Yes , ok guilty as charged . I’m starting with the weather once again and at last ……… we have rain ! Right now that’s out of the way lets get on with the wildlife and this weeks started with an away day , meeting up with Thomas Orrin and his family in Bedford at the Forest Centre at The Millennium Country Park. More details on the Forest centre will come in due course. It’s always great to catch up with Thomas and to see first hand his journey in wildlife photography.
Making the News
Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 shortlist
How would it feel to find yourself face to face with one of the Arctic’s most formidable predators? This stunning image captures life from a seal’s perspective. Taken by Norwegian wildlife photographer Audun Rikardsen, it was among the ‘Highly Commended’ entries in this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. While working as a guide with Arctic Wildlife Tours, Rikardsen rigged an underwater camera with a motion sensor beneath a seal’s breathing hole, and then waited. At 4am, a female polar bear approached and peered down. Rikardsen then waited eight hours for the bear to move away before retrieving the camera and reviewing the images. When he saw what he had captured, he said: “I was so extremely happy. I was screaming, so I probably woke up all the polar bears for miles.”
A cunning fox managed to outwit security and find its way to an MP’s office on the fourth floor of a Westminster building.
The furry visitor was discovered inside the office of George Freeman, Conservative MP for Mid Norfolk, in Portcullis House on Monday morning. To reach the room, the adventurous animal had to sneak past security, navigate four flights of stairs and a “maze of rooms and corridors”. The fox has since been relocated to Victoria Tower Gardens, a public park nearby. Freeman said: “His dedication to the morning commute is highly impressive.”
Barn owls have had a bumper summer in County Fermanagh, with 10 chicks recorded across two sites.
The breeding success follows years of conservation work by Ulster Wildlife with local farmers installing nest boxes and improving habitat for the elusive bird. There are thought to be fewer than 30 breeding pairs left in Northern Ireland.
People are being encouraged to report any sightings across Northern Ireland, particularly in the west, to help fill in gaps in the records and help protect important breeding areas.
Hog Update
Mum the hoglets at still at the rescue centre and are all doing well. It’s going to be a few weeks until they can come home , time to build a few more rooms at the Hog Hotel !
Meet the Gang
I’m starting today’s list with a bird that’s sometimes overlooked , the Magpie Pica pica. It is a regular visitor to the meadow, very easy to recognise and a common sight in many British gardens the magpie has a wingspan of between 50-60cm , with a body length including tail 44-46cm and a body weight around 250g. Its distinctive glossy black and white plumage is the same for both male and females . Staying with the larger birds we have the very timid Jay , Wood Pigeon and Jackdaw.
Moving on to the smaller birds , the ever present Robin’s Great tits , Blue tits , Dunnock and wren all made an appearance today. Then we have the Blackbird , Turdus merula , a member of the thrush family and can be found throughout Britain and mainland Europe. Easily recognisably , the male with it’s glossy black plumage , bright yellow eye and yellow-orange bill is a firm garden favourite and can also be found in it’s natural habitat , woodlands. The bird can be resident all year round or migratory , depending on food supply. The female and young have a dark brown plumage and builds their nests in woodlands and suburban gardens. It’s confidence make it one of my favourite birds to watch here at the meadow.
Last on this weeks list , the Mammals starting with the humble Rabbit. The Rabbit has long ears without black tips , about the same length as its head , and long hind legs; its colouring is sandy and less reddish than brown hare. The eyes are brown and lighter in colour than its cousin the Hare. Body length is around 40cm and they weigh between 1.2 – 2kg , the male is usually heavier and larger compared to the female. Then we have the Bank vole , Rat pack and finally the Grey Squirrels.
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What a lovely and uplifting post. Thank you 🙂
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Animals in buildings: I worked in a publishing house as temp at a point, and they all brought their dogs to work (???). One of them, a kind of English sheepdog with long hair, those where one cannot make out what is the front and what is the back, navigated the building in the elevators. He went around on different floors visiting certain people, and then went back to his owner. I once tried to get him out of the elevator, but he pressed himself against the back wall, it wasn’t “his” floor yet. I was impressed that he didn’t lose his orientation inside the elevators.
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