Hello Safari fans. It appears that Spring has sprung and although the days this week promise a deluge of rain (still welcome after the Summer drought in 2022) I am tying to find every opportunity I can to get out in the sunshine.
Luckily for me, on a couple of days this week early morning is a time of beautiful light and a reprieve from the rain that promises to follow later on in the day.
As you all know Phil and I have not long moved in and the lighter mornings have only just arrived. Today was perfect for an early morning safari.
I set out today with the hope of spying a fox. It took me many months to see one when in Chorleywood and then many months after that to learn where they frequent. For this reason and the fact that foxes often see you before you see them I had to set my hopes high but my expectations were low.
I managed to get into the most beautiful countryside within about 20 minutes of walking and was treated to a lovely sunrise so I really enjoyed spying bunnies in the long grass and birds flitting through the hedgerows.
As I dropped down onto the road I encountered a footpath as I had expected but I hadn’t realised how extensive the network of footpaths is. Google Maps let me tell you only shows you a fraction of the paths that are accessible on foot. The world favours car drivers. If you go to the site Mapometer though you can see the myriad of footpaths and land with public access and get a good idea of where you are going and the different areas to walk in. It is what I use when planning large loops for my walks .
I was just walking down a pathway when something caught my eye ahead. It moved suddenly and then stopped and much sooner than I had ever dared hope for I was staring directly into the chocolate brown eyes of a fox .
My fox was not hanging about. He whipped round and ran at full gallop across the field. I had been experimenting with my camera settings and also as I had almost slipped over I had the lens cap on my camera so I narrowly missed this moment between us where he stood and looked at me. I caught him though mid gallop across the field, the sunlight cascading across his golden back.
It is a wonderful thing meeting a fox. I can’t describe the thrill of it. Even encountering them neck deep in a food recycling bin enthrals me. They are elusive and intelligent and extremely hard to photograph. I love the challenge of them.
A little further down I noticed a shape on a fence post. This could only be one animal, a common buzzard.
In the Chilterns Buzzards are outnumbered by Red Kites and although I have seen them hovering above the River Chess they are not as numerous. Here in the Midlands they are in abundance and as a newcomer the novelty of them has not worn off and I’m not sure it ever will.
Buzzards have a 48 to 60 inch wingspan and they are very impressive to see. This particular individual had in his mighty talons what I think was the remains of a rabbit. This meant he was content to pose for photos. Sadly as I was at a respectful distance and the sun was directly behind him it was hard to get a clear shot but this is by far the closest I have ever been to this species of bird.
The rest of the walk was beautiful. The sun was out and the Magnolias which line the streets of Burcott into Bromsgrove are in full bloom. It was absolutely lovely to be out again exploring a new area.
Mapometer promises many many walks and variations of this loop so hopefully I can bring you many more safaris as the weather permits in the coming days. I think though that my plan is to maintain my circuit on this route for a while. It will be interesting to see if Mr Fox is a regular visit to this particular field or if this was indeed just a case of being in the right place at the right time.
Thank you for reading, have a beautiful day everyone x
Emma's Safaris 