British Wildlife Centre, Surrey

Early in spring Stuart and I decided, now we had a bit of space for parking, we would sacrifice some of our savings to buy a cheap run-around car. The plan was to get out of London every now and again for a bit of space and fresh air.

First on the list was the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey. This is a relatively small animal park home to a great range of creatures, all native to the UK. I first noticed this place online as it runs photography days. I didn't book on to this, before I spent any cash on a class I wanted to see what it was like, and what photos I could get on my own.

First stop was to see the harvest field mice.

These little fellows were as tiny as they were cute. The way they used their tails to balance and wrap around the stalks was fascinating. They moved around so quickly that these were the only two decent photos I took but I like to think they capture the little rodents nicely.

Next up were the Scottish Wildcats.

I found these cats really interesting. They looked like someone had just popped a couple of tabbies in an enclosure but after hearing the keepers talk I realised they are quite different. They are famed as being untameable, even if being raised by humans as kittens. I have to admit, I do admire that quality in an animal! Solitary creatures and efficient hunters, they have lived in the highlands of Scotland since before the Roman times. In fact they used to be present in areas across the UK, but in modern times their habitat and numbers have decreased so they are at a real risk of becoming extinct in the wild. If you want to read more about these felines I recommend this website.

Next on my list of animals I wanted to see was a red squirrel. I grew up on the Isle of Wight. This is one of the few places where red squirrels still live in the wild. Across of most of the mainland UK they have been usurped by their grey cousins. Eighteen years living on the IOW and I think I saw a red squirrel once. Two days into my life in London and I see grey squirrels so often they are practically knocking on my door asking to be friends. This meant I was determined to get my first proper view of old red. 

Okay, so it was inside an enclosure, during feeding time but I finally saw him, and he was just as enchanting as I imagined. I fell in love with his tufty little ears

Now we come to the two photos I am most proud of. This little weasel. Before I met him I didn't realise how small weasels were - I thought perhaps they were a similar size to a ferret. I was so wrong. They are absolutely tiny - closer in size to the field mice, and much quicker. I've never seen an animal move so fast. He was dashing all through his enclosure and it was difficult to keep track of him. All the photos I tried to take were a blurred mess.

I decided instead of trying to follow him to set my focus by a branch that he kept popping out from after doing a loop of his enclosure. Finally he stopped for a couple of milliseconds and I managed to click as quickly as I could. These were the results and I love them. I can imagine them blown up and put on my wall one day.

And with that I will leave you with one last photo, this time of a cute little water vole!

There are more animals to see at the Wildlife Centre, including deer, foxes and badgers. I just didn't want to bore you with even more photos! It a nice little place to spend a couple of hour, just make sure you check their website first as they tend to be closed quite often for school visitors. I like to think I got a couple of interesting photos from my time there, and I am still tempted to do the photography day, so that will have to be added to my (extremely long) to-do list!