Author Topic: Seen today (Read 1016205 times)

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #275 on:** 30 September, 2008, 10:56:56 am »

While on me holibobs:

Raccoon (dead)
Skunk (also dead)
Coyote (alive and utterly indifferent to noisy motorcar until prompted with Audible Warning of Approach)
Very large raptor of unknown make (though I think probably McDonnell-Douglas)
~~Matt Scott~~

clarion · « **Reply #276 on:** 30 September, 2008, 12:51:46 pm »

Ooh- when we were trundling near the Thames, we had a ruddy great heron fly directly over the top of us! It was a bit like an eclipse.

At Brooklands, we also saw a Dove, a Kestrel, and a Hawk(er). Not to mention a Merlin and a Bluebird. Though they weren't birds...

RJ · « **Reply #277 on:** 30 September, 2008, 01:35:52 pm »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 30 September, 2008, 10:56:56 am

While on me holibobs:

Skunk (also dead)

Theer is, of course, a song about that:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/doqTSev-_lQ&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/doqTSev-_lQ&rel=1</a>

andrew_s · « **Reply #278 on:** 01 October, 2008, 10:52:20 pm »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 30 September, 2008, 10:56:56 am

While on me holibobs:
Very large raptor of unknown make (though I think probably McDonnell-Douglas)

Lockheed, surely

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #279 on:** 02 October, 2008, 02:30:35 pm »

A snake. Don't know what sort, but about six inches long, dark grey in colour and with a light v-shaped marking on the back of its head. Not the sort of thing one expects to encounter in Harlow station car park!

harrumph · « **Reply #280 on:** 02 October, 2008, 02:35:06 pm »

Quote from: Pingu on 28 September, 2008, 08:51:37 pm

Fungi:

Oooh, nice fungus, Pingu

(I collect ones I see, in picture form).

And a very superior photo, too - what camera do you use? Is it a physically small one?

TimO · « **Reply #281 on:** 02 October, 2008, 02:54:45 pm »

For some odd reason, yesterday I saw loads of crows/ravens (dirty great big black things anyway). Whereas normally cycling across Tooting Bec and Clapham Commons, you'll often see a load of pigeons digging around looking for insects on the grass, yesterday the crows seemed to have replaced them. This morning the pigeons were back, and the crows gone again.

I guess it must have been something to do with the weather/wind speed ... ?

andrew_s · « **Reply #282 on:** 02 October, 2008, 05:42:00 pm »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 02 October, 2008, 02:30:35 pm

A snake. Don't know what sort, but about six inches long, dark grey in colour and with a light v-shaped marking on the back of its head. Not the sort of thing one expects to encounter in Harlow station car park!

V marking open end forwards? A baby grass snake?

Wowbagger · « **Reply #283 on:** 03 October, 2008, 11:51:00 am »

This morning I had a splendid view of a greater spotted woodpecker, about 80' up in a sycamore tree, showing itself on some dead branches at the top. It stayed there for quite some time, making quite a bit of noise against the backdrop of a cloudless sky. I wish I'd taken my binoculars.

pcolbeck · « **Reply #284 on:** 03 October, 2008, 12:21:19 pm »

We had one that came to the tree in our garden quite often. Now the tree is chopped down no more woodpeckers or squirrels

toekneep · « **Reply #285 on:** 03 October, 2008, 07:14:11 pm »

A pigeon with two legs but only one foot. Seemed perfectly happy. That's a Robin and a Pigeon I have seen with this impediment now, I might start a book or something.

Deano · « **Reply #286 on:** 03 October, 2008, 10:42:18 pm »

Saw a red squirrel in Hamsterley Forest

Pete · « **Reply #287 on:** 05 October, 2008, 01:00:30 pm »

Quote from: toekneep on 03 October, 2008, 07:14:11 pm

A pigeon with two legs but only one foot. Seemed perfectly hoppy.

FTFY.
Sorry, couldn't resist. IGMC...

border-rider · « **Reply #288 on:** 29 October, 2008, 06:07:53 pm »

Fallow deer, when I was running

Fallow Deer

4 females/juveniles today, and a damn big male on Monday. Very distinctive horns.

