They are all fairly common animals, but it is still something of a rarity to see four different mammal species in one day. And I wasn’t even trying (really). The first two are fairly obvious choices. There are always rabbits to be seen in the fields and the churchyard at Falmer. This pair were out enjoying the morning sunshine.

Now you know my location, the second mammal is probably not too hard to guess. Here it is peeping out its rat run which runs underneath the banks of the pond.

Rats are naturally very cautious (neophobic) but given their location they have become somewhat habituated to a human presence and as long as you don’t move around too much they’ll venture out into the daylight.

Those photos were all taken early in the morning, before work. The next one was a bit of a surprise. A squirrel hanging upside down on a tree. It’s taken in the car park at work and I noticed it as I drove in. Although we do have plenty of squirrels around, woodland squirrels are extremely cautious (utterly unlike their city-park cousins) so I was pleased this one stayed put long enough for me to park and get out the camera. By the way, despite the reddish fur, this is definitely a grey squirrel. We don’t have any reds in this part of the country.

While a (reddish) grey squirrel may have been unexpected, the final mammal certainly isn’t. We’ve just been listening to the foxes calling to each other across the gardens. Here’s ‘nicked-ear’ from earlier this evening.

Camera note: all daytime photos taken with the Canon 7D and EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens. The fox was photographed with the EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM lens.