Wild October : Day 12

This morning I saved a field vole from a cat :)

Well, I hope it survived. I gave it a chance at survival at least. It didn't appear to be harmed and it seemed bright eyed and active after I'd caught it to release back in to the wild.

Later, between taking Gran shopping and going to school for the afternoon, instead of having half an hour at home as I usually do, I headed straight to school and stopped to eat an apple for lunch whilst sitting on a wall on the way...

I usually teach phonics for an hour every afternoon but today's phonics sessions were cancelled due to a class being out on their trip educational visit. Instead, I had an hour supervising outdoor free play in the EYFS. There were lots of fallen leaves around so I made a hedgehog and tried to get a few of the children involved in creating some kind of natural art.

Only three children showed any interest but that's better than none at all I guess! This is what one of them created. I bribed them a little as all three wanted to use the school camera so I said if they created a piece of leaf art they could take a photo of it themselves which they enjoyed doing!

It's very rare I get to do anything natured related or outdoors at school so my hour outdoors was quite a treat today, especially as the sun was shining once again!

Day 324 - Blossom and blue sky

Blossom and blue sky....

It was so good to feel some warm sunshine on my skin today!  I didn't spend very long at all outdoors between taking Grandmother shopping and work but the moments I was outdoors were very pleasant today!

This evening, whilst I was cooking my dinner, I noticed the fox slinking along the wall in the field and watched it for a little while - I watched him crouch, get ready and then pounce, trying to catch a crow (and failing miserably!) and the clambering over the wall and peering into all the holes.

Day 297 - Watching a hare

A long day at school today so I took the opportunity this morning to stop and watch a hare for a little while, it was moving around the field, eating grass and observing.

Day 284 - A Fox in the Field

My only time outdoors today was a few minutes in the garden this evening, watching a fox in the fields beyond the garden. He was wandering around  and then sat down by the wall for a little while. Better than nothing, it was still time outdoors and engaging with nature! A very blurry photo (full zoom), but it's all I have today!

Day 269 - Frost and a fox

Another very cold day, with a beautiful frost this morning.

I've spent a lot of time outdoors today but mostly on playground duty so not very nature-y and doing doing things at home this afternoon / evening, like filling coal scuttles, breaking ice on the pond and sweeping. Very limited photo opportunities for me there!

I did however stop on my way home school to watch a fox. I saw him in the same field on my way to school yesterday, and this afternoon he was there again. He was quite close when I stopped, but then he saw me, moved behind the long grass below...

then walked across the field, heading away from me, stopping every so often to see if I was still there...

before heading  onwards and disappearing into the bushes.

Day 254 - Hares and Frost

A cold and frosty start to the day. It was good to see some sunshine and to be able to be outdoors and not battered by a strong wind for once!

I'm covering an absent colleague at the moment so had to be in school all day, 8.30 - 5.30 but I did have a few minutes outside this morning.

When I stood up after taking photos of the frost, I accidentally scared a hare, who ran off into the next field

Then I turned around and there was another sitting nearby.

Taking the above photo made me notice the state of that wall - what a shoddy bit of walling that is! That's certainly not a wall built to last!

Day 130 - Deer at Dusk

I went out for a Red Deer walk this evening, led by the Eastern Moors Partnership.  The walk was in the same area where I photographed the stag that featured here in last Friday's post.

We set off around 5pm and hadn't walked far when we saw the first stag.

Foolishly, I'd left my binoculars at home - they usually live in the car, but came into the house when I unloaded after last weekend's trip to the coast and I had forgotten to put them back in - doh! Though I can use my zoomy camera as substitute bins anyway and to be honest, I went out to enjoy a walk on the moors mainly - I'm not a huge fan of deer (though I don't dislike them particularly!)  and I can see them any time as they're pretty easy to find on Big Moor and there are a few closer to home as well.

More exciting than deer was the baby adder found on a path...

Then a short eared owl (I haven't see one of those for a while) and then a female hen harrier too - most unexpected!

The light was pretty rubbish - and fading - so my photographs are all terrible, especially the hand-held-at-full-zoom ones, but here are a few anyway!

Here's a challenge - Spot the Deer!

There was a lovely sunset as the group stood on the moor...

And I loved walking back after sunset, with torchlight, surrounded by the sounds of the bolving stags! I love being out at dusk and after dark - every time I walk after dark I tell myself I should make it more a more regular occurrence, but never do!

Did you spot the deer?

Here's a blurry and dull, full zoom photo (the one above was taken at partial zoom.

This was the closest deer and you can see how far out he was in the photo below, taken without any zoom - you can just see the green shape, right of centre - that's where the above deer was standing.

I mustn't leave it so long before I go for a dusk walk again!

Day 124 - Mist and Antlers

I've been away for the weekend (hence the recent lack of comments - I have some catching up to do over the next few days!).

Friday began with an autumnal feel, mist in the valleys and a lovely sunrise. I spent a few minute in the garden listening to the birds after taking these photos from the house.

After a busy morning at home and an afternoon at school, I set off for a four hour drive to the East Coast.

On the way I noticed all the balloons heading up from Tissington...

I stopped for a few minutes to watch them rising.

It was a balloon enthusiasts event for solo balloonists. You can read more about that here, and see some photos ---> http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/amazing-video-daring-solo-balloonists-dangling/story-27919179-detail/story.html

Then I continued on my journey and, as I drove past Big Moor, spotted a fine pair of antlers!  I was able to turn the car around and go back to take a few photos.

The evening light was lovely but the stag didn't hand around.

His harem were just a few metres away too, but I didn't take any photos of the females.

After almost four hours driving, I arrived in Bridlington and made my way to the flat I was staying in for the weekend. Outside the door I spotted an angle shades moth not looking too good.

Closer inspection revealed it had some cobweb wrapped around a back leg and stuck to the wing so it couldn't fly.  It was lucky I arrived and noticed it - I was able to cut the string of web away and let it fly on :)

I spent the weekend in Bridlington as I had booked another seabird cruise (I posted about one of these cruises in June, --> here) so I had lots of time outdoors and lots of sea bird spotting this weekend - I'll be back soon with a post about Saturday, Day 125.

Day 49 - Setting up camp

From Lancashire to the Yorkshire Dales, setting up camp in Appletreewick for a few days...

and taking a walk alongside the River Wharfe in the evening...

where I met a baby wood mouse just sitting on the path (who didn't run away but sat there eating something then wandered off into the grass)

See the little mouse above?

before heading back to the tent for a brew.