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Not by me, but the Southend RSPB website claims that a swallow was seen in Gunners Park, Shoeburyness, yesterday. It wants its head examined.
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Tadpoles! No doubt about it. Very small, still clinging to the spawn. It's the first time in about 4 years that the Priory Park frogspawn has made it this far.
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Thanks for starting this thread, Wow--I was hoping you would.
Nothing to report from here yet today except a tufted titmouse at the feeder; haven't been out of the house yet.
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Heard a chiffchaff in Priory Park. Also saw the parakeet again from a distance. Other than that, the usual stuff.
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2 of the Moray Firth dolphins throwing their fish around.
Some tourist eagles buzzards, as usual.
A small ex-badger :'(
A wooderypeckery
A teeny tiny lamb! I've never seen one that small before. :-* It was all covered in fluff (perhaps it was lamugo?).
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Went to look for the kingfisher at the east end of Two Tree Island, but he wasn't there. There were mallards, coots, blackheaded gulls and a couple of kestrels.
At the other end, on the lagoon, there were loads of avocets. Someone told me that 75 had been counted. That's only 149 avocet legs though: I saw one which had only 50% of the normal number.
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a northern flicker (woodpecker) drumming on top of a lamp fixture in the parking lot
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Saw a squeasel (or possibly a big stoat, can never remember which is which) darting across the road today...don't often see them around here.
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Weasels are the tiny little ones. Stoats are quite big.
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Saw a squeasel (or possibly a big stoat, can never remember which is which)
One is weasily identified, the other is stoatally different.
Alright, alright, I'm getting me coat :-[
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(http://www.bosphorus.f2s.com/duck.jpg)
This fellow and his mate in our garden at the weekend.
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(http://www.bosphorus.f2s.com/frogs.jpg)#
Our little garden pond is seething with randy frogs
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Three hinds, running across the field only 50 yards from me.
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A heron, landing on this roof
(http://maps.google.co.uk/?ll=51.538264,-0.029709&spn=0.000313,0.000968&t=h&z=20) near Victoria Park.
Last year I saw a cormorant in this stretch of canal eating an eel, perhaps I should have built a temple.
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Bit late, but was away. On 02/04/08 in Tissington (Derbyshire) two swallows, which obviously had not read the weather forecast
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A fox having a sneezing fit. He was stood ont he next plot along from my allotment, doing foxy creeping things with his eyes on some pigeons. Sudden;y starts sneezing, each sneeze moving him back a few inches. Went on like this for aroud three minutes then, rather pensively looked around to see if anyone had seen him, saw myself and birds watching him and sulked off into the undergrowth with an even redder look to his cheeks!
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Was driving back home late last night (about 2:30am) and saw two barn owls. Lovely.
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Cheating really, but I saw a flock of flamingos this morning, here (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=431790&Y=306300&A=Y&Z=3).
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On Monday morning we saw a hen harrier (female) quite close to the top of the Bolderwood Ornamental Drive in the New Forest.
On Tuesday evening we watched a pair of badgers eating peanuts from a tray from a distance of about 20 feet,in the garden of the B & B we were staying at.
On Wednesday we saw a nuthatch in what is claimed to be Britain's largest London Plane at the Mottisfont Priory.
Yesterday, we were drinking in the Cuckoo in Hamptworth when a chiffchaff came into the bar, hovered around for a bit and then flew out again.
This morning I saw my first house martin of the year, not far from Fritham.
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The following small rabbit sat in the middle of the road. When I tried to shift it it ran slowly round in a circle. I managed to pick it up and put onto the verge so it wouldn't get run over. It seemed like it wasn't in very good shape though :(
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f330/Pinniped/ACF/WTWTA/rabbit01.jpg)
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First swallow of the year, yesterday while on the Witham Wander.
Heard the first whitethroat of the year this morning on 2 tree island.
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The following small rabbit sat in the middle of the road. When I tried to shift it it ran slowly round in a circle. I managed to pick it up and put onto the verge so it wouldn't get run over. It seemed like it wasn't in very good shape though :(
Its probably likely to have mixy :(
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Can't see any sign of the myx - on a road, more likely it had been hit and was dazed and confused.
Reminds me of this one.
(http://hazeii.net/images/2004/bunny1.jpg)
Woken up by a male pheasant and its mate making a hell of a racket - I looked out and there was a rook pecking at something on the ground, and the pheasants were trying to drive it off. My guess was the rook was after one of their young, but when I went to investigate it turned out the rook had been after the baby bunny - makes me think those pheasants had lost their young to rooks in the past!
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Seen on Sunday when we had all that snow: a fox running across our shed roof (which is an access point for local cats) in broad daylight.
Seen on Monday in the Barnes Wetlands Centre: a green woodpecker which swooped down right over our heads. My mum, who's an avid spotter, was very excited as that's a first for her. Obviously all the other birds and ducks don't count, taking into account where we were...
Seen today: mallard ducklings and baby coots on the pond on Wandsworth Common. Everyone say "aaaawwww".
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When I was in Richmond Park with my friend the other day, a great big crow started rifling in our open panniers (we'd stopped to have a snack). Cheeky sod!
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I thought you said
a great big cow
Now that would be a good spot in Richmond park ;D
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Hehe, now that would have been notable!
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I'm gradually learning a few of our British birds by spotting them out walking the dog, trying to remember what they look like and then looking them up when I get back home. I saw a pair of goldfinches today, which was a nice spot for me as I knew what they were already and didn't have to ge the book out! ;D
I see a lot of tits about (steady!) and still can't distinguish between some of them yet. Saw a grey one a while back which turned out to be a coal tit, something I'd not seen before.
We seem to have a proliferation of robins at the moment and I usually see 2 or 3 every walk. My house has steps up to the front door with handrails and as I got my bike out to ride to work the other morning there were 2 sitting on either side staring one another out. Oh to have had a decent camera in my hand at that moment!
Get a lot of house martins round here in the summer, which the dog likes to chase, as they fly low to the ground. Got a feeling there might not be so many this year, though, as I think they used to live in an old farm building nearby, which they've now torn down. :(
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Partial bird list from Sunday's ride in Ladysmith, Virginia (see Gallery for pics)--mostly birding by ear, since if I stopped to look, I got left behind!
Northern Parula
Pine Warbler
a swallow of some sort
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
two ducks of some sort
White-eyed Vireo
Carolina Wren
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I saw a blackbird today that had 2 big white patches on his back
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I saw a blackbird today that had 2 big white patches on his back
It should learn not to sit under other blackbirds.
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On my commute I pass a rare breeds farm. A couple of weeks ago there appeared 10 or so piglets. Now there's a sight to gladden the heart. I'm not too sure of pig breeds. I assumed the parents were saddlebacks - dark body with light band round the belly. But the little ones are as piggy pink as pink piggies can get.
In the next field are 4 or 5 llamas (or maybe alpacas?). Yesterday morning they were huddled together in the corner with a dusting of frost on their fur.
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Ooh, that reminds me, I saw some alpacas the other day on my Wylye valley ride. I know these were alpacas coz it said so on the gate!
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Ms Rollo saw what she described as
an eagle! An actual real one! It was huge!'
at Whiteshill on the way to Gloucester this morning.
She spoke to a friend who works at Slimbridge and they excitedly despatched a team of RSPB types to go and look. Apparently, it's a White Tailed Eagle (http://www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/species/casestudies/whitetailedeagle.asp) which has been blown over here recently from Norway on the north-easterly winds.
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Update: Turns out it wasn't the recently-spotted-at-Slimbridge White Tailed Eagle after all.
It was an American Bald Eagle :o
An escapee from somewhere that's known to be around the area.
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Apparently it escaped from the Cotswold Falconry Centre at Batsford last Thursday
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(http://www.bosphorus.f2s.com/frogs.jpg)#
Our little garden pond is seething with randy frogs
Oh, froggy went a courting he did ride ahum...
Oh, froggy went a courting he did ride ahum...
Oh, froggy went a courting he did ride, a sword and pistol by his side ahum...ahum..ahum
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I'm sure the moral of that rhyme is "never leave home or do anything", since they all get eaten.
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Wooing? That's more like an orgy!
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Result: 3 dead*, and a lot of frogspawn**. The rest have vanished now
*the day after this photo there were so many that they were spilling out onto the grass and scrapping around the garden
**sadly, I suspect that the buyers of our house will fill in the pond. They do have two very small children.
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**sadly, I suspect that the buyers of our house will fill in the pond. They do have two very small children.
That should shut the little shits up.
Being turned into landfill...
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A couple of pairs of very hairy bullocks on Cleeve Hill common.
(http://www.robshields.org/~rshields/2008/04/bullocks.jpg)
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A couple of pairs of very hairy bullocks on Cleeve Hill common.
Yikes, I never saw any cattle on Cleeve Hill, no end of sheep, but cattle's a novelty! Those certainly look like big beasts.
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Amongst the normal vermin at Priory Park, there is a rat which is almost white in colour. I saw it again this morning. It may well be albino, but I haven't been close enough to see the colour if its eyes. We also saw a one-eyed rat.
In addition we saw the usual stuff and the first blackcap of the year. I have heard others singing but this was the first one I tracked down and have actually seen.
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Mojo was shouting at this:
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f330/Pinniped/ACF/WTWTA/gull01.jpg)
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A couple of pairs of very hairy bullocks on Cleeve Hill common.
(http://www.robshields.org/~rshields/2008/04/bullocks.jpg)
They look like Highland cattle....
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Quite large bird of prey very v shaped tail.Red kite?
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Sparrowhawk chasing chaffinches.
Osprey. I got some pics but even with the mirror lens they were a long way away.
Chap in the hide had a 600/f4 with 1.4x on teh back, on a very solid tripod (on a wooden floor - he cursed every time someone walked across the floor.) He got some reasonable pics.
<Father Ted>
This one is small but very close.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2300/2446794286_e7f9a683c3.jpg?v=0)
This one is big but a very long way away (about 200m).
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2377/2446794538_af99eea8ee.jpg?v=0)
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Either I was riding with my eyes shut on Friday or all the bluebells have flowered in the last 48 hours. And I heard my first cuckoo this year. It must be Spring
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Mrs. Wow and I went to Two Tree Island today to improve our chances of hearing a cuckoo. We didn't hear one, but we saw one flying fast and low to the ground.
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First swallows this year
Several buzzards
Kestrel
Yellowhammers (one seen, loads heard)
Heard a woodpecker pecking wood
Jay
Wheatear
Another dead badger (when are we going to see a live one?)
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On today's CTC trundle: -
First cuckoo, amazingly just after someone had just said she hadn't heard one this year
Wild garlic in flower, in sufficient profusion to fill the air with its scent
House martins (I'd seen a pair of swallows working a riverside meadow on Thursday, and lots more over this weekend)
Lots of cowslips
Bluebells, changing gradually from the vague blue mist of a few days ago into a patchy carpet
and a blackbird that started its alarm calls with something that sounded far too much like a mechanical problem with someone's bike, until it finally remembered how to do it properly :)
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Not sure whether this should be here or Food & Drink ;): yesterday on the grass verges, St Georges Mushrooms* in profusion, and I picked about 2 lb: part for supper and part made into a paté. These are somewhat hit-or-miss in our area, you get good years when they show up (usually a few days after St George's Day) in abundance, other years hardly any. This appears to be a good year. Alas the maggots usually beat one to it, but I got enough worm-free ones to be going along with. They have a lovely mealy scent and are best fried in butter until tender. Yes I knew this would turn to Food & Drink stuff...
*Calocybe gambosa
First cuckoo, amazingly just after someone had just said she hadn't heard one this year
Just occurred to me, heard the first cuckoo in England on a ride back on 13th April, one of the earliest I can remember (and that's after we heard and saw one when in France back in March).
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Not strictly today but while at CenterParcs last week.
(http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d55/shedbike/various087.jpg)
and a different family.
(http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d55/shedbike/various074.jpg)
ickle boy (21 mths) was ver happy ;D
John
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This morning - quite marvellously - a barn owl flapped languidly alongside me for about a quarter of a mile while I was on my way into work this morning.
It's years since last I saw one, and the first time ever I've seen one in daylight. I hope to see it again tomorrow, and plan to have my camera ready. :)
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The other day I spotted a pair of goldfinches in my local park. I was very excited as I've never seen one that clearly before - bright yellow under their wings and a red beret. Lovely.
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We're lucky enough to have them in the garden here :)
Very fine little fellows. We have a Niger seed feeder that they rather like, and in the winter they eat bugs off the old teasel heads.
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A small flock of goldfinches here by Deptford Creek (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=537648&y=177286&z=1&sv=537648,177286&st=4&ar=Y&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf)
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My neighbour's cat, in my kitchen last night. It came in through the catflap. It reminds me of an ewok. It also came into my bedroom in the middle of the night and started scratching.
(http://www.robshields.org/~rshields/2008/05/ewok.jpg)
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Cute :)
When I was a student I lived one hot summer in an attic room of a big terraced house
I used to keep the skylight open at night, and a big fat tabby used (literally) drop in to see me on a regular basis. He couldn't get back out, of course, and had to be taken downstairs and ejected
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Went to Montrose Basin this afternoon. Saw Goldfinches, greenfinches, chaffinches, bluetits, sand martins, swallows, a swift, and a greater spotted woodpecker. Also a Heron, some eider ducks and a redshank.
The highlight (before I got the camera out) was an eider duck being attacked by a seal. It was damaged early on so couldn't take off but made it safely to shore.
..d
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Was at Strawberry Hill House (http://www.friendsofstrawberryhill.org) (what a very surprising place) yesterday for a exhibition, saw lots of groups of bright green parakeets all over the place! Loud little devils, aren't they?
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Saw an adder crossing the road somewhere on the Isle of Wight yesterday. Hopefully, Hummers Jr. who was following didn't squish it (he was reading a map at the time) ::-)
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Not much of a bird-watcher... but I'm getting into it for sure...
Yesterday driving-off for the day saw what I believe to be a Sparrow Hawk walking on the pavement at the end of our suburban cul-de-sac, it charged into a bush and then out again ending-up sat proudly on the end of a garage. Not at all phased by our sitting and looking from the car. Earlier apparently it had been in the neighbour's garden pulling away at some unfortunate dead bird. About 500 yards up the road we turned at a roundabout to see a Kestrel (I think) dive into the grassy verge a few feet in front of us and emerge with it's prey and scarper across the road into the field beyond. Finally going across the Chilterns the usual magnificent display of Red-kites. Quite a day for raptor spotting!
Me and the lad were off to see birds of a different kind... Warbirds at RAF Hendon.
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On Saturday I saw a pair of Peregrine Falcons near the top of Scarfell Pike. They were probably nesting among the cliffs up there.
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Nuthatch - not sure how rare these are, but my impression is less rare than they used to be.
3 red kites. I'd be surprised not to see any these days on the sort of route I took today. Which is not to say that they don't look magnificent, circling slowly round, the Black Mountain a backdrop behind them. They just look right there.
A lizardy thing. Greeny and about 3 inches long, scuttled across the road just in front of me. Maybe a newt?
Two curlews in a field by Llanddeusant. I've only ever seen them on the coast before so it was a bit odd to see them poking their long beaks into the ground, miles form the sea.
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Last night there was a large pregnant toad cowering under the door step as we returned in darkness. I hope it found its way downhill and over the main road to the river.
Today, walking on Gittisham Common, we startled several deer. A small herd of highland cattle heard our approach and ran off. They seemed much wilder or more timid than most farm cattle. E had a brief glimpse of a small lizard.
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Seen today--groundhog nibbling at our black-raspberry canes. >:( And after all we've done to provide habitat. :'(
Heard today--migrating Northern Parulas (Parulae?) singing in our neighborhood.
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Pics from Sunday. Two firsts for me.
A goldfinch and a greater spotted woodpecker. It was miserable weather so the pics are somewhat poor quality. Too slow on the shutter speed.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2227/2468412561_68578e925f.jpg?v=0)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2326/2469234550_54410ecd74.jpg?v=0)
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Nice pictures, David. #1 is a Goldfinch, not a Goldcrest, but nicely 'bagged' all the same. ;)
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Seen this morning--a white-crowned sparrow at our feeder, for the first time since we've lived in our house (12 years?). I've been hoping one would show up since we moved in--I know they winter in some farm fields out in the County, but have never seen one in town before.
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Seen today: a tern hovering above the pond in my local park. I've never noticed one there before, though I haven't been looking. I noticed it today because it was flying around the pond, hovering every few feet. Very impressive and graceful, and much nicer than the greedy herring gulls we normally see.
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Seen on my morning commute at Abbeywood in Bristol.
(http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee253/ianrsparrow/DSC00231.jpg)
Swan in foreground was very protective - luckily out of view there is a fence !
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Not seen, but heard my first 2 cuckoos this morning. A ladybird hitched a ride on my shoulder for a couple of miles.
And a couple of speckled hens were seen fleetingly in the newly reopened 4 Horseshoes in Graveney. ;D
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Seen on the weekends sailing trip
Couple of Sea Eagles being mobbed by the local gulls
Porpoises
Seals
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On the way home last night:
1 seal, 1 dolphin.
A pair of swallows managed to get trapped in the large storage area at work yesterday but they seem to have escaped today.
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Today, an adder. I knew they existed round here but I'd never seen one until now.
It was badly injured, writhing about in the road but not going anywhere. Guts hanging out in two places. It had obviously been run over and was dying. A passing motorist stopped and decided to run it over a few times. Then I ran over its head a few times with my front wheel to make sure it was not suffering anymore. :(
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The house martins are back. One nest is right next to a window and it's easy to watch them coming and going. Initially there appeared to be a dispute over ownership of the nest, but now they're busy home-making.
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1 rabbit, 1 coot, 1 swan, no ducks or ducklings. Also, a bike in the burn at Bingham.
I am alliterative today.
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Here's a picture of the adder I found on Cleeve Hill, Gloucs. You can see the distinctive markings on the head and back.
This is a flat snake roadkill picture. It's a bit gory but has mostly dried up now.
(http://www.robshields.org/~rshields/2008/05/adder.jpg)
Edit: splendid pics of a very much alive adder on Cleeve Hill here (http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/forums/reptile-and-amphibian-forums/9418-adder-cleeve-common.html).
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I love snakes. I haven't seen a live one for quite a while now, but in our youth my brother and I used to catch them. Adders are actually easier to catch than grass snakes - as long as you are wearing a leather glove! Grass snakes exude a foul-smelling fluid, not unlike dog-crap in its olfactory effect, which takes a while to wear off if you get it on you.
We used to have a nylon stocking rolled up our right arms and once you grasp the snake behind the head, it can't get to you. Then you unroll the stocking and the snake is trapped inside. Tie a knot in the top and you can carry it about easily.
Once, an adder found its way out of a stocking I was carrying and slithered harmlessly over my wrist before my brother recaptured it. ;D
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Hare today - gone .... in the blink of an eye. Never mind, at least they are still around, notwithstanding the ubiquitous and wwetched bunny-wabbits. A great big one, big as a large cat, loping easily through the woods....
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A weasel scampered across the road a couple of miles from home. We got a good enough view of it to make me think it was pregnant. Either that or it had eaten too much rabbit.
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An Osprey feasting on its catch. As the osprey was perching in the middle of Montrose basin (http://users.ecosse.net/montrosebasin/htdocs/visit.htm) it made for a difficult photographic challenge - one which my kit was not up to. However, I gor an indistict image that one could persuade oneself is an Osprey.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2120/2483860488_4b52d3dcce_o.jpg)
Lots of other bits and pieces - godwits, oystercatchers, swallows, sand martins, garden birds of all sorts.
Must find a way to get a decent long lens.
..d
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Several buzzards
Partridge
Red squirrel
Brown hare
Red Grouse
Deer scampering across a field
Mountain hare roadkill :(
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(http://www.bosphorus.f2s.com/bunny.jpg)
(http://www.bosphorus.f2s.com/foxy1.jpg)
Both in the garden this morning, but not at quite the same time :)
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I've been seeing foxes virtually every day of the week, although at night, so they wouldn't make as good a shot as that.
Mostly I've seen them on Tooting Bec common, but it looks like there is at least one living in this (http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll=51.375443,-0.106492&spn=0.000795,0.002704&t=h&z=19) flower bed, right next to the Tram tracks. I suprised it, and it jumped back in with much rustling.
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A couple of fully-scaled common carp in a fairly shallow, reedy bit of slow-moving stream. They probably weighed between 2 & 3 lb.
It appears as though someone has got fed up with their goldfish, because there are a couple of them swimming around in the same stretch. I've seen one or other every day for the past three or four days, whereas I'd never seen any goldfish in that bit before.
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I saw a herd of deer must have been at least 20........ I must remember to take a camera on my rides :(
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A cuckoo.
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However, I got an indistinct image that one could persuade oneself is an Osprey.
I could be equally well persuaded that that's the Loch Ness Monster ;D
Small and fast-moving bird of prey went past our building while I was having a fag break the other day. Not being a twitcher, I have no idea what it was, but suspect it has been feasting on the unsuspecting flying rats which live on the roof.
