Ok, this is a rapid bit of catching up. After yesterday's excitement I headed back to the fields this morning. It was dull and very little was about, but as I was heading in to work along a country lane I noticed two unusual birds trotting along the side of the road. I followed them for a short way until they decided to cross the road in front of me. I stopped and grabbed a shot through the car window. It's not great, but sufficient to identify this as a partridge, most likely the red-legged variety.
Partridge
I worked through lunch, so have very few shots from the day, but this evening spent a little bit of time in the garden, photographing the tadpoles. They are abundant, massed on the surface of the pond.
While I was peering into the weed, I saw what appears to be a pair of near albino tadpoles, which are extremely rare. I certainly didn't notice any white spawn, so these may not be full-fledge albinos. And the odds of finding them again in all that mass are vanishingly low. Anyway here's the photo.
Later, while attempting to watch for foxes we had just about given up when I made one last check at the top of the garden and saw this beauty. She hadn't triggered the trail cam, but was obviously enjoying her sultana feast.
Hedgehog
As for the trail cam, last night's footage contained much of the usual clips apart from this sequence which confirmed my suspicions about a pair of foxes. I've posted this via YouTube for a change (Vimeo is playing up).
Now I just have to work out who is who from all the other bits and pieces I'm gathering at the moment.
Camera note: the partridge was taken with the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens, the tadpoles with the Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG macro, and the hedgehog with the EF 24-105 F4L IS USM. The trail cam footage was captured with the Stealth Trail Camera GL80.
Flying Red Fox Blog
26 Mar 2009Great photos and video 😀 i think there is more spawn than there is pond at the moment 😆
FrogBoots
26 Mar 2009Nice shots! Great capture of the albino tadpoles, and I love the hedgehog! And the pair of foxes! :up: 🙂
SittingFox
26 Mar 2009Such a cute hedgehog! And cool to catch both the foxes.
Words
26 Mar 2009Mark, yes the top of the pond is seething with them. My only worry is that a seagull might come down and scoop the lot.
Words
26 Mar 2009Lois, you don't have hedgehogs!!! They're wonderful.
Words
26 Mar 2009Adele, the two foxes was a treat. It was good to see them together like that. It's tempting me to sit out to get some proper shots of them.
Words
26 Mar 2009Thanks FB. The tadpoles were a nice surprise among all that colour. The hedgehog is a regular visitor (keeps appearing on the trail cam).
cakkleberrylane
26 Mar 2009Albino tadpoles! The hedgehog is so sweet, I wish we had them here.
studio41
28 Mar 2009just love the partridge photo! and hedgehogs are so cute and interesting I think.
Words
28 Mar 2009Thanks Jill!
Ukwildlife
30 Mar 2009Ive never seen a aprtridge in all my wanderings. Great shots of the tadpoles too
Words
30 Mar 2009Neil, they were a first for me. Just lazily walking up the road. There's some fairly free range farming round here which may explain it. Nice surprise though!