking white stripe along each wing in flight. The black grouse can be seen throughout the year but are at their most flamboyant and noticeable during the lek.

The lek is when males visit a spot as a group, to display, in the hope of mating. The lek generally begins to heat up in early April, raising to its peak around early to mid-May when the females, known as Greyhens, decide to grace the lek with their presence to select their mate.