Wildlife Wednesday from the meadow hide

Its that time of the week again , well almost . Due to a pressing engagement in Bath ( diner with the wife ) Wildlife Wednesday has been moved to Thursday. Anne is once again in the co-pilots seat today , keeping tabs on the comings and goings and it has been a very busy day with 28 species of mammals and birds recorded.

For me the hide isn’t just about taking pictures , it’s also about watching and learning about the natural world and every day at the hide is definitely a ”school day”. Today is no exception . Normally within a few minutes of filling up the feeders the Rat Pack are out in force, but not today. After a few hours there is the first glimpse of a rather nervous rat. Now usually the rats are all over the wood pile , clambering , exploring and gorging on the food left out for the birds. Instead today there are only a couple of rats , and they are not hanging around to long and then bang , there’s the reason why. A rather lovely looking Weasel.

It’s only the second time i have seen a weasel at the meadow, and this explains the lack of activity and nervous nature of the rats. For the weasel , a rat definitely a prey species. These are not the only mammals at the hide today. They were joined by muntjac deer , rabbit , squirrel and a couple of bank voles.

There was no shortage of feathered life , with red kite , buzzard and kestrel flying past. All the usual suspects plus goldcrest , song thrush and one marsh tit.

Gallery

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