Seen today

[RJ]

On a gloriously sunny and almost warm ride home today, (on my new bike  ), 2 roe deer and several thousand pink footed geese.  (Or perhaps bean goose ?  I've no idea, I'll assume pink foot).

Pinks, (OK, almost) absolutely certainly, in those numbers, in Scotland.

The SOC Gallery recently had a few shots of a mixed flock of pinkfoot and bean - even with the two species in the same shot and the bird guide in front of me I still can't tell the difference...The SOC - photo viewer

Ideally (in a mixed flock), you need a good view of their legs - bean goose legs are bright orange.  The first bean goose I ever saw (on the Black Isle, about his time of year, many years ago) was in a flock of about 1000 pinks that I was scouring for darvic rings (those 2-colour plastic engraved ones with a unique code for each bird) - and suddenly there was a pair of bright orange legs that belonged to a bird that otherwise looked quite like a pink-footed goose.

For a long time they were treated as a single species.

[RJ]

A ginormous bee.

Yeah - one of those was chasing FirstBorn as he was cycling round and round a quiet bit of drive at Pollock Halls yesterday.  Spring seems to have almost sprung (but a wet end to the week is on the cards ...).

[Rig of Jarkness]

Ideally (in a mixed flock), you need a good view of their legs - bean goose legs are bright orange.  The first bean goose I ever saw (on the Black Isle, about his time of year, many years ago) was in a flock of about 1000 pinks that I was scouring for darvic rings (those 2-colour plastic engraved ones with a unique code for each bird) - and suddenly there was a pair of bright orange legs that belonged to a bird that otherwise looked quite like a pink-footed goose.

Thanks for the tip - I'll keep a look out !

(Thinks...So why aren't they called orange footed geese ?  )

[RJ]

Ideally (in a mixed flock), you need a good view of their legs - bean goose legs are bright orange.  The first bean goose I ever saw (on the Black Isle, about his time of year, many years ago) was in a flock of about 1000 pinks that I was scouring for darvic rings (those 2-colour plastic engraved ones with a unique code for each bird) - and suddenly there was a pair of bright orange legs that belonged to a bird that otherwise looked quite like a pink-footed goose.

Thanks for the tip - I'll keep a look out !

(Thinks...So why aren't they called orange footed geese ?  )

Possibly because:  too obvious  ?; Greenland white-fronts have orange legs too (but then there's more than one species of goose with pink feet ...); errr, some other reason ...

Not a clue, really.  In German, pink-footed goose is Kurzschnabelgans (short-billed goose) - which is possibly more usefully descriptive ...

[L CC]

Wild Boar in Britain

I've never seen one but it seems possible.

They're quite numerous in the Forest of Dean now; some of the verges in the Forest have been rotavated by them.  They've crossed the Wye and are heading this way !

(For those not reading the Audax board) many of us were rather sad to spot a piglet on the verge in the Forest of Dean on Saturday. Dead but quite fresh looking. Almost more orange than brown to my eyes, and about the size of a very fat jack russell.

Orange isn't wild boar.
It's Duroc, outdoor pig.

[Pingu]

Seen on Saturday & Sunday in Perthshire:

Buzzards, red kites, reed bunting, curlews, lapwings, kestrel, partridge, red grouse, deer (unspecified), dead red squirrel, yellowhammer, goldeneye, heard a GS woodpecker, saw some GSWs. And a starling at Loch of the Lowes which the staff thought was very unusual.

ETA - siskins

[itsbruce]

Kate Hoey MP, squashed against the wall of the tube beside me, on the Jubilee line last night on my way to see Elbow at the O2.

[mattc]

Kate Hoey MP, squashed against the wall of the tube beside me, on the Jubilee line last night on my way to see Elbow at the O2.

Was there anyone else in the carriage?

[clarion]

Is she a Wild Thing?

[Pingu]

Wild? She's absolutely livid!

[Wowbagger]

A swallow.

[Pingu]

Red kites in Aberdeenshire this today  Loadsa buzzards, too.

[Adrian]

A slow worm in the garden. It slithered off under the fence before I could summon any other witnesses.

[bloomers100]

This morning two herds(?) of deer at different locations, a solo muntjac and I felt the waft of a pheasants wings on my face.

[SandyV]

An echidna - in our yard!  We were alerted by our barking dogs who were unable to do it damage as it was rolled up tight.

[Tim Hall]

Red kites over Outwood. That's near Gatwick. They're spreading. Run for the hills.

[Adrian]

Red kites over Outwood. That's near Gatwick. They're spreading. Run for the hills.

Yep. In a few years they will be back in the streets of London picking up dropped chicken bones.

[Bledlow]

They've long since mapped out all the fast food places in Reading that are careless with their scraps.

[Simonb]

They've long since mapped out all the fast food places in Reading that are careless with their scraps.

They won't make it this far east (Ramsgate). The seagulls here are vicious.

[mike]

right outside my office window, about 3 yards from my chair - a sparrowhawk taking a pigeon mid-air and crashing to the ground, then flying off slowly with pigeon. 

    (unless you're a pigeon, in which case  )

[Tim Hall]

A squadron of five parakeets alongside the M25, between junctions 3 & 4.

[Snakehips]

A squadron of five parakeets alongside the M25, between junctions 3 & 4.

Only five , that would make a pleasant change. They go over my house in hordes of up to 40 at a time.

[Ray 6701]

The 1st bluebells I have seen this year & 3 Buzzards 2 a light colour & 1 dark brown whilst out walking yesterday.

[Rig of Jarkness]

On a little ride this morning, several buzzards, a kestrel, and a sparrowhawk.  Oh, and a hen harrier 

[Butterfly]

Some pretty butterflies (white ones with brown tipped wings) accompanied us up the road today. One of them stayed with us for ages - several hundred yards at least . There were also some yellow butterflies around the same area.