Badger's unlikely lodgers

Whilst examing a badger sett looking for signs of occupancy recently, I stumbled across a fox den. The vixen was using part of the sett for her cubs and when I went to watch I managed to get shots of both!

Country foxes are extrememly shy and it is notoriously difficult to watch a vixen with her cubs so I spent several nights at the sett waiting for a showing but I only got this brief glimpse of one of the cubs hunting daddy long leg spiders.

 To read more about my fox cub watching click here to read my column this month in the Yorkshire Post.

Tawny Chicks Loving their Arty Nest Box

These sweet tawny chicks fledged last week from a nest box made from an old sycamore stump.

I hoisted the stump, which I've used before for a family of kestrels, into a large tree and sat back and watched as the tawny owls made it into their new home.

It was such fun watching them take their first flight.

I had to be careful getting up close because their parents were very protective. Click here to read about the story in my June Gazette & Herald column.

Roe Doe at Longdale

I keep seeing this roe doe near the gallery here at Fotherdale. I think she has a fawn stashed somewhere close by.

The cold weather we had in April means she is late moulting into her summer coat

I photographed her here in Longdale, the neighbouring valley where I think the fawn must be.