Spring will soon be here.

I'm taking a look back at some pictures I took in the Spring of last year, as I can't get out at the moment. Not birds this time either.

I saw this Brown Hare while at Cley in Norfolk. It spent a good time chasing around the surrounding fields. Nothing unusual you'd think about that, but then it did something I've never seen a Hare do before. It got into the water and swam from one side to the other. It really shocked me, and had me watching open mouthed.

 

Not where you'd usually expect to see a Brown Hare.

This Stoat came back to see if I was really watching him. I sure was, and I knew he'd pop his head back up.

Cute but not bird friendly

At Danebower I came face to face with a cute Stoat (a member of the weasel family). At first I was shocked as we shared a moment staring at each other, motionless, trying to work out what it was we were both looking at. He moved first and disappeared before I could get to the camera.
Last week I was alerted to a Wheatear making a very unusual call. On closer inspection, the Stoat appeared again. Running in and out of the rocks on the slopes of the quarry, this cute looking mammal is not good for birds in this area. It feeds on the eggs and young of those that nest in stone walls and rock crevices. Birds like the Wheatear and Ring Ouzel are always great to see, but the Ring Ouzel is struggling in this area and it doesn't need the intervention of these cute lookers. Nice to see, but I don't want to see them too often. (No offence Mr Stoat)