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Home→Categories Buckinghamshire→Kingswood 1 2 3 … 9 10 >>

Category Archives: Kingswood

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Looking for Foxes #12 and Badgers

Blasdale Home Posted on April 14, 2025 by SteveApril 23, 2025

14th April 2025

The recent weeks have felt noticeably quieter on the animal front, which is why the video updates have been on hold.

However, the grey squirrel still provides some entertainment with its acrobatic dashes up and down the tree, culminating in a daring branch-assisted crossing of the pond.

Our regular visitor, the Grey Heron, continues its foraging trips between our pond and the neighbours’. While I’ve only observed it catching frogs, I did hear a report of one elsewhere preying on the protected Great Crested Newt.

Adding a much-missed face to the local wildlife, a badger made an appearance, initially by the pond and then on the lawn a few days later.

Finally, the Moorhens are still active on the pond and seem to have successfully displaced the ducks, a change from their peaceful coexistence in the previous video.

Badgers at night

Posted in Kingswood, wildlife | Tagged Badger, Fox, Foxes, Grey Heron, Grey Squirrel, Moorhen, squirrel | Leave a reply

Starlings on the field

Blasdale Home Posted on February 20, 2025 by SteveMarch 17, 2025

20th February 2025

We have had starlings on the field. They have been bathing in the puddles, and looking around the field for food. They are always busy moving on to different areas, never stationary for a moment. No large murmurations as we are only a gathering point in the evening before they move off to roost for the night somewhere else.

Starlings on the field
1W5A7157-Enhanced-NR

Posted in Kingswood | Tagged Starlings | Leave a reply

Looking for Foxes 8

Blasdale Home Posted on January 22, 2025 by SteveFebruary 15, 2025

22nd January 2025

It has been quite some time since I last shared a video showcasing the wildlife around the garden. Sightings of foxes have been infrequent, mostly limited to them passing through the garden without settling. They have not yet taken over any rabbit burrows for breeding purposes.

Looking for Foxes

The most notable sighting was that of a Grey Heron, which appears to have made the field pond its new habitat. I was fortunate enough to capture footage of the heron stalking across the pond after sunset. There is one particular moment where it can be seen holding a frog in its beak, and another where a fox is seen walking behind it. You can find these scenes using the YouTube chapters.

Please note that the dates displayed by the cameras follow the American date format (Month, Day, Year), as the cameras do not support localized date settings.

Bird species recorded by the cameras include: Blackbird, Chaffinch, Heron, Crow, Jay, Moorhen, Pheasant, Redwing, and Starlings. Mammals observed include: Domestic Cat, Muntjac Deer, Fox, and Rabbit.

Posted in home, Kingswood | Tagged Blackbird, Chaffinch, Crow, Domestic Cat, Fox, Frog, heron, Jay, Moorhen, Muntjac, Pheasant, Rabbit, Redwing, Starlings | Leave a reply

Various Events and Days Out in 2024

Blasdale Home Posted on December 31, 2024 by SteveFebruary 1, 2025

31st December 2024

Some images from 2024, which I have combined into one posting.

  • Gracie, a local Kingswood resident, demonstrating dressage on Jeb
  • Trip to Upton Park
  • Funeral of James Wilkinson
  • The Aurora Borealis at home
  • Bicester Village – meal at Ottolenghi
  • Snow at home

Gracie Catling
Gracie Catling
Gracie Catling
National Trust - Upton House
National Trust - Upton House
National Trust - Upton House
National Trust - Upton House
National Trust - Upton House
National Trust - Upton House
National Trust - Upton House
National Trust - Upton House
National Trust - Upton House
National Trust - Upton House
Funeral of James Wilkinson
Funeral of James Wilkinson
Funeral of James Wilkinson
Funeral of James Wilkinson
Funeral of James Wilkinson
Aurora Borealis
Aurora Borealis
Aurora Borealis
Aurora Borealis
Bicester Village
Bicester Village
Bicester Village
Bicester Village
Bicester Village
Snow in Kingswood

Posted in Buckinghamshire, Kingswood, Oxfordshire, Wales, Warwickshire | Tagged Bicester Village, Kingswood, Upton House | Leave a reply
Kingswood Firework party

Kingswood Bonfire Night

Blasdale Home Posted on November 9, 2024 by SteveNovember 15, 2024

9th November 2024

The Kingswood bonfire night was held on a dry Saturday. Ian excelled himself with the largest bonfire we have ever had and a brilliant (in both senses of the word) firework display. The heat from the fire was intense. Julie had yet again organized a guy which quickly succumbed to the heat.

As is usual we were supplied with hot burgers and sausages from our excellent village catering team of Karin, Duncan, Keith and Charlotte. Beers & wines kept coming from the man with the festival hat, George.

Thanks are also due to the Hubbards for hosting the event. It’s certainly not everyone who wants a large burn mark on their lawn!

Very sadly, this may have been our last bonfire night. After Ian’s exemplary 25 years of sterling service, someone else is now needed to carry on the tradition..

