More garden activity

The local weather forecasts predict high winds and accompanying rainfall right into the start of 2023. Knowing that the river will remain a chaotic mess I have drawn up an alternative plan to have a bash on Trenley Park Lake which, because of its' location, gives me the obvious bonus of being able to keep an eye on the state of the river without needing to embark on extra journeys. Indeed, yesterday afternoon I grabbed a couple of baits from the freezer, loaded the van and had a short session into dark. It was very much an off the cuff decision and, as a result, chuck and chance. 

I didn't receive a single bleep from the alarms so, if nothing else, I'm demonstrating a superb level of consistency! It was, however, quite an enjoyable session with three Little Egrets scattered around the complex, a couple of Common Buzzards, many 1000's of Woodpigeons moving around the Stour Valley and adjacent woodland plus all the regular Kingfisher, Water Rail, Coot, Grey Heron and various wildfowl activity which is expected at the site. To be fair, all the guys who I spoke with as they were leaving the fishery all said that they'd failed to catch and most of them had been there all day. I packed up just before 17.00 hrs and headed homeward quite excited by the challenges posed by this stunning fishery. To be continued ..........

Once back home, the van unloaded, I set about preparing the feeding station bowls for the nocturnal visitors. I've managed to illuminate the patio area by positioning a lamp, within the conservatory, which allows me to spot any activity well beyond the normal area which my study lights cover. This new ruse gives me the opportunity to sit in the dark, at my laptop, the camera perched upon a tripod and focused on the food bowls. It was 23.30 hrs and I was absolutely knackered. As I rose from my seat, there was a stunning little vixen at the bowl but, before I could reach for the shutter release, it scuttled off back up the garden. Cursing my inability to stay focussed, I'd been watching some Youtube stuff, I quickly called through to Bev and then returned to the camera. Within a few minutes the fox was back and I did my best to grab a few shots, through the double glazing, as she grabbed another mouthful of food before trotting off to stash it somewhere and then coming back to repeat the performance. 

This is certainly a different animal to the one I saw a few days ago. If I keep the food provision regular feel sure that I'll be able to position the camera at a lower angle and keep the study door wide open, thus removing the annoying reflective glare caused by the double glazing? 

Foxes are stunning creatures and, for me, a privilege to be able to watch at such close quarters - especially from the comfort of my own home!