Land/Water Wildlife

I placed some leftovers out to feed the Opossum and found out why the birdbath is empty every morning.

 

What you doing on my land?


I dont trust you so I'm going to keep an eye on you.

 

Sand Lizards.

 

I've just been watching a young Red Deer stag scratching himself against a tree in the garden. Being quite close I didn't dare move to get my camera.

 

Smooth Snake.


Raft Spiders.

 

@strongylodon - wow, superb! Sand lizards and smooth snakes are extremely rare in this country (the latter as they depend mostly on lizards for their diet!). But I guess you know that.. whereabouts were those pictures taken?
Incidentally, the 2nd lizard pic is I think a common lizard (which looks pregnant), and the 1st indeed a female sand lizard.

 

@AdrianBg The second one may be a Common looking at it again, colour pattern and smaller head but they were almost next to each other and automatically thought Sand. It is gravid I know.
The Smooth Snake was at Arne RSPB where I am a volunteer and the Sand Lizards are found in and on a pile of discarded tiles on a Dorset Wildlife Trust reserve a few miles from home. I first saw them there five years ago.

There are also about six sites along the coast here between Abbotsbury Gardens( west of Weymouth) and Bournemouth where Wall Lizards have been released (illegally) and are now thriving, when I don't know but they are easier to find than Common Lizards!
BTW the raft spiders are also found at Arne.

 

One of 9 Raft spiders at Arne today.


The first Wasp spider of the year eating what looks like a Damsel fly.


Nursery Web spider.


Red Banded Sand Wasp.

 

@strongylodon - amazing that you can see 3 species of lizard (slow-worms aside) near you! I always get a kick out of seeing common lizards which we do quite often around here. Apparently we have wall lizards here in Kent too; there are colonies in Folkestone among other places. I'd love to see one, but never have yet - I don't know why but I'd get a real kick out of spotting one over here even though they're so ubiquitous once you cross the channel.

 

Lots of Wasp spiders about now and growing in size.
Female waiting for.......


The poor male, quarter of her size and here tapping the web to get a hopefully positive response in order to mate. Even if he does he could end up being her next meal.

 

I came across a family of river otters today and it was a delight to watch them enjoying life and each other. In the photo, the otter on top looked at me and began making a snorting noise and the one underneath came up to investigate. Then, the whole family came over to see the odd creature on the bank.

 

Baby Cottontail.

 

White tail buck.

 

A skunk beat the opossum to the food I left out for it.