The leaves are beginning to fall from the tees and bushes, making it easier to see any animals approaching the hide. This past week the mammals have been getting earlier at coming in, meaning we have moved the meet up time to try and avoid too much disturbance.
Sneaky Marten (kate M)
One Pine Marten in particular, the dominant male, has been very impatient waiting for the bait to be put out. Before changing the hide meeting time, he sat in the nearby bush watching the guide putting the food onto the table. One evening it was even sitting on the grass as we entered the hide. It didn’t take long for him to come in, once we were all settled inside. This is a sign of the time of year when they’re trying to feed on as much as possible before the cold weather returns.
As mentioned previously, the female has often tried to feed at the same time as the male. This sometimes causes confliction between the two, the male heard growling at the female to protect his food. This week however, he decided to let her join him, and they both fed comfortably for a few minutes. As a solitary mammal, it is great to get sightings of one Pine Marten but having two together is exciting for the guests.
Tawny Owl (Kate M)
With a few wet nights, there has obviously been plenty of bugs and worms around for the Badgers. They have often come in later; with evidence they had been digging. Although you don’t tend to see them, there have been quite a few Tawny Owls calling both at the meeting area and from the hide. One Tawny Owl sat on a tree stump just out of the hide light before flying off into the shadows. One guest even saw a Barn Owl gliding in the distance, whilst other guests were watching to Badgers. After last week, the Wood Mice have been trying to keep out of danger, still dashing out to grab some peanuts near their holes.
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