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.