Author Topic: A random thread for the wildlife stuff - you know the drill (Read 136966 times)

BrianI · « **Reply #200 on:** 20 July, 2015, 06:32:25 pm »

Following my camping trip with college Mountain Man Park Rangery Type Buddy at the weekend, I've got my wildlife watching fu back!

So I've bought myself a heterodyne bat detector (Magenta Bat5¹), along with a digital voice recorder (Sony ICD-PX440²)to record the calls from the detector! (90 squid for the detector from local rspb reserve, and 50 squid for the voice recorder from PC world

) The aux output from the detector feeds into the mic / line on the recorder:

Initial tests settiing the bat detector at 40khz, it recorded ultrasonic noise when I rubbed my fingers together, and the recorder recorded this!

Also, as another test to see how good the digital recorder is, I played some bat calls from a bat detector from youtube, and hooked the computer speaker line out to the recorder! It worked jolly well!

When I was out camping last week on my own, I'm sure I saw bats flying over head. Now at least when I go camping for a couple of days tomorrow, I'll be armed with my bat detector!

¹http://www.magenta2000.co.uk/acatalog/Bat_Detector_Bat5.html
²records at up to MP3 192kbps: 75 Hz - 20,000 H. So should be great if I get a directional microphone for recording bird call!

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #201 on:** 20 July, 2015, 06:40:47 pm »

Nice. What does the readout on the BD tell you? We've got a Magenta but it's only got a twiddly knob with the Hz marked on it.

BrianI · « **Reply #202 on:** 20 July, 2015, 07:16:09 pm »

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 20 July, 2015, 06:40:47 pm

Nice. What does the readout on the BD tell you? We've got a Magenta but it's only got a twiddly knob with the Hz marked on it.

It's a 4 digit backlit lcd display. I used one of these a couple of years ago on one of the epic college field trip days. Always thought about getting one, so I bought one!

BrianI · « **Reply #203 on:** 23 July, 2015, 08:04:24 pm »

Ooh, it appeared to detect bats, Mrs Pingu! And the sony voice recorder record!

Hopefully this youtube video will work

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTnI20WlcaE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTnI20WlcaE

Ooops, looks like the bat detector detected mobile phone turning on at 2:15 onwards....

Still, a good first session!

-- eta -- Got a fair few recordings to go through, as I need to experiment about how best to do background noise removal and upload to youtube.

Pingu · « **Reply #204 on:** 23 July, 2015, 10:48:18 pm »

Good stuff BrianI

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #205 on:** 24 July, 2015, 06:15:35 pm »

What bird makes a noise like someone tutting repeatedly?

Ham · « **Reply #206 on:** 24 July, 2015, 06:38:22 pm »

That secretary bird did in an office I once worked in.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #207 on:** 24 July, 2015, 08:39:41 pm »

Blackbird?

jsabine · « **Reply #208 on:** 24 July, 2015, 10:23:10 pm »

Quote from: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 24 July, 2015, 06:15:35 pm

What bird makes a noise like someone tutting repeatedly?

Quote from: Ham on 24 July, 2015, 06:38:22 pm

That secretary bird did in an office I once worked in.

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 24 July, 2015, 08:39:41 pm

Blackbird?

Racist!

Basil · « **Reply #209 on:** 05 September, 2015, 03:52:48 pm »

What is it with all the wapsies today? I've hardly seen any all year and now there's loads of them. Kitchen, living room, shed, garden and they're really in bothering mood.
I've been stacking wood all afternoon and twice I've had to rip my shirt off cos one of the buggers has gone exploring.

SteveC · « **Reply #210 on:** 05 September, 2015, 04:13:30 pm »

It's been a really good (or bad depending on your viewpoint) year for wasps.
They don't normally make themselves obvious until after the queens start to die, when there are no grubs to feed (they get fed meat). The workers then have nothing to do except spend the last few weeks of their lives gorging on anything sweet they can get their antennae on.

Basil · « **Reply #211 on:** 05 September, 2015, 06:32:23 pm »

Oooh. Mushrooms.

That is all.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #212 on:** 05 September, 2015, 08:35:18 pm »

Quote from: Basil on 05 September, 2015, 03:52:48 pm

What is it with all the wapsies today? I've hardly seen any all year and now there's loads of them. Kitchen, living room, shed, garden and they're really in bothering mood.
I've been stacking wood all afternoon and twice I've had to rip my shirt off cos one of the buggers has gone exploring.

