Author Topic: Seen today  (Read 999880 times)

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Seen today
« Reply #5800 on: 07 May, 2021, 01:24:57 pm »
That field which runs down to Reculver, the one with the plastic path laid in it, it's often covered in mole hills.

Indeed it is, and we were on the beach below those cliffs. But it's still surprising to see a mole on the beach - it was probably about 10 metres away from the foot of the cliff, so I don't think it had just burrowed its way there. Hence I suspect it was dropped by a bird.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: Seen today
« Reply #5801 on: 07 May, 2021, 01:30:02 pm »
That field which runs down to Reculver, the one with the plastic path laid in it, it's often covered in mole hills.

Indeed it is, and we were on the beach below those cliffs. But it's still surprising to see a mole on the beach - it was probably about 10 metres away from the foot of the cliff, so I don't think it had just burrowed its way there. Hence I suspect it was dropped by a bird.
Lemming!

Re: Seen today
« Reply #5802 on: 08 May, 2021, 04:21:20 pm »
Also saw some interesting birds, which I need help identifying - unfortunately I wasn't able to get any pictures...

First, a flock of smallish birds that were nesting in the cliff - there was a series of holes dotted over the cliff face, and they were all coming out and flying around in a flock. Mostly black but with some white bits. Short, wide V-shaped tail. Possibly storm petrels?
Sand Martins?

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Seen today
« Reply #5803 on: 08 May, 2021, 05:23:30 pm »
Also saw some interesting birds, which I need help identifying - unfortunately I wasn't able to get any pictures...

First, a flock of smallish birds that were nesting in the cliff - there was a series of holes dotted over the cliff face, and they were all coming out and flying around in a flock. Mostly black but with some white bits. Short, wide V-shaped tail. Possibly storm petrels?
Sand Martins?
Aha! I think you could be right. Never heard of them before, but the description certainly fits - especially the burrow nests in the cliff face.

Good knowledge, thanks.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: Seen today
« Reply #5804 on: 09 May, 2021, 07:45:24 am »
Yesterday I saw a rat in my garden chasing a Magpie.
The Magpie hadn't got enough space to get airborne and was leaping about 30cm into the air and going in circles with the rat running behind it.
It stopped when I banged the window and the rat ran away leaving the magpie space to fly off. Is this normal behaviour for a rat?
Never knowingly under caffeinated

Re: Seen today
« Reply #5805 on: 09 May, 2021, 04:13:33 pm »
A dead grass snake, perhaps deliberately killed.

In Thames Valley Business Park, Reading. The snake's head was hanging out from under the lid of a metal box housing (according to the label on its side) an oxygenator, presumably for the pond it was sitting beside. The lid was weighted down by a brick. The identical box next to it had no brick.


"A woman on a bicycle has all the world before her where to choose; she can go where she will, no man hindering." The Type-Writer Girl, 1897

Re: Seen today
« Reply #5806 on: 09 May, 2021, 04:17:25 pm »
Our first proper birding trip for over six months, to the Somerset Levels. Highlights included black cap, chiffchaff, hobby (loads), marsh harrier, and a brief view of an otter. We also heard cuckoo and bittern.

That's horrible about the snake, if deliberate, Bledlow. Why people get like that about them, certainly in this country, I have no idea. One of our neighbours freaked out when she realised there are slowworms round here.
"No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everybody on the couch."

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Seen today
« Reply #5807 on: 09 May, 2021, 06:27:19 pm »
This morning I heard a greater spotted woodpecker drumming from a short distance away whilst I was standing in my garden - quite unusual for somewhere so urban. We have a rather nice set of ornamental gardens - Churchill Gardens - a couple of hundred yards away and I assumed it was in there.

Just now I was cycling up Tunbridge Road and I heard it again. I looked up and saw it attached to a telegraph pole! I'd heard of them hammering on telegraph poles before but never witnessed it.

Just here: http://streetmap.co.uk/map?X=587863&Y=186602&A=Y&Z=110
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: Seen today
« Reply #5808 on: 09 May, 2021, 09:20:48 pm »
Saw a buzzard flying over bray this morning. Makes a change from red kites  🙂
the slower you go the more you see

Re: Seen today
« Reply #5809 on: 10 May, 2021, 05:45:45 am »
Saturday night/Sunday morning I saw on the security video our first confirmed Badger in the garden.
He showed a lot more dexterity than the foxes by holding the food tray with a paw as he licked the corners.
We have to put a rock in because the foxes push them all over the patio with their muzzles.
Never knowingly under caffeinated

Re: Seen today
« Reply #5810 on: 10 May, 2021, 10:25:28 am »
Swifts and house martins have arrived here over the weekend. Lovely to see them back.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Seen today
« Reply #5811 on: 10 May, 2021, 02:55:11 pm »
A new species for me - woodchat shrike.

It has been reported quite a few times by our local RSPB group so Jan and I went out to have a look. Very handsome bird, but we must have been at least 30 yards from where it was perched.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Pingu

  • Put away those fiery biscuits!
  • Mrs Pingu's domestique
    • the Igloo
Re: Seen today
« Reply #5812 on: 10 May, 2021, 08:36:26 pm »
A pair of swifts  :thumbsup:

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Seen today
« Reply #5813 on: 11 May, 2021, 11:45:36 am »
My sister, living only 200 yards or so from me, found a severely injured swift in her garden yesterday. It had lost some feathers. She suspects a sparrowhawk, although why it didn't finish the job she doesn't know. I'm sure a sparrowhawk couldn't catch a swift in a straight chase, but sparrowhawks are cunning buggers and it may have successfully intercepted one near a nesting site.

