Genette excrement containing vegetation.

Genette excrement in a typical heap as they tend to use the same places.

Genette excrement containing fur.

Marten excrement. Probably Stone Marten, Pine Marten droppings are similar.

Stone Marten (Fouine). Note the white patch splits down each front leg.

Pine Marten (Martre). Note the solid white patch and more prominent ears than Stone Marten.

Belette (Weasel). A small mammal that has to eat every 24 hours or it will die of starvation, food is mainly small rodents, birds and their eggs.

Weasel excrement.

Fox excrement containing fine fur.

Otter spraint (excrement)

Roe deer excrement.

Kestrel pellets containing insect remains.

Kestrel pellets.

Barn owl pellets, the small orange chryslis are from "clothes moths", owl pellets are one of the natural places for them to lay their eggs.

Roe deer print.

Wild boar print.

Red squirrel drey on a window ledge.

Red squirrel. Undersides are usually pale and there are several colour variations, in addition the overall colour can change substantially in winter.

Praying mantis, female fat with eggs.

Another Praying Mantis, this ones pale brown.

Praying mantis egg sack, the baby mantis, several hundred, hatch the following year.

Empusa pennata. Another type of Mantis to be found in France, this is a young one.

Sauterelle or Bush Cricket, one of many species in France. Female.

Another Bush Cricket.

This is a photo of a really small young sauterelle in early spring on the tip of a dandelion petal.

Carpenter bee.

Mole cricket.

Carabus auratus, a member of the same family as the well known Violet ground beetle.

Meloe violaceus, eats dead leaves, the larvea live in the egg chambers of solitary bees, where they consume the food that is meant for the bee larvea.

Argiope bruennichi, in spite of its looks, it's completely harmless.

Egg cocoon for Argiope bruennichi, spiders hatch the following year.

Loir or Edible dormouse, a frequent inhabitant of roof spaces in France.

Lérot Eliomys quercinus , not so common a user of houses as the Loir, tends to use holes in trees or in the ground, sometimes bird nesting boxes.

Photo, W Mellings.

Lynx.

Strictly a forest animal and although mainly in the Pyrenees odd ones are seen in other areas from time to time, possibly escapes from wildlife parks. Lives in natural underground caves or old badger burrows.

Little owl or Chevêche d'Athéna, to be seen during the day in gardens, orchards and village outskirts.

Frelon or Hornet nest in an old chestnut tree.

The white looking substance is the outer skin of the nest, which is in a large, deep crack in the tree trunk, about 3 metres from ground level.

Hornet nest in a grenier with the entrance in the bottom.

Wood tick, quite large, found this one on the back of a dog. I would be interested in any information on this species.

Coypu (Ragondin).An introduced species that causes vast amounts of damage to aquatic vegetation and bank sides, prolific breeder.

Colorado beetle larvae, frequently found on potato plants, also aubergine and occasionally tomato plants. I recommend that you crush them.

Colorado beetle, adult (same information as larvae).

This is a capricorne beetle.Hylotrupes bajulus.

It is the one that people are concerned about in their houses. Its colour and markings are unique, so that there should be no possibility of confusion with any of the other longhorn beetles.

Wild boar / Sanglier excrement

Hedgehog excrement with insect remains.

Field cricket - Gryllus-campestris - Grillon campestre. Juvinille male.

This is the one that makes all the noise during the day trying to attract females.

Field cricket - Gryllus-campestris - Grillon campestre.. Female.

Geotrupes-stercorarius rolling a ball of hares excrement into its tunnel that it has excavated.