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Small and fast-moving bird of prey went past our building while I was having a fag break the other day. Not being a twitcher, I have no idea what it was, but suspect it has been feasting on the unsuspecting flying rats which live on the roof.
Possibly a sparrowhawk if it's been scoffing pigeons.
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However, I got an indistinct image that one could persuade oneself is an Osprey.
I could be equally well persuaded that that's the Loch Ness Monster ;D
If it is it is very lost.
..d
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Yesterday I saw a swan on the canal bank, lots of ducks who were very quacky and at least a dozen ducklings. I hope the ducklings all survive. Last year they started off at over a dozen and finished with about three.
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Yesterday I saw a swan on the canal bank, lots of ducks who were very quacky and at least a dozen ducklings. I hope the ducklings all survive. Last year they started off at over a dozen and finished with about three.
It's normal for most of the ducklings to get eaten by something or other, else we would be overrun by ducks!
I think that a fair percentage of broods are dwindled down to nothing in a couple of weeks. By contrast, I think it was last year in our local park that a mother duck succeeded in raising to adult size ten ducklings in one brood. I've never seen that before.
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First sighting of swifts this year, last night.
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I chased a squirrel (grey I'm afraid) along the Tooting Bec Common cycle path for twenty feet or so. I think I suprised it, and then it didn't know what to do, as I appeared to pursue it along the path! Eventually it spotted a nearby tree and leapt onto it, to make good it's escape.
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Identified today, though actually seen a few weeks back.
On a night ride, lots of screaming noises and rustling from the bank at the side of the track. Shone my lights in and saw a badget humping away - not uncommon. But something with two sharp teeth, flat nose, small eyes and big head started at me for a moment, then bolted.
Couldn't work out what it was - I thought Otter, but here in West Sussex? Nah...
Ferret? Too small. Finally decided it must have been a cat, and a trick of the light.
But just got told on a bike ride that yes, otters have been seen in the area - so seems it really was an otter!
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seen in my sisters garden :o
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/YakDiver/snake.jpg)
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Snake! Snake! It's a snake!
</Badgerbadgerbadger>
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seen in my sisters garden :o
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/YakDiver/snake.jpg)
Lovely! Grass snakes are terrific creatures. :D
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Lovely! Grass snakes are terrific creatures
I'm shit scared of them even seeing them on the telly gives me the willys
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C'mon, grass snakes are completely harmless - and way more scared of us than we are of them.
Big ones can be a bit of a shock to come across though!
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It was running across Chobham Common in a scout wide game at dusk that I became wairy of snakes.
I saw one uncoil and dissapear into the gorse from where my right foot was going to be in about two strides.
Only problem being there ae Adders on Chobham Common as well as the non-venomous snakes.
Matthew
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Today I saw one of the most rare of creatures - it was a black pudding on a bike. ;D
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Today I saw one of the most rare of creatures - it was a black pudding on a bike. ;D
That's a coincidence!
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A mouse.
Where?
In the trap in the cupboard. The trap has been there for months and finally a mouse decided to stick it's nose in.
So I released it.
At Tescos
In the carpark.
When I went shopping.
..d
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If that was at Riverside, the rats will have it in no time.
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The brief copulation of a pair of blackbirds as I passed.
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If that was at Riverside, the rats will have it in no time.
Kingsway..
..d
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Today I shouted at a squirrel and rang my bell at a rabbit. They're as bad as pedestrians.
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Found a frog in a mousetrap in my garage. No idea how it got it, it looked way too big to get under the door. Been dead for some time, might have been there since last summer.
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First back-garden ducklings of the year.
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Newts & toads in our pond :)
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Of all the fine birdsong we heard during the dawn chorus on the way to Brighton, the nightingale was a rare treat indeed. Ditchling Common at about 6.30 a.m.
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Of all the fine birdsong we heard during the dawn chorus on the way to Brighton, the nightingale was a rare treat indeed. Ditchling Common at about 6.30 a.m.
Quite a few nightingales in the area - seems to be something to do with this patch just north of the Downs that attracts them.
Worth riding at night just to listen to them.
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Three buzzards, two of which were having a barney in a field.
A kestrel.
And an osprey getting hassled by a crow at a fish farm.
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I was on my afternoon commute and I heard a cuckoo. I looked up to see two of them flying about! Unfortunately I didn't have time to stop and watch. About 3 minutes and half-a-mile later I hard another cuckoo which may have been one of the two I saw, but it would have had to have got on with it.
I wonder whether the two I saw were male & female. The female is supposed not to cuckoo and the male is supposed not to cuckoo whilst flying, but this one definitely did. (unless there was a third which I didn't see!).
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Of all the fine birdsong we heard during the dawn chorus on the way to Brighton, the nightingale was a rare treat indeed. Ditchling Common at about 6.30 a.m.
We live less than a mile from Ditchling Common, and are familiar with the occurrence of nightingales there, though we don't hear them as often as we'd like. Well listened! Very different down in 'our' part of France, where every bush has its rossignol, it seems!
I was on my afternoon commute and I heard a cuckoo. I looked up to see two of them flying about! Unfortunately I didn't have time to stop and watch. About 3 minutes and half-a-mile later I hard another cuckoo which may have been one of the two I saw, but it would have had to have got on with it.
I wonder whether the two I saw were male & female. The female is supposed not to cuckoo and the male is supposed not to cuckoo whilst flying, but this one definitely did. (unless there was a third which I didn't see!).
We also heard and saw a pair of cuckoos up in Scotland this weekend, whilst walking through a rather forlorn and wind-damaged area of forest in the Trossachs. And we definitely watched a smaller (unidentified) bird mobbing one of the cuckoos and successfully driving it off. I thought this only happened with birds of prey, but seemingly not. Do cuckoos' 'victims' know of the threat they pose, and take action accordingly?
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Two pheasants shagging, two little egrets, an extremely unkempt kestrel, and saw and heard reed warblers. :)
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We are too far north for nightingales unfortunately. They dont like coming much further north than Watford Gap.
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A young male fox, on the cycle track. Tail bushed out it was spooked my two cyclists approaching in different directions. Ran around in a circle, low to the ground. Then it took off at speed in to the field and up the hill.
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Nightingales here today for us too. Not on Ditchling Common this time, but we were out walking a mile or two to the west, in an area of open space on the edge of town known - appropriately enough - as Nightingale Meadows. First time I've heard them sing at that spot - comforting to know that they can read... ;)
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Seen on Friday: rabbits.
This is not unusual in areas well-found for greenery, but hopping blithely across the car parks of a retail park in Scunthorpe ??
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Rabbits get just about everywhere and I would certainly expect to see them right across our urban landscape. All they need is a grassy verge or bank, or someone's back garden. It was so different when I was a kid, in the 1950s just after the great myxo pandemic, and sighting a rabbit was a rarity and noteworthy....
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A scruffy GS woodpecker trying to burgle the blue tit's nest box :o
The nest box is just outside my office window so i can see all the comings and goings. The woodpecker was knocking hell out of it.
I found this
In parts of the country, great spotted woodpeckers regularly attack wooden nest-boxes. The eggs and more commonly the young of blue tits, great tits, coal tits and nuthatches have all become victims. The woodpeckers gain access to the nest either by enlarging the box entrance or by drilling through the side of the box on a level with the contents
Great Spotted Woodpecker, Dendrocopos major (http://www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/bird-guide/g-s-woodpecker.asp)
This fella is noticeably more bedraggled that the bright and shiny ones who have been eating the peanuts on our feeders
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Nightingales here today for us too. Not on Ditchling Common this time, but we were out walking a mile or two to the west, in an area of open space on the edge of town known - appropriately enough - as Nightingale Meadows. First time I've heard them sing at that spot - comforting to know that they can read... ;)
Idly looking at the OS 1:25k for the local area today, I was surprised how many places are called "Nightingales" or "Nightingale [something]". Naturally Wikipedia has a page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightingale) that describes their preferred habitat (and here seems to be it).
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Camping in Watlington at the weekend:
Lots of small rabbits keeping the grass down; lots of Red Kites swooping over the site :D; a couple of sky larks over a field on a lovely walk; some swifts and wagtails too. 8)
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On my walk along the river path to Stowmarket, hundreds of damsel flies and dragon flies. It was a sight I shall not forget in a hurry, I felt as though I had stepped into the scene of a wonderful fairy tale. I also some some Highland cattle and lots of bunnies. There was a moment of tense, nervous anxiety as I walked through a field full of cows, they are naturally inquisitive and they were intrigued by myself and the three dogs. I wasn't too happy to have at least 30 of them behind me, 10 to the side and another 5 or 6 at the front. It meant I ended up covered in cow pooh, the farmer watched from his door, his arms folded and a scowl upon his face. This is the farmer who last year put a bull in the field and has since been told by the council he is not allowed to do this as the public footpath runs through his field. He blocked in the styles and has made life very uncomfortable for us walkers.
2.5 hours on my feet, the dogs are exhausted and are sleeping soundly.
Saw a heron fishing on the river and the sound of hundreds of starling overhead.
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Seen on Mull and West Highlands last weekend:
Golden Eagles (first sighting for me :thumbsup: )
White Tailed Eagles
Buzzards
Bullfinches
Siskins
Seals
Red Deer
Mountain Hares (with some white patches still in their fur)
Two of the eagle sightings were from the main road at Craignure :thumbsup:
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Walking back through Ealing late on Sunday night an old brindled fox trotted past on the pavement, breaking into a lope when it saw us. A moment later a young fox stood its ground ahead of us, staring as we approached, then sauntered across the street.
They have a marvellous ability to vanish into the shadows. Crossing the road to see where the young one had gone, there was no sign, and not even any side alleys it could have turned into.
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Yer foxes is good at jumping too. I had a close encounter with one in New Cross Gate a few years ago. It gave me the eye and launched a Prodigious Leap from the pavement onto a garage roof.
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Yer foxes is good at jumping too.
Indeed. My sister's garden is surrounded by high fences and garages, but foxes get in. One was only prevented from carrying off the guinea pig by the screams of a panicking niece.
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Mummy duck and 5 little quacklings walking across the road in front of me. The road is closed to vehicular traffic and will be closed for a couple of months more, so no danger of them getting squashed. Too cute.
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Traffic jam on a country(ish) road not usually prone to traffic problems. Traffic queueing in both directions.
Rode to the front of the queue to find a female Mallard shepherding 8 balls of brown fluff along the white line in the middle of the road. ::-)
Dismounted and ushered mother and babies up onto the verge and cycled home with a big grin! ;D
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I remember - years ago - an AA man doing just that! He stopped all the traffic on the busy A6038 near Baildon Yorks. (Hollins Hill (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=417580&y=440450&z=1&sv=417580,440450&st=4&ar=Y&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf&ax=417580&ay=440450)) to let Mummy duck and her brood waddle across! All the held-up motorists (and I - held up on bike) watched the scene in good humour: not one impatient hoot. :)
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I was out cycle-training with a group of five youngsters in a residential area when a fox came out of a house garden on the opposite side of the road. It calmly trotted along the pavement while watching us, then halted about 15m away, looked right and left and right again and crossed the road.
We were all very impressed with its road sense :)
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Marsh harrier, effortlessly gliding across the fens.
And at welney some moorhen chicks, little black fluffy balls with red beaks and a bald petch on their heads.
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I think I saw a wildcat in Glen Rinnes. It was big enough, the right colour and had the club-shaped ringed tail. It watched me approaching then disappeared into the gorse :thumbsup:
Also a saw a red squirrel on the verge of a road.
Plus the usual buzzards, kestrels, etc.
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Not today, but in Wales this past week:
lots of red kites
lots of buzzards
a pied flycatcher feeding its baby near Strata Florida
a pair of pied flycatchers near the Rheidol power station
dolphins from Aberystwyth prom
plus quite a lot of assorted other things
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Baby starlings invading the bird table lately. They can feed themselves easily, but when the parent comes too, they insist on being fed.
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A few days ago in Corfu we saw a school of dolphin in the bay here (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=122.120). It was after sunset and just getting dark. They went past in a leisurely fashion heading northwards.
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An owl on the Lecht - very pale, barn owl?
Nearly ran over a red squirrel near Dinnet.
A weasel or stoat dashing across the road with something in its mouth - I think the former as it was really tiny.
1 brown hare, 1 mountain hare.
Red grouse.
Buzzards, kestrel.
And a deer crossing the river Don.
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seen on Great Bernera, near Bosta beach on Friday
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2203/2541514328_7fc09c235f.jpg)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2062/2540693863_bfd7abd3a0.jpg)
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Seen the night before last, a baby blue tit fast asleep on my windowcill!
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/ailienated/956d7b72.jpg)
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Awwww! We're well into fledging time now, as was proven by the live (and unharmed) birdy gift (baby sparrow I think) that I was presented with yesterday morning by my cat-share! No photo - too busy trying to encourage him into a tree before heading off to work.
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For the last couple of weeks I've been watching the progress of a brood belonging to a pair of Egyptian Geese (similar to shellducks if you know the type).
They have nine goslings, all of which seem to have survived so far...although I feel like I'm tempting fate by mentioning that.
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Perhaps a less-than-welcome sighting: Harlequin Ladybird. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlequin_ladybird)
Settled on my shirt for a few seconds as I was out cycling this lunchtime.
They are a known pest and are displacing our native species I believe, but I don't know whether sightings should be reported in some way...
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Had bloody stacks of them hibernating in my house last winter. They didn't last long...
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Often when arrive home from work, I have to avoid riding over toys, bikes, scooters, balls, etc., in the driveway. Today I had to dodge this:
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3099/2554836856_0fcc60f2cf.jpg) (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3099/2554836856_0fcc60f2cf_b.jpg)
Doing this:
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3188/2554842814_b3ebc737d6.jpg) (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3188/2554842814_b3ebc737d6_b.jpg)
[click for bigger]
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What sort of snake is that, Scott? And is it a toad it's consuming?
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It's a garter snake (haven't had a chance to narrow it down farther yet), and that is a toad.
That's the biggest, or at least widest, garter that I've seen; I'm wondering if it's gravid. I'll try to figure out the species once I get a chance. Time for us to down our own toads, er, have dinner now...
edit: it was an Eastern Garter. I determined this through a long, involved, complex process which involved looking in the field guide and seeing that the Eastern is the only species that's here.
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Perhaps a less-than-welcome sighting: Harlequin Ladybird. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlequin_ladybird)
Settled on my shirt for a few seconds as I was out cycling this lunchtime.
They are a known pest and are displacing our native species I believe, but I don't know whether sightings should be reported in some way...
You can report them here if you like: Harlequin Ladybird Survey - home (http://www.harlequin-survey.org) - I don't know what they do with the information, though, other than plot the spread of the creatures. I've reported allotment ones a couple of times.
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It seems a kestrel has moved into the field next to the office.
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It seems a kestrel has moved into the field next to the office.
One perched on a roadsign on the way in to work this am - about 10 feet from me. And not today, but last week: a peregrine with a pigeon in it's claws, here (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=porthpean&ie=UTF8&ll=50.293191,-4.773581&spn=0.00414,0.006266&t=h&z=17).
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A small dragonfly clinging onto my finger. You can't see it but the tail had red and black stripes.
(http://www.robshields.org/~rshields/2008/06/dragonfly.jpg)
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An owl!
There I was having a crafty fag out of sight of the house when a white owl swooped over my bonce. I think he must have been in the tree I was standing under.
Very Harry Potter.
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Two dead badgers on Sunday. However, they were spotted from the car, so don't count in the AUK Dead Badger Challenge.
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a red kite, circling over the primary school playground..
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a red kite, circling over the primary school playground..
Wot, in Essex / Cambridge? :o
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Fox cubs! Lots of them - well, four or five at least I'd say. Beautiful spindly little creatures with enormous pointy ears.
One of them had clearly had a mishap of some sort which had deprived him of about ⅔ of his tail.
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a red kite, circling over the primary school playground..
Wot, in Essex / Cambridge? :o
apparently yes - I wouldnt know a red kite if one bit me on the arse, but I was in the pub garden watching it and everyone was getting vey excited. Several people knew about a breeding pair over by saffron walden which is only 3 or 4 miles away.
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Just saw our cat come within a gnat's whisker of catching a cockatiel in the garden. :-\
She's not tasted one of those before! Nom! Nom! Nom! ;D
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A greater spotted woodpecker on the apple tree in our garden.
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a red kite, circling over the primary school playground..
Wot, in Essex / Cambridge? :o
I saw one near Alconbury last year, and must admit to being quite surprised.
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I saw one near Alconbury last year, and must admit to being quite surprised.
Nah - they're like great crested newts these days.
Just like 'em. Except with feathers and that.
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Well yesterday actually a wild black rabbit .
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Swallows in our water meadow. They fly like they really enjoy it! I can't remember when I last saw them in the open like that.
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Had a kestrel land right in front of my car earlier. Luckily I was already braking for a corner, otherwise it woulda been a deceased one!
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A lizard ran across the road in front of me today.
Sadly he was going left to right just as 3 cars were heading towards me. I didn't stop to look to see if he made it. :(
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A stoat bouncing across the Baydon road, just after the M4 tunnel.
Oh, and a muntjac yesterday morning, but they're unattractive vermin ;)
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a red kite, circling over the primary school playground..
Wot, in Essex / Cambridge? :o
I saw one near Alconbury last year, and must admit to being quite surprised.
We were driving up the M40 last month and saw what definitely looked like two red kites flying above the motorway somewhere near Aylesbury. Unless someone can suggest any other large raptor-like bird with a deeply forked tail, that they could have been...
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They're fairly common round here, but two at once is unusual.
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We were driving up the M40 last month and saw what definitely looked like two red kites flying above the motorway somewhere near Aylesbury. Unless someone can suggest any other large raptor-like bird with a deeply forked tail, that they could have been...
Those are red kites. There are always lots of them to be seen when on the M40 between Wycombe and Stokenchurch
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Saw a green woodpecker in my work car park on Friday. Made a right old racket as it flew off upon seeing me!
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(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/YakDiver/snake.jpg)
seen in my sister garden, today I've seen two more and I'm looking after the place while their away
could they come into the house for I'm shit scared of them
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Not today, but I couldn't find the usb lead last week. ::-)
He was wandering down the road, out on his evening constitutional, completely oblivious to the traffic. I watched him for a few minutes before he disappeared behind some wheelie bins.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3237/2600715299_2db0457d5b.jpg?v=0)
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seen in my sister garden, today I've seen two more and I'm looking after the place while their away
could they come into the house for I'm shit scared of them
Unlikely! Grass snakes are too timid to brave it I would have thought. If you frighten them they'll play dead until you go away.
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I used to see loads of grass snakes when I lived in Cambs. They are indeed timid and the only times I ever saw them was when playing golf. They curled up in the hole, which was probably the safest place to be when I'm waving a stick around! :P
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Grass snakes are completely harmless unless you do what I was in the habit of doing as a kid, and that's catching them. They squirt a particularly pungent liquid from their anus and it don't arf pong! I remember my clothes going through the washing machine two or three times and there was still Essence of Rancid Grass-snake about them.
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Common lizard, sunning itself on the pavement in Battlesbridge. It scuttled into the grass as I rode past.
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Came flying round corner on mountain bike today... to find a Buzzard (or something similar) on the path 25m in front. Stopped quickly, but it flew off with its prey. Not sure what the prey was, but it had a tail a few inches long.
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I read somewhere, that it has recently been discovered that the Grass Snake has a venom sac in its head - but it has no fangs and there is no duct to take the venom to the teeth. Singularly useless facility in that case, if you ask me. Must do a bit of Googling...
I saw yesterday what I think was an adder, lying across my path as I cycled through the village of Partridge Green in Sussex. As soon as it sensed my approach it whisked off like lightning into someone's front garden. I had only the briefest of glimpses and didn't see it properly, I suppose it could have been a small grass snake. The head shape didn't suggest a slow-worm.
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a red kite, circling over the primary school playground..
Wot, in Essex / Cambridge? :o
I saw one near Alconbury last year, and must admit to being quite surprised.
We were driving up the M40 last month and saw what definitely looked like two red kites flying above the motorway somewhere near Aylesbury. Unless someone can suggest any other large raptor-like bird with a deeply forked tail, that they could have been...
They probably were red kites. Road-runner lives in that neck of the woods and mentioned them during his strawberry visit here.
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We were driving up the M40 last month and saw what definitely looked like two red kites flying above the motorway somewhere near Aylesbury. Unless someone can suggest any other large raptor-like bird with a deeply forked tail, that they could have been...
Those are red kites. There are always lots of them to be seen when on the M40 between Wycombe and Stokenchurch
Last time I did the Upper Thames 200 there were about ten soaring over Watlington, probably planning to descend mob-handed and make off with some innocent householder's dustbin.
I witnessed one cruising at road level on the long drag after Rhayader on the Cambrian 600 last year, and that was truly a sight to behold.
