The Lynx Effect

Last Father's day I received a fantastic gift "from my daughter". One of those gifts which I have a sneaking suspicion is just as much for my wife as myself. 😁

After sourcing all the necessary materials to get it functioning, we set it up overlooking the feeders.

Whilst not massively impressive tech in regards to image quality, it has been very interesting to know what goes on during the night at our feeding station.

White-Tailed Deer have been raiding the feeders at night. We've even seen them tipping one of the feeders to knock peanuts to the ground.

Plenty of Hares coming in for the oats. 

One of the 3 local cats. 

Getting the camera to do what we want is complex with the myriad of settings available, and consequently we have been experimenting a lot.

The camera paid off massively in the wee hours of Saturday morning.

At 01.33 this Hare triggered the camera, feeding on spilled sun flower seeds and grain.

Then, ~4 minutes later, this utter beast dashed across, triggering the camera.

A Eurasian Lynx!! 

Presumably making a play for said Hare.

This White-Tailed Deer at similar distance should help you to appreciate the size, as should the cat up-page.

Apart from the obvious size, note the head and ear shape, the bulk and musculature, you can just about make out some spotting on the front leg, and that solid black tip to the short tail. 

Alas, experimenting as we were, we had not set the camera for video mode.

Lynx was not something we realistically expected, and certainly not in the very first week! If it was going to happen, we expected that it would be in the depth of winter, when the lake was frozen and perhaps one took a short cut across the ice.

Consequently we had chosen settings that would save battery, not filling up on videos of deer and bunnies. Needless to say, that's been changed now.

With Lynx scored in such a short window, it's tempting to believe that perhaps the animal or animals regularly follow the shore around the lake. Hopefully it's not the last.

Birding has been relatively pleasant. No Pine Grosbeak for me yet, but plenty of Waxwing still about, and woodpeckers in abundance.

This Waxwing appears to have a broken bill. Doesn't seem to be impacting it too much.

Little stunners

I find November to be one of the better months for Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. I adore these little things and two this weekend both gave good views.

Best of the rest were female Grey Headed Woodpecker in the garden, our regular bird, our second Smew, a male seen from the pier, and a juv Long Tailed Duck as a garden tick.