A little while ago we noticed a branch beneath which there was a sizeable pile of feathers. We put up a trail camera to see if we could work out what was using the branch as its perch. It turns out there was quite a turnover on this handy bough…
A male blackbird checking things out, 
followed by the female a few hours later. 
And the next day we have baby blackbird… 
A mistle thrush moves along the branch. 
A good lookout for a jay, 
and a magpie. 
It’s not just birds using this branch – here we have a cheeky grey squirrel eyeing up the camera. 
A tawny owl, a bird of prey yes, but unlikely to be the bird using this branch as its plucking post. 
Here is our bird – a buzzard. This would be the bird most likely to be plucking its prey on this branch in the wood.
In addition to putting a camera on the branch up the tree, we had put a second on a branch just beneath it on the ground. We certainly weren’t expecting to see the cat…
Goodness knows where this cat came from but it appeared regularly for a while. 
Female roe… 
and if you look closely to the right, there is a fawn entering the frame. 
Two fawns, one each side of the picture. 
And leap… 
Little roe fawn. 
A roe buck was around too. 
Here we have the fox. 
and no trailcam footage is complete without a badger.
It just goes to show how busy just one tiny part of the wood is the moment our backs are turned. Trail cameras open up a completely different view into the life under the canopy, and there’s always a shiver of anticipation each time we check them – you just never know what might appear on the camera screen next.
Trees of Sanctuary 