It's a wild life.

On a sunny day last week we spent some time in the garden and moving a pile of detritus next to the vegetable patch I was lucky enough to discover a sleepy slow worm.  They move so fast usually and all you catch is a glimpse of a wriggling body disappearing into the long grass. We were pleased to get these pictures before I set it free in a spot less likely to suffer disturbance.

This specimen has lost a bit off the end of its tail which is a shame but at least it doesn't seem too worried by it. I hope it wasn't a cat that did it.



Later in the day I was watching the swallows doing acrobatics across the yard when I realised there was an ugly duckling swooping around with them. Eventually the intruder came to rest and revealed it was actually a bat. Quite why it would have been flying during the middle of the afternoon in full sun is a mystery but there it was. Possibly we'd disturbed its roost while moving a tree trunk with the tractor although the tree in question had been down for some time.

 

I don't know a lot about bats although we have quite a few here most evenings but looking at the photos I think this is probably a Natterer's bat because it had a very light coloured underside to its fur.