Scozmo's Photery

October – Week 3 Part 2

Good grief, there’s more? Well, the past two days have been quite busy, walking and photographically speaking, that said, it’s pouring out of the heavens today hence, I’m sitting here typing 🙂

Also, I must add a squeamish warning, there are images of a rat contained within, not everyone likes them.

You may not remember but when I left you, I was down at the ponds, I’d just been admiring an Autumnal Acorn; I followed the tree line all the way round and back to the lane, not a path I take very often and one reason was that I started counting the apple trees on the patch. I’d reached five and was walking along glancing into the woods beside me, that’s where all the apples are, when I heard a screeching sound. I stopped, opened Merlin on my phone to help ID the screeches, maybe a young Sparrowhawk? I stepped towards the woods and the old fallen fence when the screeching got louder and I looked down!

A Brown Rat was half way through the fence but it had come through a loop that was too small for the rest of its body and was obviously stuck, screeching and squirming because I was close and had just stepped closer so, I backed off.

Now I’m no fan of rats, we were bothered by them in the garden in S. Wales because of the large pond nearby but as long as they stick to themselves and keep out of our property they can just go about their business. Having said that, this one was obviously stuck.

Firstly, I backed away, no need to add to its issues, secondly, I don’t think I’ve ever had such an opportunity to photograph one up close so, chatting to it, I grabbed some shots.

Yes, I talked to it!!! 🙂 Poor thing, stuck fast so I looked around for anything I could do, I didn’t want to reach down to it, I just know it would bite and no-one wants that, I tried moving the fence, see if I could manipulate the wire in any way but nope. I do think if it backed up, it may be able to get through but I doubt that would happen, sadly so, I walked away.

No animal deserves to be trapped, just an opinion but seeing it stuck there, in distress was not nice, that’s nature and our intervention, building a fence.

I walked back to the lane and started up the hill, which I did in almost a oner! It’s pretty steep but I’m working on it.

I stopped back at the old Oak to watch the birds for a few moments, carried on down past the reed beds where I surprised a group (family?) of Dunnock in the weeds by the lane.

A much overlooked but bonnie wee bird.

I turned to set off up the last wee hill ….

A young Stonechat, fighting the wind to stay on its chosen stem. That’s what I love about Stonechats, they’ll stay up there for ages but this youngster was maybe curious? Certainly allowed me pretty close.

OK maybe one step too close as it flitted farther on but not too far 🙂

It landed in the hedge that runs up the hill towards the house, my favourite bit of hedge, at the right times of year, the birds seem to congregate here at this time of year. I don’t remember seeing so many Stonechat around before but, that could be just my aging memory 🙂

See! The Reed Buntings appear here quite often from here on so, stand by for many more shots of them 🙂 She didn’t hang around but, a little further on …

The flooding set are only zoomed by foot! 🙂

And finally ….

OK, that one is cropped, I just love that glare! WILL YOU STOP THAT! Please? 🙂

Maybe its not a Nikon fan?

So that was the end of my walk, that last stretch up the hill was sheltered from the cold wind and with the sun full on my back, I was now roasting inside my coat, fleece, t-shirt ensemble but felt good.

Like the wee white Chaffinch under blue sky, I love when a bird or beastie does their best to get you the shot 🙂

Until next week, stay safe, go for a walk under trees, near running water. Stop, take in the rays, if you get any and let it all soak in.

October 2025

patch photos