This week, I have been mostly photographing wildlife in Warwickshire.

The kestrel, fallow deer and grey squirrel were all found on one outing, at Charlecote Park; a place I love to visit semi regularly, precisely because of these kinds of photographic opportunities.

The fox was found elsewhere (location to remain secret). While walking through the undergrowth, I suddenly saw a hint of movement and colour and realised there was a fox to my right. It was walking very close by, but quickly through the adjacent field and well hidden by the fence and shrubbery.

The settings on my camera were not optimised for this particular shot, so it’s one of a burst taken at 1/100 of a second (far too slow), and the only one remotely sharp or correctly focused as a result. The foliage in the foreground immediately next to me and that surrounding the fox made this a challenging photo to take in the split second opportunity provided, but I feel lucky to have got one worth keeping at least.

A kestrel surveying the land beneath him a few seconds before a hunt attempt

Nikon Z 400mm F4.5

A fallow deer in Warwickshire looking to see what treats he might be able to eat

Nikon Z 400mm F4.5

I think this might be a Feijoa fruit being pilfered away by this squirrel at Charlecote Park, Warwickshire

Nikon Z 400mm F4.5

A medium sized fallow deer stag catches me in the act

Nikon Z 400mm F4.5

A country fox, busy on their rounds

Nikon Z 400mm F4.5

A few years ago I had an amazing experience whilst walking through some hills in Warwickshire where I stumbled upon an area of wasteland full of fox holes carved into a stretch of sloped woodland. By sheer luck and good fortune I encountered a group of fox cubs playing in the afternoon sun. They allowed me to get really close and either didn't notice my presence or didn't seem to mind it. I only had my phone with me but made sure I took loads of video footage of them darting in and out of their hole and chasing each other around. It left me feeling privileged to have seen it and was easily the best wildlife encounter I've ever had.

Then, disaster struck (and a lesson learnt) - when upgrading phones and after backing everything up to my PC, I formatted the phone memory card, convinced everything had been transferred to the computer. But... it hadn't. The videos were missing and the phone was now wiped. This has been a source of regret for me ever since.

Each April/May since I've returned to the same spot in hopes of seeing more fox cubs, but so far I've had no luck. Last week, however, I visited the area again with a sense of optimism and anticipation.

Suddenly I heard a rustling in the distance, then in my periphery vision I saw an unusual shape that took my mind a few seconds to decipher... This badger! I spent a fascinating hour watching him (or her, I’m no badger sex-er) from a distance rummaging around the undergrowth, oblivious to me watching.

Whilst not what I was looking for, it was a really welcome substitute and a great wildlife experience. I’m particularly pleased with how these turned out given I don’t have a true wildlife lens so had to gradually get as close as I could without being detected.