Author Topic: A random thread for the wildlife stuff - you know the drill (Read 135055 times)

Andrij · « **Reply #250 on:** 28 February, 2016, 07:39:44 pm »

Quote from: mattc on 28 February, 2016, 04:53:40 pm

Quick poll - who would know what this safety sign means?

(spoiler in the URL!)

"No maîtres d'hôtel allowed."

Or "Please do not dress up the penguins."

Basil · « **Reply #251 on:** 28 February, 2016, 07:55:07 pm »

Quote from: mattc on 28 February, 2016, 04:53:40 pm

Quick poll - who would know what this safety sign means?

(spoiler in the URL!)

Is it a sign put up outside several pubs in Furry Boots Toon?

Having looked at URL. I would never have got that!
*checks freezer contents*

Pingu · « **Reply #252 on:** 28 February, 2016, 09:01:02 pm »

Quote from: mattc on 28 February, 2016, 04:53:40 pm

Quick poll - who would know what this safety sign means?

(spoiler in the URL!)

Don't spang the waiters?

mattc · « **Reply #253 on:** 01 March, 2016, 07:29:13 pm »

Quote from: Basil on 28 February, 2016, 07:55:07 pm

Having looked at URL. I would never have got that!
*checks freezer contents*

Glad to be of service.

(You wont forget it though, will you?)

Dibdib · « **Reply #254 on:** 02 March, 2016, 03:14:35 pm »

I've applied to adopt a rescue dog. Got my eye on an adorable 3-year old greyhound called Blu. Now I'm just waiting to hear back from the shelter, fingers crossed!

(edit: home visit booked for Monday, yay!)

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #255 on:** 04 March, 2016, 04:36:01 pm »

Bronze Age burial near Stonehenge discovered by badger

CAMRAMan · « **Reply #256 on:** 06 April, 2016, 08:58:00 pm »

I've been feeding a burgeoning population of greenfinches, goldfinches, blue and great tits, blackbirds, robins and the occasional starling over the winter. The greenfinches started off as a handful last autumn, but swelled to over a dozen by the bank holiday last week. I've gone through 50Kg+ of sunflower hearts and they were going through about 1Kg a day.

Anyway, last week I disappeared off to Edinburgh for a few days. I tried to fill the feeders as fully as I could on the Tuesday morning, but by the time I returned on Friday everything was empty and even the ground underneath the feeders, normally covered in dropped seed, was plucked bare. I filled up the feeders pronto, but since then the greenfinches seem to have done a bunk. I'm now down to about a third of the number of visitors and seed consumed. I'm quite sad, as the greenfinches were a feisty bunch. Do you think they have departed for pastures warmer now the spring is here?

Wowbagger · « **Reply #257 on:** 07 April, 2016, 12:01:36 am »

Quote from: mattc on 28 February, 2016, 04:53:40 pm

Quick poll - who would know what this safety sign means?

(spoiler in the URL!)

Couldn't find a URL.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #258 on:** 13 April, 2016, 12:54:57 pm »

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/13/the-great-escape-inky-the-octopus-legs-it-to-freedom-from-new-zealand-aquarium

Dibdib · « **Reply #259 on:** 26 April, 2016, 04:03:36 pm »

Quote from: Dibdib on 02 March, 2016, 03:14:35 pm

I've applied to adopt a rescue dog. Got my eye on an adorable 3-year old greyhound called Blu. Now I'm just waiting to hear back from the shelter, fingers crossed!

(edit: home visit booked for Monday, yay!)

Well the (DNA test) results are in, and Blu... isn't a greyhound!

According to WisdomPanel, three grandparents were greyhounds and one grandparent was an American Staffs terrier/whippet cross.

T42 · « **Reply #260 on:** 03 May, 2016, 10:25:53 am »

Next door but one have a dummy long-eared owl on a stake stuck in their veg patch. Makes a great perch for real birds.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #261 on:** 14 May, 2016, 09:12:15 am »

Got up this morning to find Ninkasi nibbling on a mouse under our bed.

Which was nice.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #262 on:** 14 May, 2016, 12:12:21 pm »

Quote from: T42 on 03 May, 2016, 10:25:53 am

Next door but one have a dummy long-eared owl on a stake stuck in their veg patch. Makes a great perch for real birds.

