WHAT ELSE I SAW TODAY

[Kev]

Well.... saturday.
When I was in the woods I saw something like a very large squirrel bound across the bridleway ahead of me. Sadly too quick to photograph but it was black/dark with quite a bushy tail and bounded with 2 feet at a time like a squirrel does. I couldn't think what it might be but after seeing an item on the One Show with a pine marten in it I think that could well have been what I saw. All the more pity not to have snapped it as they're quite reclusive creatures.

[Placido]

Oh wow, Kev, what a spot and what a pity. Imagine that in the competition. ah well .......

[nuthatch]

Good one, Kev

Wonder though if it was a black squirrel

[Kev]

If it was it was huge! It was 2-3 times the size of a squirrel. It crossed a 20ft wide bridle way in only 2 bounds.

[nuthatch]

That bit didn't register

[Jacksparrow]

Without wishing to pry into your private life is it possible to say where the sighting was. Was it any where near habitation?

[Kev]

It was exactly in the centre of this
https://goo.gl/maps/iV8vD

I was standing just to the top right where the bridleway 'junction' is.
It jumped across, roughly where the brown line is that crosses the greenery in the centre, going right to left from my viewpoint.

[Jacksparrow]

If it was a Pine Marten it was a very exiting spot in that area of the country. It may be worth enquiring if anyone else has had a similar sighting. there are a couple of other possibilities as to what you saw. A Polecat is not dissimilar( the male is quite big) and there is an outside chance it was a hunting Moggy but I'm not saying you didn't see what you thought you saw.

[Kev]

I'm certain it wasn't a cat. It ran/jumped in the same way as a squirrel does with that distinctive 2 footed bound.

They do have a log book near the entrance of that wood so next time I'm up there I'll have a scan through the book and see if anyone else has seen it.

[Jacksparrow]

I shifted my garden waste bin today and to my surprise there was a very much awake Smooth Newt underneath. They go almost black over winter except for their belly which is orange with black spots. I see the occasional Frog during the winter when I am gardening but this is only the second time in nearly 30 years I've seen a newt.