Author Topic: Seen today (Read 1016240 times)

Rig of Jarkness · « **Reply #400 on:** 17 February, 2009, 08:06:00 pm »

Saw a bat near the house today - surely a sign of spring ? (If only cos there was still enough light left at 5.30 to see it !)

Chris N · « **Reply #401 on:** 22 February, 2009, 09:37:03 pm »

8 deer (probably Roe - not sure though), crossing the road in front of me, here. Lots of Kestrels up in the Peak District too.

alan · « **Reply #402 on:** 22 February, 2009, 10:01:49 pm »

You've been close enough to have called at Cafe Alan's for a cake stop

Bledlow · « **Reply #403 on:** 22 February, 2009, 10:05:49 pm »

Two dead badgers & a dead muntjac faun.

Surprisingly (because I keep hearing they're in trouble) large numbers of sparrows in the Pang valley.

Yesterday: three red kites flying very high (Mrs. B spotted them - I had to strain to see them), two of them flying as if they were disagreeing about something. Both fancied the third? One was butting in on someone elses patch? Over east Reading, near the mouth of the Kennet.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #404 on:** 22 February, 2009, 10:21:17 pm »

Quote from: mike on 01 February, 2009, 09:34:11 pm

this fella:

swooped about 2 yards over my head as I was walking across trafalgar square at 7.30 one morning last week looking for pigeons, I guess.

He's got straps round his legs, hasn't he?

Adrian · « **Reply #405 on:** 22 February, 2009, 10:33:56 pm »

So he has. Probably being employed to deter pigeons from settling.

onb · « **Reply #406 on:** 23 February, 2009, 12:11:09 pm »

Lapwings, Spring must be on the way.

Chris N · « **Reply #407 on:** 23 February, 2009, 12:27:36 pm »

Quote from: alan on 22 February, 2009, 10:01:49 pm

You've been close enough to have called at Cafe Alan's for a cake stop

Was on my way to Ipstones - via Alton, Red Road, this and this. You could have come along!

alan · « **Reply #408 on:** 23 February, 2009, 12:34:32 pm »

I know both locations well.I prefer the Alton one to the Ipstones one & I imagine you can guess why

Have you used the Churney Valley Trail from Denstone to Oakamoor?
It could be usefull if you are travelling to/from the Peaks

Chris N · « **Reply #409 on:** 23 February, 2009, 12:38:39 pm »

Quote from: alan on 23 February, 2009, 12:34:32 pm

I know both locations well.I prefer the Alton one to the Ipstones one & I imagine you can guess why
Have you used the Churney Valley Trail from Denstone to Oakamoor?
It could be usefull if you are travelling to/from the Peaks

A flat run all the way from Uttoxeter to Oakamoor.

I didn't know about that - thanks!

Jezza · « **Reply #410 on:** 23 February, 2009, 05:36:01 pm »

An avocet, yesterday, near Covehithe.

Snakehips · « **Reply #411 on:** 24 February, 2009, 05:28:36 pm »

Almost every pond I passed in Richmond Park had a pair of Mandarin Ducks. The pond on Ham Common had five males and three females. Some disappointment in store there.
Lots of Pochards in Bushy Park. Again a seriously unfavourable balance from the male perspective !

Pingu · « **Reply #412 on:** 24 February, 2009, 06:07:07 pm »

First dolphins of the year on the commute home

Pingu · « **Reply #413 on:** 25 February, 2009, 07:33:26 pm »

Seal in the harbour scoffing a fish and getting hassled by seagulls.

mike · « **Reply #414 on:** 25 February, 2009, 07:39:06 pm »

an owl, flying along the other side of the hedge as I sweated my way up a hill this afternoon. It stayed with me for about 100 yards, then swooped off into the distance. Amazingly big birds.

Riggers · « **Reply #415 on:** 26 February, 2009, 08:28:47 am »

Mr. Fox, scrambling over a neighbour's fence at 8.15am today.

toekneep · « **Reply #416 on:** 26 February, 2009, 07:45:31 pm »

We live in bungalow land and one of the sad things is that all we ever seem to see is starlings, pigeons and sparrows. Until today that is. I was talking on the phone and gazing out of the office window when a Peregrine Falcon landed on the back fence, posed for a minute or so and then disappeared behind another bungalow. Wow!

clarion · « **Reply #417 on:** 26 February, 2009, 08:43:58 pm »

I saw a fox browsing among a large number of parked Audis behind a garage near Purley. He was about to emerge from the fence when I went past, so he decided to affect an air of disinterest

Snakehips · « **Reply #418 on:** 27 February, 2009, 03:57:22 pm »

Deer wallowing in a muddy patch in Bushy Park , Hampton.

PaulR · « **Reply #419 on:** 27 February, 2009, 04:42:54 pm »

Quote from: Adrian on 22 February, 2009, 10:33:56 pm

So he has. Probably being employed to deter pigeons from settling.

That reminds me, a while back I was cycling down Ludgate Hill and heard the screeching of some agitated gulls overhead. When I looked up, there was a whopping great harris hawk being mobbed by gulls. It was huge and a really lovely chocolate brown colour. Hired by Ken (for, yea, verily it was a while ago) to keep pigeons under control.

Pingu · « **Reply #420 on:** 28 February, 2009, 01:17:43 pm »

One of the Aberdeen red kites

slowfen · « **Reply #421 on:** 01 March, 2009, 09:05:13 am »

great view of a barn owl, folowed it for approx 200m, 10m behind it

clarion · « **Reply #422 on:** 02 March, 2009, 11:52:31 am »

We were in the Chilterns at the weekend, so we saw red kites aplenty. It's still a source of wonder to me that something that was so rare has flourished so well.

Superstoker was trying hard to be unimpressed in the traditional teenage style, till one swooped very low over his head. 'Wow!' he said.

Later, we saw a group of approx thirty kites all together - no idea what was going on, but it was quite a sight.

The campsite's also a good place to spot hordes of bunnies, and the odd hare (though sadly not the latter this weekend

).

There was a biiig swan on the Thames that dived over the weir into the breaking waves, with panache.

Also saw a load of wee piglets of some breed or other (Gloucesters?), sharing a field with a load of chickens - some fine cocks among them, some ridiculous-looking guinea fowl, four classic tractors, a pheasant, and a peacock.

Yes, a peacock! Well, all we saw was it;s head peeping out over one of the tractors, but there it was...

Superstoker & I were speculating that it might just be a glove puppet...

clarion · « **Reply #423 on:** 02 March, 2009, 11:53:34 am »

Oh yeah - and just so Oxfordshire doesn't have all the glamour of the weekend, there was a fox came really close to us as we were unloading the car back at home last night.

Bledlow · « **Reply #424 on:** 02 March, 2009, 03:52:23 pm »

Quote from: clarion on 02 March, 2009, 11:52:31 am

We were in the Chilterns at the weekend, so we saw red kites aplenty. It's still a source of wonder to me that something that was so rare has flourished so well....

Later, we saw a group of approx thirty kites all together - no idea what was going on, but it was quite a sight.

Was that around Ibstone? There used to be a woman there who fed them. She was asked not to by the RSPB & just about everyone else involved in the re-introduction (discourages them from dispersing & increasing their range), but refused to stop. Apparently, anyone who wanted stock shots of red kites from fairly close up popped down there around her usual feeding times (the kites quickly learned when to turn up for dinner) to take pictures. I don't know if she's still going, but that's the only place I've seen so many kites in one place.

Author Topic: Seen today (Read 1016240 times)

Chris N

alan

Chris N

alan

Chris N

Jezza