Roe buck in velvet with a doe in tow

This buck looks a bit skinny with his ribs showing but i think he,s eating the new spring greenery that is emerging now.I,ve also removed the offending twig on the left of the picture and tilted the camera down a bit as the dawn shots were a bit dark because of the sky showing.I find it takes a while at a new cam spot before the camera is set up how i want it but i,m quite pleased with this place that i only set up as an experiment,it,s got a few branches in the way that may set off false triggers in the wind but we,ll have to wait and see.The roe had disapeared a month ago when a big cat was active in the area and have taken nigh on 3 weeks to return along with the dog fox but the vixen is no where to be seen..........

Sussex big cat seen on downs/photo

Taken at dawn yesterday (top left of picture)by a witness at a big cat sighting in West Sussex who stood to watch the big cat for some time and was able to take this picture and is consistant with the descriptions given by over a dozen witnesses who have seen this big cat since january,in fact the description fits a big cat seen for the last 5 years.Deer have been found killed,the carcases looked like big cat kills and various other evidence, big cat-like paw prints,black fur on barbed wire,scratch marks on trees.It is very large,about 26"tall,often seen trotting with it,s tail outstretched.The very long tail can be seen protruding from the tree trunk.To my mind it,s the best big cat photo taken in Sussex to date of a leopard , i,m not sure but it,s certainly big......

UPDATE:This picture has now been verified by big cat researchers up and down the country and the photographer Carol Cowley has had it published in the new big cat book by Rick Minter "Big cats:Facing up to Britains wild predators".A cleaned up version of this picture is on view at bigcatsinsussex.co.uk .......

Young fallow buck in evening sun

Different sort of camera angle for a change,pulling all the stumps out in the quest for the sought after big cat pictures but this buck is a nice bonus......

Mangy fox still about

That mangy fox is still alive and kicking and actually looks reasonably well fed.It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few weeks like whether the mange clears up and the fur grows back or,what is commonly thought,that they mostly die of the disease.This one is fat enough to show it,s still feeding well enough so we shall see.The roe have gone,presumably feeding on the new hazel bud tips but this muntjac shows occasionally as do the fallow,albeit not with the frequency that they did in the dark months........

Roe doe mirrors the bucks movements

This roe doe with a yearling on tow enters the clearing that the buck is in and follows where he has gone and also mirrors his actions.At one point she flattens her ears.Apparently ,the yearlings are left to go about their own way in the world or are even chased off this month........

Roe doe joined by yearling

Roe doe deer in downland wood

It,s time to lift all the cams from their more exposed spots and by exposed i mean exposed to being found.In this downland wood ,now the ground has dried out a little, people are starting to show up where they haven,t been all winter,still,most people are honest especially people who are in the countryside and all credit to the 2 people who walked past this trail camera and didn,t tamper with it.This roe doe which is noticeable by it,s anal tush could well be quite pregnant now but is obviously aware to something in the cover ahead of her........

Pheasant just walks past mangy fox

In an everyday world a pheasant wouldn,t just walk past a fox as it looks like one has done here but this fox has got a pretty bad case of mange and it looks like it,s very uncomfortable to say the least.Excrutiatingly painful would probably be more accurate and a very commonplace sight as well at the moment as i,ve seen a lot of mangy foxes around but not seen them twice so i would assume they actually die of it.....

Big cat seen in Brighton

There,s an article about a big cat seen inside a Sussex town today.If you Google "theargus.co.uk" and then search the online paper for "Has the Preston Park Panther been on the prowl?" it should come up........

Hare at dawn then hen pheasant

An okish pic of a hare to come off the harecam at the time expected for them to move off the arable and go through the wood.I,m so out of practice with hares these days but at an educated guess it,s a youngish jack.For hares to move off just after dawn at predicted places denotes they are settled into established feeding and resting patterns which is good,to have any night shots or middle of the day ones here would suggest they have been disturbed or the fodder is not right for them and it,s very natural for hares to pause once they have entered a "new" piece of ground like this one has here which is why i put the cam at this spot........

2 fallow deer in the daytime

I forgot to upload the pictures last first,a strange quirk of Blogger,so these pics are back to front.I,ve noticed the deer are around more in the daytime now,these 2 black fallow look like they are looking to feed,this would suggest that food is a little short for them even though some sheltered grassy spots and the winter wheat have started to grow.The hazel is starting to bud but i,ve not noticed any being eaten by deer yet so it,s probably not far enough advanced in growth for them yet.Fallow are grazers as well as browsers so food for them is rarely far away unlike for the roe who have to search it out more.Black fallow are typical of Sussex spreading from releases from Petworth and a couple of smaller estates in the middle of the last century i think it was,in the New forest they are the classic brown and more spotty in summer.......

Badger at night

Nothing too exciting from harecam this,the first week it,s been set.Just a,bit over exposed,badger,a pheasant and a roe with it,s tongue out,it look like it,s been running a bit for some reason.No hares yet but will have to wait and see........

Panting roe/pheasant