Love is in the air

Love is in the air. Da da da da da. Love is in the aiiiiiiir. What wonderful watching these two have made over the past few weeks. Utterly content with each other and just chilling out. I love it. Now, I have been told that my choice of music for this clip is absolutely cringe-worthy but I thought it must surely be better than Kev's suggestion of J'taime. Unimaginable isn't it - tainting these two sweethearts with such lewd lyrics. Tut tut Kevin.



But seriously, can it get any sweeter. When we first saw these two lovebirds it was all rubbing each other up and bickering. Now their relationship has blossomed into a chilled out relaxed-ness. Over the past two years my vast array of stealth cameras, GL80s and Prowler HD's, amongst others, have provided me with an amazing insight into the secret life of mammals (and other random creatures). I've seen rats leaping, and swinging from, ridiculous heights, I've seen hedgehogs scale blocks way too big for their little legs. Hey, I've even seen a group of badgers sitting around so similar to a group of old men, they might as well have been smoking pipes. Its all been wonderful (look at me getting all sentimental) but these badgers must be some of my favourite footage. Pure emotion. All they need now is a little cub pattering around their feet.

Badgers. I love you. I think that I've said all I can do about badger romance, except of course for this .....

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oooh!Oh-oh-oooh-oh-oh!

Caught in a bad(ger) romance.

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oooh! Oh-oh-oooh-oh-oh!

Caught in a bad(ger) romance.

Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah!Roma-Roma-ma-ah!Ga-ga-ooh-la-la!

Want your bad(ger) romance

Absolutely terrible I know, but there you are. A bit of badger GaGa for you to enjoy. Who wouldn't love it? I do.

Go Prowler HD!

Theres nothing better than putting my cameras to good use. And by good use I mean finding the first records of badgers in a certain area (sssshhhh its a secret) for nigh on 60 years. Yep, Prowler HD to the rescue. My good ranger friend set up a couple of my cameras in a very unlikely spot after his son spotted a few strange holes (trust kids to clamber up and down cliffs and make such an exciting discovery). Thinking that capturing a fox on camera might be quite nice, the ranger (we'll call him Mike) left the camera to its own devices and thought nothing more of it.

So imagine his surprise (and mine) when the memory card was filled with badger antics such as these ...

And the good times kept on rolling. I currently have 3 discs full of clips of badgers that Mike has kindly given me (thank goodness he's a sharer) so my Tuesday at work is pretty darn cool. Meetings? Nah. Paperwork and spreadsheets? No thanks. Saving the planet one mammal at a time? Maybe tomorrow. Right now, watching badgers coat each other in musky scent and frolic in the dead of night is something that I can definitelty do.

And the exciting species didnt stop there. Last week met me with the descent of a flock of wax wings on the trees outside the wildlife trust's headquarters in Gosforth. My first sighting of wax wings ever. Who knew birds could be so awesome. No offence to all the bird lovers out there but as a general rule, if it aint a mammal (or an amphibian at a push), I aint interested. But really, what a great way to spend those last few minutes between work closing and the pub opening. Bliss.

Further bliss is the final, final showing of some colour in this barren winter landscape. The snowdrops are out and this gives me hope. Now I know these flower earlier than most but still, its nice to think that spring is finally on its way and with it, some sunshine and cutesy, fluffy cubs of all species for my cameras to film.