Life in the British landscape Archive

rats in thetford

Thetford Town center is great for watching wildlife including Otters and Kingfishers but, just as interesting are Brown rats that live by the river. The rats have their life made easy by the people feeding the ducks. Rats can be seen in and by the river catching and eating the bread missed by the ducks.

 

 

 

 

 

Roe Deer in the British Landscape

Beavers at Knapdale, mid Argyll

The Beaver absent from the UK for over 400 years has been reintroduced to trial sites in Scotland. One of these sites is Knapdale Forest mid Argyll where the Beavers are been monitored carefully to assess their impact on the environment before a possible permanent reintroduction is considered.

It is possible to see the beavers at Knapdale especially in the early morning and in the evening. There is an excellent visitor centre and walks are organised by staff round the lochs where the beavers live.

All these images where taken over a couple of days in July. On one beaver tags can be seen so that it can be tracked as part of the monitoring program.

More information on the beavers can be found at this website:

http://www.scottishbeavers.org.uk/

Otters in the Norfolk Landscape

I saw an otter on the Blackbourne river in Suffolk 25 years ago and there have been signs and sighting of otters living in North Suffolk and south Norfolk since then. In the last few years the otter population has increased but seeing them has always been a challenge, usually involving getting up ridiculously early and standing about for hours with only a small chance of success.

However, recently in Thetford a group of around four otters has been seen regularly in the rivers that flow through the town centre. Otters can be seen during daylight hours fishing, playing and on the river-banks. The following images were taken in and around Thetford.

Butterflies in the British landscape

Brown Hare hiding in evening wheat Lepus europaeus

Hares in the Suffolk Landscape

The Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) can be seen quite frequently on the arable farmland of West Suffolk, early morning and evening are the best times to watch Hares.

The hare images on the page were all taken within a couple of miles of where I live mostly using a car as a hide. Over time the local hares have got used to my car and are happy to come quite close, sometimes too close to get photographs.

More of my Brown hare images can be found in the “Farming and wildlife Norton Suffolk” section of this website

Life and Landscape in East Anglia