Winter Woodland Wonders

Yet another account from 'my' woods, but at 

this time of year I am there pretty often - 

traditional woodland management types 

must have been hardy fellows because most 

of the work involved is winter work. 

Not that it has been much of a problem yet this year; our winter, until this weekend at least, really hasn't lived up to its title. For a few days this week I stayed in the woods and while the thermometer claimed it was down to just above freezing at night, and a frost outside the wood on at least one morning backed that up, it never really felt that cold. I wish it would get properly cold, cold enough to freeze the ground nice and hard so I can drive into the wood with a trailer to collect some of the seasoned wood from last year. At present, to avoid doing too much damage to the tracks the closest I can get is about 1/4 mile from camp - doesn't sound like much, but walking all that way, with all that equipment you might just change your mind.

Anyway, 'not feeling too cold' was not a sentiment shared by everyone in the woods this week. That's right - I had company for a change. My brother who works at an agricultural college had brought down a group of students to let them experience some woodland management work: protecting stools from browsing deer, building dead hedges with brash etc etc. By far their favourite task seemed to be burning the brash though, I can't think why?!

But this isn't about the students, it is about the wildlife and as always it didn't disappoint. For a start I had left out a borrowed camera trap when I left the week before; overlooking an obviously well used track with fresh deer slots I was confident it would not be collected empty, and to make double sure I had baited it with some squirrels culled as part of our ongoing control measures. Alongside the deer I was hoping for a scavenging Badger, but I suppose a fox would have been OK. Below is a video I put together from some of the footage - not all of it though... 

I got a bit bored of squirrels and pheasants, so have only added limited footage of those but the deer particularly I was very happy with. It shows at least two Muntjac bucks, at least one doe (but likely a few) and a nice Roe buck in velvet too. 

Towards the end of the video though you will have seen what I was particularly excited about this week - 'The Stoat'. Allow me to explain - those who have read this blog before will remember my find of what I thought to be a stoat 'nest' (den? - I'll have to check up on that). When I found it it contained half of a freshly dead Great-Spotted Woodpecker and a piece of Squirrel tail. Anyway, I was fairly confident that there was a stoat around and hopeful that one day I would catch a glimpse. Where the camera trap had been set up wasn't likely to catch it, at least no more likely than anywhere else in the wood, because it was some distance from where I had found the nest. Then...

We had been working on a coppice coupe across the wood from the camp, and some of the group, although not me (I either had my chainsaw ear defenders on or this is yet another indication that I need to expedite the hearing test my wife has told me I need to have) had heard a squealing, my brother had caught it and was confident that it had been a Rabbit squealing. Putting two and two together we reckoned it was quite likely to have been a sign of a successful stoat hunt and thought little more of it. Until a few minutes later when I headed back up to the main camp to collect some additional tools. 

Lost in my own little world for a few minutes having walked that section of woodland track dozens if not hundreds of times by now, I didn't even notice until I was nearly on top of it a very dirty rabbit lying in the path. Awoken from my revere by this realisation, I immediately realized several things: 1) we had been right about the stoat hunting,
2) based on roughly where the squeals were heard it had already been dragged a fair way to get it this far (how dirty the rabbit was confirmed that)
3) the stoat was unlikely to abandon a meal of that quality so I must have disturbed it and
4) it would be back, but not until I wasn't on the scene.

At this point the rabbit, having spotted me and not quite given up the fight gave a few feeble kicks until it came to rest against a pile of firewood, meanwhile I backtracked to a large tree 10 metres or so back to watch. After just a minute or two there I decided a much better idea was to get the camera trap which I had at camp waiting to reset, and set it up watching the Rabbit - so I did just that. 

The story at this point becomes a bit drawn out so I'll try to summarise. Having left the trap in said position I went back to check it and found the rabbit gone and three new triggers (but no way of viewing them - no screen on this model! Grrr!). I located the rabbit which had been dragged under a pallet of firewood several metres from where I had last seen it and lying in such a way it was pretty clear it hadn't got there by itself. I reset the camera again, this time overlooking the access point to the pallet and again left it be. That night I checked the trap again - no rabbit under the pallet, 60 triggers on the camera. The main path was probably in sensor range so I was expecting most of those to be distant views of me or the students going back and forth but hoped that at least one was my elusive little predator. Again I managed to locate the rabbit carcase, this time dragged another few metres and pushed (or pulled) under some old corrugated tin panels, with a clear path of disturbed leaves in its wake.

As I write this the camera trap is still watching that gap under the tin, but with a fresh memory card. I brought the original one home and got what you see at the end of the video. The three triggers in the original location turned out to be me setting it up, me collecting it and... a student, typical. I guess it was just a little to far away for the sensor to pick up but I was treading a delicate line between not disturbing the scene and catching the footage, this time I erred a little too much on the side of no disturbance, but it is what it is. The footage in the video is from the second location and were two of the first shots captured, perhaps just minutes after I placed the camera but I can't be sure because I forgot to note the time I relocated the camera! It certainly wasn't more than an hour. I can't wait to pick up the camera from its current location and see what I've got on there. Fingers crossed!

Anyway - while I think it is pretty clear what the highlight of my trip was it wasn't the only thing I did or saw. I also saw all three species of deer we get in the woods, loads of bird life, including, one morning without even leaving my bed: Great Tit, Blue Tit, Marsh Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Blackbird, Fieldfare and Robin and heard a Green Woodpecker; along with Tawny Owls and deer during the night - not a bad place for a bed. The bulbs are still determined to come through although with the weather taking the turn it has since I left on Thursday evening they may have at least started to weaken their resolve! I'll hopefully be back for a flying visit on Tuesday so I can check the camera trap then - updates will follow: excited hardly covers it!

1000x1000 species update:

Miles Walked: 7.74 m
Species Recorded: 57

I am a fair way behind on the walking side as you can probably tell!
Species recording I am doing OK but will need to do a few days of proper recording effort rather than just jotting down what I remember while I am out and about at this stage.

17 days down - 349 to go!

Richard