Think yourself lucky...http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/05/wasps-stung-me-in-the-testicles-but-i-love-them-anyway

Wowbagger · « **Reply #213 on:** 05 September, 2015, 09:03:01 pm »

Quote from: Basil on 05 September, 2015, 03:52:48 pm

What is it with all the wapsies today? I've hardly seen any all year and now there's loads of them. Kitchen, living room, shed, garden and they're really in bothering mood.
I've been stacking wood all afternoon and twice I've had to rip my shirt off cos one of the buggers has gone exploring.

Could your wood-stacking activities have disturbed their nest?

Wowbagger · « **Reply #214 on:** 05 September, 2015, 09:06:25 pm »

We saw a number of foxes during last night's ride, the most memorable being one swimming in one of the docks. It seemed to sense how vulnerable it was when it was in the water and made for a concrete ledge in shallower water so that it could get out. I had never seen a fox swimming before.

Kim · « **Reply #215 on:** 05 September, 2015, 11:14:14 pm »

Quote from: Wowbagger on 05 September, 2015, 09:06:25 pm

We saw a number of foxes during last night's ride, the most memorable being one swimming in one of the docks. It seemed to sense how vulnerable it was when it was in the water and made for a concrete ledge in shallower water so that it could get out. I had never seen a fox swimming before.

I wasn't sure whether it had got in there deliberately or not. When I first spotted it, it was failing to climb out at the other end where the concrete wall was sheer with nothing to get hold of, but as we approached it swam away from us towards the shallower ledge. When it reached that it appeared to know what it was doing, which was good, because I wasn't overwhelmed with ideas for how to rescue a water-treading fox...

Wowbagger · « **Reply #216 on:** 06 September, 2015, 09:43:38 am »

I think its initial attempts to get out where it was impossible was panic induced by our proximity. Once it realised it couldn't get out where the wall was too high it made straight for the ledge where it did get out.

cycleman · « **Reply #217 on:** 06 September, 2015, 08:52:23 pm »

Two deer, one with antler's and the other smaller with spot's

, near pinkeys green . oh and a buzzerd near white Waltham along ncn4

Basil · « **Reply #218 on:** 13 September, 2015, 08:17:37 pm »

Dragon flies are pretty rare in the gardens of urban Brum. So when Daf just came in through the cat flap and presented me with one he'd just killed, it was difficult to be suitably grateful.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #219 on:** 13 September, 2015, 08:50:51 pm »

Ruthie · « **Reply #220 on:** 25 September, 2015, 06:18:55 pm »

When me and Crinklylion were standing on the grass at the side of the A1(M) last week (I forgot to feed the horses, okay?) we saw a queue of fully grown swans fly over us at very low altitude. They were beautiful, and huge.

Steph · « **Reply #221 on:** 26 September, 2015, 02:58:33 pm »

Had a couple of men poking around in the hedges outside my flat yesterday, who told me they were Portuguese, and picking chestnuts. "We eat them, make them into pies"

"Not those you don't. They're conkers"

"We eat them"

"They're poisonous"

Exit Portuguese with bag of 'chestnuts'. I really hope they do some research before cooking.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #222 on:** 05 October, 2015, 04:15:53 pm »

I am friends on FB with the chap who bought our house from us in 1983. He was (could still be) the curator at our local museum and is an entomologist. He posted this touching tribute:

Quote

Sad news yesterday. Clarissa, my Madagascan Hissing Cockroach hissed her last and is no more. She'd been with me for four or more years and always gave me a welcome hiss when I came into my office. When I picked her up, she affectionately used to grip my finger and she loved to be stroked. Like all her ancient kind, she was not loved by everyone, but she had a friend in me.
R.I.P. Clarissa

I can't say I'd ever heard of a Madagascan Hissing Cockroach before today, but here's some video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-pmD09JR38

Andrij · « **Reply #223 on:** 11 October, 2015, 07:40:27 pm »

The squirrels in Valentines Park, Redbridge, are rather ... friendly. One of them actually came running over to me (guessing at least 30m) to see if I had any food. It came right up to me - less than half a meter from my feet!

DSC_0400.NEF by Andrij, on Flickr

Andrij · « **Reply #224 on:** 13 October, 2015, 07:38:03 pm »

Goats balancing on a flexible steel ribbon