They were in nondescript grey winter colours though

Regulator · « **Reply #289 on:** 30 October, 2008, 07:52:04 am »

Quote from: toekneep on 03 October, 2008, 07:14:11 pm

A pigeon with two legs but only one foot. Seemed perfectly happy. That's a Robin and a Pigeon I have seen with this impediment now, I might start a book or something.

One footed pigeons are a regular sight in London - not quite sure why. We have two regular feathered visitors who are unipedal...

Analog Kid · « **Reply #290 on:** 30 October, 2008, 08:38:39 am »

Just seen our "commuting" heron getting ~~mugged~~ mobbed by a pair of crows.

Regarding the uniped birds (do they fly in circles due to uneven drag and weight distribution?)..

Many years ago I remember being told by people that worked in a huge coldstore that all the birds that flew in and couldn't get eventually suffered the consequences of frost bite..

..although I feel there's large pinch of salt and urban mythery about this.

toekneep · « **Reply #291 on:** 02 November, 2008, 10:23:00 am »

Hundreds and hundreds of geese flying over in formation. Presumably arriving to over winter here from the Arctic. Twas a wonderful sight and sound set against an icy blue winter sky.

Pingu · « **Reply #292 on:** 05 November, 2008, 10:57:04 pm »

Tonight was the first time I've seen a hedgehog in our garden, ruddy huge it was too

Analog Kid · « **Reply #293 on:** 06 November, 2008, 06:05:55 pm »

28 starlings and 2 goldfinches on the telegraph wires (power cables actually) that run alongside our garden at 4.30pm today.

All in one long line.

Would've made a good picture, didn't have a camera to hand unfortunately.

TimO · « **Reply #294 on:** 06 November, 2008, 06:36:47 pm »

Quote from: notquitelance on 06 November, 2008, 06:05:55 pm

28 starlings and 2 goldfinches on the telegraph wires (power cables actually) that run alongside our garden at 4.30pm today.

All in one long line.

That sounds very

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Sg39dHNQkUU&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/Sg39dHNQkUU&rel=1</a>.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #295 on:** 10 November, 2008, 05:09:58 pm »

I counted 95 avocets at Two Tree Island this morning. The tide was in and the lagoon had lots of waders on it. Lapwings, ringed plovers, quite a few shovelers, dunlin, redshank, godwit, grey plovers, knots, teal. It was cold, wet and miserable. Must have made the buggers that flew in from Siberia feel quite at home - the weather and the archipelago.

TimO · « **Reply #296 on:** 20 November, 2008, 11:50:14 am »

Four foxes on the way home yesterday. I was a bit later than usual (left work around midnight), and being midweek, by that time the roads were pretty quiet. I obviously spooked a couple of them, since they suddenly legged it at speed when they saw or heard me! They were spread out over my route, and none of them particularly close to a park or common, just bog standard urban residential roads. The urban fox is clearly proliferating.

Deano · « **Reply #297 on:** 20 November, 2008, 07:28:37 pm »

A barn owl. Possibly the same one that I saw earlier in the year, since it was only about five miles away from the spot. It halted on a fencepost and I got as close as ten yards from it before it spooked and flapped away.

Later, another owl flew above me. I think it was a tawny owl, since it was about the right size, but it was too dark for me to say for sure.

Also, a flock of sixty-eighty geese flew above me. What a row they made!

Wowbagger · « **Reply #298 on:** 21 November, 2008, 01:56:46 pm »

Several goldcrests in a flock of mostly long-tailed tits in the park this morning. Also had two sightings off green woodpeckers and heard a greater spotted. Two goldfinches.

TimO · « **Reply #299 on:** 22 November, 2008, 03:47:09 am »

Five more urban foxes, several of which were a bit surprised, and one small rotund brown and white DSH out on the prowl near Norbury Station, who most definitely was very surprised by a cyclist at this time of night.

Author Topic: Seen today (Read 1016205 times)

Pete

border-rider