The other day my wife and I were going out to dinner. I had booked a table at the Warren House Inn situated North-East of Postbridge on the B3212. Some people say it is the second highest pub in England and some the tenth highest, to be honest I'm really not bothered, but it is cited in a fantastic location on Dartmoor. Fantastic for anyone doing anything outdoors whether it is Photography, Walking, Cycling etc. or even just to sit and admire the view.
 

Whilst driving on the way to the pub I noticed a Fox standing on a large Boulder looking down over the edge. I pulled over to observe what it was doing. We watched it for a while and it just stayed still and kept looking at something on the ground. We found this a bit strange as it was still broad daylight. It was a fair distance away so it took no notice of us and we stayed in the car so we would not scare it off and it would lose its meal, if that was what it was after. After about 10 minutes we drove on as the table had been booked and our tummies were moaning to us that they needed food. The next day, a couple of hours earlier then the time we had seen the fox, I went to the location with my Camera Equipment, set it up and waited to see "if" it returned. Apart from my camera and Lens I brought along my Monopod for support. When I am sat on the ground waiting for wildlife I use a monopod instead of a Tripod because I find it less cumbersome to move when the Wildlife appears from a different direction. I could handhold it but a monopod gives me just a little bit more support to achieve a sharper photo. I set it up in a way that the light would be behind me but also I had my back and one side to a boulder so that the wildlife could not see my human outline. I waited, about 4 hours, till the light had gone but the fox did not return. It is a good location and I will return but I'm afraid work gets in the way.
 

I've recently told you about my exploits on the Isle of Mull and my reluctance to go there for years due to the dreaded Midge. Well I have just heard some great, news. A Bat with a appetite for midges has increased in numbers in Scotland by about 79% since 2009, according to a new report, following years of decline. The bat, a Common Pipistrelle, can eat up to 3,000 midges in a single night according to the Scottish Natural Heritage. There are several reasons for this increase which include:- Legal Protection, Less harmful timber treatment chemicals and The loss of fewer roosts to development. There are still many threats to bats and one that I noticed quite a bit when I drove to Mull was the amount of Wind farms. These wind turbines are a threat to Birds and bats. At the moment, I believe, the RSPB is fighting to reduce the amount of wind turbines because of the threat to wildlife and yet it wants to erect a wind turbine on land right next to its headquarters at The Lodge in Sandy, Bedfordshire, hypocrites or what! This action was being considered last year and I do not know what the outcome was. See http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/seenature/reserves/guide/t/thelodge/windturbine/ for more information. I really hope that bats do increase their numbers as it would be lovely to see. Also it might reduce midge numbers and give me the chance to visit Scotland a lot more as it is a fantastic place for wildlife photography.
 

I was out early this morning walking my dog on the moor and noticed that a farmer had collected three round bales of Bracken. I had never seen this before so when I got back home I looked on the Internet to find out why this had been done. Apparently bracken is gathered up by farmers in Autumn to use as animal bedding instead of straw. It can also be used as a surface mulch to retain moisture and suppress weed growth and, it can be used as fertilizer in ash form. In the New Forest in Hampshire there were trials to use bracken as a potting medium for hardy ornamental plants. The only downside was that to get this potting medium it had to be mixed with peat.