Author Topic: Seen today (Read 1016105 times)

Wowbagger · « **Reply #850 on:** 19 October, 2009, 10:32:23 pm »

When I took the dog out on his late-night walk a few days ago he was slightly ahead of me as we turned a corner and he too came face to face with a fox.

I feel rather fortunate that I didn't have to go to A & E to have my shoulder put back.

tonycollinet · « **Reply #851 on:** 19 October, 2009, 11:20:44 pm »

Saturday - saw a buzzard on the ground in a field. Not seen that before.

Snakehips · « **Reply #852 on:** 20 October, 2009, 06:41:34 pm »

Just got back from a longish walk , saw........

Teddington Lock , half a doz cormorants and a heron
Bushy Park , several heron on different bits of water , red crested pochard , lesser black backed gull , pair of egyptian geese
Hampton Court , kingfisher , another couple of heron , great crested grebe , wagtail of some kind
Ditton , large group of tufted duck , jay
All the way from Hampton Ct to Kingston those irritating ring necked parakeets

plus a selection of the usual park and water birds

alan · « **Reply #853 on:** 23 October, 2009, 08:29:34 pm »

The first Robin of the season seen at the bird table this morning.

Salvatore · « **Reply #854 on:** 26 October, 2009, 05:57:35 pm »

A dipper and a kingfisher in the River Wey near Bentley. I just happened to have my camera resting on the parapet of the bridge when the unmistakable blue flash appeared.

Can't see it? Look closer, centre foreground.

Oh, and some geese.

Bledlow · « **Reply #855 on:** 26 October, 2009, 06:16:54 pm »

Last night, about 9 pm: a fox trotting along the top of a wall in central Reading. It gave us a glance, then carried on as before.

Yesterday afternoon: a fresh-looking dead badger by the side of the road, south Bucks.

Tourist Tony · « **Reply #856 on:** 26 October, 2009, 06:30:05 pm »

Quote from: alan on 23 October, 2009, 08:29:34 pm

The first Robin of the season seen at the bird table this morning.

Robins are odd birds---both resident and migratory.

Snakehips · « **Reply #857 on:** 27 October, 2009, 05:34:48 pm »

Several times recently I have flogged past the old Seething Wells water works site on the Surbiton/Thames Ditton border and thought 'that looks nice , I realy must have a good look at that place one day'.
Today was that day , and what a delight the place is. It's an unnatural lake which now has reeds growing round the edges. It also has lumps (or rather interesting bits) of concrete and steel railings sticking out of the water , which may sound unattractive but they provide perches for a variety of birds.
I saw three heron , at least half a dozen cormorant (two with their wings held out attractively in the pale low late afternoon sun) , coot , moorhen , tufted duck , lesser black backed gull , and countless black headed gulls , none of which is that unusual for this area.
But what then surprised and delighted me were at least three Little Grebe in winter plumage ( I haven't seen any of these for years) and the sudden arrival of up to twenty Lapwing which circled around for a bit then came down and stood in a shallow area.

What joy !

Tourist Tony · « **Reply #858 on:** 28 October, 2009, 11:11:09 am »

Dabchicks! Lovely little chaps. And such a quintessentially English name, just like lapwing. I prefer Peewit,though both names say so much more about the bird than green plover.

Luke · « **Reply #859 on:** 28 October, 2009, 02:07:56 pm »

A ladybird!

Only the second one I've seen this year.

clarion · « **Reply #860 on:** 28 October, 2009, 02:15:30 pm »

Joking, surely! We've had several - including in the house, and a whole colony of them inside the coolbag for the milbottles on the front step

Luke · « **Reply #861 on:** 28 October, 2009, 02:29:13 pm »

Quote from: clarion on 28 October, 2009, 02:15:30 pm

Joking, surely! We've had several - including in the house, and a whole colony of them inside the coolbag for the milbottles on the front step

Nope. They seem to have deserted these parts. $:-\$

On the plus side, now spotting just one is enough to instantly cheer me up.