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The day before yesterday I saw loads of Chamois and a few Marmottes ;D
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Baby goldfinches ranged along the top bar on the hanging feeder while Mum and Dad goldfinch collect seeds from the feeder and fly up to feed the babies. As the parents come up, the babies open their mouths and flap their wings very fast. So sweet.
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A wagtail singing (that's a first for me) and lots of what I think are very very small stag beetles.
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On my ride today I saw, a deer, a hare, two rabbits, a squirrel, a snake and a pheasant all had dies by bloody motor cars, the snake at first I thought it was just the skin, but I turned back to have a closer look it was well and truly flattened , but and you could see the vertebra, the skin colour has a bluish tint to it not too sure what that was.
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I've seen some geese today, a whole family (including cygnets), they were crossing the road near Bluewater,.
Why do people feel the need to toot them to say get out of the way? >:( I've never understood this, as we were in a car and would have waited for them to cross if they walked in front of us.
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the snake at first I thought it was just the skin...the skin colour has a bluish tint to it not too sure what that was.
Adders can sometimes appear bluish, especially the less common melanic form (the more normal type is greenish-yellow). Or possibly a slow-worm.
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The day before yesterday I saw loads of Chamois and a few Marmottes ;D
Bloody marmots.
They like risotto, y'know. And chocolate.
Instant spaetzle, well, they will tear your tent apart to get it. Can't be bothered to go to the village store, the little hooligans.
Ps. Chamois get curious and will eat your unattended headwear.
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A tiny (even by wren standards) wren trying to catch and subdue a large butterfly on our terraced yard. There wasn't a lot of size difference, it was a prolonged struggle and the 'fly nearly got away with it :)
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...well a couple of days ago actually. A badger crossing the track 50m in front of me with three slightly smaller badgers tagging along behind. These are the first ones that I have ever seen that weren't either dead or on TV.
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Ants and ants and ants and ants! >:( The bottom of the garden has become a no-go. I'm sorry, but boiling water is the only answer. I feel horrid.
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At around 2am on this road in Suffolk (I know, I know) the dark shape of a fox exploding from one hedge and vanishing into the one opposite. Made us jump.
Gmaps Pedometer (http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2096171)
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Charlotte, Liz and I watched a muntjac for some time before it disappeared into the undergrowth.
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Over the weekend, we saw:
Red kites - up to sixteen gliding over the field
Longtailed tits - a large flock of them ???
Pied wagtails - all over
bats
Hares
Rabbits
Interesting large black beetle with purple lines on its back and a vivid blue detail on its head I found in my shoe
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Charlotte, Liz and I watched a muntjac for some time before it disappeared into the undergrowth.
One scurried down the road in front of me at Darsham, before suddenly diving through a hole in the hedge.
Saw a huge herd of deer a few miles before we crossed the A12.
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Oh - I nearly forgot - on the way out of Stowmarket towards Needham Market (whoops), rabbits *everywhere*, on the verges, roundabouts and road. Live ones.
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yesterday evening out with mrs mike we saw a hedgehog, sprinting across the lane in front of us (honestly, no wonder they get squished all the time, they really do need longer legs), then a couple of miles later a guineafowl ran across, then as we got closer to home a roe deer bounded out of the hedge, stopped and looked at us, then did a huge 'sproing' and leapt over the bank on the other side of the road. We waited for the inevitable herd to follow it over but it seemed to be billy-no-mates (or they were hiding).
on the dun run, I had a rat run out in front of me, stand and stare at me for a second then think better of it and run back to where it'd come from. Cheeky sod.
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Deer amaze me. That there could be so many of such a large creature living all over the country and yet you rarely see them.
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All over the place: giant flying ants. Glad I'm not cycling through them. Bleurgh.
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Deer amaze me. That there could be so many of such a large creature living all over the country and yet you rarely see them.
The North Essex / Suffolk / Cambs herd are often seen. A few years ago I was eating my lunch here (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=554550&y=236115&z=4&sv=554550,236115&st=4&ar=Y&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf), facing west, and in the wheatfield down the slope I counted no fewer than 44 fallow deer in the herd.
They must cost the farmers a fortune in damaged crops.
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At work: 2 peregrines flying round over the cathedral
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All over the place: giant flying ants. Glad I'm not cycling through them. Bleurgh.
Yep, here too. Yesterday seems to have marked the start of the flying ant1 season, and the spiders in the garden are waxing fat.
1 - it has always amused my tiny brane that Germans always pronounce this "aunt". "Noes! There are aunts in the kitchen!"
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Hate those flying ants. Once got damn nigh hospitalised by the things.
There were loads near work, but not flying. And a few close to NSTN's flat where we pitched Sam's tent (tho they'd gone to bed before we pitched).
I think I rode through a few, but uggghhhh! *shudder*
PS: I really like ants. Just very allergic to the bites.
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Unfortunately, I've had to get brutal with the Nippon powder this year, and I hate having to do that. I've encouraged them to leave in every way I can think of. Good side effect is that it's got the wasps to make themselves scarce too.
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The ants are gone. A one day wonder.
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All over the place: giant flying ants. Glad I'm not cycling through them. Bleurgh.
Yep, here too. Yesterday seems to have marked the start of the flying ant1 season, and the spiders in the garden are waxing fat.
1 - it has always amused my tiny brane that Germans always pronounce this "aunt". "Noes! There are aunts in the kitchen!"
It amuses me that anyone could ever pronounce the two words differently :)
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A baby alpaca1 yesterday evening on my way home. Can't have been more than a few days old. It looked a bit unsteady on its legs, but already quite shaggy. Very ahhhh-ish.
1 Or maybe a llama.
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After my swim, a lot of small fish scattering as something had a go at them from below. This continued all the way along the beach for as far as I could see. Could well have been mackerel attacking krill. I've never seen that in Southend before.
Just after I arrived home, Mrs. Wow had captured what we think was a Poplar Hawk Moth, inside the house. I tried to get some photos but it was in danger of injuring itself on the inside of the jar so we let it go.
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Not today, but on Saturday evening MiniQ and I tootled off for a 15 miler on Sigurd the tandem and happened past a llama (the work of a llama-farmer no doubt) and also a big fox crossing the road. The fox, not the llama, just in case you were wondering.
And a dead badger. :sick:
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Last night, very warm and wet as it was, practically everywhere you looked in our garden there was a frog. I put the garden light on and went out with a torch, to meet and greet. :) Said frogs do not mind human company it seems and will happily sit there while you take a good look. Also played interact-a-species by putting snails on collision courses with frogs - frog shuffles out the way btw. ;)
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Yesterday morning, on my commute, a young cow (this year's calf) ruminating in the middle of the road. gave me a bit of a shock it did, didn't seem to bother him...
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This morning, I nearly rode through the biggest slug I've ever seen. I saw something that looked like a large dog poo in the path ahead and moved to one side, only as I went past did I see that it was a slug. It must have been about 5" or so long and about the circumference of my bicycle pump, no word of a lie. It was a monster.
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This evening, one huge, beautiful, green dragonfly and one small brown owl! A Little Owl I think.
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Yesterday, out of a train window, a fox.
Sat happily in the sun at the edge of a field watching the trains go past.
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Rather unusually a fox in the middle of Clapham Common, which I've never seen before. I quite regularly see foxes on my way home, but normally it's somewhere like Tooting Bec Common, where there is plenty of undergrowth and/or banks that they could be living in. Clapham Common at that point is just a vast exposed flat landscape, nowhere to hide really. I guess it must have been digging around in the bins, or had found the remains of someone's barbecue.
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Funnily enough, I sawa fox, too, yesterday. Not so unusual in london I suppose, but I was sat in the meeting room of a GP surgery. There is a small patch of grass in a walled area outside, and the fox sauntered past, took shelter from the rain, then, as the sun came out, s/he stretched out in the sunshine. No concern for the people just the other side of the glass.
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Giant two foot spiders crawling across my bedroom curtain.
Oh, wait. Hallucination. Though having just woken up at 2.20am I was too confused to realise this and for a few moments thought I was in trouble!
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One large dead rat.
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Two common carp in the Priory Park lake. I could see only the mouth and eyes of the bigger, which may well hve weighed over 20lb Its mouth was almost 2" in diameter I reckon.
The other was a fully-scaled common, probably about 6lb and it appeared to be in beautiful condition. More than 30 years ago, when I did a lot of fishing, these lakes were renowned for their "wild" carp, the strain which had been in the lakes since they were the Priory's stew-pond from the 12th century onwards. Since the 1980s, modern strains of leather and mirror carp have been introduced and there are not many wildies left.
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Yesterday, on the Dulsie Dipper - 2 red sqrls. :-*
Today at the Potting Shed (http://www.drakesalpines.com/) - 3 red sqrls anna wooderypeckery. :)
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Coming home from Mildenhall yesterday, through Thetford Forest - a large Adder crossing the road. He/She made it over without getting squished :thumbsup:.
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Today at the Potting Shed (http://www.drakesalpines.com/) - 3 red sqrls anna wooderypeckery. :)
And some remarkably fat chaffinches :-X
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Yesterday, whilst Reg and I were heading towards Prickwillow, a greater spotted woodpecker and what I'm reasonably sure was a hobby.
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A kite
First one I've seen since we moved to Wales - they were 10 a penny in Berkshire :)
This was hovering at the bottom of the Gospel pass, and shouting its head off. Really skwarking, constantly.
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When riding to and from Mildenhall at the weekend - a young deer*, 3 foxes, hundreds of rabbits and a hedgehog. :thumbsup:
* I think. It was dark, and a very brief sighting. But can't think of anything else it could have been.
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We saw dolphins swimming in the estuary near Salcombe today. Everybody on the beach ran down to the water to watch. Amazing.
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Four fallow deer, this afternoon somewhere near Good Easter.
They were the most spectacularly coloured I have ever seen - fox-red with beautiful white dappling. I think they must vary from year to year, as normally when I've seen them they are a pretty uniform dull brown in colour.
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Hornet. 'Buzzed' me just now, as I was completing my lunchtime ride. Glad to see you, little fellow...
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A kingfisher, dashing upriver. A little blue flash zooming along.
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Not today, nor particularly rare, but we saw lots of crested grebe around Suffolk & Cambridgeshire. A very smart looking bird.
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A kingfisher, dashing upriver. A little blue flash zooming along.
Aren't they great? And so fast too! Yesterday, I was busy watching 'our' cygnets (who are more and more being left to their own devices by Mum) when a kingfisher flew between them at about shoulder height - to the swans!
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Yesterday, while out kayaking, we found a young pike, about a foot long, sunning himself in the shallows by Cornard Mill. He was taking no notice of all the little chub and perch around him, and wasn't much phased by us either. He just gently glided back into the weeds to await his next meal...
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we found a young pike
Not today - but on our last circuit of Ditchling Common (not a million miles from the Beacon of that ilk), there were a lot of anglers (Anglerus obstreperus), with all their 'bits' spread across the path. Reckon they were competing to hook the celebrated Ditchling Common Pike which is reputed to have lived in the pond these last 100 years and been hooked and thrown back more often than....
Actually, I tell a lie: I know of no such legend. But occasionally we've spotted a Very Big Fish do a backflip in mid-pond...
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(http://www.bosphorus.f2s.com/lizard.jpg)
This chap is about 4 cm long. He was wandering across the carpet in the lounge, looking at bit lost.
Very new. I didn't realise they were in this area :)
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(http://www.bosphorus.f2s.com/lizard.jpg)
This chap is about 4 cm long. He was wandering across the carpet in the lounge, looking at bit lost.
Very new. I didn't realise they were in this area :)
Looks more like a newt than a lizard. :-\
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And Fatters works in a bar. He's seen a few. :thumbsup:
Actually, I agree, I think it is newtish.
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Where's Ken Livingstone when you need him?! ;D
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No longer the force he was - he's been newtered.
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Mrs MV reports a pair in the hall last night
If they are newts then it's a bit of a damning indictment of how damp the house is :0
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A squirrel running around in our garden.
Not very noteworthy for some, but, in the 40 odd years that this house has been in our family, it's the first time I've seen one.
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Some pals of ours went to the British Museum last week. Whilst sitting outside in the Chinese garden, Kay spotted an unusual bird and didn't know what it was. She asked her husband and he didn't know either.
When they got home they looked it up and they are certain it was a wryneck, a rare visitor. Kay made a mention of this sighting on the Southend RSPB website and now the London birdwatchers have picked this up and are getting very excited by it. None of them seem to have seen it though.
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Bouncing across the lane in front of me yesterday a lovely stoat.
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Bouncing across the lane in front of me yesterday a lovely stoat.
Are you sure it wasnt a weasel?
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Bouncing across the lane in front of me yesterday a lovely stoat.
Are you sure it wasnt a weasel?
You absolutely sure you wanna go through with this?
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An amusing drama.
Dez and I went into the garden to pick walnuts, and came in with a washing-up bowl about half-full.
I could hear a squirrel in the false acacia just outside our garden, clearly after our nuts, but I could see a cat, clearly after the squirrel's. For quite some time the squirrel was making its alarm call, and the cat was circumspectly pursuing the much more agile squirrel. At one point the squirrel panicked and almost scrambled into the waiting arms of the cat.
I think they are both up in the tree still.
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Bouncing across the lane in front of me yesterday a lovely stoat.
Are you sure it wasnt a weasel?
You absolutely sure you wanna go through with this?
The forum requests, nay, demands! that we do old chap
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Bouncing across the lane in front of me yesterday a lovely stoat.
Are you sure it wasnt a weasel?
You absolutely sure you wanna go through with this?
The forum requests, nay, demands! that we do old chap
OK then here we go:-
Zoiders, how do I tell if was a Stoat or a Weasel ?
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*drums fingers*
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*fails to resist temptation*
<strangulated voice>
One's weasily distinguishable...
</strangulated voice>
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*Oh god go on then!*
And the other's stoatally different!
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Have we got it out of our systems now ;D
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Have we got it out of our systems now ;D
It's a tough job but somebody's got to do it.
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Sparrowhawk taking a juvenile moorhen right outside my office window
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Some blummin' big brown and white flappy thing, looked like a bird of prey of some kind but it was enormous. I only saw it rise from the ground in front of me and flap away but I didn't have a chance to ID it as I was bumping down a dirt-track hill at the time, dodging bunnies.
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If it was big'n'brown'white it was likely a buzzard
Or a neagle ;)
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Sparrowhawk taking a juvenile moorhen right outside my office window
Mrs Moorhen looking a bit sad today, wandering round where the feathers are, with just one offspring left :'(
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Nocturnal urban wildlife:
A fox here (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=325865&y=672257&z=1&sv=hatton+place&st=6&tl=Hatton+Place,+Edinburgh,+EH9&searchp=newsearch.srf&mapp=newmap.srf) crossing the road in front of the bike just after midnight on Sunday/Monday
A bat here (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=326864&y=672104&z=1&sv=blacket+avenue&st=6&tl=Blacket+Avenue,+Edinburgh,+EH9&searchp=newsearch.srf&mapp=newmap.srf) hawking insects around a streetlamp as I walked home from the bus-stop last night.
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I had this visitor to my garden at 8 o'clock this morning.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3048/2888817671_212cf41472.jpg?v=0)
but she slunk off right by my kitchen door.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3263/2888822715_c755038954.jpg?v=0)
Must pick some of those ripe tomatoes...
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If it was big'n'brown'white it was likely a buzzard
Comment on the 'bigness' of this bird - when, once, one nearly flew head-on into my car, and for a fraction of a second I got a closeup underside view at a range of a couple of metres - I could have sworn that its wingspan would have covered the windscreen! It was a scary moment.
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Buzzards, stoat (careful now ::-) ) & red squirrel on today's ride :thumbsup: And somebody ran over a chicken.
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Bit of a ruckus over our house this morning - sparrowhawk being advised by a big crow in no uncertain terms that it was, ahem, Not Welcome Here. Took quite a lot of seeing off, they kept circling over the neighbours' gardens. Eventually the hawk made off. We don't often get sparrowhawks around our place. This may be the reason why.
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Buzzards, stoat (careful now ::-) ) & red squirrel on today's ride :thumbsup: And somebody ran over a chicken.
YouTube - Chicken Tonight Ad (1993) (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=a3ov9eNB7E4&feature=related)
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A buzzard near Bradwell power station.
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A buzzard near Bradwell power station.
No osprey?
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Took down the blue-tit nestbox today. Not good news. Skeletons of three chicks, plus one unhatched egg. This is worse than previous years. We hope the parents at least managed to raise some young to maturity this year, but we're not sure. :'(
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Fungi:
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f330/Pinniped/ACF/WTWTA/fungi01.jpg)
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*waiting with anticipation for Zipperhead's photos of deer in the mist*
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A buzzard near Bradwell power station.
No osprey?
It didn't seem to hve any prey, either large or small...
Oh, I see what you mean. No, no ospreys.
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Pigs!
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3111/2879436060_56e7cee750.jpg)
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In Richmond Park: A squirrel hopping up into a sweet chestnut tree, and fetching down a biiig seedcase. Bit odd, as there are loads of open cases lying around on the floor where we were sitting (ouch!).
Anyway, a couple of moments later, the squirrel went up into the tree, carrying an unopened seedcase. To put it back again? ???
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A glorious walk this morning to Hadleigh Castle, where tea and excellent bread pudding was consumed at the Sally Army café. Just as we left, I saw a flurry of feathers as a sparrowhawk caught a collared dove. It then succeeded in flying off with it, although I didn't see whether the dove was already dead. It went into a hawthorn tree, and stayed there judging by the fuss made by jays and magpies. We trained our binoculars on the tree but didn't see the sparrowhawk again.
Oh, and we saw a wheatear, so not all the summer visitors have gone yet.
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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
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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... :P
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While on me holibobs:
Theer is, of course, a song about that:
YouTube - Loudon Wainwright performs Dead Skunk at Rockpalast Germany (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=doqTSev-_lQ)
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While on me holibobs:
Very large raptor of unknown make (though I think probably McDonnell-Douglas)
Lockheed, surely
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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!
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Fungi:
Oooh, nice fungus, Pingu :thumbsup: (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?
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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 ... ?
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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?
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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.
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We had one that came to the tree in our garden quite often. Now the tree is chopped down no more woodpeckers or squirrels :(
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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.
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Saw a red squirrel in Hamsterley Forest :)
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A pigeon with two legs but only one foot. Seemed perfectly hoppy.
FTFY.
Sorry, couldn't resist. IGMC...
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Fallow deer, when I was running :)
Fallow Deer (http://www.bds.org.uk/fallow.html)
4 females/juveniles today, and a damn big male on Monday. Very distinctive horns.
They were in nondescript grey winter colours though
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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...
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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.
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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.
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Tonight was the first time I've seen a hedgehog in our garden, ruddy huge it was too :thumbsup:
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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.
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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 "For The Birds" (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg39dHNQkUU). ;D
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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. ;D
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DSH?
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DSH?
Sorry, Domestic Short Hair ie a moggy.
Hell, it was 3am, you're lucky I understand that post! ;D
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My quest for waxwings remains fruitless but my wait for the no 38 bus this morning did give me the consolation of a nice little group of long tailed tits flitting about in the trees opposite.
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... and a 38 bus too, I hope :)
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Yes , and on time too !
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I just saw a fox in my back garden, failing to catch a pigeon for it's breakfast. For all I have often seen foxes on the way home, this is the first time I've seen one in the garden, and it didn't care that I saw it, it peered back at me inside the kitchen, and continued to walk along the fence towards me. It was actually quite a healthy looking bugger, the few foxes I've sen up close before, have been a bit on the skinny and mangy looking side, this one seemed to be pretty stout and well fed, with a thick coat, which it needed considering the thin layer of snow on the ground.
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A weasel running along the pavement in front of me and then nipping into a hole in the stone wall that surrounds Edinburgh Uni's Kings Buildings campus. Is it just me or are weasels getting more numerous ? I went for years without seeing one and now I've seen 3 in the past 18 months.
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Goldcrests in my neighbour's garden this morning when I went to visit the compost heap.
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My quest for waxwings remains fruitless but my wait for the no 38 bus this morning did give me the consolation of a nice little group of long tailed tits flitting about in the trees opposite.
Snap! (Apart from the bus)
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Sorry, I know this is a bit hollow without pictures but this morning whilst out with the dog we were treated to the most spectacular display of spiders webs that had gathered freezing fog overnight and were just amazing.
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Those little brown moths are all over the road again. Where do they go in the summer?
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Had a thin small young fox visit my garden at lunchtime last Wednesday.
Seemed to shiver in the cold; it had been frosty overnight.
Green woodpecker also visited my lawn.
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Green woodpecker today, um, I think as I was driving along the A21.
Sunday another Green woodpecker, shortly before I fell off my bike on Old Winchester Hill.
Sunday a gert big owl, perched on the electricity sub station just south of Three Bridges station. Or was it further south? I'll have to go backand check to make sure it's not a model.
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we've got a pair of green woodpeckers living in a tree in the garden behind ours. They're incredibly noisy, either bashing their heads against the tree or shouting at each other.
I saw a fox on sunday too, the closest I've ever been to one, right in the middle of cambridge.
