Christmas Catch-Up

Christmas has been and gone once again.

The Christmas music has come to an end, the decorations are slowly being packed away, and everything starts to feel a little quieter. It’s been a great Christmas, one I’ve truly enjoyed — I just hope I don’t crash mentally afterwards. That post-Christmas dip can creep in, so I already know I’m going to have to keep myself busy.

Thankfully, my lovely wife knows me all too well and bought me a new trail camera for Christmas. And yes… you guessed it — it’s already up in the woods. I didn’t waste any time at all.

I don’t feel like I’ve been out much over Christmas, although when I really think about it, I probably have more than I realise. I managed to get out on Christmas Eve and had a bit of fun with photography, adding Santa on his sleigh flying over the obelisk at Frickley. It made me smile, and sometimes that’s exactly what photography is about.

Xmas eve🎄 

Christmas Day morning I headed out for a walk and managed to capture a lovely moody sky. It was such a calm, peaceful morning, and the walk really helped clear my head — not to mention building up an appetite ready for Christmas dinner later on.

Xmas day morning 🎁 

I also had a bit of creative fun on Christmas Day using the robin photo from the calendar and turning it into a Christmas card idea for next year. It’s little projects like that which keep my mind ticking over.

Next year's Xmas card 🎄 

Talking of the calendar, I don’t know if I mentioned it in my last blog, but it is now completely sold out. I honestly can’t thank everyone enough for the support. It truly means the world to me, and I’m so grateful to every single person who bought one or shared kind words.

Back to the trail camera… I’ve already managed to capture some beautiful footage of the deer, and I’ll be sharing more of that in the coming days. I also managed to catch a tawny owl on camera, which was absolutely brilliant — a real moment of excitement when I spotted it.

Tawny owl video 

And then there was the fox.

I cannot tell you how happy I was to finally capture footage of one, even though it was only a short clip. I absolutely love foxes and have been trying to photograph one at Frickley for years. I’ve always known they’re around, but they’re not the easiest animals to catch out in the open.

Fox video 

Sadly, their numbers seem to be getting lower. I’ve heard from several people that the gamekeeper at Frickley Hall has been shooting and trapping them. I can’t say this with 100% certainty, but I’ve spoken to people he has told directly, and they have no reason to lie. It breaks my heart to think someone could be so cruel.

I just hope this fox stays safe. Breeding season will soon be here, and I’m really hoping that come spring I might capture footage of a happy, safe fox family.

Both of my trail cameras are now up in the woods, and I’ll be checking them weekly. If I get any good footage, I’ll share it — but never with exact locations. I wouldn’t want it getting into the wrong hands.

A badger would be incredible to capture. I don’t know if we have any around here. I’ve never seen one and haven’t heard of anyone else seeing one either — but that doesn’t mean they’re not there.

So fingers crossed 🤞 for some amazing footage in the weeks ahead. I’ll keep everyone updated as and when I get it.

Thank you, as always, for all your support. It truly is fantastic and means more to me than I can put into words ❤️