Eye reflection - Badger? Fox?

helen6591 · #1 (**permalink**) 21-11-2010, 07:29 PM

Just after sunset last night I was walking a path next to some thick undergrowth & gorse bushes, my headlight (with just a white light) picked up the reflection of a pair of blue eyes. In spite of my dogs picking up the scent & hunting about very close, (they either chose to ignore whatever it was or missed it completely),whatever the animal was (too big to be a rabbit or hare) it kept very still for a good 10 minutes.
Anyone any idea what colour reflection badger or fox eyes would give?

Jackaroo · #2 (**permalink**) 21-11-2010, 07:33 PM

I think that might be a tricky one because I think it depends a lot on the type of light itself that's thrown into the subjects eye. I don't know for sure but I'll bet someone out there does.

aeshna5 · #3 (**permalink**) 22-11-2010, 04:58 AM

It could have been either. I've just come back from Botswana + we did 3 night drives while there + spotlighting. The eye reflection initially detected looked similar for a whole range of mammals as well as nightjars,owls + amazingly some similar eye reflection from a couple of spiders on the track.

I've done this in quite a few places + it's always an exciting adventure full of anticipation. Perhaps most fun on this trip were the Springhares which are actually rodents that look like small kangaroos bouncing up + down!

~T~ · #4 (**permalink**) 22-11-2010, 08:48 AM

Could easily have been a cougar, they are slightly bigger than hares and there are a lot of them about apparently.

Jackaroo · #5 (**permalink**) 22-11-2010, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~T~

Could easily have been a cougar, they are slightly bigger than hares and there are a lot of them about apparently.

Naughty!

Tobyh · #6 (**permalink**) 22-11-2010, 10:32 AM

Helen,

From a very small sample size I've found that Foxes tend to have a blue glare in their eyes. Whether this is due to the angle of the light or type of light I cannot say. Here is an example - these are with standard camera flashes, so normal "white" lights.

Whereas Badger images I've taken tend to reflect brighter much lighter and seemed more yellow....if that makes sense. I'll try find an example. Here's one -

These images were taken last year whilst trying to work out exactly how to avoid the flashback from the eyes. The answer is of course off-camera flash.

TobyH