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There are times when the foxes fretty well rub their noses on my patio doors here in Londonton.
They don't seem to be tied to any time of day either.
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Loads of mundane (but nice to look at) stuff recently: brown rats, mice/voles, herons, kestrels, foxes, rabbits, buzzards and some lovely looking Longhorn cattle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Longhorns_037.jpg) on one farm. Heard an owl on the way home last night too, but don't know what kind.
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we've got a pair of green woodpeckers living in a tree in the garden behind ours. They're incredibly noisy, either bashing their heads against the tree or shouting at each other.
Green woodpeckers are the ones with the "yaffle" cry but it's greater spotted who are the head-bangers. They've also got a very distinctive, loud, staccato alarm call.
Three little egrets have taken up residence in the park for the past week or so. There were at least 50 ducks on the lake this morning, which was partially frozen (-8°C in my garden last night) and more than a dozen moorhens. The pool in which I regularly saw 3 tench, 2 pike and a large roach last winter has cleared with the cold weather, but so far all I've seen is one of the tench and some fairly small fish, probably roach.
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Gosh that reminds me. On Monday I was in a meeting. I looked out the window, and a woodpecker landed on the tree just outside - a few feet away.
I couldn't concentrate after that, which was a shame, as I was chairing (and taking minutes)
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I looked out the window, and a woodpecker landed on the tree just outside - a few feet away.
What kind ?
I looked in to my garden earlier and saw a small flock of long-tailed tits
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There were quite a few long-tailed tits in the park this morning. I didn't see any goldcrests today, although they do tend to go about together. There were lots of mallards and I saw two of the little egrets this morning.
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I looked out the window, and a woodpecker landed on the tree just outside - a few feet away.
What kind ?
...
Oh - nothing special - greater spotted. It was just that I'd never seen one in the city before, and it was so close, fussing around the joint of a branch.
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On my pootle this afternoon I had my best view ever of sanderlings. Firstly there were five of them, feeding in shallow water not more than 30' from the sea wall in Westcliff. Then three more, which had been zooming past, took a sharp left to join their pals and they were followed by four more. I was very impressed how those in flight could easily pick out their chums on the beach from the best part of 50 yards away.
They are gorgeous little birds, at this time of year predominantly white but with a slate-grey bill and legs and a few black markings. In the late afternoon December murk, they gave the impression of being silver. They are very busy, like small battery-powered toys, darting in and out of the water to pick up whatever the waves were leaving behind, their legs moving almost as though they were riding invisible bicycles.
There were lots of people about and the birds took no notice until some great clod-hopping human stomped along the beach right where they were and that was the end of the fun.
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There are times when the foxes fretty well rub their noses on my patio doors here in Londonton.
They don't seem to be tied to any time of day either.
I was in the midst of opening my front door on returning from work yesterday when the sleekest fattest fox I've ever seen calmly emerged from the undergrowth, passed within six inches of me, vaulted lightly over the fence and trotted off down Hamilton Road.
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A couple of red kites, circling over Reading. Not an uncommon sight nowadays. Saw one (maybe one of the same birds) yesterday.
Usual tits in the garden, but the finches have all buggered off.
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There was a cloud of Tree Buntings in the front garden earlier. Tight social group, taking it in turns to feed from the bird table - but terminally fidgety. Great fun to watch.
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In Southend today: a Scotsman with nae troos.
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At 01.00 on 1/1/09, a fox cub was jumping in and out of the half barrel planter by our patio doors, whilst we snuggled on the sofa listening to Rimsky-Korsakov.
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I'm not that enthusiastic that I'll record every bloody thing I see, like my pal does, but this morning the most memorable birds were (sings) two little egrets and a ring-necked parakeet.
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A fine formation of geese, I'm not clever enough to identify them by their silhouette so I don't know the exact model. What is strange is how many I have seen in the skies around here over the last few weeks heading in all different directions. I'm wondering if they are being directed by air traffic control at Blackpool airport. ;D
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A flock of about one hundred Whooper swans on the Ribble estuary. They don't half make a racket when they get disturbed and take flight (not my fault, there were a couple of wildfowlers in the vicinity).
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Yesterday: a tawny owl on the prowl at dusk near Needham Market.
Today: a kestrel near Ingatestone being mobbed by three magpies.
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Over the past week, on holiday in Dumfries & Galloway, staying in a cottage just outside Dalbeattie. Loads of red squirrels, including one from the kitchen window on New Year's morning. Red kites, white fronted geese and greylag, plus two nuthatches, at Dee Marshes, thousands of barnacle geese and good numbers of teal, pintail, wigeon, shoveller, and gadwall at Merse Head, and more of the same plus whooper swans and a couple of siskin at Caerlaverock. All this and brilliant cycling too !
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A small flock of long tailed tits that visited my bird feeders now installed on a smashing faux lamp post type feeder made by a friend of mine as a Chritsmas pressie.
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Yesterday, cycling through Hertfordshire, country lanes, fields on either side, we saw many deer, big ones! At one point a small herd (maybe 12) were running along the edge of a field in the same direction that we were cycling, they were quite close - it did occur to us that they might suddenly dart across the road and across our path, but when they reached the end of the field they turned away from us and jumped through a gap in a hedgerow. It was brilliant.
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Not seen today:
When I came into the car park this morning, there were two sets of human tracks. There were a few cat tracks, and evidence of a scuffle in the middle, which was interesting, and there were two lines of fox tracks.
Cool.
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This morning at Two Tree Island the "scrape" was mostly frozen over, and there were very few birds present. However, at the other end of the island there was a stretch of open water in a pool there and I could not help but think of Mr. Larrington as I counted no fewer than 14 shovelers either swimming about or just standing around.
We also saw a couple of curlews, some brent geese, a few redshank and some teal.
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Yesterday, cycling through Hertfordshire, country lanes, fields on either side, we saw many deer, big ones! At one point a small herd (maybe 12) were running along the edge of a field in the same direction that we were cycling, they were quite close - it did occur to us that they might suddenly dart across the road and across our path, but when they reached the end of the field they turned away from us and jumped through a gap in a hedgerow. It was brilliant.
It always amazes me that we are surrounded by quite large numbers of such a large animal but rarely catch site of them. They are quite beautiful and tasty too ;)
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When I used to have to find something to do between teaching sessions in two different schools over 40 miles from home, I used to sometimes park the car here (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/idmap.srf?x=554825&y=235205&z=120&sv=554825,235205&st=4&ar=Y&mapp=idmap.srf&searchp=ids.srf&lm=0) and look into the valley at whatever was going on. On more htan one occasion I saw a herd of deer in excess of 40 strong, and managed to get a really bad photograph.
There are lots of deer in the hills on the Essex/Herts/Cambs border.
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Just before dawn this morning: a hare running across a frosty field. Lovely.
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According to me a smallish bird with a very long beak and according to an ornithologically inclined friend a snipe, trying to aerate the lawn.
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Another, or possibly the same, fox this morning. Trotting unconcernedly along the pavement as I locked the front door.
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Opened the garage door to get some kindling and out flew a Jenny Wren.
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A goldcrest, seen on a brief lunchtime walk at the east end of the Meadows, Edinburgh. Also loads of redwings in the same place, superbly well camouflaged amongst the fallen leaves.
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3 waxwings in the garden last week and a white tailed sea eagle on the Eishken estate last Sunday - My first ever sight of an eagle in the wild.
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The bunrabs in the field net to work are back!
There used to be zillions of them, but then Mr & Mrs Suburban Fox1 moved in...
1 - 2.4 cubs, Ford Mondeo.
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Walking through the Meadows again today, a good group of long tailed tits and a very close up view (ie a few feet away) of a couple more goldcrests.
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A rat running across the road with an empty half a liter bottle of fanta.
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Nothing much. A buzzard (weren't a kite, to my surprise - they're now common enough round here not to be worth commenting on), & a fox loping across the road, in broad daylight, as I cycled back into Reading this afternoon.
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A lesser spotted woodpecker, which flew across our garden and into a tree a couple of doors away where it did some pecking.
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In the very cold dark on Thursday night, somewhere between Cambridge and Oxford, two fine foxes dashing across the road in front (some miles apart from each other) and a lovely ghostly barn owl who kept me company for several hundred yards, just in the edge of my headlight beam. I'm convinced this is some kind of hunting strategy, because I've had it happen several times in the past.
And since you ask, it was perishing.
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A dead mouse frozen to the ground. I wanted to poke it with a stick to see if it was frozen all the way through, but I didn't.
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On a walk today - a Kingfisher and a Red Kite swooping down and scattering 3 Crows :)
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In formation? ;)
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Now that would be interesting ! Habitat Diversification and all that
Kingfisher - seen on Kennet and Avon Canal.
Red Kite - Seen flying over open farmland (about 4 miles from the canal) with bits of deciduous woodland inbetween.
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An owl, flying above me on the way home tonight. :)
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Felis catus, crossing the A23 near Thornton Heath. It won't keep all of it's nine lives very long if it makes a habit of crossing the road like that. :o
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and a lovely ghostly barn owl who kept me company for several hundred yards, just in the edge of my headlight beam. I'm convinced this is some kind of hunting strategy, because I've had it happen several times in the past.
I used to commute across the Berkshire Downs, from Lambourn to Harwell, and on a winter's night it could be an isolated old ride on the stretch around Farnborough.
I often used to get owls keeping me company just as you say, silently flying along overhead, just above the headlight beam for quite long distances.
Magical.
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seen today: a teenage Moorhen and a squirrel scrounging from the bird feeders by the back door :)
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Yesterday morning at 3:30am. A deer stood by the side of the A64 watching the cars go past.
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I saw loads of kites when I took the dog out today. Beautiful birds, and so red when the sun catches them.
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Seen last night - a fox on Sutton High Street. Which reminds me that I spotted something I suspected was a small fox or a big cat in a quiet residential street I was walking down last week. The brush disappeared up the side of a house, but, as I drew level, it stopped & turned round. I think it could probably have got over or under the gate, but we stood there, watching each other at close range for a long few moments. I felt the fox studying me for clues as to my intentions, and i could see it's legs ready for action, but not knowing which way to go.
I felt I was making the poor animal uneasy, so I turned and walked on.
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Common - a red kite over east Reading.
Unusual (but only because of the location) - a jackdaw on my bird table.
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I've found out why the blue tits aren't taking much from my bird feeder. Why didn't I notice this before? They're all over a big buddleia in a neighbours garden, eating the seeds.
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This morning on the Wandle Delta I saw some pintail and gadwall ducks – there were the usual assortment of swans, mallards and tufted ducks too.
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A melanistic (black) pheasant in our lane. Not seen one near the village before. There used to be one near Castle Howard for several years.
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A melanistic (black) pheasant in our lane. Not seen one near the village before. There used to be one near Castle Howard for several years.
I first started seeing these a few years ago near Hungerford and I was very excited. After a year or two they became quite commonplace. Handsome birds :)
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Mrs Pcolbeck says she has seen it in the garden. Might have to try and get a picture of it.
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finally got a pic of this beauty today.. there's a green one that visits too, but havent seen him on the birdfeeder, he just pecks at the lawn.
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a19/mikes99mail/5D-1222.jpg)
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finally got a pic of this beauty today.. there's a green one that visits too, but havent seen him on the birdfeeder, he just pecks at the lawn.
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a19/mikes99mail/5D-1222.jpg)
Nice photo!
Greens are primarily ground feeders so it's quite normal to see them on lawns (or pecking at the interstices between patio slabs). I quite often see them feeding on the ground in Richmond Park ( parakeets too but less often)
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Lambs! Spring is springing. :thumbsup:
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Two swans flying .
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OK - it was yesterday and it isn't that wild. :)
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3536/3226987166_7070868cd4_o.jpg)
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The first cherry blossoms.
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A very large number of lapwing at a water treatment plant in Hampton.
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/28169/52eadfed3/regards.jpg)(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/28170/346c719a5/from.jpg)(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/28171/5eb32df38/snakehips.jpg)
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A fieldmouse, hanging upside-down on the bird feeder while feasting on peanuts.
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A Hare, a great close up view of a Kestral and what I suppose had to be a Pied Wagtail but it just didn't look right at all. I only caught a glimpse of it flying over a ditch by the side of the road but if it wasn't for the time of year I would have sworn it was a Pied Flycatcher. The movement and the amount of black were all wrong for a wagtail.
Also, wait for this; Daffodils in full bloom! I've seen quite a few with buds showing already but full bloom in January in Lancashire. Crazy.
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A fieldmouse, hanging upside-down on the bird feeder while feasting on peanuts.
Wow
I've only ever seen one dead - brought in by the cat, I'm sorry to say.
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A stoat crossed the road in front of me this morning
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A fieldmouse, hanging upside-down on the bird feeder while feasting on peanuts.
Wow
I've only ever seen one dead - brought in by the cat, I'm sorry to say.
It's a regular at the moment. Around sunset each day he emerges from the bushes, climbs along the branch and jumps onto the feeder. Tiny little thing.
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3 hares, as ever tried racing them and lost.
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This chap in Midlothian.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3369/3240987211_108ee28feb.jpg?v=0)
We'd been for a walk in Roslin Glen and not really seen anything, but drove back the scenic route rather than straight back to town. Saw him on a post and reversed back for a closer look. He flew off, landing about 20 yards further up. This time he stayed there as I edged closer, snapping away the whole time, until there we were, directly opposite, with my window down...
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A cormorant trying to eat a live eel that was too big to get down it's throat completely.
Cormorant swallows eel apart from the last two inches of it's tail. Eel escapes by reverse wriggling vigorously out of the bird's beak. Cormorant dives and recaptures eel. Repeat as above.
This went on for five minutes until they'd floated off downstream and out of view.
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We saw an ickle deer near Coldharbour, Surrey.
I was driving, so didn't get a clear enough view of it to know what type it was, but it was lovely.
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this fella:
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a19/mikes99mail/g9-1257.jpg)
swooped about 2 yards over my head as I was walking across trafalgar square at 7.30 one morning last week ;D looking for pigeons, I guess.
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I just watched a fox jump down from my fence and walk through the back garden. It didn't seem to particularly care about the snow, and was nosing around under plants, presumably looking for insects.
Interestingly it didn't leave little holes from it's paws like a cat does, but pretty much dragged it's legs through the snow and left long tracks.
(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/FoxSnowTrail.jpg)
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Two roe deer from the train on the way to work, watching it pass by. They stand out more against the snow.
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No pics I'm afraid, but we watched a family of four urban foxes scouting in the street last night. The smallest and presumably youngest seemed bemused by the snow and was sheltering under a car while the others were finding scraps. After around fifteen minutes they moved on up the road, leaving footprints the length of both pavements and in the road. They're obviously thorough in their search for food. Apart from the young one scratching a bit they looked very healthy.
I see more foxes in W London than I ever do in East Devon.
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I see more foxes in W London than I ever do in East Devon.
LOL, me too. I don't ever remember see foxes as a child in Exeter. I occasionally saw them in Cheltenham (and that was mostly in an area surrounded by barbed wire fences, so they were relatively safe from anything like hunting!). Now I see foxes every week, quite often half a dozen on my commute home.
For some bizarre reason, even though I used to live about half a mile from stables in Cheltenham, I also see more horses around South Kensington than I ever did in Gloucestershire. Admittedly, some of them have riders who are more heavily armed than you average horeseman (or woman). ;D
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Our resident squirrel is digging thru' the snow in the back garden,no doubt looking for some of the food he & his partner spent the last few weeks burying.
Unfortunately his partner is no longer with us.I saw her in the road a few days ago,morte :(
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In Princes Street gardens at lunchtime - a wren, two groups of long tailed tits and a treecreeper.
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In Princes Street gardens at lunchtime - a wren, two groups of long tailed tits and a treecreeper.
Parliament obviously in lunchtime recession
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A
sky rat pidgeon in D-Day zebra stripes.
It just looked like a normal very darn coloured pidgeon, until it took off revealing two white stripes per wing - like this...
(http://pro.corbis.com/images/42-18289716.jpg?size=67&uid={7f70a3ee-3d59-4341-9b9e-454cd62bd94a})
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Yesterday evening I saw a flock of bats, well half a dozen anyway.
Bigger than the usual ones round here too.
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A muntjac in the local cemetery.
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I had a great day cycling on the flatlands of the moss today. I saw, in no particular order; Lapwing, Curlew, Kestrel, Fieldfares, Heron and something quite striking that was probably a wader of some sort but I'm hopeless at waders.
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We saw some interesting tracks in the snow on Banstead Common. Small deer hoofprints were particularly nice to see, along the path for a long way.
We may also have seen tracks from a wolf and a yeti. ;D
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A small group of tree sparrows (near Earlston, Scottish Borders)
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An albino deer (plus friends) in the trees at the edge of St Leonard's Forest, near Horsham.
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Bruce the heron , no doubt confused as to why the river is six times as wide as it was last week.
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A mob of bullfinches in my garden. One female has been visiting the bird feeder for a while. She arrived with a male a few days ago. Today, they have company. Several, though I've not managed to count.
The regular blue tit that eats the seeds of the buddleia next door in between visits to my feeder, the blackbird that picks up the bits I put down for it & bits dropped from the feeder, & the couple of regular goldfinches, all disappeared until the bullfinch raid was over.
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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 !)
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8 deer (probably Roe - not sure though), crossing the road in front of me, here (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=413500&Y=328500&A=Y&Z=120). Lots of Kestrels up in the Peak District too.
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You've been close enough to have called at Cafe Alan's for a cake stop
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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.
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this fella:
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a19/mikes99mail/g9-1257.jpg)
swooped about 2 yards over my head as I was walking across trafalgar square at 7.30 one morning last week ;D looking for pigeons, I guess.
He's got straps round his legs, hasn't he?
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So he has. Probably being employed to deter pigeons from settling.
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Lapwings, Spring must be on the way.
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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 (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=405550&Y=345214&A=Y&Z=120) and this (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=402485&Y=347713&A=Y&Z=120). You could have come along!
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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
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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. :thumbsup: I didn't know about that - thanks!
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An avocet, yesterday, near Covehithe.
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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 !
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/28169/52eadfed3/regards.jpg)(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/28170/346c719a5/from.jpg)(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/28171/5eb32df38/snakehips.jpg)
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First dolphins of the year on the commute home :)
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Seal in the harbour scoffing a fish and getting hassled by seagulls.
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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.
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Mr. Fox, scrambling over a neighbour's fence at 8.15am today.
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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!
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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
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Deer wallowing in a muddy patch in Bushy Park , Hampton.
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/38086/9c92fac53/I2075c.jpg)
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/28169/52eadfed3/regards.jpg)(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/28170/346c719a5/from.jpg)(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/28171/5eb32df38/snakehips.jpg)
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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.
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One of the Aberdeen red kites (http://www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/projects/aberdeen_kites/index.asp) :thumbsup:
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great view of a barn owl, folowed it for approx 200m, 10m behind it ;D
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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... :o
Superstoker & I were speculating that it might just be a glove puppet... ;D
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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.
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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.
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No, it was Watlington. We thought maybe someone was planning a barbecue ;D
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Mrs.Wow and I counted more than 20 red kites wheeling like a load of vultures above Watlington when we were there a few years ago.
Had a brief walk on Two Tree Island (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=582985&y=185217&z=120&sv=582985,185217&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=814&ax=582985&ay=185217&lm=0) this morning, and the path had been partially blocked by a recently dug badger sett. We looked around and there were loads of holes. I've never noticed them there before, but there seemed to be lots of activity, and holes on the other side of a fence I had never previously bothered to cross. I might just have to disappear down there just before dusk next month and see if I can get any photos.
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Lots of Pochards in Bushy Park. Again a seriously unfavourable balance from the male perspective !
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/28169/52eadfed3/regards.jpg)(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/28170/346c719a5/from.jpg)(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/28171/5eb32df38/snakehips.jpg)
..... and here is a picture of one of the little beauties
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/38726/a60c94cde/IMG_2063c.jpg)
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That's a red-crested pochard, different again from a pochard. Much less common, and usually either an escapee or in a collection.
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(http://peter.chesspod.com/gallery/d/276-2/DSC_0009_1.jpg)
It is indeed.
(http://peter.chesspod.com/gallery/d/280-1/DSC_0011_1.jpg)
That's the female.
I took those photos about 4 years ago at Hanningfield Reservoir. This pair had a load of ducklings and when I went back a week later, another male had joined them and all three adults seemed to be operating a happy ménage à trois as they looked after the babies.
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I didn't think they bred (as "properly" wild birds) closer than Germany. One lives, one learns ...
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They probably didn't read the book which told you that... ;)
(http://peter.chesspod.com/gallery/d/281-2/DSC_0034_1.jpg)
These are the ducklings with mum in the foreground.
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Red kites. Lots of em. One soared just above me while i cycled along
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4 roe deer in a field south of the railway between Reading & Theale.
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A small bird of prey (kestral?) making an attempt to catch a pigeon on the wing in the office car park this lunchtime and a larger BoP circling over Wokingham station (didn't appeat to have the forked tail of a kite) half an hour later.
