Saturday, June 27, 2015

In the still of the night at La Pasera

In the still of the night when we are asleep, the garden continues to host an array of wildlife we rarely see or think about... What happens in your garden at night?


As dusk falls, the birds call out the end of the day before roosting in bushes, trees and crevices. The bats take flight and feast on the abundant mist of midges, flies and moths and the owls fly low from perch to perch in search of mice, voles and frogs. The frogs begin their chatter and the toads sing out loud announcing their presence to passing mates. Meanwhile the snails and slugs exit their daytime refuge and take advantage of the cooler air and dew that settles on the grasses and plants, easing their journey to feast on luscious greens and petals.







Excitement grows for Wentworth and Gawber as they tune in to the music of the night. A rustle here, a flutter there, a call in the distance, both Wentworth and Gawber finely tune their senses to ensure their safety and maintain their territory. A large male stag beetle signals its presence with a loud whirring noise as it navigates the garden only to be chased by two curios and playful cats.








Every so often we sit in the darkness on the terrace and experience the sounds and sights of the night. It is amazing to think that within a few meters, creatures great and small are feeding, travelling to and fro and, on constant alert for friend or foe. It is clear that we only ever experience a fraction of the abundance of life that uses our garden.



Here is a short compilation of night-time infrared videos filmed in the wildest parts of our plot. It features, badgers, deer, fox, pine marten, hedgehog, wild boar, a raton and of course, cats. When we view the films we can often see the reflections of curious cats eyes watching from a distance. The final scene is a lovely reminder that our domesticated cats bridge the life in the garden we know and the life we rarely catch a glimpse of...




ANIMALTALES

12 comments:

  1. What a wonderful post! Your photos are great and the video superb. I wouldn't be too keen on wild boar rooting about in my garden, although I would be excited to see them. Only seen them twice, in daylight, and the second time they were running for their lives away from hunters. :-(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Mandy, we have little choice with the boar but at least they remain in the wilder areas. I wouldn't want to come across one by choice though.

      Delete
  2. Ian, you've surpassed yourself! Text and photos provide great joy. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Manfred for your kind words. I am sure your plot will be even more inhabited than ours.

      Delete
  3. Brilliant to hear about nightly activities, so often we have no idea what happens around us at night.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Ashley. It's another world we know little about.

      Delete
  4. What a fabulous post, Ian - it is so easy to forget that a whole new set of wildlife comes out at night, so often hidden from our eyes (if not our ears) - the "stones" that are in fact toads, that move and make me jump, remind me on many an evening that not all the world sleeps when we do! I love all your photos (and the video) especially the moth shot. Stunning!

    Many thanks for adding night-time animals to #AnimalTales

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for organising #AnimalTales - you have a great range of contibutors.

      Delete
  5. lovely post and photos, judging by the noise at night, our garden fills up with cats

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's a few extra cats around here as well Chickenruby judging by the number of spats ours get into.....

      Delete
  6. Your photos are wonderful, how idyllic it must be to live where you do. My mum and dad are very much looking forward to staying with you next week and I am thoroughly enjoying reading through your blog photos and posts.

    Warmest regards from Manchester
    Holly

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Holly - We are reaslly looking forward to seeing your Mum and Dad also - it's been too long.

      Delete

Click link to read more.