16. Levitating Lambs

I swear…lambs are totally nuts….!
I recently biked along a meadow, when I saw some strange white movements from the corner of my eye.
Some lambs were jumping around like crazy and for a moment I wondered if they might be suffering Mad Sheep Disease…
But after watching them for a while I discovered some logic…
All right, their game was a bit rough, but they did have their own lamb rules and associated lamb logic.

 1. Lamb Stacking
Taking a firm mother sheep as a solid base, a nice lamb stack can be built, up to 10 lambs high!
Goal: stacking as much lambs on one sheep as possible.

Building a solid base for the Lamb Stack

Negotiating positions: Extremely important for making a good 'Lambs Stack "

.. there's enough space for many more lambs. Eventually it became a tower of 7 (!) lambs. Unfortunately it crashed prematurely, so I couldn't take a photo...

 2.  Leap Lambing / Leap sheeping
Mother plays ‘frog’ by laying motionless, while the kids jump simultaneously or by turns over her.
Her head can be used to make even higher jumps.

Warming up...

A Perfect Leaplamb / Leapsheep

A 10 for landing!

3. Levitating Lamb
The rules are very simple: Everything is allowed as long as your paws don’t touch the ground.
Screw gravity!

Calmly hovering through the meadow...

or ... you just float the mother sheep....

And the real show-offs go pretty fast

And when the sun goes down ....... you float quietly to the stable. Tomorrow is yet another day full of new jumps!

There’s only one thing I just can’t put my finger on: How does such a cute & enthusiastic lamb transform in this kinda boring sweater on legs…?
Where in the process from lamb to sheep does it go wrong…?

Happy Easter!

15. Fox Talk

Just like you won’t understand a word, visiting a foreign country for the first time, it will take quite some time to master fox language.
But the longer your stay in Fox Nation, the more you will understand their conversations.
Of course you will never learn to speak flawless Fox, but understanding it will become increasingly easier.
At a certain point you just recognize that happy tail waggle, fearful grin or defiant attitude and more and more fox secrets will be revealed gradually .
Briefly said, foxes communicate in three different ways: by scentmarking, vocalizations and body language.

1. Scent marking
Foxes can’t build fences, barbed wire or warning signs.
But by scent-marking (defecating, urinating) they spread more or less the same message: ‘This is me and this is my territory. Cute girls are very welcome, potential competitors certainly  are not!.’
 
2. Vocalizations
There are said to be as much as 28 different sounds in a fox repertoire, like barking, yelling, murmuring, shrieking and whining up. Some are used in a more personal contact (like between mother and cub) and others for distant calls (like warning potential candidates / intruders  during the mating season).
Because sounds say more than a 1000 words, check this link.

3. Body Language
Words can say a lot, but unlike these words, body language never lies.
Through ears, tail, facial expression and posture, a fox very clearly shows his intentions.
While a wild swinging tail is an obvious sign of threat, a cheerful waggling tail indicates enthusiasm.
A horizontal positioned tail, with the tip raised tells this fox is in for  some sweet fox loving.
Ears turned outwardly/backwardly mean playtime, while ears turned backwardly against the skull are the sign for a less friendly game.
Maybe the subtle difference can be confusing for humans, but this body language speaks volumes to another fox:  ‘I’m  not amused and prepared  for a fierce confrontation.‘
Cubs have to practice this language,too and extensively play fight in order to learn.
With erect ears, tail up and stiff legged walking they show dominance.
By crouching with the tail low to the ground and mouth agape they express submission.
Foxes, being wise animals, preferably avoid bloodshed.
So, if f the opponent is not too impressive, measuring forces by pushing against each others flanks might be sufficient.
If the  conflict can’t be solved this way, coarser artillery will be deployed.
By standing on their hind legs, with open mouths and forelegs on the opponents shoulders, the foxes will try to overrule the enemy.
This fox ‘dance’ is also known as the fox trot. More about this in one of my next posts..

Submissive young fox (low posture, arched back, pulled back ears)

Fox cub / kit showing submissive behaviour towards elder sister / helper

Two fox cubs / kits measuring forces by pushing against each others flanks. (playfighting)

Scentmarking red fox

Submissive young fox

Young fox begging for food by nipping at his mothers mouth.

A fox fight: the ears flattened against the skull and the wide open mouths show this is serious

14. Reynards, vixens, kits & grooming…. (part 2)

Foxes have been notorious for decades, consistently put down as a symbol of trickery and deceit.
Many of us are raised with fairy tales about this so called sly and ferocious animal and it payed off:  Even I was made to believe that foxes are scary and dangerous creatures.
For a little mouse they must be the most frightening thing in the world, but I’ve never ever seen a fox showing any aggressive behaviour towards humans.