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More likely to be a sparrow hawk after a pigeon, I'd have thought.
A sign of spring in Priory Park today: frogspawn! :D
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A seething mass of worms, when I moved my compost bin. Winter and a lack of fresh vegetation have turned it from hot to cold, ideal for worms.
The well-rotted stuff at the bottom was turned out onto the garden, complete with worms, much to the delight of a blackbird.
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A duck with five ducklings paddling away behind her on the river near Southwark Bridge. The tide must be a bit of a puzzle to them
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In Priory Park this morning:-
a sparrow hawk terrorising pigeons
an angler catching a large leather carp (about 15lb I'd say)
two little egrets
and two ladies dressed in latex and rubber, wallowing in the mud :o
(http://peter.chesspod.com/gallery/d/4898-2/DSC00436.JPG)
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Dirty filth! ;D
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In Priory Park this morning:-
a sparrow hawk terrorising pigeons
an angler catching a large leather carp (about 15lb I'd say)
two little egrets
and two ladies dressed in latex and rubber, wallowing in the mud :o
I thought Charlotte and Liz had gone home? ;)
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At the weekend, Butterfly & I lay in our tent listening to some absolutely enchanting birdsong, though I have to confess neither of us knows enough about birdsong to identify what it was :-[
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A buzzard and two magpies by the side of the road, disputing the ownership of a rabbit. The buzzard seemed to be winning as I rode by.
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I had a pair of Egyptian Geese do what pedestrians often do , see me then saunter majestically across the road in front of me anyway.
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/28171/5eb32df38/snakehips.jpg)
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/39439/72b96df48/1Tccropthumb.jpg)
Snakehips Bikes (http://www.yudu.com/item/details/28055/Snakehips--Bikes-)
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There is a heron at Carshalton Ponds. Often, he's stood on a rock. Today, he was stood still, up to his arse in the water, looking like a sawn-off heron.
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The world seemed to be alive with birdlife early this morning. I counted at least fifteen species seen or heard during my short ride and at one point there were four or five rooks flying above me all with twigs in their beaks. Busy time for bids I guess.
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I heard birds on my way to the start of the Wiltshire White Horses.
A couple of woodpeckers, an owl and some crows. Also lots of those tweety ones.
On the home run back to the finish I saw a large deer, standing motionless by the roadside, looking at me as intently as I was looking at it.
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Last night, we (Butterfly, Superstoker & myself) stood in Battersea Park, just inside the Rosary Gate, about thirty metres from the Chelsea Bridge traffic, and close to several groups of people making their own racket.
Yet, as the light dimmed towards dusk, we heard a sweet combination of birdsong. I couldn't identify any of it, but it was a lovely moment.
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The curlews are back which is great a real sign of better weather and their call is just wonderful ,sends shivers down my spine.
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At 4.25 p.m. last Friday Mrs. Wow and I watched a barn owl from quite close quarters as we pootled through Barling.
Yesterday afternoon I heard a chiff-chaff, the first summer visitor of the summer.
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This morning, near Coram Fields (London) a pigeon crossing the road — using a zebra crossing!
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I took a slight detour on the way home as it was such a lovely evening and saw bats down by the river in Wandsworth Park.
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Bats flitting up and down our lane. First ones I have seen this year. Nice to have them back again.
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Seen yesterday morning, between Ufton Nervet & Beenham - a buzzard. So used to seeing kites that I assumed it was one at first, even though they're not yet common that far SW (but give them time ... ), but then I saw the tail.
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Three Buzzards, wheeling, mewing and displaying, and several very annoyed Crows.
Damon.
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Four deer crossing a field somewhere near Swindon
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The dolphins were putting on a superb display this evening :thumbsup:
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A weasal, and unfortunately the first hedgehog of the year (but flat :'()
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A hare,
not especially mad though
:)
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Three Buzzards, wheeling, mewing and displaying, and several very annoyed Crows.
Damon.
Rather oddly - snap. Near Aldermaston, this morning.
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The first batch of Priory Park frogspawn seems to be well dead and rotting. There's a second batch, appeared about last Thursday, which looks OK at the moment. Fingers crossed.
No ducklings yet. Won't be long now.
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Chiffchaffs galore!
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Gamboling lambs.
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While I was eating breakfast, i was somewhat surprised to see a lame fox (not a Lane-Fox - that's an altogether more irritating beast, and I might approve of hunting them ) appear from by our side gate, and trot diagonally across the lawn to the tree.
Somewhat unusually, on Friday, we had a cat seemingly stuck up the tree all the day, though not yowling. It can't have been difficult ot get down, but it had been sat there hours.
On the botanical side, this weekend we saw oceans of daffodils, some snowdrops still flowering, a few magnolias on the verge of bursting into flower. And primroses smiling from the verges. :)
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Lots of birds in Sussex, too. You forget how much birdsong there can be when you've lived in a city for a while. Lovely.
Most of the birds were nothing very special, but nice to see. Tits, of course, and a starling hanging on a feeder :o But also a sweet little wren, a cheeky robin (was that what crapped on out tent?), and, on sunday morning, a smallish greenish bird hopping round just next to the tent, only visible under the edge of the flysheet. Cool.
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A barn owl flew over as we were driving home last night in deepest, darkest Fife.
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Three wood mice on the feeder.
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I was so convinced by the flightpath of one bird this morning, that it was the first Swallow, that I had to get out the studio and trot down the road after it. Mind you, Swallows don't rest in trees, and 'this one' did.
It was a Chaffinch I think, but a beautiful song it had.
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A stoat on the way back from dropping off the car for an MOT. It was running around like a nutter in the road and jumping about.
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Three hares.
Marsh harrier.
Barn owl.
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Three buzzards, apparently sharing a thermal, with no sign or sound of discord. Unusually, the corvids weren't trying to chase them away.
Heard a chiffchaff - my first this year while cycling. During Friday's tree-planting excercise, I had concluded that the migrants have arrived in Warwickshire.
And botanically : -
The lesser celandines are nearing their best. We rode past some of my favourite patches and they were carpeted with flowers. It seems to be as good a year for them as it has been for the snowdrops.
Lots of wood anemones on the verges. Again it seems a very good year - I don't recall seeing carpets of them on the roadside before.
Violets in a nice little clump - 'stop & sniff' test indicated dog violets of some sort.
Wild daffodils flowering, though not at their peak yet, unlike the more common cultivated varieties which are truly spectacular around here at present.
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Yesterday afternoon, about 1.45: common lizard! It wriggled across my path just as i was about to cross the River Roach at Stambridge Mills.
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The best view of a stoat I have ever had. He was making his way across the road at quite a leisurely pace and I got a good view of his tell tale black tipped tail.
We also heard a skylark today, if ever a sound summed up summer. Hang on, it's only April. Ah well, it felt like summer in the sunshine.
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A swallow! :thumbsup: At Sacombe Green on today's WARTY.
I checked the Southend RSPB website and the first report of a swallow on there was last Wednesday, 25th March. This is the earliest swallow I've seen for years, beating by 2 days the swallow Mrs. Wow and I saw on the first day of our LEJOG.
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A swallow! :thumbsup: At Secombe Green on today's WARTY.
I checked the Southend RSPB website and the first report of a swallow on there was last Wednesday, 25th March. This is the earliest swallow I've seen for years, beating by 2 days the swallow Mrs. Wow and I saw on the first day of our LEJOG.
You've made my day WB. Only on Friday as we cycled in what was almost summer like conditions I mentioned to Gill that it was time to start keeping an eye out for the first swallows. It will probably take them a few more days to come this far north but I will be scanning the skies today for that joyful bird.
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Bluebells! Only a few, on a south-facing bank south of the M4, but a harbinger of the vast swathes of blue soon to appear just north of here.
A robin sat on a tree above us and sang as we waited for our lunch.
I love this time of year.
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More bluebells here, well near the top of Reigate Hill in a bank of trees by the road.
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First chiffchaff of the year on Thursday morning - on the Roseburn Path just by the Water of Leith.
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... and an early willow warbler in the (very urban) garden this afternoon.
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The first batch of Priory Park frogspawn seems to be well dead and rotting. There's a second batch, appeared about last Thursday, which looks OK at the moment. Fingers crossed.
No ducklings yet. Won't be long now.
Still no ducklings, but there are some tadpoles! :thumbsup:
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The first batch of Priory Park frogspawn seems to be well dead and rotting. There's a second batch, appeared about last Thursday, which looks OK at the moment. Fingers crossed.
No ducklings yet. Won't be long now.
Ducklins doesn't come from frogspawn </extent of wildlife knowledge>
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I'm just watching a tree creeper on our silver birch. Odd jerky movements, like a mouse.
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Crossing the River Little Ouse at, er, Little Ouse in the morning last week, I saw a dull small thing flying low along the river coming from the east. Played poohsticks with it as it zoomed underneath the bridge, and transformed into an electric blue flash. Wonderful.
On the way home the same day, it came back the other way! Couldn't believe it. I seem to see it most days now. A lovely halfway stop; really perks one up. If no kingfisher, then woodpeckers and barn owls seem to sub in.
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The first batch of Priory Park frogspawn seems to be well dead and rotting. There's a second batch, appeared about last Thursday, which looks OK at the moment. Fingers crossed.
No ducklings yet. Won't be long now.
Ducklins doesn't come from frogspawn </extent of wildlife knowledge>
Well they've come from somewhere. 9 on the lake today following their mum. There's tadpoles too, but in a different stretch of water.
I also spent a very interesting 10 minutes watching large carp eating bread. The carp in Priory Park lake go up to about 30lb - the biggest I've seen was a 27lber that the anglers call "the pig".
The water is very turbid with a blue-green algal bloom so it's hard to see the fish below the surface until they come up for the bread. Then, without warning, there's a loud "slurp"and the bread disappears. Once, the upper half of a carp's head appeared above the water as it grabbed a piece of crust. I'd say it was at least 4" from snout to the start of the fish's back so that fish was a good "double figure"one. On another occasion, I saw the side of a fish shine gold just beneath the surface, and I reckon that was a good 20lb plus. It looked like a side of beef.
As a pointer, the guy who caught this one told me it weighed 13lb.
(http://peter.chesspod.com/gallery/d/153-2/DSC00155.jpg)
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Two swans having sex in the Thames. Looked as if he was drowning her, but there was a touching display of neck-rubbing when they'd finished, so presumably she had no complaints. Spent a long time straightening out her feathers, though: much longer than him.
Hordes of grebes, in both the Thames & Kennet. They seem to be getting more common.
Rather tame blackbirds in my garden, hunting worms within a few feet of me or Mrs B. The goldfinches are also being brave, feeding when one of us is quite close. The blue tits are shyer.
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The water is very turbid with a blue-green algal bloom so it's hard to see the fish below the surface until they come up for the bread. Then, without warning, there's a loud "slurp"and the bread disappears. Once, the upper half of a carp's head appeared above the water as it grabbed a piece of crust. I'd say it was at least 4" from snout to the start of the fish's back so that fish was a good "double figure"one. On another occasion, I saw the side of a fish shine gold just beneath the surface, and I reckon that was a good 20lb plus. It looked like a side of beef.
If you go to a carp lake in calm summer weather at dusk, you can see them swimming about with their dorsal fins out of the water, presumably catching flies and pond skaters. They're very wily fish and notoriously hard to catch; I heard of a guy who was determined to catch one of the big carp out of a lake, so he went out in a boat and carefully laid a field of "boilies" (boiled bait balls) on the lake bottom with one right in the middle that was actually attached to his line.
He waited all night. Nothing happened.
He rowed out again in the morning and every boilie had gone except the one with the hook in it. Carp have been seen to suck bait in and blow it out repeatedly to see if it has a line attached.
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Swallows
Several of them so it is now officially summer. I know they have been swanning around down south for a while now but these were Northern Swallows. With flat caps and whippets and everything. ;D
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A bird I didn't recognise, perched in a tree looking longingly at my bird feeder, but put off, I think, by there being too many people around. Maybe goldfinch sized, but slimmer, with a slimmer beak, & a small crest. Sort of greenish-grey, bands on wings. Any ideas.
Blackbirds (male & female) & a blue tit which weren't put off at all. Looked up from fixing together my new garden tool store to catch the eye of a blackbird with a mouthful of something wriggly, only a few feet away. I think he's a regular, & used to me - and obviously not put off by drilling & hammering. The female & tit both popped by for a feed while I was sitting reading in the sun, only slightly further away.
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A great big one eyed rat in the City today (a few yards from where Mr. Tomlinson and the Police tangled last week).
I stood a couple of feet away from it and watched and it ignored me completely. It couldn't care less about a human.
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one eyed rat in the City
I'm not familiar with that species, Zipperhead. Any pics? :P
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Reed Bunting (male). Back garden.
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A bird I didn't recognise, perched in a tree looking longingly at my bird feeder, but put off, I think, by there being too many people around. Maybe goldfinch sized, but slimmer, with a slimmer beak, & a small crest. Sort of greenish-grey, bands on wings. Any ideas.
Siskin ?
http://www.wildliferanger.co.uk/users/www.wildliferanger.co.uk/upload/Garden%20IX%20Hen%20Siskin%20002.JPG
They seem to be getting more common. We have loads of them here; I hadn't seen one close up until this year
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A bird I didn't recognise, perched in a tree looking longingly at my bird feeder, but put off, I think, by there being too many people around. Maybe goldfinch sized, but slimmer, with a slimmer beak, & a small crest. Sort of greenish-grey, bands on wings. Any ideas.
Siskin ?
http://www.wildliferanger.co.uk/users/www.wildliferanger.co.uk/upload/Garden%20IX%20Hen%20Siskin%20002.JPG
They seem to be getting more common. We have loads of them here; I hadn't seen one close up until this year.
But the crest . . . it was quite distinct.
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A lot of little birds pop a crest up when they're excited...or trying to pull.
Bluetits, even
greenish-grey: my first thought was siskin. Very distinctive colour
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I've just looked through some of the pictures on Flickr, & if it can pop up a crest, it could be a female. The female at RSPB Fairburn Ings (two pics) looks rather similar, as do some of the other lighter-coloured ones - mostly labelled female. It didn't look like any of the males.
Flickr: Search (http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Carduelis+spinus)
Siskin, Carduelis spinus, Female at RSPB Fairburn Ings on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevegreaves/3300711197/)
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The ones we have - even the males - are not anything like as yellow as the pics. They're really more greeny-grey-dull
Might try to get a pic tomorrow
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Woodpecker. Fairly small, black and white with a scarlet butt.
I don't think that I have ever seen a woodpecker before but I could tell it was a woodpecker because it was banging its beak on a tree.
Seen at Heath Chapel up on Brown Clee.
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Probably a Greater Spotted
British Garden Birds - Great Spotted Woodpecker (http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/great_spotted_woodpecker.htm)
If it didn't have a red bit on its head, it was an adult female
We get them on the peanut feeders. At the former Volio Towers one Went Bad and tried to break into the blue tit nest boxes.
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The red knickers are a bit of a giveaway there.
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Female Greater Spotted it was; no red fancy on the head but definitely red knickers.
Cheers
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Over the last 2 days...
A buzzard mobbed by a couple of ravens. I though they were crows until they gave voice. Do buzzards & ravens compete for food?
First Willow Warbler I've seen/heard this year.
Quite a lot of goldfinches - they seem to be more common that a few years ago.
A kestrel, perched on the same pole on Weds & Thurs - on the latter occasion he flew off with something in his talons.
A hen blackbird bathing in a wet ditch. It was in front of a house where the grass had been cut very recently. Lots of the cuttings were floating on the water surface, and the bird's activity had created a ring of clear water, surrounded by the grass.
A total absence of yellowhammers singing or perching on the roadside hedges. Has anyone else had shortages of these (previously common) birds?
And botanically, a very rich display of wild flowers : -
Primrose
Cowslip
Wood Anemone
Lesser Celandine
Bluebell
Greater Stitchwort
Sweet Violet
Dog violet (of some sort)
White deadnettle
Red deadnettle
Yellow Archangel
Bugle
Ground Ivy
Daisy
Dandlelion
Coltsfoot
Red Campion - distinctly early
Garlic Mustard
Hairy bittercress (I think)
Forget-me-not
Wild Arum
A white umbellifer that I haven't idetified.
A blue flower, which I think is Alkanet, but it has become very common, so might be a garden escape.
Daffodils - definitely garden escape
Periwinkle - probably garden escape
Honesty - definitely garden escape
It's definitely a good spring.
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I've noticed that the buzzards I see are often accompanied by a crow that seems to usher them away by flying with them and forcing changes in the buzzard's path. Not mobbing, but a more subtle interference like a guiding of the buzzard.
Is that bird behaviour or am imagining it?
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The crows etc here def. move the buzzards along. If the buzzards can't be persuaded nicely then the crows play rough.
At Former Volio Towers we had kites over the garden quite often, and the corvids used to mob them mercilessly. The kites mostly ignored them :)
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Quite a lot of goldfinches - they seem to be more common that a few years ago.
Yes, there seem to be loads about
It's definitely a good spring.
There do seem to be an awful lot of very good shows of hedgerow flowers this year. The primroses are as amazing as I've ever seen.
Spring has sprung (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=16976.msg309227#msg309227)
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Saturday evening, after the Cambrian 200: a barn owl clutching dinner in its claws, flying along in front of me, just below the tree canopy.
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A buzzard mobbed by a couple of ravens.
Which reminds me: a buzzard getting mobbed by a lapwing on Sunday. Lapwings seem willing to have a go at anything.
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By a roundabout route (pleasing wingshapes, as it happens), that reminds me that I saw a heron flying directly overhead as I cycled across Mitcham Common to work yesterday, and I noticed how, at the end of each long, lazy stroke, as if the bird were rowing through the air, the wing narrows to a sleek pointed shape.
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Quite a lot of goldfinches - they seem to be more common that a few years ago.
Yes, there seem to be loads about
It's definitely a good spring.
There do seem to be an awful lot of very good shows of hedgerow flowers this year. The primroses are as amazing as I've ever seen.
Spring has sprung (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=16976.msg309227#msg309227)
Ta for that link - I'd missed the thread, since it's a part of the forum that I don't normally frequent.
Agree totally about the primroses - they're just reaching their best around here and there aren't usually a lot about in the Warwickshire verges.
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There's been a male kestrel hunting around our drive the last few months
Today we were watching him while we were coming home, and he flew over the pond and landed on another kestrel sitting on a branch. It was very quick.
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Saw a long eared owl the other day sat on a hedge. Not such an uncommon bird I know but the first one I have seem. We get plenty of barn owls and little owls and I hear tawny owls all the time but that's my first vulcan owl.
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Yesterday hares boxing just south of wilburton, and today a buzzard by Coveny
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Scads of herons at Bough Beech. A grey wagtail last weekend at Hathersage. For a grey bird, it isn't half yellow. Three wallabies down the FNRTTC lane in Horley yesterday.
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An evening jaunt to one of my favourite places, Two Tree Island, to see if there were any cuckoos about.
There was an almighty ruckus amongst some oystercatchers, which was quite amusing. There were quite a lot of the other usual waders - loads of avocets, sitting on eggs now by the look of them.
We saw an owl, which I assumed to be a short-eared. Then we met a few ornitho-types with binoculars and stuff and had a chat with one of them.
The owl, apparently is a long eared. I'd never seen one before. Then a nightingale started to sing and we listened to it for quite some time. I was able to phone three people up and they could hear it too. A wonderful, romantic, evocative sound. I'll have to listen to some Beethoven in a minute. It's the first nightingale I've heard since Annie and I rode the tandem across Ditchling Common on the May FNRttC last year.
Then, as we walked towards the eastern end of the island, a pair of owls settled in a clump of stunted oaks to our left. They were so close we could hear their wing-beats (owls are amongst the most silent of fliers, for obvious reasons) and their mewing. I reckon they've got a nest in there.
Didn't hear any cuckoos, but apparently one was seen there on Saturday and another ornitho-type we chatted to said he'd heard one today at Wakering Stairs, where Mrs. Wow and I went yesterday.
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Saw a stoat up a Norfolk lane on Saturday. It came right up close until it heard my brake squeak, sat bolt upright and then shot down a hole in the bank. Lovely sight and only the third I have ever seen. I've always been on a bike when I've seen one. :)
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A stoat for me too - in the garden :)
It was just bouncing across the grass by the oil tank when I looked out
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A stoat for me too - in the garden :)
It was just bouncing across the grass by the oil tank when I looked out
All the stoats in Wolverhampton are waving guns and dealing drugs, or is it scrotes? :-\
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A mallard in Priory Park has no fewer than 17 (may have been more) very young ducklings following her about. I've never seen so many in a brood. Wiki reckons that 13 is usually the upper limit of eggs in a clutch. I wonder whether they could be foster-ducklings from another brood, but they are all a very similar size.
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Some other duck making like a cuckoo?
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A mallard in Priory Park has no fewer than 17 (may have been more) very young ducklings following her about. I've never seen so many in a brood. Wiki reckons that 13 is usually the upper limit of eggs in a clutch. I wonder whether they could be foster-ducklings from another brood, but they are all a very similar size.