Posted in Buckinghamshire, Kingswood | Tagged Fireworks, Kingswood | Leave a reply

Vintage Sports-Car Club Meet

Blasdale Home Posted on June 20, 2024 by SteveAugust 19, 2024

20th June 2024

The Vintage Sports-Car Club has been a fixture in the British automotive landscape for decades. Known for their monthly gatherings at pubs across the UK, they foster a sense of camaraderie among enthusiasts of classic vehicles. The club’s local chapter holds meet at the Canaletto pub on the third Thursday evening of the month.

Despite its modest size, the village of Kingswood in Buckinghamshire has become a hub for automotive enthusiasts. The Aylesbury VM club also meets regularly, gathering once a month on a Sunday morning at the Akeman for a special breakfast and car show.

It’s a testament to the enduring appeal of classic cars and the vibrant community spirit of this small village that it can host two such events. The sight of vintage vehicles and VWs gleaming in the sunlight is a delightful treat for locals and visitors alike.

The Vintage Sports-Car Club
The Vintage Sports-Car Club
The Vintage Sports-Car Club
The Vintage Sports-Car Club
The Vintage Sports-Car Club
The Vintage Sports-Car Club
The Vintage Sports-Car Club
The Vintage Sports-Car Club
The Vintage Sports-Car Club
The Vintage Sports-Car Club
The Vintage Sports-Car Club

Here is an ERA (Englis Racing Automobile) from the 1930’s being started.

Posted in Kingswood | Tagged Canaletto, Cannaletto, Sports Car, Vintage, VW | Leave a reply

Unusual Sunset

Blasdale Home Posted on May 31, 2024 by SteveAugust 20, 2024

31st May 2024

The sun was setting in an unusual way. As it descended, it turned red, The sky looked overcast, with no red hues, making the fiery globe particularly unusual. As the sun approached the horizon, it seemed to disappear into a hazy layer, its lower portion blending into the sky.

This was a rare opportunity to capture the sun’s beauty with a zoom lens. The images revealed four distinct sunspots, dark blemishes on the sun’s surface caused by intense magnetic activity. Additionally, the sun’s circumference appeared uneven, with various solar eruptions, or flares, creating a jagged edge. These flares are sudden bursts of energy released from the sun’s surface, often accompanied by intense radiation and charged particles.

Sunset
Sunset

Posted in Kingswood | Tagged sunset | Leave a reply

Looking for Foxes 6

Blasdale Home Posted on April 6, 2024 by SteveApril 7, 2024

6th April 2024

It has been a full month since I shared the video documenting our foxes. However, the passing days have ushered in a sense of stagnation. The adult foxes continue their routine traverse across the field, perhaps eyeing the neighbouring chickens with intent, yet showing no signs of ousting the resident rabbits. Occasionally, a male pheasant makes fleeting appearances in the vicinity, though we now observe just one solitary bird frequenting our feeder. Gone are the days of jumping up and knocking the feeder to get some seeds. This pheasant, leaps up & down, squawks and flaps his wings. It doesn’t appear to cause any food to drop, but he’s working on it.

A pair of Moorhens briefly graced us with their presence as they crossed the mound, prompting me to redirect one of our cameras towards the tranquil pond. Despite the addition of rabbits to the scene, there seems to be a palpable absence of avian activity this month. However, a solitary Eurasian Jay did make a rare appearance, briefly breaking the monotony with its presence.

Posted in Buckinghamshire, Kingswood, wildlife | Tagged Eurasian Jay, Fox, Moorhen, Pheasant, Rabbit | Leave a reply

Looking for Foxes 4

Blasdale Home Posted on February 17, 2024 by SteveMarch 9, 2024

The regular fox sightings near our field pond and wild garden paint a fascinating picture of a thriving ecosystem in our backyard. Here’s an expansion of our observations.

The visiting fox is likely a vixen, she is displaying classic hunting behavior. Her sniffing around rabbit hole could be for two reasons:

  1. Prey Scouting: Looking for potential meals in the future.
  2. Den Site Selection: Foxes give birth in dens, often repurposing existing burrows like those made by rabbits. So our vixen is hopefully looking for a place to bring up her fox cubs.

The time difference between our fox and rabbit sightings suggests a well-established coexistence. Rabbits are highly attuned to predators, possessing excellent hearing and sight. They detect the fox’s presence and retreat to their burrows for safety.

Foxes are more than just cunning hunters. They play a vital role in the ecosystem by controlling rodent populations, including those that can damage gardens and crops. Their presence also indicates a healthy environment with a diverse food chain. Unfortunately, they do have a taste for chicken.

Posted in Buckinghamshire, Kingswood | Tagged Fox | Leave a reply

Looking for Foxes 2

Blasdale Home Posted on January 27, 2024 by SteveFebruary 4, 2024

27th January 2024

Another week by the pond, and not much to report. Plenty of rabbits, a definite need for an AI application to filter them out of the videos. A grey squirrel, an import from the USA, unfortunately it has found the bird feeders now, but has not learnt to climb. A sighting of a Muntjac deer most evenings. One sighting of a Fox.

Posted in Buckinghamshire, Kingswood, wildlife | Tagged Fox, Muntjac, squirrel | Leave a reply

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