Country File

[Heedless Horseman]

That's a nice garden Matt !
I love foxes but hate badgers, which is not going to be popular with some people. C'est la vie.

Once thought I caught a 'glimpse' of the back end of a badger disappearing around the house corner... but probably some sort of Dog!  
My locality too built up for them. Personally, I wouldn't mind, but other residents would NOT be happy. I HAVE seen pics of what they CAN do to lawns, beds, etc. !  
Mid 80s, I spent just a few weeks patrolling a Nature Reserve. We had a sett, but kept it pretty quiet for fear of local Scum digging it for baiting. Would have liked to go on one of the very occasional 'Badger Watch' nights... with trusted groups, but 'moved on'.
Otherwise, only seen at a dstance, when driving... and the occasional 'sad bundle of fur' as roadkill. Hope they made an equal 'mess' of somebody's car!  
I understand that Badgers may not be popular... but as a little kid, the 'fight between Tommy Brock and Mr. Todd the Fox', was "Wanna hear again, Ma!"  

Matt: Lovely! 

[Ithoriel]

When my parents lived in Surrey they had a badger that would amble along on the other side of the glass of their patio doors without any apparent concern about those inside.

My closest badger encounter is therefore probably measured in inches!

Local foxes are incredibly tame. Had one trot along at my side one night like I was taking a dog for a walk. He was to my left and when we were almost home the fox wanted to go right and I wanted to go straight on. We wound up doing a very weird little dance around each other

[Heedless Horseman]

When my parents lived in Surrey they had a badger that would amble along on the other side of the glass of their patio doors without any apparent concern about those inside.

My closest badger encounter is therefore probably measured in inches!

Local foxes are incredibly tame. Had one trot along at my side one night like I was taking a dog for a walk. He was to my left and when we were almost home the fox wanted to go right and I wanted to go straight on. We wound up doing a very weird little dance around each other

Just this morning, a neighbour phoned me about local Hedgehogs. In chat, she mentioned that a friend had been on local bridle path, (behind my house), at night and seen 2 sets of 'eyes' approaching... one was a Fox, the other a Cat... side by side! She was curios whether it was my cat... 'could well have been' !   

[Ithoriel]

My gran's cat was sister to the cat her neighbour had. A bigger, more thuggish, pair of tabbies are hard to imagine. Various dead or dying offering were regularly left on the respective doorsteps. Including, on one occasion, my gran finding the head and forelegs of a fox, her neighbour the back legs and brush and a trail of entrails across the two gardens. Damage to the fox suggested this was not a case of finding roadkill and bringing it home! 

[Poggle]

We had a doe take refuge in our back garden this evening. Some little yahoos were racing motorbikes around the neighborhood. Once it got to dusk and quieted down she snacked on our mulberry bush and moved on. Lovely creature.

[Ithoriel]

When I lived on the outskirts of Dalkeith there was a strip of woodland between the housing estate and Dalkeith proper. I would use it as a shortcut on days the ground underfoot wasn't too wet.

Local rumour was that Red Deer roamed the local woodlands but considering I was through the woodland regularly and had never seen any sign (no droppings, hoofprints, tufts of fur or similar) I assumed it was urban legend. Until one afternoon I was ambling along and a fawn burst from the undergrowth a few feet ahead of me and vanished into the undergrowth on the other side. I made the mistake of stopping in my tracks in wonder .... at which there was a crashing of undergrowth beside me, a sort of strangled bugle and a hind crashed into me knocking me off my feet before disappearing after the fawn. Damn, those things are bigger than I'd realised. To be fair, I'm pretty sure she was desperately trying to avoid this idiot who'd stopped right in front of her.

Close encounters of the deer kind!

[mmcv]

Our new place gives us a lot more opportunity for getting into nature. As well as having an actual usable garden (with which my wife is discovering she has an interest in gardening) and having some fields behind us with regular visits from various birds, insects, furry animals and large moo moos, we're also just a short walk from the coast, which gives us the opportunity for some lovely walks. It's been interesting to see the changes that come with the changes in season over the past few months, as well as how things look at different times of day and as the tide moves in and out. Lots of different plants growing up, and it's fun poking around the rock pools to see what's lurking inside.

A few recent snaps:

[Raider4]

Looks delightful mmcv. I'm very jealous.

If I ever do move, ideally it would be somewhere within walking distance of the coast, or it would back on to a (working) canal somewhere, so I moor my (mythical) narrowboat at the bottom of the garden.

(Come on winning lottery ticket . . .)

[Ithoriel]

Given current predictions, if you want a coastal property in a few years time buy a property somewhere inland and tens of metres above sea level and wait :-)

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Looks delightful mmcv. I'm very jealous.

If I ever do move, ideally it would be somewhere within walking distance of the coast, or it would back on to a (working) canal somewhere, so I moor my (mythical) narrowboat at the bottom of the garden.

(Come on winning lottery ticket . . .)

Of course you would be flooed out frequently

[Raider4]

Of course you would be flooed out frequently

Canals don't* flood.


* Well, very rarely.

[Techno II]

Nearly ran over a polecat yesterday.....It was making its way across the road towards the big barn.....I think it had a mouse or vole in its gob..Difficult to tell as it was moving quite speedily.
I trust its not got its eyes on the chickens !

Don't think it would be big enough to drag the chickens away...but whether it would just go and and have a killing spree, might be another matter.

On the other hand, it may explain why I haven't seen many rabbits in the fields recently.

Be GREAT if it went after some of the rats around the barn !!!

Cheers - Phil.

[DecemDave]

Given current predictions, if you want a coastal property in a few years time buy a property somewhere inland and tens of metres above sea level and wait :-)

Yes some green outfit just put out a scare prediction that has most of Portsmouth , half of Brighton and all towns in between (including yours truly who is about 100m from the sea) could be under water by 2050.   The only effect of this "report" will be for insurance companies to ramp up the premiums.  Thanks a lot.

Of course if it is true, inland (and not riverine) members should expect approx 1/2million refugees being forcibly billeted on them by the emergency government. 
And then presumably the Thames will swallow most of London.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

And then presumably the Thames will swallow most of London.

So something good will come out of it 

[DecemDave]

So something good will come out of it 

As the Dee and the Mersey rise and join, I think you get to be Lord Kermit of Willaston Island.