I went to a course at Cheltenham Ladies' College some years ago. On the roof of one of the buildings was a model of an eagle owl. The first time we noticed it, after a rather good dinner, a few of us thought it was real. It didn't move for the entire week, despite being dive-bombed by herring gulls. I think its purpose was to frighten those gulls away, but it didn't work.

Pingu · « **Reply #263 on:** 15 May, 2016, 11:50:23 am »

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 14 May, 2016, 09:12:15 am

Got up this morning to find Ninkasi nibbling on a mouse under our bed.

Which was nice.

Caught:

(click to show/hide)

CAMRAMan · « **Reply #264 on:** 16 May, 2016, 07:48:16 am »

Looked out towards the feeder this morning to see parent starlings feeding six very hungry fledglings. That must have been one full nest!

hellymedic · « **Reply #265 on:** 20 May, 2016, 03:05:12 pm »

Hampstead Heath swans.
http://www.camdennewjournal.com/heath-dam-cygnets

hellymedic · « **Reply #266 on:** 10 June, 2016, 12:40:11 am »

Suburban vet finds fox cub in dishwasher.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-36492373

Ham · « **Reply #267 on:** 10 June, 2016, 09:27:49 am »

I like the idea of someone surviving the Battles of Wimbledon Common and the like, thank you Helly

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #268 on:** 10 June, 2016, 02:20:50 pm »

Finally, after all week spent cycling in vain through likely Belgian woods, this morning we get three red sqrls Anna green wooderypeckery

rogerzilla · « **Reply #269 on:** 11 June, 2016, 11:15:26 am »

There are bits of a magpie on the front lawn, presumably left there by a cat which ate the meaty parts*. When I got up this morning another magpie was tucking into the remains.

*my former cats Sassy and Josh once killed a pigeon in the back garden, dragged it through the catflap and ate the whole lot (save a few feathers and a large bloodstain) on the living room carpet while I was upstairs. They didn't even take their scolding properly as they were both too stuffed to move - just sprawled there in their own crapulence like a lion does after it's eaten a whole antelope.

T42 · « **Reply #270 on:** 26 July, 2016, 08:22:00 am »

A bat flew into our house last night, probably through the kitchen window. It buzzed the missus in the lounge, did a few turns before trying the old dining room, then back through the lounge, into the hall & up the stairs, doing a few turns on the landing then settling in a corner against the ceiling, then off again downstairs and out the front door, which we'd opened in the meantime.

Birds we've had in before and they're easy to steer, given that this is a dim house: all we have to do is turn off lights, open a couple of windows and approach them, so that they fly away. Bats? No idea. It seemed to be indifferent to light or darkness. I clapped my hands a couple of times but that had no visible effect either. In the end I think it was just luck that it found the door.

Steph · « **Reply #271 on:** 26 July, 2016, 03:13:05 pm »

Quote from: rogerzilla on 11 June, 2016, 11:15:26 am

There are bits of a magpie on the front lawn, presumably left there by a cat which ate the meaty parts*. When I got up this morning another magpie was tucking into the remains.

*my former cats Sassy and Josh once killed a pigeon in the back garden, dragged it through the catflap and ate the whole lot (save a few feathers and a large bloodstain) on the living room carpet while I was upstairs. They didn't even take their scolding properly as they were both too stuffed to move - just sprawled there in their own crapulence like a lion does after it's eaten a whole antelope.

Skansen zoo in Stockholm. European animals such as rescued brown bears with containers of food in them, being raided by magpies. All except one, where the resident wolverine was chewing something covered in black and white feathers.

Bledlow · « **Reply #272 on:** 29 July, 2016, 07:00:35 pm »

Recent roadkill included a surprisingly undamaged young fox (glancing blow or farmer?) & a shrew on a bike path. Mangled head - bike, or predator which rejected it as tasting horrible?

hellymedic · « **Reply #273 on:** 31 July, 2016, 03:27:29 pm »

I noticed a large piece of foil on the lawn earlier today.
It's now on the birdbath.
I blame the magpies!

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #274 on:** 03 August, 2016, 12:05:41 pm »

On my way to a client, walking through Guardwell Glen along Burdiehouse Burn, a man was walking a border collie. The dog bounded up in front of me and dropped a slobbery tennis ball at my feet. I threw it. The man encouraged the dog to bring the ball back to him and his magic throwing thing. The dog brought the ball back to me. This continued for some minutes until the dog eventually returned the ball to the man and we went our separate ways.