Recent findings

As the winter months close in, the wildlife in my garden is becoming more scarce, however the vole population is booming as always.
I still continue to document the same creatures such as the common frog, I find that they vary so much in size and colouration, making each one different from the last.

This southern hawker was a visitor to the newly built pond and also became the first of its species to appear on my field studio.

Southern hawker - Aeshna cyanea

Smooth newt - Lissotriton vulgaris

Bank vole (juvenile) - Clethrionomys glareolus

Common frog - Rana temporaria

The Bank vole and the blackberries

I came across a bank vole not long ago that had fallen into an old victorian well thats in my garden. The well has claimed the lives of many small creatures including frogs and small mammals over the years. I try to check it as much as I can to make sure there is nothing that has fallen in and cant get out.

This was the first mammal that I had found that had survived the fall or at least starvation. As soon as catching the vole with a small net, I placed it in a tank with some fresh and dried grass. It instantly started eating the fresh grass. It must have been starving and also dehydrated. Even though it was eating you could tell it didn’t look well. I was convinced it was going to die.

I collected a few blackberries which I thought would help as they contained plenty of moisture. They seemed to work a treat as it ate them all. It was definitely perking up.
As it made a clear recovery I set up my field studio and hung a bunch of blackberries over the surface where I placed the vole. It went strait to them and reared up and even climbed up into the bunch an started nibbling the fruit. It was a real joy to see this behaviour and even made some great images. I later released the vole back into the garden.

High resolution images can be viewed with the following link:-

http://www.timhuntphotography.co.uk/untitled/recent-images

Fox Cubs

Through my observations as I walked the fields in my local area I discoverd a fox earth. It was confirmed by the small remnants of chewed feathers which had that very distictive fox scent all over them, along with the trampled ground around the entrances to their den.

It was a moment that I will never forget, a constant reminder of why this type of photography is just so rewarding.

There were three cubs which played for a while before spotting me. They were curious and even came closer to check me out.
Getting a clean shot was a challenge as the nettles covered their faces for the most of the time. 

High resolution images can be viewed with the following link:-

http://www.timhuntphotography.co.uk/untitled/recent-images/album/my_local_area_worcestershire?p=1