I acknowledge that finding your beloved chickens being reduced to a bunch of feathers must be an awful experience.
And a fox definitely isn’t going to contribute to a larger wading bird population either.
But hey, a fox has to eat, just like we do.
Compare the damage done by foxes to the mess we’re making as a species and think again….
Plus: we do have a choice how we treat our environment, while a fox is simply doing what he’s programmed to do.
Nothing more, nothing less. That’s what’s called nature.

Anyway, I was lucky to be able to closely witness fox behaviour and judge for myself.
Other than what these stories tell, I noticed that foxes are just as social, intelligent and charming as our four legged friends, if not even more…

Foxes are often seen alone and therefore they were thought to be solitary animals.
But especially in (sub)urban regions, with high food availability, foxes tend to live in social groups.
They hunt alone, but live together.

Foxes live in a family group, led by a mated pair.
Au contrary beliefs male and female don’t just meet during mating season.
Rumours go they bond for life….as a happily married and even monogamous couple.
While the vixen is pregnant, the dog fox takes care for her food.

Especially in urban areas, female foxes from a previous litter often stay part of the group to help mum raise and provise the new kits.
These subordinate foxes, so called ‘helpers’ forfeit their right to offspring that year.
Instead, they teach their new brothers and sisters everything a fox should know.
They show them how to hunt, play, fight and grow up to be strong and healthy hunters.

And of course this baby-sitting includes a lot of cleaning, hugging and caring.
This grooming is an important aspect in fox relationships, which in all probability contributes to better bonding.
Both mother and helpers often lay down with the kits for a good old cleaning session.
The kits are thoroughly washed, un-ticked and hugged.
As expected, these numerous attentions aren’t always appreciated by the kits.
They have more important things to do, like going out to explore this brand new and exciting world.

So far this little theory…..take a peek inside fox family life.
And I know….this might be 100% projection, but doesn’t it look like the kits are smiling while pampered by mum?

Grooming is an important aspect in fox relationships, which in all probability contributes to better bonding.

Fox kit thorougly cleaned by mum. They don't always seem to like all this affection..

...and at other times...they just seem to love it...

It's easy to imagine the young fox is even smiling...

A female from another litter- a so called 'helper' even gets groomed herself by the youngsters

Mother fox removes ticks from the fox cubs face

Fox mother and two of her fox kits

Fox cub greeting her mother

Grooming is an important aspect in fox relationships, which in all probability contributes to better bonding.

Fox mother cleaning her fox kits ear

And yet another cleaning session...

13. Fox Cubs (1)

It must have been about two years ago when I met my first fox and it was love at first sight.
I had always been fascinated by fairytale foxes, so well known for their slyness and intelligence.
I’d never have dreamt though, that a real fox could be even much more beautiful, social, creative and surprising than his fictitious version.

Since that day I immersed myself in fox behaviour.
I’ve seen them crawling, hugging, fighting, eating and hunting.
I admired them in their pretty winter fur and in their rumpled summer coat full of ticks.

Running mother and little fox cub

Two summers ago, on one of my fox ‘hunts’, I stumbled upon a little fox cub.
The cub was very shy, the harsh  light ruined my photos, but…it sure was an unforgettable moment!
Of course I tried to find them at a better time, but the next day the foxes had moved. (Later on I learned that fox families tend to do that during the first weeks.)

Mother fox cleaning fox cub

This encounter made a big impression and I decided to test my luck again this spring.
That turned out to be a little trickier than expected.
To put it shortly: I must have walked more than 200 miles, spent two full weeks in a train to get there and waited two very boring days staring at a (abandoned) fox den.

And then, on yet another ridiculously hot day, after another 20km of trudge, I plopped down on the grass, all sweaty, hungry, tired and pretty effing frustrated.
I just decided that it was about time to end this chance-less mission, when a white silhouette came walking towards me: The White Indian! (a remarkable person, always wearing white clothes and long white braided hair)
He friendly asked me how I was doing….

Suckling fox cub

Me: “Well….I’m completely fed up with these Foxes.
I’m trying so hard, but I just can’t find them.
And even when I almost found them,  I seem to loose them again..”
WI: “You know…..you’re just way too eager.”
Me: “Maybe, but how could I not be eager….?
This is my mission, these are my favourite animals, how can I not …?”
WI: And yet….you just have to let go…”
Me: “Easier said than done, but I guess you’re right.
I ‘ve waisted so much time and energy: Enough is enough. I’m done. I give up. I ‘m letting go NOW!.
“Good”. The WI said.
“And you’ll see from the moment you let go, you will find exactly what you were looking for.“
Me: “Yeah Right, in a Perfect World! “

