Animals Take Over Kids' Playground | My Story | Robert E Fuller #Video

I built a garden for wildlife, then they took over the kids' playground as well!

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ABOUT THIS FILM
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I've been lucky enough to live up here in the Yorkshire Wolds for the last 27 years and I have spent this time completely transforming this three-acre plot of land turning it into a true wildlife haven.

Wildlife haven
From barn owls to tawnys, kestrels to sparrowhawks, some very special species have since appeared. I have created bird nests, dens for badgers and dry stone walls for the stoats and weasels.

Wildlife takeover
But the wildlife has also taken over something that wasn’t originally meant for them.. my children’s old climbing frame. I built it for my two daughters, but they have since grown out of it

Hidden cameras
And now my hidden cameras capture all sorts of different animals enjoying it instead. See a badger pull on the ropes and a kestrel try bouncing on the trampoline. Some species are a little more wary, like the foxes and hares, but some species seem to actively enjoy all that the climbing frame has to offer

Stoats & weasels
Especially the stoats! My cameras caught a family darting all over the climbing frame together. They particularly liked the trampoline, pulling themselves on their bellies, jumping, playing and just having fun. Another species that regularly visits, is the weasel.

Pool
Water is scarce over the Yorkshire Wolds, so the kids old paddling pool has created a valuable water source. And it doesn’t take long before we get the first visitors. I have seen bullfinches, hedgehogs and woodpeckers drinking from this pond, barn owls and tawny owls also use it to bathe in and I once spotted a badger soothe itself in its cooling waters after a brutal fight

Night visitors
The climbing frame has visitors throughout the day, but it is at night-time that it really comes to life.
So I decided to build a hide and use this to study the night-time visitors. At night it really comes alive, I get owls coming all over from the surrounding countryside.

10 owls at once!
The owls come for the food I put out for them but it's more than that, they also come to socialise, even thought they can be territorial. And it's fascinating to watch how they interact.

A valuable site
This climbing frame has proven to be much more valuable than I ever could have imagined. From a family of stoats running rampant, to a badger boar soaking his battle scars. I can’t want to see what else I can capture here

ABOUT ME
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I am a British wildlife artist and filmmaker on a mission to share my love for wildlife with the world. As well as creating detailed animal film and art portraits, I promote wildlife tours around the world and do all I can to help conserve and protect wildlife here at my home in Yorkshire. I hope that by putting nature in the frame I can foster a deep love for wildlife amongst my followers.

You may like to purchase my artwork: https://www.robertefuller.com. Many of my paintings are portraits of the characters you watch here!

You can also follow me on these platforms:
Website: https://www.robertefuller.com