[Right Wing Hat ON]
Probably has a council nest and gets a shed load in bread benefits...
[/Right Wing Hat OFF]
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[/Right Wing Hat OFF]
It's removable?
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I saw a hare on Tuesday :)
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A very small and _very_ stupid young rabbit, about 6" off my front wheel on the way in today. It was very nearly (a very small) rabbit pie.
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Today (and for much of this week) I have had my first sighting of the Baby Rabbits of Spring in Richmond Park (a sight that usually shortly precedes the first sighting of a Baby Rabbit of Spring in Richmond Park Being Pecked To Death By Crows).
As well as the tiny little rabbits (which it must be admitted are massively cute) there are the occasional bigger adult rabbit among the small ones - I'm guessing that they are the Richmond Park Owsla policing evening Silflay.
*peruses bookshelves in search of Watership Down*
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A stoat for me too - in the garden :)
It was just bouncing across the grass by the oil tank when I looked out
Are you sure it was a stoat and not a weasel?
A weasel is normally weaselly recognised, but a stoat is stoatally different..
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We seem to have acquired a racing pigeon
I saw a trailerload parked a few miles away on Tuesday, ready to be released, and when i got home there was a fine chap with one blue, one green leg ring boggling at me at eating bird food. He seems very tame and I suspect I could probably catch him.
I may call him Speckled Jim :)
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*peruses bookshelves in search of Watership Down*
You won't find it there, it's a few miles south of Newbury. ;D
Oh yeah - be careful heading south over it. Unless they've removed it, there's a gate across the road at the aptly named Warren Farm, & it's sometimes shut. Two peopl I know had a near miss there when a brake cable broke on their tandem. Luckily the gate was open that day.
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A swallow on a telegraph wire. Just need a second for it to be summer. Seen during a very pleasant day's walking in Sussex woodland enjoying the bluebells.
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Swallows in Angus & Perthshire - summer must've arrived :thumbsup:
Plus:
Yellowhammers
Bullfinch
Ubiquitous buzzards
Brown hare
Mountain hare
Deer
Red squirrel (first one this year) :thumbsup:
Loadsa lambs
Used Mrs P's bat detector successfully for the first time - got some chirping at 55khz.
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Swallows
House martins
long-tailed tit
greenfinches
chaffinches
heard a chiffchaff & willow warbler
heard & saw a cuckoo
kestrel
the duck in Priory Park still has 17 ducklings.
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Seven buzzards in a thermal by Newton Cambs
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We seem to have acquired a racing pigeon
I saw a trailerload parked a few miles away on Tuesday, ready to be released, and when i got home there was a fine chap with one blue, one green leg ring boggling at me at eating bird food. He seems very tame and I suspect I could probably catch him.
I may call him Speckled Jim :)
Yes!
That's him there! there!
The Flanders Pigeon Murderer!
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More red sqrls (same one as yesterday, plus one at my brother's house)
Great spotted wooderypeckery
Stoat
Black Grouse!
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Mr Squashy, the hedgehog
Mr Flat, the pigeon
Mr Splat, the fox
Mr Puffy, the about-to-explode badger in the gutter
:-[
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Mr Squashy, the hedgehog
Mr Flat, the pigeon
Mr Splat, the fox
Mr Puffy, the about-to-explode badger in the gutter
:-[
Ah, well if we are doing dead I've seen a little deer in the verge. Small, bigger than fox but smaller than alsatian, very reddish and no spots.
it was a fresh kill - bright red blood from the mouth - but I don't eat meat anymore so I left it.
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Two blue tits, feeding from my bird feeder while I was gardening not three feet away. Damn, they're getting tame! There's a pair of blackbirds who come almost as close. They catch my eye, then carry on.
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Used Mrs P's bat detector successfully for the first time - got some chirping at 55khz.
Cool! Soprano pipistrelle, presumably??
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Fox living in our garden! :o
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A parakeet which flew over my head as I was riding up Kennington Road this morning.
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Usual assorted stuff in Priory Park. Saw a Goldcrest zoom from one tree to another and spent quite some time watching and listening to a wren. It wasn't the usual high-decibel tirade from a prominent perch, but a low-key warble from a bank of brambles and nettles, and for a few minutes I was looking for some sort of warbler, until I saw it. I wondered whether a female tending young might communicate with them in this way?
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Several days of birding in Purbeck and Hampshire.
Whimbrels
Bar and black tailed godwits
Little Egrets
Ruff
Common tern
Cuckoo
Blackcap
Willow tits
Garden warblers
Willow warblers
Chiffchaffs
Wood warbler
Stonechat
Tawny and little owls
Gadwall
Spotted redshank
Meadow pipit
Skylark
Swallow
Common lizard at Arne
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A pair of buzzards over Chessington
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Goslings! 9 fat fluffy yellow things, on the old mill stream beside Caversham weir, while I was en route to Waitrose to buy Japanese soy sauce. Also lots of ducklings, a set of brand new little fluff balls closely following mum, & some slightly bigger ones being a little more independent. And a black swan.
Just now, a rather cheeky great tit having a four course dinner in my garden. Seeds from the feeder, a nibble of peanut, something from the blackcurrant bush, then fat sprinkles from the bird table. Greedy little bugger. All while I stood watching. As the next door neighbour said, all he was lacking was a little wine.
I wonder what he likes in the blackcurrant bush? Flowers? Aphids? I should look & see if there are any. I've seen a few other birds rummaging around in it, including a blue tit.
Ah. Buds are listed as part of their diet. The bush has both flowers & buds on it.
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Baby Moorhens on a nest on Waddon Pond :D
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Baby Moorhens on a nest on Waddon Pond :D
I love baby moorhens :)
Little balls of fluff on long, long spindly legs
We had 'em on the pond last year, and as teenagers they came to scoff the bird food
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Implausible birds
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Parakeets!
Nothing unusual in this, since I go through Richmond Park most mornings - I was early today though and saw lots and lots of them feeding on the ground and therefore got a really close look at them as they flew away.
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I had to travel up north (Australia) yesterday and saw some aptly named Pretty Faced Wallabies feeding on the road verge near the airport.
The locals also swore that the creek had crocodiles but I didn't see any!
Several eagles though (not in the creek - had to look up for them)
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Couple of days ago, but there are now TWO cuckoos at our woods.
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Still haven't heard a cuckoo this year - and the only one I've seen was eaten this morning by a FatCat in Steve bell's cartoon ;D
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Seeing the fox at the bottom of the garden regularly now. S/he looks towards the house every time s/he goes alongside the fence at the end. It's a bit overgrown at the end, but the fox needs to climb up to leave the garden, so we get a good look. It's kinda nice having a fox in your compost heap (well, the remains of the previous resident's grass-clippings pile, really)* - much better than mice or rats.
* I don't keep chickens
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There's a nesting box in the garden backing on to mine, & it now has residents. Tits - didn't see whether Great or Blue, & both have been visiting a lot recently. Have to keep an eye on it.
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I've never seen so many ducklings as are currently swimming around the lakes at Priory Park.
I watched a pair of mistle thrushes mobbing a sparrowhawk above my lunchtime school today and whilst cycling home from my tai chi class this evening a particularly mangy-looking fox came hurtling out of the Southend Hospital grounds pretty close to my front wheel.
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........... a particularly mangy-looking fox came hurtling out of the Southend Hospital grounds pretty close to my front wheel.
Do you think he caught the mange in the hospital? i've heard that the NHS has become a good place to catch an illness :)
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........... a particularly mangy-looking fox came hurtling out of the Southend Hospital grounds pretty close to my front wheel.
Do you think he caught the mange in the hospital? i've heard that the NHS has become a good place to catch an illness :)
Perhaps it was MRSA.
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........... a particularly mangy-looking fox came hurtling out of the Southend Hospital grounds pretty close to my front wheel.
Do you think he caught the mange in the hospital? i've heard that the NHS has become a good place to catch an illness :)
Perhaps it was MRSA.
That's the problem isn't it? When they hurtle it is difficult to diagnose accurately. :)
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I had to travel up north (Australia) yesterday and saw some aptly named Pretty Faced Wallabies feeding on the road verge near the airport.
The locals also swore that the creek had crocodiles but I didn't see any!
Several eagles though (not in the creek - had to look up for them)
When I was in Cairns in 2007 I saw a lot of Agile Wallabies. No Bloody Clumsy ones, though.......
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Seen: nothing unusual.
Heard: lots of woodpeckers. The woods of South Oxfordshire are ringing with the sound of beak on tree.
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A couple of what I think were Goldfinches in the back garden, if I've found the right birds from the RSPBs website.
They were very small birds, with a very noticeable red patch on their heads. They were quite low down, on plants, very near the ground. Luckily Talisker wasn't around, or was snoozing (as he is now), or they would have supplemented his diet.
I grabbed my camera, but they'd gone by then. I'm watching out for them, they were very attractive looking birds.
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Almost certainly goldfinches, and not that uncommon. We saw quite a few yesterday. Gorgeous little birds.
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We get them in the garden quite often, but irregularly: lots for a while, then they disappear for a while, unlike the tits & blackbirds, which turn up every day. Mrs B got quite excited the first time she saw them. I think she didn't realise there were such colourful birds in Britain.
We had a couple of linnets grubbing around today. I've been wondering what I could do to encourage them. They seemed to like the blackcurrant bush.
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As I was going round Richmond Park a quartet of Egyptian geese landed on the grass by the road just ahead of me. It's unusual to see them flying. Two then started fighting , and they looked like vultures squabbling over a carcase.
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/28169/52eadfed3/regards.jpg)(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/28170/346c719a5/from.jpg)(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/28171/5eb32df38/snakehips.jpg)
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On Monday we saw a red kite mooching for road kill on the road between Munlochy and Avoch. Then there were dolphins at Chanonry Point.
In Glen Coe at the weekend we think we saw a treecreeper.
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In Glen Coe at the weekend we think we saw a treecreeper.
And lots of bats
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This chap has been watching me nearly all day:
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38/StevenROBSON/PICT0108.jpg)
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Looks a bit too reddish to qualify for the cajun treatment.
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When I was in Cairns in 2007 I saw a lot of Agile Wallabies. No Bloody Clumsy ones, though.......
A mate of mine encountered a Bloody Clumsy Wallaby a few years ago, when it bounced out of the scenery and into his lap while he was descending at some 80 km/h on a recumbent :o No sign of the wallaby found afterwards, which was probably just as well for its continued well-being.
I've just seen something flying past the office which looked alarmingly like a puffin. While I believe there are colonies of wallabies living in various places in the UK, I cannot cope with the idea of puffins - especially solitary puffins - on the Essex/Herts border :hand:
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A great big one eyed rat in the City today (a few yards from where Mr. Tomlinson and the Police tangled last week).
I stood a couple of feet away from it and watched and it ignored me completely. It couldn't care less about a human.
… and when I turned my head, it turned it's head. My God, it was my reflection in a window!
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Rode through a swarm of bees today. Had to stop to shake the blighters off. No stings!
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Swifts calling in Embra last night ...
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Rode through a swarm of bees today. Had to stop to shake the blighters off. No stings!
A swarm of bees in May...
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Rode through a swarm of bees today. Had to stop to shake the blighters off. No stings!
A swarm of bees in May...
What else would you call lots of bees flying across the road? (a lot of bees flying across the road ::-))
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Mr & Mrs Blackbird are making a nest in the hedge right outside our kitchen window :thumbsup:.
Looking forward to some domestic goings-on in the next few weeks - assuming they aren't all eaten by one of the cats ::-).
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A swarm of bees in May...
"A swarm in May is worth a load of hay; a swarm in June is worth a silver spoon; but a swarm in July is not worth a fly"
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When I was bee-keeping, we changed the last line to "Let the buggers fly."
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Swifts calling in Embra last night ...
They've been squealing around here for a while.
As I was trying for size the roof I've made for the birdtable, a blue tit decided it was time for lunch. I could have reached out & grabbed the cheeky little bugger.
A pair have taken over a neighbours nestbox. I'm looking forward to fledglings.
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That squealing sound of the Swallows is deep-rooted in my mind. One of my earliest memories is of me kneeling on my bed in my jim-jams, looking out of the window at a hot dusty red setting midsummer sun; way too hot for bed (I was probably about 5, so had to go to bed about 7pm), and the swallows squealing around in the street and between the houses.
< sigh >
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A Peacock on someone's front lawn. The bloody noisy, eerie sounding bugger!
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A Goldfinch on the feeder. First time I've spotted one in our garden - we normally have Great Tits rather than finches around.
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We had a goldfinch today, after a long spell of not seeing any. They seem to come & go. The feeder was mobbed by them at times last year, but sometimes there are none for weeks. The blue tits & great tits - and blackbirds visiting the bird table & rummaging around on the ground, particularly in whichever bed has most recently had compost put on it (more worms!) - are regulars, but only in small numbers.
Greenfinches, chaffinches, linnets & coal tits come & go. Thrushes come slug or snail hunting now & again. Collared doves & feral pigeons pick up bits dropped from the feeder.
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A pair of greater spotted woodpeckers feeding young.
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Well, Butterfly didn't mention it, so I will.
Turns out that the gardening didn't drive the fox away.
In fact, last night, as we ate dinner, three cubs tumbled out of the den and played in the garden. Delightful.
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A Heron. Out of all birds they seem to be the hardest to get close to. They're off like a shot.
Must be a 'fear of humans' thing inbred into them from century's of man guarding his fish stocks.
(Thanks Nobby)
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Heron at Betws Y Coed. Standing in the river near the Tourist Info place.
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Which reminds me (indirectly). This morning, on carshalton Ponds, I saw an altercation between a Coot and a Moorhen. If I didn't know better, I'd've said one of them had dishonourable intent...
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Which reminds me (indirectly). This morning, on carshalton Ponds, I saw an altercation between a Coot and a Moorhen. If I didn't know better, I'd've said one of them had dishonourable intent...
Which one? ;D
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I think coots are grumpy aggressive gits.
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It was the coot who was chasing. They were a bit more subdued in the rain this morning... :-\
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Just seen as I went outside - a fox in the car park. Seemed to be either moulting or mangy. The rear half had quite long hair; the frons seemed to be much shorter...
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Two goldfinches on my bird feeder, fighting a blue tit for possession of it. He chased one off for a while, but the finches have won it back now.
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In the yard. They come and eat the ground food by the kitchen window too, but they're very timid.
(http://www.bosphorus.f2s.com/partridges.jpg)
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A heron
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3055/3539244822_ff036215fe.jpg)
I see it most days, but I had a camera with me today :)
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Just had four Canada goose goslings wander right up to me with their mum. :thumbsup:
They were too cute. I wanted to Ozzy Osbourne them for being overly cute.
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Smart birds in our garden:
Great tit
Magpie
No others...
The great tit has found the new bird table, and has been nomming peanuts like mad.
I haven't seen any other birds near it.
The magpie, on the other hand, watched me from a distance as I hoed the veg patch, then, when I'd gone, swooped down and ate the grubs I'd disturbed.
Pigeons had better stay clear. One of them gave me a fright. As i came into the kitchen saturday morning, I thought I heard someone messing with the bikes. I got into neanderthal security mode, but, when I peeped out, it was just one of those feathery pests perched on top of the tarpaulin.
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In the yard. They come and eat the ground food by the kitchen window too, but they're very timid.
(http://www.bosphorus.f2s.com/partridges.jpg)
Don't you like it when dinner comes to you... :P ;D
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Well, seen on Friday: a hobby cruising over the treetops in Orpington. I've only ever seen one once before, but a very distinctive and stylish animal.
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Pigeons had better stay clear. One of them gave me a fright. ...
Do you want to borrow Talisker? ;D
... on the other hand, the last Pigeon I know he caught, he brought into the house and managed to loose control of it, until I came home and released it. :-\
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Awfully kind offer and all that, but I think my house is messy enough without feathers & pigeon cr@p everywhere! ;D
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In the yard. They come and eat the ground food by the kitchen window too, but they're very timid.
(http://www.bosphorus.f2s.com/partridges.jpg)
Frenchmen!
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It was the coot who was chasing. They were a bit more subdued in the rain this morning... :-\
Coots are very aggressive and like to try and drown each other (and other birds if they can get away with it).
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Buzzard being mobbed by two crows less than a mile from the city centre.
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2 ducks lving dangerously.
Probably haven't got a floating duck house to go to
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/P1020781.jpg)
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That would be a confusing call from the front of a group of cyclists...
"Duck!"
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Reminds me of this (http://www.infoplease.com/images/ispantani.gif) that I posted earlier, as it happens :)
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A small bat at 10.00 last night, flying out of Newington Cemetry over Dalkeith Road (hurrah for urban green space).
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The house martins have returned. Saw loads of them catching insects yesterday evening. Soon they will be building nests under our eves.
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The house martins have returned. Saw loads of them catching insects yesterday evening. Soon they will be building nests under our eves.
You'll be getting up early from now on then! Noisy buggers... :)
We had them at our last house, outside the kids bedroom. They used to love sitting on their bed watching the Martins come and go, feeding their babies.
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An urban fox
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Fox%203.jpg)
More photos here (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=19267.0)
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Couple of newly fledged rooks, at two separate points on the trip. Both dim as dust and intent on sitting in the road waiting to get squashed by whatever happens along next.
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This week: lots of painted lady butterflies :D. Some guinea fowl in a tree; swallows; swifts and a kestrel :D.
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In what could be the biggest influx of butterflies into this country in decades, millions have flown into Britain from the deserts of north Africa. Up to 18,000 were spotted sailing on the breeze across Scolt Head Island on the north Norfolk coast: 50 arriving every minute according to Natural England nature reserve staff.
The mass migration began last Thursday when large numbers were seen off Portland Bill in Dorset.
Patrick Barkham on the arrival of millions of painted lady butterflies in Britain |
Environment |
The Guardian
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/27/painted-lady-butterflies-migration-britain)
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Wahay. They definitely are here. I just saw a Painted Lady flying through my garden, and I rarely seem to see butterflies these days. :thumbsup:
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I saw a LHD two seat car the other day where the passenger had a dog on his lap which looked, at first glance, to be driving the car. I was a little concerned because it was a springer which might not be first choice as a canine chauffeur.
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A muntjac crossing the road ahead of me & panicking when it noticed me coming, & a little later, a much rarer sight: a fallow deer walked onto a track in front of me. Turned & ran down the track ahead of me for a little while before running off into the woods.
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Goldfinch & tit:
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3625/3577721841_d14b504c34_o.jpg)
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3361/3578525554_37aa35af66_o.jpg)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2483/3577721995_b9977bba8c_o.jpg)
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3360/3578525696_886b6d32c6_o.jpg)
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Later that same day, sparrows & the tit again:
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3559/3578756532_36fffca744_o.jpg)
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3323/3577952983_90d72b04c6_o.jpg)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2480/3577953087_b2b1ffc8c0_o.jpg)
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3328/3578756824_ec1324f580_o.jpg)
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3587/3578756934_ec8be2c28e_o.jpg)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2465/3578757032_6dd0bbfe26_o.jpg)
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And today, a blackbird:
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2433/3582138611_d967b09934_o.jpg)
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Tonight - bats in our garden. This is the first year we've managed to see them here :thumbsup:
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Yesterday I was watching the bats at dusk. Doing a few dozen circuits of my garden before zooming off to moth central.
Also saw a few dozen chub up to 4lb, and a few dozen mirror carp up to 15lb basking just under the surface of the local river.
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Buzzard being mobbed by two crows less than a mile from the city centre.
At my parents over the weekend, there are a number of raptors have moved in, meaning that the little birds are keeping a low profile.
We saw a buzzard being 'mobbed' by one crow, which I'd not seen before. And a buzzard and kestrel flying close together, taking no apparent notice of each other at all.
Heard a cuckoo and woodpeckers, which is always good. :)
Oh - and newts in the pond. And mayfly, dragonfly and libelulla* flying over it.
* Yeah, I had to look it up too. Butterfly noticed a 'fat dragonfly', and we didn't know what it was. we do know :)
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It seems the second robins' nest in our garage has been cuckoo'd.
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Found UNDER my groundsheet on Tuesday morning:
(http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/6181/img0199j.jpg)
And:
(http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/3325/img0201cck.jpg)
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Aww, a lady Great Crested. Haven't seen one of those for ages now.
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We saw a peacock today - he gave a wonderful display. And there was a completely white one - not seen that before. Is it an albino?
We were at Dene City Farm.
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Aww, a lady Great Crested. Haven't seen one of those for ages now.
Yup. Spot which one I remembered to switch to the macro function for!
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Aww, a lady Great Crested. Haven't seen one of those for ages now.
Yup. Spot which one I remembered to switch to the macro function for!
;D
Aww, seems Common Toad is too common.
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There were two Bufos, but only one Livingstone
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Newt mostly comes out at night, mostly.
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On the Dunning Done In (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=18873.0):
Red squirrel, oystercatcher chicks, deer, ubiquitous buzzards & small goats on a caprine activity centre.
