I love driving along country lanes in the dark. The reason: the wildlife that can be seen.
Last night was such an occasion, and, although I sometimes draw a complete blank, that was far from the case. First sighting was of a fox, soon followed by a badger. each of these could first be seen by the reflection of my headlights in their eyes. Then a mouse ran across the road, soon after to be followed by a rat which was attempting to scale a bank before my approach.
Later I was quite astonished to see two foxes together on the road. As I slowed to see what they were about they confronted each other and began fighting. They did not engage in the sort of fox boxing that is frequently observed between male and female, with each fox on hind legs sparring with each other; rather these two were rolling over and over and seemed to mean real business. I suspect therefore that they were two males contesting a territory.
The problem with this form of wildlife viewing of course is that you are not often able to stop and really observe what is happening, but for seeing creatures that you might not otherwise readily see, it has a great deal to offer.
No comments:
Post a Comment