And -I’m not lying- at that precise moment, a vixen came running by.
The way she walked somehow triggered my last bit of energy.
“I put you on Hold White Indian, I’ve got one last fox thing to do….”
So I carefully followed the fox, expecting her to disappear in the prickly bushes to leave me behind like a fool who doesn’t know when to stop…

A six week old fox cub

Just when I was about to joggle back,  I saw something red wriggling in the bushes.
So I moved a little closer and to my big surprise I found these three tiny cubs being suckled by the mother fox…d’awwwww!
Needless to say that my heart skipped some beats….so close, so beautiful…
A moment I will never forget.
I was too close to take a decent picture and in order not to disturb them I just made one photo and sneaked away from the den.
Outside stood a the White Indian, grinning like crazy: “I told you so… just let go …”

I went back one more time but realised that I wouldn’t be able to make photos without disturbing the family.
Photography is really important for me, but not all costs.

Two Fox Cub siblings

So it took another month for me to visit them again,but….I found my fox family and I had the chance to witness them grow up to be the strong and healthy foxes they are today.

In the following posts I’d like to share these wonderful moment with you, please join me at my fox journey
To be continued….

12. It’s a Frogs Life

Frogs are programmed quite simplistically: as soon as there’s any potential danger: dive!
Logical enough, but a bit sad for the photographer the happy party ends as soon as (s)he enters…
The enthusiastic quacking abruptly dies and the ditch looks as if there have never been any frogs and never will be again.

Good show, but….you don’t fool me twice…!
The Big Frog Script doesn’t tell how to act when the Potential Danger settles down just a few feet away.
So after ten minutes of playing hide and seek, the frogs fall back on rule number one: quacking and bubbling like there’s now tomorrow.
Because: seducing frog ladies is all that matters and these green girls seem to adore males with cheeks like gum balls.

Personally I think it’s more laughable than attractive, but it surely is a nice sight: these green males death seriously pumping up their cheeks.

With an impressive result: the men look like you can let them up on a rope any moment.
Unfortunately there’s one tiny problem: ‘my’ ditch has no females to reward al these efforts.
Frogs don’t have a manual for dealing with a severe female shortage either, so being a frog male, you just grab what you can grab.

Of course this gesture isn’t appreciated by the underlying male.
First he tries to give a subtle hint by blowing his cheeks, too. (get of my back, I’m a MALE!)
If this fails the upper frog is rudely knocked aside.

And then the whole ritual can start over again…blowing….jumping and getting rid of the frog on you back.
It’s a frogs life!

Pool frog in hiding

Frog male ready for some action

A nice beginning...

Who da Man?!

Courtshipping male marsh frogs

Male affections isn't appreciated among frogs

11. Rollin Rollin Rollin: Plover Photography for Dummies.

Thinking about nature photography you probably picture fresh green meadows, meandering rivers, foggy forests or something like that.
At least I did.

So when I recently cycled to a deserted piece of land along the highway, my romantic image instantly got killed.
This unsightly terrain was supposed to house a most lovely little plover family.
It’s quite a riddle to me why you would want to raise your cute fluffy babies on a bare piece of land with cars racing by, but I guess that must be some kind of Plover Habit.

Indeed, within no time I saw two plovers crossing the land – they were so small I initially mistook these adult birds for youngsters.
I was told that baby plovers are no bigger than a blowfly, but I just couldn’t believe it until I saw the babies: they are REALLY that tiny!

The light was perfect, the models were present, so all we had to do was span 30 meters without disturbing this tender new happiness.

Crawling inch by inch towards your subject is a proven method for photographing plovers.
Only one arm available, because the other one is holding a tele lens.
A huge disadvantage is that elbows and knees get severely damaged by the sharp rocks.

Fortunately my colleague photographer- tired of biting the dust- introduced a far more efficient method.
Instead of crashing your belly on the sharp stones, you just twist your body at an angle of 90 degrees to the subject.
Then gently roll around your long axis towards the bird, while holding one arm stretched to prevent your lens from getting damaged.
Obviously this requires some practice.

After a certain number of turns you might be a little dizzy, but elbows and knees are safe and more importantly; the bird is within reach!
An additional advantage is the fact that this rolling looks so clumsy that no bird will see any danger in it.
Disadvantage: the rolling makes you literally ROFL and even the utmost care can’t compensate for the vibration caused by all this laughter.;)

Little Plover Parent1

Little Plover Parent2

Little baby plover in hiding

Sleeping little plover chick.

Stretching little plover

Mother plover holding a baby plover under her wings

How many little plover chicks will fit into a big one?

At least three...!

Baby plover in the last evening light

And another one...

10. Too cute to Blog: Goslings

I could write a whole new story about goslings and
their endless cuteness, but this time I refer to my
former blog about little ducklings.
Just replace the word duckling with the word goslings and
you’ll know exactly what my feelings are towards this
little furry balls on legs…;)