Classic: British Wildlife Centre 2009

 The British Wildlife Centre in Surrey is a sanctuary for 40 or so different native species of wildlife in the UK. They regularly host photographic days too, but they are a tad expensive and I wasn't fortunate enough to go to one. However, I went there with an old friend of mine for a few hours and was fortunate enough to see some of the more beautiful species there. We were also witness to talks and feedings of the foxes and the Scottish wildcat.

The website for the centre is: http://www.britishwildlifecentre.co.uk/ where you can learn more about the events, animals, talks, keepers, and the conservation efforts of the volunteer staff there.

The first animal on the lineup was the Scottish wildcat:

Appropriately named, while these may look like cute (albeit slightly fatter) domesticated tabbies, they are very much wild and tend to be quite aggressive. Scottish wildcats are granted legal protection under the Wildlife and Countryside act. However, their numbers continue to decline and they are at serious risk of extinction.

The one here is an obvious testament to their moodiness. At this point, he was getting ready to be fed so he suddenly perked up and is no longer in his shell. However, he continuously hissed at the feeder and after receiving his meal, he moved on - much to the dismay of the crowds gathered to see him.

 This is the water vole. It is also identified as the most endangered mammal species currently residing in the UK. In only the last 7-10 years, its species have seen a decline of over 90%! and for good reason; the poor vole has a myriad of predators including: stoats, minks, pikes(!), owls, rats, cats and herons.

They are semi-aquatic, so mix their time both in and out of the water. That said, despite their physical advantages, these little creatures are purely herbivorous and eat vegetation at the edges of water-banks.

These, I believe, are fallow deer. They are not native to the UK, but were brought here by our humble selves and bred for the purpose of satisfying the upper-classes' insatiable thirst for killing things.

They are very docile and, while frightened easily, tend to roam quite close to human settlements and, sadly, have a tendency to get caught up in your front grill.

"What ye looking at mate?"

Aren't they simply adorable?

The red squirrel! Contrary to some common beliefs, the red squirrel is actually native to the UK,while the grey squirrel was introduced a little over 130 years ago. Due to competition for food, and the parapox virus carried by grey squirrels, these reddies are virtually extinct and now live in only a few select locations of the UK,including the Isle of Wight, and parts of dense forestry in Scotland

They mostly feed on berries, seeds, fruits, nuts, fungi, bark and well.. pretty much everything. It's quite unfortunate that these cute little animals are so threatened. It's estimated that prior to breeding seasons (of which, each mating pair has only 1-2 litters per year, with a lifespan of 3 years) their numbers are roughly 160,000 and declining :( Looks like a little alien doesn't he? clasping his food like it's possibly the last meal he'll ever eat.

This quite large owl is called the Eagle Owl, quite aptly mind you. It looks like it's a breed between an eagle and a barn owl. It also has quite the scary glance too.

It is the largest species of owl in the world that we know of and it is found over many parts of continental Europe, although mainly situated in the north.

Sadly, it has not been seen in the British Isles since the 18th century.

They have an amazing lifespan of 40 years in the wild, and even longer when they're in captivity. They mostly eat voles, rats and mice; they are also capable of taking rabbits and, amazingly, small deer.

See his stare? It clearly means "Don't mess with me, I'm big, I'm scary, I'm strong, and if you don't stop staring at me, I will swoop down and steal your toupee"

 Much larger fallow deer here can be seen trying to deal with that most heinous of problems all life encounters - an itch on your backside that, for the life of you, you just can't scratch.

And here just staring at me, menacingly.

I'm not sure exactly what this creature is (although it's clearly albino).

All I know, is that it's testament to the famous F.G quote: "Damn nature, you scary"

My favorite of all the wildlife at the sanctuary would be the red fox! An amazing species; they are present in almost every habitat around the world, wherever food may be aplenty and there are no larger predators that will either beat them to the competition, or make food out of the foxes.

In the UK, the foxes have had a long battle with hunting laws, permitting the killing of these majestic creatures for their fur.

This one has just been fed a chicken (no worries, if I'm not mistaken the little chicken was dead prior to being given to the fox). They mainly feed on voles, birds, rabbits, insects, berries, worms and carrion.

Resourceful little buggers, they tend to bury their excess food for the months ahead where there may be considerable shortages.

Roald Dahl paid particular attention to him, in his short novel "Fantastic Mr. Fox" - a resourceful fox whom, in order to feed his family, had to steal chickens - among other things - to survive. Fortunately, in the sanctuary they are cared for and this cute little guy below - a very young fox - was an example of how domestic these creatures can be - and probably one of the reasons why, in some places, foxes are kept as pets.

All in all, another great shoot. Both educationally - in terms of learning more about the animals and learning more about taking wildlife shots, but also because it was just very nice to see some of the animals that roam our wild, all in one place. Especially as in Brighton - where I lived before Poznań - there wasn't much of it to be seen, other than cows and sheep.

Be sure to check out their website.