Wherein Pants discovers a "Bowland Antelope"

Okay, we're getting used to being peered at by the local Bowland wildlife, but I really had to look twice when I saw an antelope camouflaging itself from behind some bushes. While we'd love to be in the Seringeti, it would be a stretch for anything of that exotic basis to be found in this rural part of the UK. Of course, closer inspection allowed us to see that it was simply a roe deer with extremely straight antlers!

Stoatally awesome photos (well, at least they are better than the last stoat photos)

Long-term readers of Wildwithpants will know that we've not had a great deal of success photographing stoats. (See the "Stoatally Awful Photos" post for proof!) We've plenty of photos of gates, bushes, insides of car windows - occasionally with a blurry tail disappearing from one of the corners. Anyway, this time, this stoat stood and posed long enough to get 4 or 5 photos taken before vanishing into the undergrowth on Longridge Fell.

Wild with Pants as listened to by Springwatch

Yeah yeah it's a celebrity culture we live in... and Wild with Pants although attempting to rise above it is as culpable as the next man.
Fame at last! Although Mr Hughes-Games mispronounced us Wild with PLants!!! That was little old us.. FINALLY our hydration question got an answer. Clearly not such a dumb question as they explained several different solutions to the problem of hydrating nestlings including an awesome film clip of sand grouse giving youngsters a sip from well doused feathers.
You may tell people you have visited a site who have conversed with SW but please don't put our name to a product without visiting our PR team!!!!!!

Late night pants

I'm currently waiting for game 7 of the Stanley Cup ice hockey championships to start, and as it's being held in Vancouver, it's pretty late for us in the UK. I looked out of the window, expecting to see one of the many rabbits that converge on the outside lawn at night, but found a hedgehog instead. Not exactly rare, but we're normally asleep or without cameras when they are about, so I dived downstairs and took a few photos. The hedgehog was very obliging, posing for a minute or two before scuttling off in search of slugs.

Incidentally, it appears to have a patch of grey spikes on one side - now what did Springwatch say about hedgehogs going grey?

Barn Owls everywhere

Went to see whether we could spot our Barn Owl again but had no luck. Driving home we spotted a hare sitting close to the road in a field seemingly just begging to be photographed- unfortunately it sped off before we got out of the car. Whilst we stood watching him haring away I noticed another barn owl fly through a missing pane of glass into a barn. It was quite away away but managed a few shots and thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle of it hunting and returning.

Ever get the feeling you're being watched?

Some people say that if there is a "sixth sense", it's that feeling that someone (or something) is watching you. How many times have you walked down a road and suddenly looked up at a window to catch someone peering out at you? In reality, it's most likely to be just peripheral vision - you can just about see something through the corner of your eye.

Anyway, this happened to me twice today. Happily walking near Birdy Brow minding my own business when I suddenly looked up to see this young roe deer staring at me. And then 15 minutes later as I was crossing a field, I looked up to see this hare hoping that I hadn't seen him.

Walking past the beaches looking at the leeches yeah!

In preparation for our jungle trekking in Kerala, Pants got his legs out to attract the leeches down at Leighton Moss on Friday. Look at these beauties.... leeches not legs!!!

Fledgling feeding time is abruptly suspended

We were photographing the fledgling blue tits at Leighton Moss when we suddenly heard a weird screech and a squirrel jumped 5 feet in the air. This kestrel had swooped down and caught an unknown bird. I don't think it was one of the blue tits but perhaps someone might be able to identify it from the underside of it's wing. After that, every bird in the vicinity vanished for a few minutes.

Sorry if the photos are a little OTT - I've been playing with a tilt-shift generator!

Barn Owls and Marsh Harriers to say nothing of the coot chicks

Great day at Leighton Moss. Marsh Harriers out in force. Also saw a kes swoop into feeder station and take out we think a great tit. Later a Sparrow Hawk causing hijinks around the reed beds.
On the way home we were passing a barn/ field/river area we really like for barn owls and were remarking on whether there were any about when a beauty flew over road in front of us. Parked up and watched her (or him) bringing back a large vole or something into barn and out again.
REMEMBER ALL PICTURES ARE CLICKABLE FOR A LARGER VERSION.
ALSO: WE ARE JUST 3 HITS AWAY FROM 2000 HITS HERE!!! WOW! YET NOBODY COMMENTS-DON'T BE SHY!!
(There is no Million Pound Prize for the 2000th customer btw!!)

Otterly awful pictures

Okay so we had "stoatly awful" some months past and they were exceptionally popular. What IS wong with you people? These are private & terrible moments of shame and failure hitting at times when we are so very excited by possibilities of wildlife photography greatness (as if that will ever happen- you do realise we're ver-ree, ver-ree amateur- well of course that is part of the charm!!)

Okay putting off the inevitable ... herewith (and it breaks my heart all over again to share these) The OTTERLY AWFUL PICTURES from Applecross. (If only, If only I had takenmy time to focus and not just snapped away like a mum at a sandcastle competion)

Hobby

At Leighton Moss (a first for us)

You can sit all night in a hide or...

... you can sit outside the Inn at Whitewell with a pint and snap the wildlife as it passes by.

Okay so you don't get the big and exciting stuff from the patio of Inn at Whitewell but heh all life is beautiful and stunning and let's face it - you could go to Amazon Rain forest to find something as dazzling and pretty as our own goldfinch...