Tag Archive: carpathian wildlife

Black Woodpecker

blackwoodpecker2

This evening I’m a happy man as I finally managed to photograph the annoyingly elusive black woodpecker (Dryocopus martius). These birds, along with the golden oriole I photographed earlier this year, have been tauting me for decades. Similarly, neither species of bird seems to sit still long enough  to be photographed. They’re crap photos I […]

Owls and Martens

uralowl

Today I went to check on the house and got to drive through some pretty thick snow. Vlochka, my Discovery, really has her use sometimes. On the way home I spotted a Ural owl just sitting on a branch about twenty feet from the road. For once, the sky was vaguely blue and the bright […]

Bushcraft Magazine Winter 2017/108 issue

Bushcraft Magazine UK Winter 2017 2018-p01

This issue features one of my true horror stories from the forest – White Out – plus my photo of wolf tracks in the snow is on the cover. Order yourself a copy or sign up for a subscription here – The Bushcraft Magazine. Bushcraft Magazine is suited for both beginners and experts and covers […]

Harsh temperatures inbound

village church in snow

I really thought we’d get away with a mild winter this year and thus didn’t bother switching off my water. After seeing this week’s forecast, with temperatures dropping below minus 20, we headed out to the house to switch everything off and drain the pipes. It never saves everything – there’s always the odd tap […]

Tracking wolves over New Year

snowcabin

We spent the Christmas/New Year holidays at the house. When we arrived the inside temperature was 3 degrees Centigrade but slowly, and with a great deal of wood burning, we managed to get it up to a livable temperature. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the extreme winter like we did last year- we only had snow […]

When the fox sits with deer

reddeerfox

This photo carries such enormous weight and induces a realization which could easily be dismissed as anthropomorphisation. But it isn’t. They’re wild animals. However, the event surrounding the photograph kept me awake all night thinking about it with a deep sadness and an attempt at understanding. We’d been on our evening walk when we encountered […]

Red Deer Stag Rut

stagfield

It’s that time of year again when the valley in which my house is located resounds with the baying of rutting stags, day and night. This year there are quite a few of them. It’s amazing to be in the middle of a challenge and to watch these giant beasts screaming at each other. One […]

The end of summer

doublerainbow

A double rainbow… Summer just wasn’t long enough this year. In fact, life isn’t long enough. There are so many things to do and see, and places to go. Autumn is being a real let down with night time temperatures around zero, meaning it looks like we’re just going to go straight into winter. I […]

Raccoon Dogs (finally!), with video

raccoondogs

Well, they’ve been on my bucket list ever since I learned of their existence in my area but last night was the first time I’ve ever seen them in the flesh. Raccoon Dogs (or Psík medvedíkovitý, as they’re known in Slovakia), possibly the most primitive form of canid on the planet, are an ‘invasive species’ […]

All creatures great and small

stormsunset

Summer is finally here and with it comes a selection of animals that we don’t see at other times of the year. Sadly, even after a horrifically long and cold winter, we’ve only had a few hot days thus far. Hopefully, the weather will pick up at some point. Probably the most noticeable summer visitor […]

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