Crittter report: mysteries solved and mighty cute marten spotted

 For years we have heard a strange booming sound in the early evening. Our theories were belching deer or bullfrogs. Our land partner Bill has finally solved the mystery.

"So I heard that eerie bellow from the pond. This time I was determined to track it down. As I snuck up on the croaking frogs, there was that bellow again and again. No buck to be seen, so a bull frog it had to be. Damn - didn't those froggies sense the danger they were in? As I drew level with the pond, the bellow seemed to drift up Andrew's hill. In billygoat mode I charged up but the bellow seemed to draw further away. One speedy bullfrog I thought. As I neared the top of the hill, the bellow suddenly transformed to a roar, seemingly from a nearby tree. I paused and waited, admittedly a little scared, thinking in this fading light I was about to confront the mother of all climbing bull frogs. Thirty seconds and there it was again, but 50' further east, then south, then west. This was super climbing, flying mother of all bull frogs messing with my head!

Then looking up I finally saw the flying bull frog. And yes it had wings, beautiful long narrow wings. I think it's called a night hawk, which does this acrobatic manoeuvre, similar to a humming bird, where it climbs high, stalls, does a head first dive at high speed and pulls up just before hitting the ground. It's the pull up that makes the bellow. Long live flying bull frogs."

Find out more about the nighthawk

A second mystery developed when a little reddish creature was spotted near the road and on the deck. Bigger than the ermine we spotted a few years ago and not the right colouring or location for an otter, we weren't sure what it was. But After a third sighting we are pretty sure we have a lovely pine marten neighbour.

Find out about martens