Chris S · « **Reply #862 on:** 28 October, 2009, 03:26:24 pm »

Quote from: Luke on 28 October, 2009, 02:07:56 pm

Only the second one I've seen this year.

I'm guessing you weren't in Norfolk this summer then...

BBC - Norfolk - Ladybird swarms invading coast

alan · « **Reply #863 on:** 28 October, 2009, 03:47:19 pm »

Marj has got the spotting scope on a tripod set up in the kitchen to see down the garden.
Seems like she intends to miss nothing/none of our autumn visitors.
I expect the camera will be next with the seeasfarasStoke lens fitted

Adrian · « **Reply #864 on:** 28 October, 2009, 08:07:17 pm »

Longtail tits in the garden this morning. First I have seen here for a few years.

Nuncio · « **Reply #865 on:** 28 October, 2009, 08:56:39 pm »

Haven't seen any in our garden since we had the cats, but I used to love watching them when they arrived. They were like a marauding gang.

RJ · « **Reply #866 on:** 28 October, 2009, 09:09:45 pm »

Quote from: Nuncio on 28 October, 2009, 08:56:39 pm

Haven't seen any in our garden since we had the cats, but I used to love watching them when they arrived. They were like a marauding gang.

... of squeaky little balls of fluff with sticky-out tails.

Snakehips · « **Reply #867 on:** 29 October, 2009, 08:30:53 am »

Quote from: Tourist Tony on 28 October, 2009, 11:11:09 am

I prefer Peewit,though both names say so much more about the bird than green plover.

I hadn't realised just how green they are until I saw them in the pale sunlight on Tuesday afternoon.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #868 on:** 29 October, 2009, 01:47:52 pm »

Quote from: Snakehips on 29 October, 2009, 08:30:53 am

Quote from: Tourist Tony on 28 October, 2009, 11:11:09 am
I prefer Peewit,though both names say so much more about the bird than green plover.
I hadn't realised just how green they are until I saw them in the pale sunlight on Tuesday afternoon.

When Mrs. Wow and I were pushing the tandem up Waddington Fell, a lapwing came and flapped around us, presumably because it has its nest nearby. We were both struck by how loud its wingbeats were.

mike · « **Reply #869 on:** 29 October, 2009, 05:32:07 pm »

deer in the field behind our house, lots of them, with the stags making roaring noises. I guess they're making babies..

and we've heard but not seen a really noisy owl that's taken to sitting on the fencepost in a field opposite the house and shrieking 't'wit, t'woo' at the top of its voice from about 10pm for an hour or so

Crumbling Nick · « **Reply #870 on:** 29 October, 2009, 09:44:24 pm »

Sounds like two owls are involved. Sadly I can never remember which of the two sounds is the male and which is the female.

Tim Hall · « **Reply #871 on:** 30 October, 2009, 02:42:44 pm »

Parakeets over Dorking.

A bunch of ladybirds of all different (FSVO "all") colours basking on a handrail in Redhill.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #872 on:** 30 October, 2009, 02:46:58 pm »

A very large flock of brent geese.

Nutty's parents.

Snakehips · « **Reply #873 on:** 30 October, 2009, 04:17:29 pm »

I went for an off-road roll round Richmond Park (Surrey) and popped in to Isabella Plantation just before leaving. There is a small but rather lovely pond just inside what I consider to be the main entrance to the plantation. The small pond has a large island in it , on to which the water fowl can retire when they have had enough of humans and the food that they bring.
In addition to the expected species I saw a pair of Shoveller , two male (I think) Pintail , half a dozen Shellduck , a similar number of Mandarin (both sexes) a pair of Egyption Geese , a female Red Crested Pochard and a couple of other birds which I am still researching ........

Any ideas ? The closest match I can find is the Ferruginous Duck

border-rider · « **Reply #874 on:** 30 October, 2009, 04:19:22 pm »

A VERY large Peacock (I think - hard to tell from underneath) butterfly just flew into the window. Quite the biggest butterfly I've ever seen in this country.

Author Topic: Seen today (Read 1016105 times)

alan

Chris S

alan

border-rider