Views from the lockdown loftroom

I didn't venture out today. It was too windy and cold for me to take any decent photos on my daily walk, so I done a few 'steps' inside and occasionally popped my head out of the lockdown loftroom to see if there was anything of interest in the field behind the back garden. 

 I've been in the lockdown loftroom for a few weeks now and as per my previous blog posts, I have often seen a fox or muntjac deer in the field. I was even lucky enough to see a male and female muntjac together recently, but they always seem to come out when the daylight is fading and I can never get a decent sharp photo. 

Yesterday evening at about 8.30, I just happened to pop my head out of the window and saw a fox at the bottom of the garden. She's a lactating female (vixen). I've seen a larger paler dog fox at the bottom of the garden previously and he was busy scent marking the nettle patch. This vixen merely sniffed around the nettles, had a brief look around then disappeared under the fence into the neighbours garden. There she sauntered past two fox statues as if she'd been there many times before and was used to them. Maybe she is. Maybe she is a very regular visitor but I've never had the pleasure of seeing her so clearly as last night. She made a beeline for a large chunk of bread, grabbed it, and made her way back under the fence, into the back garden, under the perimeter fence and across the field to the far corner. The light then faded and I didn't see her again. 

I took many photos but despite playing with the various settings on my camera, I have yet to find one that allows me to take sharp images in fading light, so you'll have to make do with these fuzzy shots......

This afternoon I popped my head out of the window at about 1pm and was delighted to see a muntjac in the far corner. I am 99.9% certain this is the same male I've been watching for a while now. He has a limp and today, in the daylight although far away, I could finally see why.....he has a huge abcess on his hind leg. It doesn't stop him from grazing for food so he's not going hungry, but I did wonder just how far he roamed as I know muntjacs are territorial. 

Sadly I dont think there is a lot that can be done for his abcess. Muntjac are not on the priority list for wildlife rescue centres these days as they, like Grey Squirrels, are not a native species. I will be taking some advice from Cw Wildlife Rescue though, just in case there is anything that can be done, but to be honest trying to catch the muntjac would probably cause it more stress in the end, and that really wouldn't be fair on the animal. 

Again my photos are not that clear, this time though it's because the far corner of the field is quite a way from the loftroom window and I didn't have time to put a better telephoto lens on my camera. 

Inside the lockdown loftroom, I'm still sharing the space with the new housemates.....two Orange-tip caterpillars. The big one I call SF is now 11mm long, and the smaller one I call Leaf is now 9mm long. Both are active and feeding well on garlic mustard seed pods. I can even tell you what caterpillar poo looks like now - very small round black balls !! 

I still don't know when they will pupate, or when they are due to emerge as beautiful butterflies, but of course I will document all on here, my blog. 

Keep well everyone and stay safe