I ran into mother Roe Deer and the smallest of her triplets, they both seemed unperturbed and carried on feeding even though I was only about 3 metres away.

Thankfully they both look fit and healthy.

Big thanks to Brian at Northumberland Zoo who very kindly took time out from his busy day to show me his Polaris Ranger electric vehicle, as I am I’m hoping to get one for the reserve.

First time I’ve been to Northumberland Zoo, much bigger than I thought and all the animals looked in tip top condition. They are also doing some super conservation and release work which I wasn’t aware of. Maybe in the future we can help out, they have programs for Dormice, Harvest Mice and White Clawed Crayfish.

Couldn’t resist taking a few picks when looking around.

Worth a visit https://www.northumberlandzoo.co.uk/

I had a nasty surprise yesterday when an unwelcome furry little friend suddenly dashed out of the reeds on Dunces Corner Pond and had a go at one of the Moorhens. At first it was just a black furry blur but as I waited the visitor swam out in front of me allowing me to get a couple of pictures.

I’m awaiting confirmation but I’m pretty sure its an American Mink, a pretty savage predator especially for waterfowl.

Our little Grebes have finally produced their second brood, they produced 3 little chicks yesterday.

Here is a few pics of our new arrivals:-

I managed to sneak a little video of Mum out with the three youngsters last night. Quite the gangly little teenagers now, coming up to 3 months old.

We have been doing regular Moth surveys on the reserve (when I see we, I mean Brian, Marty and Liz).

On Friday nights survey we broke the 100 species mark so I thought I would post the list and a few pics of my favourites to mark the occasion. Considering there are more than 2,500 species in the UK its maybe not a major milestone, but for me (no moth expert) it is!!

Many thanks to Brian, Liz and Marty for the education.

Just a few pics taken this week of some of our furry residents.

John and I are building a dry stone wall around Dunces Corner Hide hoping it will encourage our furry little friends, it seems to be working already.

Thanks to Lynda, John & Glenda and Rob our outdoor classroom is now just about finished. It will also act as a waiting area for beaver, cub and scout visits.

Many thanks to the IMMI group of workers who turned up today to help out on the reserve. Thanks to John and Michelle for organising the visit.

The guys and gals worked hard on our Sand Martin nesting bank.

It’s Sammy the ‘Bog Pigeons’ 1st Birthday and he celebrated the day and the warm weather with a nice refreshing dip.