A Morning in the Forest!

A good morning out in the forest yesterday. Covered a lot of ground and the warm weather was just perfect.

I need a bit of help identifying these two butterflies. I think they are meadow brown's, but am not certain!
I was hand holding with my big lens attached, so shots are not sharp and couldn't get the best angle, but good enough for an id. Thanks.





A female broad bodied chaser. Again it was hard to get her whole body and head in shot, due to where she was resting.



I'm pretty sure this is a male tufted duck - or maybe a Goldeneye?



This is a mandarin duck. Only a few weeks old and having a scratch!




And finally, a juvenile female adder.



To see more adder and grass snake pics, facts and encounters, please visit and follow my dedicated "Snakes in the Forest of Dean" blog, by clicking the link below. Thanks.

Snake Blog Here

Rob

Have you Heard Anything? Please Come Forward!

Just to highlight this again "and again" ask for people to come forward with information regarding the shooting of an eagle owl in February 2011.
This crime was recently reconstructed for BBC Crimewatch.

My original post below with contact details....


A rare (to Britain) eagle owl was recently shot near Coleford in the Forest of Dean. If anyone reading this has any information regarding this shooting please use the contact information below, or email me directly.
All information will be dealt with in the strictest confidence.

Simon Clemett PS1256, Forest North Safer Community Team, Gloucestershire Constabulary.
Contact Simon by calling 0845 0901234 and quoting Incident 447 of 25/2/11.

Look out for Bambi!

Our roe and fallow deer have given birth to their fawns, so please be aware of this if walking your dog off lead in the forest.
The doe will leave her fawn in the grass, sometimes near the edge of a track while she wanders off in search of food. This is not neglect and the fawn has not been abandoned as the doe needs to feed to keep her strength up and to produce milk for her suckling fawn.
Fallow deer have one fawn after a gestation period of nearly nine months, whereas roe deer have between one and three fawns after a gestation period of ten months. The mortality rate for roe deer fawns is much higher than fallow deer fawns and one reason is due to their weight and size at birth.
A roe fawn can weigh as little as 1.5kg, whereas a fallow fawn weighs between 4 - 5kg.

If you come across one, please don't disturb it or stay around it for too long as the doe will be anxiously watching from a distance and it will also be very stressful for the fawn. Thanks.

Deer in the Forest of Dean...

Roe Deer - Buck


Roe Deer - Doe


Fallow Deer - Buck


Fallow Deer - Doe


Fallow Deer - Doe & Fawn


Melanistic Fallow Fawn


Rob

Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 - To Be Scrapped!

If you care for our Wildlife, Countryside and environment then I implore you to sign the petition to help stop "our Government" from scrapping The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Its hard to believe that once again "our Government" is trying to take steps to damage our fragile environment. I can't imagine living in a civilised Country, which has no protection for its wildlife. This Act is the highest form of protection our wildlife has and by removing it, it will open the door to death and destruction!

For instance, we have wildlife in decline throughout the country, like the dormouse, water vole, great crested newt and the adder, to name just a few. We / they need this Act for their ongoing protection and also for the thousands of people who spend countless hours and work very hard protecting and creating endangered habitats.
Have they lost sight of what really matters? Do they not care that one day we will all be living in concrete jungles, choking on the smog filled environment we have created? It is time once again to open their eyes and show them that we do care and we will not bow down to their idiotic idealists!

They tried to sell off our forests and failed due to public condemnation and we should feel proud that we stopped them in their tracks (for now). But once again, I ask you all to stand up and be counted as this issue is just as serious.


Please click the link below and sign the petition.

38degrees

Also, send a email to your local MP, asking him to clarify what proposals have been made and that you are strongly against them.

Write to Them


Thanks for your support!


Rob

The Sun Brings Them Out!

Its been a scorcher over the Bank Holiday so I got out there and covered a lot of ground. Too hot and too busy for the majority of our wildlife and by going deeper into the forest to find them would have just invaded their safe space!
I spent a lot of time searching new areas for the adder and grass snake (to see dedicated blog) Click Here


I found a couple of blue flowers, don't know what they were so I thought I had better take a snap in case they were rare! :-)




Than I found this fella sitting on a stinging nettle leaf!




And this lady - I followed her up the blade of grass and waited patiently for the right moment!




I know they are invasive, destructive and the reason why our native red squirrel is absent from many parts of the UK, but they are cute when they are babies!



Rob

The Encounter!

I spotted a piglet dart onto the track and then back into the verge while I was out searching for wild boar. Then I saw the sow with around 8 piglets in total! I hit the deck and crawled on my belly through mud and brambles until I was approx 20 metres away. This is when the sow walked out onto the path!




She spotted me and proceeded to stalk me from the other side of the path! As I was lying down with my camera rammed into my face, she could not make out what I was and this enticed her to come closer and closer!




She was approximately 3 metres away when she suddenly realised what I was and stopped dead in her tracks. She watched me for a few moments and then as if she had suddenly realised she had piglets nearby - took off!
She ran straight back to her little ones, but stayed in the area, not bothered by my presence.




I carried on crawling on my belly until I got to within a few metres of them, but struggled to get a clear shot of the piglets.
I decided to go back to the area a couple of days later and as luck would have it, they were virtually in the same spot and this time I managed to get a piglet, nearly in the open!




On my way home I decided to stop off and take a look around another hot spot. No wild boar, but I did bump into this fine lady. A roe deer!




And finally, a greylag goose enjoying the sun on a local lake. (I was lying in the mud again!)

Snakes, Birds, Toads and Boar!

Been a hectic few weeks, but I have managed to get out now and then with the camera! Here are a few pics from my time in the Forest of Dean over the last month.


This is a grey heron and it was by far one of the largest I have ever seen, with a wingspan of at least 6 feet!





Toads everywhere and I was spoilt for choice, although I did have to lye in the mud for this shot!





My first adder shot of 2011. A male, which proved very tricky to get close too!





And finally a wild boar sow, complete with piglets!

I spotted their movement from a distance and then proceeded to "try" and get close, using the trees as cover. There were lots of brambles etc all around, which pushed me to get even closer for a clearer shot, bad idea and I should have known better.
Suddenly one of the piglets spotted me and bolted straight back to mum, which left me looking like an idiot for pushing my luck! They disappeared over a small hill, so I quietly crept up and as I approached the top, the sound was like a thousand squirrels jumping around in the leaf litter.
As I peered over the top I could see the piglets rooting around, so I brought the camera up to my eye. This is when I heard it! A grunt from the sow - she was to my right with her head bowed, staring straight at me, no more than 6 metres away!
As I was lying on the ground, I thought to myself "I now look smaller than her and she is probably deciding what action to take against me", so I quickly got up to the crouched position. This was not a deterrent as she then ran about 3 metres towards me and stopped. The piglets soon joined her and this is when I got this photograph.
I tried to move to get the branch out of the frame, but as I did she legged it with piglets closely behind.
I did find them again, but it was obvious that my presence was causing her stress and concern, so I took a few pics and left them to forage in peace.



Rob