Scottish Wildcat – At Threat Of Extinction

It’s very hard for researchers to know the exact number of these amazing cats left wild in Scotland, as they have hybridised with feral domestic-cat populations over the years. It is estimated that there are now perhaps only thirty five true wildcats left and they are at imminent threat of extinction. It breaks my heart! This beautiful female and her three kittens live at the British Wildlife Centre, near Godstone, in Surrey. Such a great place! I visited last week with my friend Nikki and godchildren, Rosie and James. Rosie loves all cats and the wildcats hold a special place in her heart too. It was wonderful to explore our native wildlife with them, whilst giving young James another photography tutorial! I have a few images of some of the other residents, but the wildcat topped my Twitter poll for what people wanted to see for today’s Wex Mondays challenge. I’m very glad to share a bit of their story with you, but for more information please visit the British Wildlife Centre wildcat page here. The centre does some wonderful work in conservation, rescue & rehabilitation and in education. It’s well worth a visit and I would really encourage everybody to support the amazing work that they do!

Oct 23 2017

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Remains Of Decay

Remains Of Decay

Remains

Go back to my roots
Returning to Mother Earth
Remains of decay

This leaf is one of the many, fallen from the sycamore in our communal gardens. I love collecting the leaves from this tree to create macro studies from. I usually keep them all in colour, enjoying the vibrancy and richness of the many tones. This particular leaf really lent itself to a monotone study though. It’s my entry for this week’s Fotospeed challenge. Good luck to everyone taking part!