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We saw a peacock today...
That reminded me, we saw a couple of peacocks on the chimney's of a house as we cycled past on Saturday morning, I can't remember where we were exactly, but it must have been in the second half of the ride to be in daylight.
Rather bizarrely I had to think a bit about peacocks flying, since I've only ever seen them wandering about the estates of large houses (National Trust etc).
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A Red Kite over the High Street in the village :thumbsup:
Apparently there is a pair nesting in the Dove Valley between here & Uttoxeter.
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Just heard a very voluble cuckoo here (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=592985&y=184132&z=115&sv=592985,184132&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=723&ax=592985&ay=184132&lm=0). Possibly already reported by Wowbagger. And loads of wabbits!
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Someone's been sleeping in my garden...
(http://www.ivy-house.org.uk/images/deer1.jpg)
Bambi for dinner darling...
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Greenfly :demon:.
Many Many of them - same as yesterday. I returned from a bike ride yesterday, literally coated in them - arms, torso and shorts. I inhaled them, swallowed them and had to stop on occasions to extract them from my nose and ears.
There is a large cloud of them in my front garden right now.
This can only mean one thing.
DDT
It's only a week or two before the...
*shudders*
thunderflies appear. :o
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A Barn Owl hunting in broad daylight at 8.30 this evening.
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A heron. Nothing new there, but I was on the fifth floor of the delightful Premier Lodge, West Bromwich, and it was flying across the town, way below me. Looked dead good, so it did.
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A heron. Nothing new there, but I was on the fifth floor of the delightful Premier Lodge, West Bromwich, and it was flying across the town, way below me. Looked dead good, so it did.
There is quite a lot of Wetland just up the motorway from there,near the M6/M5 intersection
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Road kill 200 yards from my front door. Glove in for scale
(http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/6281/img0217jog.jpg)
(http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/4049/img0218aob.jpg)
She was pregnant.
(http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/1313/img0219y.jpg)
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Eight separate urban foxes on the way home, about 2/3rds of them nowhere near parks, presumably foraging in rubbish bins. Certainly the one I almost ran over when I surprised him, was going through rubbish bags put out by a shop on the A23.
That's a record for foxes on the way home, although I've seen six on previous occasions.
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I watched 'our' vixen for nearly an hour last night as I did the washing up etc..
She's darker brown than you average fox.
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Buzzard, over Coulsdon, yesterday. Rather unusual over this side!
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Cockatiel. At the suggestion of a couple who might be the owners, I've spent half the morning standing in the garden waving a bit of cucumber and calling Jonjo. It looks interested, but doesn't come near. Now waiting for them to turn and up and entice it, if indeed it's their Jonjo.
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2 marmots, whistling loudly and not noticing me :)
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Yesterday morning I was awoken at dawn
By a small bird that had perched on the window sill and then couldn't figure out how to get back out from underneath the partly open window which hinges from the top
It was bloody loud bird song follwed by a frantic flapping of wings between the curtains and the window.
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A dozen kites over Nuffield, wheeling around shrieking at each other. Someone must be feeding them.
A bloody blackbird which had dug up two of my lobelia plants in its search for worms. That bed is full of compost (my own manufacture), & is therefore also full of worms - which makes it blackbird heaven. I don't mind them rooting around for worms, but digging up my flowers is taking the piss. I am annoyed.
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Treecreeper, part timing as a wall creeper, just by Salter's Steamers in Oxford.
Terns, doing their thing yesterday, at Hardwick Park campsite.
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Today: saw, and heard, a late cuckoo ("late" not as in dead, but approaching the unseasonal). It cuckooed whilst on the wing, which is fairly unusual. Also a green woodpecker and two brace of shelduck.
Saturday: buzzard, hobby (over Glastonbury tor), barn owl, and several badgers, one encounter being so close that the bugger knocked me off my bike!
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I'll see your Duck, young master MV and raise you one Pheasant:
(http://www.ivy-house.org.uk/images/pheasant.jpg)
They have a very evocative call on a crisp Autumn morning, echoing through a foggy wood as the suns rays shine through golden leaves in misty shafts of light. It starts to grate a bit when it's right outside your back door for two bleedin' hours >:(.
* resists temptation to grab air rifle *
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* resists temptation to grab air rifle *
Why? 8)
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* resists temptation to grab air rifle *
Why? 8)
I'm not a terribly good shot... :-[
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A fly/beetle. The front half was vivid green and the back half iridescent ruby red. Quite spectacular. It was about a centimetre long. Any ideas what it was?
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A fly/beetle. The front half was vivid green and the back half iridescent ruby red. Quite spectacular. It was about a centimetre long. Any ideas what it was?
At a guess we are all doomed
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Yesterday: a pair of sparrowhawks wheeling above our outdoor tai chi cavortings.
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Yesterday: a pair of sparrowhawks wheeling above our outdoor tai chi cavortings.
Chinese take-away?
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A man out walking a rather pretty ferret :D. Lots of butterflies and dear in Richmond Park. :)
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My first Leopard slug tonight, in the compost bin. Bloody huge, it was.
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A pair of buzzards twirling above the M23 near Outwood. I've seen a solo one that way before, so I guess they must live round there.
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A man out walking a rather pretty ferret :D. Lots of butterflies and dear in Richmond Park. :)
You had him out in his bathchair, then? ;)
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A cormorant, stretching its wings and basking in the sun on a mud bank beneath Monnow Bridge.
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A green woodpecker, again near Outwood.
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Yesterday, whilst we were out walking the dog, I noticed that a lot of large carp could be seen close to the surface of the park lakes. There are usually one or two, but then I noticed that I could see the shoals of rudd near the surface as well. Then, the clincher form me: there was a sizeable tench close to the surface, gulping in water from the very top. Tench are bottom-feeders and rarely come close to the surface. I was sure that the lakes were dangerously deoxygenated so I phoned the council to tell them so.
This morning, Mrs. Wow took the dog out. There were two pumps spraying the water into the air and a notice "No fishing on 27th & 28th June due to low oxygen levels."
Smug mode! :smug:
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Well done that man
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Indeed! Well done! :D
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A female sparrowhawk zooming over the crowd, pointed out by Tourist Tony,as we watched "Touchstone" at Crawley Folk Festival.
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A stoat, which ran three quarters of the way across the road, then turned and ran back again.
It was so quick that I couldn't see it turn, it was facing right one moment, then left a millisecond later. It almost looked like a computer arcade animation, it changed direction so quickly.
I see a lot of weasels at home but this is the first stoat this year, and was in Norfolk.
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Not seen: a black cap.
The bloody thing was singing in a tree right in front of me, but in spite of searching with binoculars, I'm damned if I could see it.
I walked quietly round the other side of the tree in order to get a different view, and when I got there the git flew into a tree which was closer to where I had been standing originally, but I didn't see it go. Its song just came from a different place.
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f'in loads of horse flies
My usual run has a stretch though a field with, erm, some horses and I get bitten to death whilst fumbling with the decrepit old gate.
Ow.
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Ripe mulberries in our local park. I ate them! :thumbsup:
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Saw a badger at about 9-45 in the dusk last night on way home from the track league.
Heading along a country lane and spy something at the side of the road, which I though might have been a cat initially. As I got closer I realised what it was and stopped.
It just sat there for about 20 seconds looking at me in a rather curious fashion, then decided he'd run up the road for about 30m, and dive off into a hedge.
Not sufficient time to extract my phone (for camera) from my bag though.
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You're just lucky that it wasn't one of the Ninja Badgers that went for Wow. ;D
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Yesterday, whilst we were out walking the dog, I noticed that a lot of large carp could be seen close to the surface of the park lakes. There are usually one or two, but then I noticed that I could see the shoals of rudd near the surface as well. Then, the clincher form me: there was a sizeable tench close to the surface, gulping in water from the very top. Tench are bottom-feeders and rarely come close to the surface. I was sure that the lakes were dangerously deoxygenated so I phoned the council to tell them so.
This morning, Mrs. Wow took the dog out. There were two pumps spraying the water into the air and a notice "No fishing on 27th & 28th June due to low oxygen levels."
Smug mode! :smug:
Well done that man, and well done to the council too for acting on it. :thumbsup:
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A small flock of long tailed tits on Mitcham Common and a HUGE flock of seagulls near Hackbridge, probably 1000 birds. :)
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I saw a Cormorant on the Thames , not unusual in itself , feasting on a great shoal of very small fish. After I had taken a few photos it hopped out of the water and posed in front of me for some close-ups. I was struck by how similar it looked to the Booby of the Galapagos.
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/70368/b50ca7437/posingcormc.jpg)
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/28171/5eb32df38/snakehips.jpg)
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A Large White butterfly being eaten alive by ants. Not sure what species: I'm useless on ants. Deep reddish-brown, vicious things that bite people at the drop of a hat, & therefore a bit of a nuisance in the garden. They'd bitten off parts of its wings & the end of its abdomen when spotted. It was struggling weakly.
A blackbird sunbathing on a neighbours shed roof. It was spreading its wings & tail in the sunshine. After a while, it preened its feathers back into shape, & flew off.
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Cabbage White? Possibly no great loss.
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Cabbage White?
Yep. That's what a Large White is. But I spent years being told that Cabbage White (what I always called it as a child) was a local name, not necessarily understood in other parts of the country, & rather got out of the habit.
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Yesterday, a muntjac deer decided to cross the road in front of us as we left Wicken Fen. One look at Wobbly John on his recumbent contraption, bearing down on it, and it bounded back into the hedge.
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Interestingly, Butterfly removed a few caterpillars from the blackcurrant bush to the birdtable, but some ants got in there before the birds...
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Some Deer in a field between Haywards Heath and Ardingly :).
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Stopped off at the river, there's a disused barn there that's home to lots of house martins.
I stood still and was "buzzed" by them. They sometimes came within 3ft of me. :o
I also watched a kingfisher fly inches above the water just as the sun broke out of the clouds.
A wonderful spash of iridescent turquoise.
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Stopped off at the river, there's a disused barn there that's home to lots of house martins.
I stood still and was "buzzed" by them. They sometimes came within 3ft of me. :o
Last summer, Mrs B & I had a swift fly between us as we walked across a field (we felt the draught!), & saw one take an insect we were watching from maybe 3 or 4 feet away. Amazing birds.
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Heard, rather than seen: several quail out in the fields of East Lothian.
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A young fallow deer in the middle of the road. It seemed lost. It looked at me, I stopped and it walked towards me for a few paces. After I spoke to it, it pranced into a wheat field and was gone. It must have been less than ten yards from me.
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It was an advance scout for the badgers.
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A bat, not sure what type, flew into me last night as I was riding home, got caught on my sleeve, flapped about a bit then flew off.
That's the second time a bat has flown into me in the past week, what happened to sonar?
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Perhaps you're the ultimate stealth cyclist?
Sorry Mate I Didn't Sonar You?
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Maybe; both events happened on the same stretch of road, so maybe it's just one very stooopid bat.
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Maybe it just likes you?
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I shall love it and hug it and call it George.
;D
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Seen yesterday... a weasel :thumbsup:
It dashed across the road in front of me, then sat on the verge looking at me and 'chirping' at me. I stopped to get the camera out but it did a runner as soon as I stopped.
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This morning on my (deepest rural suffolk) commute:
Momma roe deer and her two spindly legged bambi bambinos. So purty. And dozens of hares- I think the start of harvest has sent even more of them running about.
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Mummy, daddy & fledgling chaffinch in the garden. Fledgling sat on the fence while the parents fed at my seed feeder, sometimes popping over to to give the youngster some grub.
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An owl
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2522/3734125201_7a33c17f7a_o.jpg)
Wrong camera with me though!
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Chaffinch mother & young have been back. Youngster was still being fed, but had a tentative go at the feeder. It'll be back on its own soon. Also (at the same time) a blue tit & a slightly fluffy fledgling, but the latter stayed in the neighbours buddleia, while mum commuted back & forth.
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28 sparrows in our hedge, and a little owl sitting on the barn roof and shouting his head off.
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four!!! rabbits sitting on the lawn this morning. Cocky little buggers didnt even run off when I opened the kitchen door, they just sat there and watched me.
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I was cycling round Trafalgar Square earlier and I saw this .......
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/71642/0ad00ad4f/CormorantOnPlinth.jpg)
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A virtuoso display of flying and insect catching right in front of our windows.
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/birds.jpg)
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A (wild) black rabbit. Third sighting of same.
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A (wild) black rabbit. Third sighting of same.
Whereabouts are you? There used to be lots along Pilgrim's Way in Kent, near Wrotham. We had one in our garden. :thumbsup:
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6 moorhens and a heron sheltering under the trees next to the now very large pond.
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Sparrowhawk devouring a collared dove in our garden.
(http://www.alvecotewood.co.uk/images/sparrowhawk3.jpg)
The cats were most perturbed by seeing a bird as big and fierce as they were (actually, a bit more fierce than them, judging by the way they kept behind me!)
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The reason the cat didn't fancy his usual sitting outside in the garden this morning:
(http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g219/liz1848/Vegetables/P7300004.jpg)
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93, 94, 95, 96... O Hai... I iz the pushup master.
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I saw lots of animals today, but this snail was most impressive
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3a8mQ6kkehU/SnYRAjMW3mI/AAAAAAAAFDM/ugFJbOYsInE/s640/IMG_2088.JPG)
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Sparrowhawk devouring a collared dove in our garden.
(http://www.alvecotewood.co.uk/images/sparrowhawk3.jpg)
The cats were most perturbed by seeing a bird as big and fierce as they were (actually, a bit more fierce than them, judging by the way they kept behind me!)
Aren't they magnificent creatures?
That's a female. Males are smaller and their barring is brown rather than grey.
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A (wild) black rabbit. Third sighting of same.
Whereabouts are you? There used to be lots along Pilgrim's Way in Kent, near Wrotham. We had one in our garden. :thumbsup:
Deepest, darkest, wildest Glowsestershire. :)
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I saw lots of animals today, but this snail was most impressive
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3a8mQ6kkehU/SnYRAjMW3mI/AAAAAAAAFDM/ugFJbOYsInE/s640/IMG_2088.JPG)
Jesus! That thing would just shrug off Nutty's mouse traps.
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Well, seen a week or so ago....
(http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/5273/img0726ykm.jpg)
(http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/6356/img0730mhi.jpg)
(http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/1817/img0732b.jpg)
(http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/8104/img0695c.jpg)
(http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/7121/img0736w.jpg)
(http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/799/img0699h.jpg)
(http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/2083/img0264o.jpg)
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What is it? </ignorant> :-[
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What is it? </ignorant> :-[
three different birds
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Oh. I only saw the top two first time round, and thought they might be the same species. :-[
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What is it? </ignorant> :-[
three different birds
edit: a several of birds and some butterflies, for others to ID
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Woodchat shrike; red-backed shrike; middle-spotted?? woodpecker; black stork x2 pics; butterfly sp; white admiral.
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Woodchat shrike; red-backed shrike; middle-spotted?? woodpecker; black stork x2 pics; butterfly sp; white admiral.
Nope; yep; nope; yep; -; nope.
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Ah. Lesser grey shrike #1. Lesser spotted woodpecker. Purple emperor.
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Ah. Lesser grey shrike #1. Lesser spotted woodpecker. Purple emperor.
Which one?
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Emperor Rosko? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Rosko) ;D
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In order, the butterflies are a lesser purple emperor (which was sitting on my hand just before that shot) and a purple emperor.
I had to stalk the lesser grey shrike for about half an hour before I could get some decent pics, but the redbacked is incredibly common in Hungary--a garden bird. Another stunningly common bird, which made up my dawn chorus in Tiszafured, was the golden oriole.
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A Pipistrelle in the lounge just now.
Dunno how it got in, but it seemed quite relaxed. It let me pick it up once it had settled, and then clung to my finger. I took it out but it seemed quite happy, sitting there looking at me. So I poked it gently and it squeaked disapprovingly and buggered off into the night :)
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In' a bat jussa vole wiv wings?
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:)
This chap was tiny (of course) compared to the hefty voles that the cat dines handsomely upon.
One of those buggers swooping round the lounge would have been...startling
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Lucky the cats didn't get it. I lurv bats, and was quite upset when Rebel brought a half-chewed one in & left it on the carpet in front of where I was eating my dinner... :'(
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Lucky the cats didn't get it. I lurv bats, and was quite upset when Rebel brought a half-chewed one in & left it on the carpet in front of where I was eating my dinner... :'(
The cats had gone to bed. I was half watching the end of Terminator 2 when something black moving on the carpet caught my eye - I thought it was a cat's paw at first (I wasn't really looking) and then it took off.
I still can't figure out where it came from, and why it was walking across the carpet.
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A half-sized rabbit.
I noticed it sitting on the paving slab outside my office door, looking in at me, probably no more than 10 feet away. I swore at it and it it hopped slowly away and lolloped into the house. It got as far as the kitchen table then spotted one of the cats sitting on a chair under the table, turned and ran for it before the cat realised that it's lunch had self-delivered.
Darwin may be proven right if it tries it again and the cat is awake.
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Yesterday, I discovered an unusual potential food allergy.
I am highly allergic to ant bites - particularly so when they are flying.
Yesterday was one of those extremely humid days, and, as I crossed Figges marsh, I felt something thudding against me. Several ants were getting caught in the hair on my arms and legs. I stopped and removed them, but there were so many it was really difficult.
Up by Mitcham eastfields station, there were swarms of them all along the road. Then, when we got to Hackbridge, there were more clouds of insects. Bouncing off us as we rode along, but one got into my mouth. OK, so I did pretty much panic at that point, but I spat (most of) it out, very aware of how an anaphylactic reaction in my mouth or throat might affect and tried to get another ant out of my eye before we got to the supermarket.
Is it me, or are we getting more of these beasties each year? I don't like it, I tell ya. >:(
to be fair, I think the ants and I agree that they are not for human consumption...
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A couple of ferrets, some rabbits, pigs, cows, goats, pretty birds, alpacas, turkeys, ducks, hens and peacocks and sheep at Deen city farm :D. And the heron in the wandle again. I hope he catches more than the anglers ;D.
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Lots of bunnies on the FNRttC. I'm normally hopeless at spotting wildlife on rides, but for some reason I kept on seeing rabbits sprinting away from the mad cyclists that clearly they hadn't expected to see that early in the morning!
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We now sleep on a small gallery in the Barn that's been under renovation for longer than I'd like to say ..... woke up in the early hours of this morning :o with bats flying around the place, flying something like a figure-of-eight up and down the barn, swooping to within a foot of my face ...... not sure what to make of that !!
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We now sleep on a small gallery in the Barn that's been under renovation for longer than I'd like to say ..... woke up in the early hours of this morning :o with bats flying around the place, flying something like a figure-of-eight up and down the barn, swooping to within a foot of my face ...... not sure what to make of that !!
You're a bit batty you two. ;D
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Grasshoppers. I love the way they STFU when you get too close. ;D
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Strolling along by the Beaulieu river between Beaulieu and Bucklers Hard at the weekend I discovered a bird watching hide that wasn't there (I'm sure) the last time I visited the area.
I sat inside for a while looking at a bird-free pond then noticed a finch-sized , mainly brown bird in the pondside vegetation. It had a reddish upper breast. I thought of Redpoll and Linnet. I didn't notice any red on the head. Could this indicate the female Linnet ? Could it be anything else ? Is anybody familiar with that area and its birdlife ?
Snake
Cycling Items (http://www.yudu.com/groups/details/58/The-Open-Group-For-Cycling-Related-Items)
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Sounds like a linnet to me.
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A tawny owl last night as dusk approached and I was rushing hom to beat the dark.
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Privet hawk moth caterpillar in the garden, I always forget just how big the things are.
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On a tangent:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v138/Chickenhawk66/DSC00004.jpg)
Found that rather amusing. Across the road from Imperial College in London.
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... Found that rather amusing. Across the road from Imperial College in London.
LOL, the opposite of the normal "missing, answers to the name of ...". :)
I guess it proves that those posters work!
Yesterday I saw a fox at 5-30 in Norbury, wandering around amidst the few pedestrians out at that time, but then little else until a bunny sitting by the road in the evening, and then stacks of deer in Richmond park a few hours later. Nothing too exotic, but nice to see all the deer, far more than I've seen in the past when the park was open to motor vehicles. It was a solid indication that cycling through the park at speed in the dark would be a very very bad idea.
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Spotted an extremely large caterpillar during today's CTC ride.
(http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/Crumbling-Nick/100_1972foryacf.jpg)
It was walking rather rapidly along the road - a quiet Warwickshire lane in the Alne hills near Shelfield (or not too many miles from the Purity brewery, if that's your preferred navigation system). I'd guess it was about 10 cm long. The roadside verges were full of great willow herb. Seems to be an elephant hawk moth larva.
But... Why was it on the road? Had it finished feeding and was searching for a place to pupate?
Also saw/heard lots of buzzards making very agitated noises in a couple of locations, as well as a quartet soaring and making the ususal call ('song'?). Dunno what's going on, but it seems to be an important time of the year for buzzards.
