Mammal of the day

[pressld2]

Brown hare strolling across the Elmley car park.

Dave P.

[Jason Claxton]

5 Hares today locally,plus a Water Vole and 2 Roe Deer.

[posie]

''My'' vixen, who hadn't been seen for about 18 days, since a night lamping shoot on neighbouring land. I thought the foxes had moved away with fear of the noise of the shooting. But no, there she was this morning, sunning herself, then snooping around for food. I think she maybe has cubs, but I won't know for sure 'till she brings them out to play in the sun. I'm so happy that she is alright.Posie...

[Midgie]

A bit late with this, but I spent Monday afternoon watching some wonderful bottlenose dolphins in the Moray Firth. Six altogether, including 2 calves, one of which was so tiny it might even be a brand new one, according to the guide I was with. (I'd watched the dolphins before, but it was a whole new experience to be with someone who has studied them for years.) They were amazing, hunting the fish up against a sandbank that was only a few yards offshore. Magic.

[Jason Claxton]

Well I can't compete with that Midgie!,lucky you.My provisional Mammal of the Day(I've got to Midnight to find better) is Wood Mouse.

Jason.

[Midgie]

Woodmouse, Jason? Harder to spot than a 3m dolphin, and just as cute!

[vole-woman]

Smashing little vole right in the stream right in the town centre, doing its bit to raise the profile of w-vs in north Shropshire.

It's so nice to see passers-by stop and point and marvel. The three I was chatting to on the bridge were a mum and her two teenage daughters on their way to the bookies, and they stayed for about five minutes watching the vole feed.

[earthdragon64]

On our way home from a walk on the Coignafearn estate, we rounded a bend, and this Wild Goat was crossing the road.

[Cowgirl]

Gosh! I did not know we had wild goats in this country. I'm surprised that its coat isn't more tangled & matted. What's the story behind them?

[earthdragon64]

Originally Posted by Cowgirl

Gosh! I did not know we had wild goats in this country. I'm surprised that its coat isn't more tangled & matted. What's the story behind them?

In this part of Scotland at least, I suppose "feral" is probably more accurate than wild. At one point, before the highland clearances, goats were driven north and often individuals wandered off and feral herds developed. A lot were killed off around the time of the clearences, and more have been killed off for various reasons since then.

The Coignafearn estate is probably one of the best places to see them, it's at the end of a really narrow, twisty, single-track road, about 10 miles from the main road. They can be seen at various points along the road, and on the estate hillsides as well. It's one of those roads you don't want to go fast on as you really don't know what's going to be around the corner, goats, deer, amphibians and various birds.