It seems to me that there are very few swifts about yet. Last year, they arrived very noisily and apparently en masse on 3rd May. I heard them screaming before I saw them. I'm hoping more will turn up, but a couple of nights ago I was watching a group of 5, which, quite probably, included the casualty my sister found the following morning.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: Seen today
« Reply #5814 on: 11 May, 2021, 11:58:08 am »
Yesterday I saw a rat in my garden chasing a Magpie.
The Magpie hadn't got enough space to get airborne and was leaping about 30cm into the air and going in circles with the rat running behind it.
It stopped when I banged the window and the rat ran away leaving the magpie space to fly off. Is this normal behaviour for a rat?
It happened again. It chased a pigeon. We have a bold rat. If the foxes or badger don't eat it in the next few days I'll have to invite it to leave.
Never knowingly under caffeinated

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Seen today
« Reply #5815 on: 11 May, 2021, 02:07:27 pm »
A couple of weeks ago I saw a rat having a go at a moorhen in our local park.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: Seen today
« Reply #5816 on: 15 May, 2021, 04:02:08 pm »
There's a tall maple tree in our garden that hosts a magpie's nest.  Yesterday, our attention was drawn by abnormal noise coming from the tree. Six magpies were nervously flying and yelling around the tree. Then we saw a buzzard flying off the tree, with a chick between its claws :(

I didn't realise until then how sociable magpies are with each other. A couple of magpies is in trouble, and they ask for help from other couples. We humans have things to learn from them!

A

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Seen today
« Reply #5817 on: 15 May, 2021, 07:35:36 pm »
There's a tall maple tree in our garden that hosts a magpie's nest.  Yesterday, our attention was drawn by abnormal noise coming from the tree. Six magpies were nervously flying and yelling around the tree. Then we saw a buzzard flying off the tree, with a chick between its claws :(

I didn't realise until then how sociable magpies are with each other. A couple of magpies is in trouble, and they ask for help from other couples. We humans have things to learn from them!

A

It seems the Glaswegians already know this...
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Seen today
« Reply #5818 on: 18 May, 2021, 08:46:12 am »
Egyptian goose on our barn roof



One of a pair that passed through this morning as I was getting breakfast.  I first saw these about 15 years ago when I was riding over towards the Rhine, where apparently there was a colony. At the time they were merely listed as exotic, but when I looked them up just now I was surprised to see that they're now considered as invasive, to the extent of being culled in the Haut-Rhin.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: Seen today
« Reply #5819 on: 23 May, 2021, 10:33:33 am »
A magpie. Not in itself unusual, we do get them in our small (narrow) garden, but up to now always on the grass area about 15m from the back door, and only when we put meat scraps out. But yesterday, for the first time, one was on the patio about 3m from the back door, picking up spilt sunflower seed hearts from under the feeders.

And this morning, a juvenile goldfinch, a first probably because I’ve still got the feeders out in late May! Ah well, I’ve only got a small amount of seeds left, so they’ll be empty by the end of the week, and that’ll be it for another season.

Not seen, any blue tits in our next box. Last year there was a failed next, this year no activity at all. It is more exposed now, after some overhanging branches were removed, so maybe needs relocating. Or perhaps the unseasonably Easterly winds made it too cold ad draughty during nesting season this year as it faces East, to give shelter from the prevailing (usually) South-Westerlies.

Oh, and just now in a brief period of sunshine, at least 5 different bumblebees (I’m terrible at identifying them) on the just-opening Cotoneaster flowers.
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Seen today
« Reply #5820 on: 23 May, 2021, 07:09:57 pm »
For the past week or so I've been watching a apair of greater spotted woodpeckers feeding their young. They must be getting very close to leaving teh nest no - this afternoon I could see one of the youngsters perched briefly in the hole but it didn't like the look of the outside world and it went back in again.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: Seen today
« Reply #5821 on: 24 May, 2021, 11:01:19 am »
Just watched the male blackbird we call Broken Wing on the ground feeder we have put on on of our dry stone walls. He has a droopy wing and a club foot and is very scruffy and gets bullied by the other blackbirds. But he's been visiting the feeder for three months now and seems to be holding his own. He lives in one of our hedges and can flutter up into it and onto the wall. He's a feisty little chap.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Seen today
« Reply #5822 on: 24 May, 2021, 11:17:52 am »
Saw a bit telling us to stop feeding the birds because summer and <reasons>.  Maybe Broken Wing might be befriended and fed on the sly.  My mum had a blackbird that would come up to the kitchen window and knock for food.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: Seen today
« Reply #5823 on: 24 May, 2021, 01:04:31 pm »
RSPB advice is to feed throughout the year.
"No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everybody on the couch."

Re: Seen today
« Reply #5824 on: 29 May, 2021, 02:35:58 pm »
Not unusually a raptor - in this case I think a young buzzard - getting mobbed. Unusually it was by a gang of swallows.
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)