Review of the year - 2011

As this is probably the last post of the year, it's a chance to look back and reflect on the last 12 months  - which have consisted of 48 posts, 131 comments and 3079 photographs (fortunately, only a few of these have featured in the blog).
For what is only a small insignificant river, there have been a suprising variety of subjects - boxing hares (females fending of amorous males): http://viewsoftheock.blogspot.com/2011/12/festive-plasmodial-slime-mould.html, hobbies chasing swifts and swallows: http://viewsoftheock.blogspot.com/2011/06/annoying-insects.html and slime moulds living bizzare and complex lives (http://viewsoftheock.blogspot.com/2011/12/festive-plasmodial-slime-mould.html).  
So choosing five was always going to be difficult....


Badgers at Wytham Woods: Once in a while, this blog leaves it's native territory and explorer further afield and one of the places it likes to visit is Wytham Woods to the west of Oxford.
Owned by the University of Oxford, it is famous for it's badgers and in spring, members of the public are invited to take part in the badger census (to give the researchers an idea of which setts are active).
This involves sitting silently (and uncomfortably) for several hours watching a designated badger sett: http://www.viewsoftheock.blogspot.com/2011/05/badger-census-at-wytham-woods.html
Many don't get to see a badger, but when we did it back in May we saw several and even with a high ISO on a compact camera it is possible to get reasonable pictures.
.

.

.
Bumblebees: 2011 featured several posts on bumblebees - including one on the seldom seen subject of bumblebee mating: http://www.viewsoftheock.blogspot.com/2011/07/perils-of-bumblebee-mating.html
But the best post has to be about Tree Bumblebees:
.

.
First discovered in the UK in 2001, they have spread northwards from the New Forest and it was something special to find one feeding on the lavender in our front garden:
http://www.viewsoftheock.blogspot.com/2011/07/tree-bumblebees.html


Sparrowhawk: Garden birds have featured in this blog several times, whether it is under taking the RSPB Garden Birdwatch Survey (http://www.viewsoftheock.blogspot.com/2011/01/big-garden-birdwatch.html) or documenting the arguments between Goldfinches on the feeders (http://www.viewsoftheock.blogspot.com/2011/12/argumentative-goldfinches.html).
Attracting goldfinches, sparrows, robins and greenfinches into the garden also attracts those who like to feed on them, cats being one, but more welcome visitors are the sparrowhawks. Like this young male seen in October, eating one of the pair of dunnocks that frequented the garden (I'm convinced it was a dunnock, as we only have one visit the garden now):
.

.
The sparrowhawk remained in the garden for 15 minutes, seemingly unconcerned about me taking pictures of it. Until there was hardly anything left of the unfortunate dunnock, but before it left, it allowed me to get my favourite action shot of the year:
.

.

The original post was back in October: http://www.viewsoftheock.blogspot.com/2011/09/return-of-sparrowhawk.html
.
Tree Climbing Water Voles: Another frequent subject of this blog are water voles and they were one of the reasons it was started.  The past year has focused on colonies on the Ock http://viewsoftheock.blogspot.com/2011/05/argumentative-water-voles.html) and at Radley Brook (http://www.viewsoftheock.blogspot.com/2011/06/water-voles-of-radley-brook.html)
I have read about water voles climbing trees, but thought it was a somewhat unusual activity until I did a survey for the Wildlife Trust. During it  I was suprised to see a water vole swimming along the river, I was more surprised to see it start to climb along one of the branches of an over hanging tree, I was even more surprised as it climbed and climbed until it disappeared out of sight.
.







I kept returning to this part of the river to see them climbing trees, taking two of my favourite pictures of the year providing two posts ( http://www.viewsoftheock.blogspot.com/2011/05/water-voles-and-willow-trees.html &  http://www.viewsoftheock.blogspot.com/2011/04/tree-climbing-water-vole.html)

.

But as spring turned to summer, they kept away from the trees preferring the sedge and arrowhead that had started to grow.


Otters: Having detected signs of otters back in February 2010, they have been a semi-regular subject on this blog - whether it is finding spraints () or half eaten crayfish (another favourite subject of this blog - http://viewsoftheock.blogspot.com/2011/08/yet-more-dead-crayfish.html).
So it is perhaps not surprising that the favourite post of this year (or any year) is the sighting of not one, but three otters back in May (http://www.viewsoftheock.blogspot.com/2011/05/otters.html &  http://www.viewsoftheock.blogspot.com/2011/05/more-otter-pictures.html).  
Then, during May and June, I saw the otters several times, sometimes it was the three of them (mother and two cubs) and sometimes it was a solitary otter.  All sightings were accidental, like this one, taken at 6.30 in the evening when I had gone to look for butterflies and bumblebees.
.

.
What is interesing is most reference books describe otters and shy and nocturnal, but not only have I seen them in daylight, but they seem quite curious and they look up if they here the camera shutter 
.

.
And on one occasion one of them swam over for a sniff was less than a metre away.
Unfortunately, my camera focused on the grass in front of it, providing me with the most disappointing picture of the year:
.

It's probable that the cubs have now dispersed and it is unlikely I will see them again next year, and even if I don't, I know I have seen one of the UK's most elusive and fantastic animals and something I will treasure forever.


Many thanks to all who read the blog and especially to those who have left comments, without them it is doubtful if the blog would have lasted this long and without this blog I would never have seen the wonderful array of wildlife that is found on this small river and hopefully I have managed to convey some of these delights.


Thank you, all the best for 2012


Richard

Badger census at Wytham Woods

The past week has been the annual badger census at Wytham Woods, where volunteers are are split into groups and allocated a sett, with the objective of counting the number of badgers seen at the same time.
Ours was at the base of a hill - which meant we had a good a view and didn't have to worry about our scent - whilst badgers have bad eye sight, but very good sense of smell.
.

.
We didn't have too wait too long for the first badger, seen trundling in along a well worn path to the set.  Over the next 2.5 hours we had 7 sightings, but only two badgers were seen at the same time as we may have seen the same badger on several occasions.  We were lucky, those who studied a nearby sett didn't see a thing.
Using a compact camera (no shutter) and a high ISO setting to avoid using a flash it was possible to get some photographs (even if they are somewhat grainy) without disturbing the badger
.

.

.

There are about 250 badgers at Wytham in a multitude of setts, so this census gives the public an opportunity to see the badgers and learn more about them and for the researchers to understand the badger activity at individual sets - which sets have increasing and decreasing populations, allowing them to focus their research.

None of the badgers at Wytham have BovineTB (they  are tested four times a year) but the biggest affect on mortality on these badgers is cars - the A45 and the A420 run nearby.
Fighting amongst the badgers can how long they live as many die from wounds infected wounds which occurred whilst fighting.
Last years harsh winter has affected last years cubs and this years very dry spring has made it a lot harder for them to find their favourite foods - snails, slugs and particularly earth worms.


As a result, the average life span of a badger at Wytham is four years, the same as a great tit.

Badgers

I have suspected badgers in the vicinity of south Abingdon for nearly two years. There have been particular clues - footprints, paths through fields and under fences could only be made by badgers

After many nights and evenings of staking possible locations over several months, I have at last managed at last to capture one on film.  Possibly the recent weather has made it easier for it to find its favourite foods of slugs, snails and worms.

The Collins Complete British Wildlife Guide describes badgers as “common but unobtrusive and largely nocturnal”, despite this, this is only the third badger I've ever seen.

The subject of  Bovine Tuberculosis is controversial, but is mainly arable farming, so these are unlikely to cause any harm. 

I have notified the Oxfordshire Badger group, but if there are other groups who would be interested please let me know.