My Castle Cary Wildlife Photos- May 2022
Updated: Jul 19, 2022
Here are my favourite photos of wildlife captured in May around Castle Cary, Somerset.
This month I managed to see my first kingfisher and get a photo of it at the same time. As well as this I also saw plenty of wildlife including barn owls, bats, rabbits, foxes, deer and buzzards to name a few! Unfortunately, I can't always get a photograph of them all. For example, I watched a fox sneak up and chase rabbits but the grass was too long to get a clear photograph. It was still amazing to watch the fox in action as it chased the leaping rabbits trying to live another day. I didn't see the outcome of this hunt as they ran into a hedge and I lost sight. I never know if I want the rabbits to survive or the fox to eat. In moments like this I really feel connected with the natural world around and am grateful for the opportunity to witness these sights first-hand!
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Kingfisher
Here is my first photograph of a kingfisher. I am so happy I managed to get a photograph and see one of these beautiful birds as it has been on my list for a long time. I was walking along a footpath through Carymoor early one morning and out of the corner of my eye saw a flash of orange. I couldn't believe it when I realised it was a kingfisher. I very quickly grabbed my camera and managed to take a few photos before it flew off out of sight. I hope to see another one down there again soon and capture more photographs of this beautiful and rarely seen bird.
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Barn Owl
This is my best photo of a barn owl to date. I have seen the owl a few times at Carymarsh but never managed to get a good photograph of it. Being so quiet and being able to blend into the trees so well, they are easy to miss. I just managed to spot a flash of white, fly from one branch to another. Even then it took me a minute of peering through the leaves to see it. It was amazing to watch it as it sat still watching my every move. I would have loved to have taken a photograph of it in flight, but there were too many trees in the way this time. Now I know where to look, I have seen it regularly and hope to capture more photographs over time.
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Deer
This month I saw a lot more deer around than I normally do. It is always such a special sight to see these magnificent creatures roaming the wilderness. I often see them on my way to the reserve too, jumping across the roadways or grazing in the surrounding fields. Last summer I was also treated to a clear view of a mother with her young, one by one they simultaneously poked their heads up into a field, full of sunflowers, until all three were watching me on a summer's evening. Perhaps the deer in the pictures above are the same ones, grown-up or even ready to produce their own young.
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Great Tits
Great tits as well as blue tits are dominant in the trees and hedgerows currently. I even see them on my bird feeder at home now too.
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Common Chaffinch
I love hearing the Common Chaffinch sing and chirping when I am out and about. I also love seeing the bright colours of their plumage. This is my favourite photo I have taken so far of one as it was looking for food on the floor. Here is a link to the Wildlife World YouTube channel to hear the chaffinch singing and chirping.
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Grey Squirrel
Here's a grey squirrel nibbling away on some of the wild bird seed, left by another visitor to the reserve. I can often hear the squirrels dashing through the trees or calling to each other. Have you ever heard a squirrel cry? It is a very unique and somewhat daunting sound, until you realise the source! They are very inquisitive creatures, also currently visiting my bird feeder at home!
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Heron
I nearly always see a heron or two down the reserve, not always to take a photo of but every now and again I manage to get one. These creatures always look as though they belong to a different age with a prehistoric grace about them! I often see them fishing at the side of the pond, waiting to make their move.
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Don't forget to share these pictures with your animal loving friends and follow me on my social media pages. Also if you would like to purchase one of the photos above and it is not in my shop please contact me and I will be more than happy to help.
For more of my Wildlife Photographs click here
All the photos were captured using my Canon EOS R and Sigma 150-600mm (c) lens.