Meadow Rabbit...

A couple of posts back I shared some shots of Rabbits taken at a picnic area close to the River Goyt in Stockport.

You may recall I mentioned a wild flower meadow which is the usual place to spot these creatures in this particular area and this reminded me of a shot I took a few years ago of a Bunny hiding amongst the wild flowers.

I've always been quite fond of this picture because it proved very tricky to get somewhere near the effect I was after and I must have shot 50 frames to achieve it!

I was trying to focus on the Rabbits eye which was easier said than done because I was shooting through tall grass and flora.

Everytime I thought I had the focus right, the auto-focus would decided otherwise and it became a very frustrating business!

In the end I switched to manual focus and got this shot...

Ok, it's not by any means the greatest photograph in the world, but I like the colours and everytime I see it, it reminds me of the troubles I had getting it!

Bold Bunnies!

Wildlife is always all around us, but so wary is it of human beings it can quite easily go unnoticed.

There is an old saying about siting still and quiet in some wild place and within 15 minutes everything will return to normal...That is nature will carry on with it's business.

A good case in point occurred on my travels this morning...

I took a walk to a spot along the River Goyt close to my home which is usually a good vantage point for species such as Kingfisher, Dipper and Grey Wagtail to name just a few.

To gain access to this spot, I have to walk by meadows full of tall wild flower and grasses before passing through a mowed picnic area by the rivers edge.

The tall meadows play host to a variety of species and are a favourite feeding place for Rabbits because of the excellent cover it provides against predators such as Foxes and Buzzards which are plentiful in this area.

I arrived at the riverbank at around 8am after spending two hours trying to motivate myself to actually get out with the camera!

After spending 20 or so fruitless minutes scanning the river for the before mentioned target species I decided to try my luck elsewhere and headed back towards the picnic area which I had walked through before.

To my surprise the place had come to life and a dozen or so Rabbits were spread around busily feeding on the plentiful Clover flowers that were thriving on this patch of maintained land.

The Clover certainly was proving irresistible to the Bunnies, because these usually most timid of creatures were so intensely eating that they didn't seem to mind my presence and even allowed me to get within a few feet of them on open ground!

Evening Surprise

I returned to the same farmland spot again last night and spent some time by the River Goyt.
I had a relaxing time at the waters edge watching Trout rising and Swallows and Swifts competing for flies.

It really was a glorious summers evening and as I made my way back to the car, the sun was casting long shadows across the fields.
In the shaded area of one of the fields, there was a movement in the long grass and the many Woodpigeon, Magpie and Crows became restless.

Soon the reason for the birds restlessness became clear and a beautiful Red Fox made her presence known.
This was a true countryside Fox and unlike many of her city counterparts was very vary of humans and no sooner than she spotted me, she skulked off into the long grass.
An all too brief but none the less memorable encounter...

Down By The Riverside

I took a 7am stroll along the River Goyt close to home this morning.
There was a very unseasonable cold breeze early on, but despite this, the light was lovely and I managed to get a few shots of some of the wildlife that lives along the river...

This stretch of the Goyt is home to a variety of different species of bird including Kingfisher and Dipper.
Wherever you see Kingfishers and Dippers, there is also a good chance that you will see Grey Wagtails and out of these three fine looking birds it was the Wagtail that showed itself this morning...


Not far from the waters edge there is a meadow and behind that a dense area of woodland, making a just about perfect location for Rabbits...

Also showing well and allowing me to get some pretty close views was this lovely Song Thrush.
He did seem a bit preoccupied pulling a very large Snail out of it's shell and not even I was going to stop him in his quest...

Grey Day

Yesterday, I took a walk through the woods at Brabyns Park in Marple, Stockport.

The River Goyt runs through the woods which leads to a nice varied collection of wildlife.

The area is renowned for hosting all three species of British Woodpecker as well as Tawny Owls and Woodcock.

On the river I got fleeting glimpses of a male Kingfisher, as well as a Dipper and a pair of Grey Wagtail...Unfortunately non of the above were in range of my lens.

In the woods there were the usual common woodland birds, but for some reason my attention was grabbed by a rather curious Grey Squirrel...

Now, I'm not quite sure what to think of the Grey Squirrel aka The Tree Rat anymore...

I'm a strong supporter of the native British Red Squirrel and I used to have a lot of ill feeling towards the imported American Grey for carrying the pox which has led to the decline of our little Reds.

Sadly, barring a miracle I feel that we may be fighting a losing battle when it comes to saving the Reds in England at least and sooner or later we may have to accept the Grey as our only resident Squirrel...It's a crying shame but I now think it is inevitable.

I spent about 15 minutes watching at close quarters the Squirrel yesterday and as I watched, my feelings towards the species dramatically mellowed in that short time...

After I first spotted him, I put some bird food down on the ground and watched as he curiously peeped around a large oak at the bounty.

After a while, slowly and surely he crept down the tree occasionally stopping to have a quick peep at me.

Within a few minutes, he was on the ground only a few feet away, feasting without a care in the world and not the slightest bit worried about me pointing the camera at him.

His initial nervousness and mannerisms were identical to that I have observed with Red Squirrels in the past, although the thing that struck me most and perhaps even saddens me a little is how much more trusting this Grey seemed to be compared to his Red cousins...I'm slightly saddened at this because considering both UK species of Squirrel, the Grey is the one that really should be most fearful of man.