Date: 17th July 2020
Time: from 9:15 p.m.
Weather: dry, setting sun, dark, 20°C
Although I had visited the site earlier in the day, the success of recent evening visits prompted a second visit of the day.
Shortly after leaving home, I realised that I had forgotten the biscuits and peanuts. No, not to sustain me until I got back home at 11:00 p.m. but for the Red Foxes and Badgers respectively 😀. I am hoping that my oversight will be forgiven on this one occasion 😀.
At the bottom of Church Hill, I saw a Reeves' Muntjac quietly grazing on the playing field opposite Laindon Park School.
On arriving at St. Nicholas Church, I immediately settled down at the same watching location as on my previous visits .... after all, I had no biscuits or peanuts to scatter 😀.
Time: from 9:15 p.m.
Weather: dry, setting sun, dark, 20°C
Although I had visited the site earlier in the day, the success of recent evening visits prompted a second visit of the day.
Shortly after leaving home, I realised that I had forgotten the biscuits and peanuts. No, not to sustain me until I got back home at 11:00 p.m. but for the Red Foxes and Badgers respectively 😀. I am hoping that my oversight will be forgiven on this one occasion 😀.
At the bottom of Church Hill, I saw a Reeves' Muntjac quietly grazing on the playing field opposite Laindon Park School.
On arriving at St. Nicholas Church, I immediately settled down at the same watching location as on my previous visits .... after all, I had no biscuits or peanuts to scatter 😀.
At 9:20 p.m., one of the Red Fox
cubs appeared in the grassy strip that runs parallel to Church Hill down to St.
Nicholas Lane. It walked around rather aimlessly but it then evidently saw me
and sat down and stared in my direction. I was so far away from it that it didn’t
feel threatened and it eventually got bored trying to out-stare me and wandered
off.
At 9.25 p.m., what I believe was
the vixen quickly ran across this same area from left to right. At 9.30 p.m.,
what was probably the same animal returned from the right, spotted me and gave 3
warning/alarm barks before running off. I am almost certain that this was the
vixen.
I saw another Red Fox at
9:40 p.m. run quickly across the same area but again it was not possible to
determine if it was the vixen or one of the cubs.
At 9:50 p.m. I did see 2 Red Fox
cubs together, one of which repeatedly engaged in the “fox pounce”.
At 9:55 p.m. I heard some noise
behind me and turned round to see a Badger right outside the entrance to
St. Nicholas Church. I was able to watch it for around a minute before it
decided to scamper off rapidly towards cover.
At 10:00 p.m. one of the Red Fox cubs emerged from the grassy strip and walked around the edge of the church car park.
The final encounter with Red
Foxes was I think the eyeshine of 2 animals caught in the light of my
torch.
As I walked back home down Church
Hill, I again saw at least 1 Pipistrelle hunting
for moths and other insects attracted to the street lights.
With regard to birds, I heard a Song Thrush singing as I walked up Church Hill plus there was another Song Thrush and a Blackbird both singing from the direction of Pound Lane when I arrived at St. Nicholas Church. As I arrived at St. Nicholas Church, there was also a noisy group of c.20 “screaming” Swifts flying overhead.
Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):
Badger
Red Fox
Reeves' Muntjac
Pipistrelle sp.
Swift
Song Thrush
Blackbird
Site totals to date
Birds = 48
Mammals = 4
Butterflies = 20
Dragonflies and damselflies = 6
Reptiles = 1
With regard to birds, I heard a Song Thrush singing as I walked up Church Hill plus there was another Song Thrush and a Blackbird both singing from the direction of Pound Lane when I arrived at St. Nicholas Church. As I arrived at St. Nicholas Church, there was also a noisy group of c.20 “screaming” Swifts flying overhead.
Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):
Badger
Red Fox
Reeves' Muntjac
Pipistrelle sp.
Swift
Song Thrush
Blackbird
Site totals to date
Birds = 48
Mammals = 4
Butterflies = 20
Dragonflies and damselflies = 6
Reptiles = 1
💚🦆 🦉🦋🐝🦊🦡🌼 🌳💚
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature
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