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Spotted an extremely large caterpillar during today's CTC ride.
(http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/Crumbling-Nick/100_1972foryacf.jpg)
It was walking rather rapidly along the road - a quiet Warwickshire lane in the Alne hills near Shelfield (or not too many miles from the Purity brewery, if that's your preferred navigation system). I'd guess it was about 10 cm long. The roadside verges were full of great willow herb. Seems to be an elephant hawk moth larva.
But... Why was it on the road? Had it finished feeding and was searching for a place to pupate?
Definately an elephant hawkmoth, had you poked it it would have inflated the section with all the eyes on and waved it around at you in an extremely alarming manner. We used to get them near to us and the dog found one once and was terrified of it. Very funny.
Not sure why it would be on the road, however some caterpillars do move around to find food. There were loads of peacock caterpillars on my local common moving from one patch of nettles to another across the footpath recently.
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Was out with the wife on her birthday the other day at Trentham Gardens (Stoke) and we saw our first wild otter. A nice treat anyway.
I called him Harry (otter)...
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Seen a couple of weeks ago when I was making a bonfire (I moved all the stuff to burn from the pile to a new lace, just in case of this happening!)
Two babies - one awake, one not. Relocated to a sheltered spot. The not awake on looked just like a bundle of dry gorse needles.
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/hedgehogs_1.jpg)
A parent - quite heavy and way bigger than my hand
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/hedgehogs_2.jpg)
The adult scuttled off pretty quickly.
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/hedgehogs_3.jpg)
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Very cute, and impressive camouflage.
Well done on making sure they didn't get toasted. :thumbsup:
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Well, OK, two days ago, but we've been busy with an open day at the woods.
(http://www.alvecotewood.co.uk/images/badger.jpg)
At last we managed to capture the badger at our woods using our remote IR camera. We knew where he was scent marking his territory, but had a number of false starts with the camera battery running out and the wind dislodging the camera strapped to a tree. Hope to see him again!
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Just seen: an owl flying across the field we're camping in :D. WOW! Also lots of swifts or swallows, can't tell the difference and just heard some bats. A good site :thumbsup:.
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Swallows and swifts:
Two completely different families of birds.
Swifts are apodidae, "footless". Four toes turned forward, legs too short to walk, or groom, so they suffer from parasites. Very long wings, which they sometimes beat alternately, so they seem to rock as they fly. They have very short "arms", so their wings look like simple sickle blades. Look all dark. Often fly in groups around buildings, screaming.
Swallows are hirundines, with three UK species: swallow, and sand and house martins. The two martins have shorter tails than the swallow, but all three have white bellies.
Swallow and house martin: dark blue-black, white belly.
House martin: white rump.
Sand martin: brownish, no white rump. smaller, brown band across breast.
All three twitter in flight. Swallows and house martins make mud nests, sand martins use burrows.
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Can someone explain to me why the bird feeder is unused for an hour, & then a greenfinch, goldfinch, blue tit & robin all arrive at once & squabble over it?
What do they think they are? Buses?
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Can someone explain to me why the bird feeder is unused for an hour, & then a greenfinch, goldfinch, blue tit & robin all arrive at once & squabble over it?
What do they think they are? Buses?
Nah, just hungry...
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Can someone explain to me why the bird feeder is unused for an hour, & then a greenfinch, goldfinch, blue tit & robin all arrive at once & squabble over it?
What do they think they are? Buses?
12.15pm .... lunch time init? ;D
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An apparently famished & extremely messy juvenile goldfinch, which I shall call Onan for reasons you should be able to work out, that spent a longer time munching through the contents of my back garden feeder than any other bird I've seen on it.
Meanwhile, a juvenile dunnock sat on the wall nearby looking wistfully at the feeder & Onan's scatterings as they flew past it, apparently unable to work out what to do. It eventually went for a forage among my tomato plants.
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A pigeon, bouncing off my windscreen.
At least it didn't leave its entrails in the radiator grill like the last one I got.
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Kingfisher. A flash of emerald-green over the Kennet by Waterloo meadows, in Reading.
And Onan's been back. It's growing up: got a little red showing on the face now.
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Today at last I saw our friendly neighbourhood Sparrowhawk in my garden. It shot out of one of the bushes about 20ft in front of me , did an abrupt U-turn , and went back after its intended prey , which I suspect was a blackbird.
What noises do they make when devouring their prey. There was a prolonged but intermittent single-note sound from a neighbouring garden.
Snake
Cycling Related Items (http://www.yudu.com/groups/details/58/The-Open-Group-For-Cycling-Related-Items)
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I saw a stoat, but it was dead :'(
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I saw a stoat, but it was dead :'(
Dead badger at the side of the road today. Pretty fresh-looking, no smell as we sailed past.
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(http://www.reb.co.uk/sssssssssssss.jpg)
Our cats are branching out from mice and voles - one of them bought home a dead baby grass snake today!
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This, with others, on Friday evening, near Brigstock.
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/red_kite.jpg)
I think it is a red kite?
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Could be a Black Kite in that part of the world, an even better spot if it is.
Have Red Kites got that far east yet? I didn't think so, although they're getting almost common in Wales, which is a bloody good result.
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Could be a Black Kite in that part of the world, an even better spot if it is.
Have Red Kites got that far east yet? I didn't think so, although they're getting almost common in Wales, which is a bloody good result.
I don't know how far they've spread from where they were reintroduced north of Henley, but Red Kites are now very common in South Bucks, South Oxfordshire, & some parts of Berkshire. We very often see them over Reading.
Aha! One of the other reintroduction sites was Rockingham Forest. I didn't know about that.
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Could be a Black Kite in that part of the world, an even better spot if it is.
Have Red Kites got that far east yet? I didn't think so, although they're getting almost common in Wales, which is a bloody good result.
Red kite is *much* more likely. Also, the tail looks too forked to me to be black kite (though it's been a while).
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Large fungus in Glen Esk:
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2541/3894409276_ae645b9345_o.jpg)
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Could be a Black Kite in that part of the world, an even better spot if it is.
Have Red Kites got that far east yet? I didn't think so, although they're getting almost common in Wales, which is a bloody good result.
Red kite is *much* more likely. Also, the tail looks too forked to me to be black kite (though it's been a while).
Definitely a red kite.
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Just seen a Kingfisher fly under Kingston bridge just above the surface of the water.
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Bless my soul , I must get down to the river more often. Just by Teddington weir I saw a cormorant with a nine(ish) inch eel in its beak. The cormorant had a struggle killing the eel , at one point the eel wrapped itself round the cormorant's neck. Eventually subdued it went down in a couple of gulps.
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Mrs. Wow and I have seen red kites in Northamptonshire while we've been driving along the A14. There's quite a decent colony in that area, it seems.
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Mrs. Wow and I have seen red kites in Northamptonshire while we've been driving along the A14. There's quite a decent colony in that area, it seems.
Yes, I saw some when cycling between Oakham and Oundle earlier in the year.
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Mrs. Wow and I have seen red kites in Northamptonshire while we've been driving along the A14. There's quite a decent colony in that area, it seems.
Yes, I saw some when cycling between Oakham and Oundle earlier in the year.
Well, yes . . . as I said above, it's one of the reintroduction sites.
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Mrs. Wow and I have seen red kites in Northamptonshire while we've been driving along the A14. There's quite a decent colony in that area, it seems.
Yes, I saw some when cycling between Oakham and Oundle earlier in the year.
Well, yes . . . as I said above, it's one of the reintroduction sites.
Did you add that line about Rockingham Forest as an edit? I don't remember it being there before...?
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Mrs. Wow and I have seen red kites in Northamptonshire while we've been driving along the A14. There's quite a decent colony in that area, it seems.
Yes, I saw some when cycling between Oakham and Oundle earlier in the year.
Well, yes . . . as I said above, it's one of the reintroduction sites.
Did you add that line about Rockingham Forest as an edit? I don't remember it being there before...?
Nope. It's always been there.
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Mrs. Wow and I have seen red kites in Northamptonshire while we've been driving along the A14. There's quite a decent colony in that area, it seems.
Yes, I saw some when cycling between Oakham and Oundle earlier in the year.
Well, yes . . . as I said above, it's one of the reintroduction sites.
Did you add that line about Rockingham Forest as an edit? I don't remember it being there before...?
Nope. It's always been there.
Must get my eyes tested ::-) :)
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A horde of seagulls following a plough (no surprise there), & a smaller, but still substantial (they wouldn't stay still to be counted, but maybe 20) flock of kites, near Ipsden, South Oxfordshire, this afternoon. Tried to get pictures, but didn't get a decent one. The ploughman stopped for a chat, & told me they routinely followed the plough now, & wherever he went, he was sure to soon have a flock behind him. He said (& after he moved on, I confirmed it by observation) that the gulls (& he also said rooks, but there were none present on this occasion) kept out of the way of the kites, although he was confident that kites posed no threat to them. He thought perhaps they didn't distinguish between kites & more dangerous birds of prey.
I'd thought of the plough turning up worms, but he said as well as worms & other invertebrates, it turned up mice, voles & the like.
He reckoned that the crowds following him were one symptom (he though there were others) that there were too many kites in the locality for the available natural food (i.e. carrion), & agreed that people feeding them was probably a contributory factor, encouraging them to stay in the area when they should be dispersing to as yet uncolonised territory. He said that some of them were pretty tame - "not as they should be", in his words, & would approach very close to anyone with food, which he disapproved of, thinking wild creatures should remain wild.
A thoughtful ploughman.
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Two young kookaburras visited my balcony to enjoy the view of the river.
I've got a picture but can't post it (don't have a flicker account or similar)
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A horde of seagulls following a plough (no surprise there), & a smaller, but still substantial (they wouldn't stay still to be counted, but maybe 20) flock of kites, near Ipsden, South Oxfordshire, this afternoon. Tried to get pictures, but didn't get a decent one. The ploughman stopped for a chat, & told me they routinely followed the plough now, & wherever he went, he was sure to soon have a flock behind him. He said (& after he moved on, I confirmed it by observation) that the gulls (& he also said rooks, but there were none present on this occasion) kept out of the way of the kites, although he was confident that kites posed no threat to them. He thought perhaps they didn't distinguish between kites & more dangerous birds of prey.
I'd thought of the plough turning up worms, but he said as well as worms & other invertebrates, it turned up mice, voles & the like.
He reckoned that the crowds following him were one symptom (he though there were others) that there were too many kites in the locality for the available natural food (i.e. carrion), & agreed that people feeding them was probably a contributory factor, encouraging them to stay in the area when they should be dispersing to as yet uncolonised territory. He said that some of them were pretty tame - "not as they should be", in his words, & would approach very close to anyone with food, which he disapproed of, thinking wild creatures should remain wild.
A thoughtful ploughman.
I've seen kites pouncing down behind a plough in ones and twos, but never that many...they are much less common in West Berks though
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Seen on Friday actually. A big fox - which is quite rare to see tiddling about round here - and two sheep that thought they were cows. They were in with a small herd of young bulls, and the whole lot came trotting after me when I was running, in that curious way that cattle have. The sheep seemed very at home with their bovine colleagues and came right up to me with the rest of the herd to have a good look.
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Two young kookaburras visited my balcony to enjoy the view of the river.
I've got a picture but can't post it (don't have a flicker account or similar)
Photobucket is free, up to a certain amount.
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A greedfinch. Sat on the feeder munching for so long I was beginning to wonder if it would be able to fly away. Looked very well-fed when it arrived.
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Two young kookaburras visited my balcony to enjoy the view of the river.
I've got a picture but can't post it (don't have a flicker account or similar)
Photobucket is free, up to a certain amount.
so is flickr, at least in the UK.
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3 red kites :thumbsup:
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And another today :thumbsup:
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A field of alpacas next to the A346 between Ogbourne St George and Ogbourne Maizey. They are for sale, according to a large sign.
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A field of alpacas next to the A346 between Ogbourne St George and Ogbourne Maizey. They are for sale, according to a large sign.
Don't tell Mrs. Wow...
Seen in the early hours of this a.m. whilst dog-walking - a badger and a fox in fairly quick succession crossing this road (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=587660&Y=186920&A=Y&Z=120).
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According to a colleague who keeps alpacas, the males get aggressive when they haven't been "relieved" for a while, and he sometimes spends winter evenings out in the field, wearing rubber gloves, er...there isn't really any way to skate around this...
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Some late(ish) swallows in Holyrood Park.
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These are the kookaburras who visited the other day. Thanks for the photo tips.
(http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/yy155/sandyvigar/IMG00031-1.jpg)
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On last weeks trip to the pub I saw a badger on the way there, it was barely dark.
Usually I see them at 3am
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Did you buy it a drink when it got there?
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Last week, the Swallows were all lined up gossiping on the telephone wires1. Now they are all gone :(
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1 No, I don't mean on the telephone ::-)
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We saw some swallows yesterday. They're probably like the annoying twats who you hear getting called at airports. 'Just a couple more flies, they won't go wivout us'.
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A finch fight! Goldfinch, chaffinch & greenfinch squabbling over the feeder, with a blue tit popping in & out while they distracted each other.
There's a dunnock on it now. No, chaffinch. No, that's gone now. Every time I look, it's changed. ;D
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The sweetest thing :)
I was trundling up the lower reaches of the Gospel Pass on a very quiet road. I passed a farm with a woman and a dog watching a gnarled Welsh farmer-type carrying a box to his car. He'd not seen me, and didn't see me seeing him lifting out a tiny puppy and giving it a surreptitious kiss :)
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This morning, i saw a fox in Sandy Lane, Mitcham, with plenty of people around.
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This morning, i saw a fox in Sandy Lane, Mitcham, with plenty of people around.
I've also seen urban foxes quite blithely wandering about where there are a substantial number of people around. Many seem to have learnt to be quite casual about humans in towns.
Having said that, I seem to get quite a varied responses to me and my bicycle from foxes that I've met on my commute. Some seem quite surprised and leg it at speed, whilst others are unperturbed and just watch me cycle past.
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Almost certainly the same badger tonight, in the same place as we saw it a few days ago. This time we were much closer to it - 20 or 30 feet away as it scampered across the road. It then stood in a garden and watched us for quite some time, and we watched it. The dog was very well behaved - I just spoke quietly to him and stroked him as he and the badger eyed each other up from, again, a distance of about 30'. Then the badger turned and disappeared into the shadows. All of this took place in a very urban environment, in Hill Road, just behind Prittlewell church. I wished I'd had my phone on me because I'd have got a pretty decent photograph.
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Skeins of geese honking their way south.
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Honking? I thought it was downhill that direction ???
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(http://www.bosphorus.f2s.com/vole.jpg)
This fine fellow of a vole. I've been trying to catch him in the house for days - part of Big Cat's captive breeding programme.
You can see the cat bite marks on his back from when he was brought in. He was feisty though.
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Almost certainly the same badger tonight, in the same place as we saw it a few days ago. This time we were much closer to it - 20 or 30 feet away as it scampered across the road. It then stood in a garden and watched us for quite some time, and we watched it. The dog was very well behaved - I just spoke quietly to him and stroked him as he and the badger eyed each other up from, again, a distance of about 30'. Then the badger turned and disappeared into the shadows. All of this took place in a very urban environment, in Hill Road, just behind Prittlewell church. I wished I'd had my phone on me because I'd have got a pretty decent photograph.
Last night there were two! They trotted along the road in front of me for a while and then disappeared into the same garden. Their movement turned the outside light on and the last I saw of them was on the back lawn of the house about to disappear through a line of conifers.
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They're fairly bold. The big males tend to stomp down their usual routes truculently, and won't get out of the way. I've had to stop for them on the bike in West Berks, and once or twice, on quiet roads, in the car too
We had one resident in the garden for a while at our last house. He was unconcerned by us watching him rootle as long as we didn't try to approach too closely.
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I was knocked off my bike by one on the Solstice Warty a couple of miles out from Glastonbury! ;D
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Several people have been taken out by them on audaxs - as you can imagine, whizzing along rural lanes at night in summer you see quite a few*
Some of the injures have been quite nasty, and not just to the badger**
*On my first Denmead 600 in 2001 I was heading out to do the last 200 at about 1 am, and on a little lane in the middle of nowhere I encountered a family of cubs, rolling and playing :)
**It's usually the case that everyone asks how the badger faired. This tends to irritate a rider who may have spent a night in hospital and had their bike trashed.
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An acquaintance of my brother's came off badly in a bike-badger interface. The same brother hit a badger with his car and the repair cost quite a bit. The badger was a write-off.
In my case I was on the Thorn doing my usual 10 or so mph so the bike was fine and I was only slightly grazed. The badger made a fair bit of noise as it ran off into the reeds & sedges beside the road.
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Loads of these:
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3491/3958487567_1d181a9b87_m.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnspooner/3958487567/)
Then I saw these three. They didn't hang around very long.
(http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff320/jspooner99/IMG_9575-01.jpg)
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Several people have been taken out by them on audaxs - as you can imagine, whizzing along rural lanes at night in summer you see quite a few
I've had a near miss with a young one that really, really had to cross the road in between two cyclists one Wednesday evening near Sonning Common, but never an actual collision.
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(http://peter.chesspod.com/gallery/d/6677-1/badger01.jpg)
I decided to take the dog out a bit earlier than usual and then waited where I'd seen the badgers. I waited some time - over half an hour - during which time the church clock struck 12 and a police car trundled up the road. The officers failed to spot me. I was dressed in prowler's navy blue and concealed behind a telegraph pole. Then, shortly after midnight, this chap appeared. That's about the best photo I took. Soon afterwards a young lady opened the door in her nightie and introduced herself as Michèle. It is she that feeds the badgers. She invited me to come and take photos of them any time I wanted.
This fellow was eating bread that Michèle had put out, and although he was wary of me, he was clearly not sufficiently worried to bolt. Apparently there are four badgers that come along and have a midnight feast outside Michèle's house. Superb!
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If you speak to Michelle, apparently they eat cat food but really love raisins. Obviously like just about everything else I have been told in my life this could all be bollocks.
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My first post on this thread for a very long time.
Seen this weekend at my parents' holiday place in W Sussex, a pair of rotund little quail, pecking around just outside the conservatory window early one morning.
Not stunningly exciting to those that see them all the time, but rather nice for a wildlife-starved Lunnener. :)
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...a young lady opened the door in her nightie ...
What an odd place to have a door!
Good pic, though - old Brock sauntering down the street.
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Soon afterwards a young lady opened the door in her nightie and introduced herself as Michèle. She invited me to come and take photos of them any time I wanted.
Do you think that if I loiter around the streets late at night with a camera I might get an offer like that?
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Soon afterwards a young lady opened the door in her nightie and introduced herself as Michèle. She invited me to come and take photos of them any time I wanted.
Do you think that if I loiter around the streets late at night with a camera I might get an offer like that?
Either that, or the attentions of Fuzzy's ilk. :P
Back to critters: why do all the birds turn up at once? None for an hour, then a robin, two blue tits, & a goldfinch, queuing up to eat.
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When cycling home from Walton-on-the-Naze and having just had a short diversion through Wix to buy some bread, I cycled past the following beastie.
So what is he/she? I think it's an adder but I'm not sure. He/she was about two and a half feet long.
(http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx30/Auntie_Helen/General%20pictures/DSC00046.jpg)
(http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx30/Auntie_Helen/General%20pictures/DSC00047.jpg)
(http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx30/Auntie_Helen/General%20pictures/DSC00048.jpg)
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Adder - not much else it can be.
There was a huuuge one just outside Newbury a few years ago that had gone a strange dark blue colour after death. It looked really exotic...
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Well, I'd say grass snake, with those distinctive markings on the "neck" and the lack of zigzags. But I've never seen a grass snake that big.
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I'd tend to agree - markings are not typically as an adder, but at that size I'd discounted a grass snake...
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It's a grass snake, apart from looking 100% like a grass snake ;D
The best way to tell is to look at the pupils
grass = round pupils
adder = vertical slits
Grass snakes can grow way over 3ft, we have lots in a nature reserve at the bottom of my street. Lovely creatures and remind me of nice warm days, not seen many this year :(
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There was a grey squirrel on the lawn this morning for quite a while.He busied himself burying stuff & eating other things before scuttling away via the framework of the gazebo on the bottom patio.
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Except it's a grass snake.
Edit: overlooked several posts on page change.
Grass snakes tend to grow considerably larger that adders. ISTR someone recording a grass snake over 5' in length somewhere in Hampshire once.
Grass Snake: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article (http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Grass_Snake#encyclopedia)
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It's a grass snake, the round pupils give it away even if the snake has odd colouring. Adders (and asp vipers in France) have slit pupils, like a cat in bright light.
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Grass snake -
(http://www.frizlite.co.uk/images/grass%20snake.jpg)
Adder -
(http://www.cdb.ucl.ac.uk/research/evans/Wild_adder_MarcEHJONES_080531.jpg)
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When you catch them, grass snakes have a very malodorous defence mechanism. I know this from personal experience.
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When you catch them, grass snakes have a very malodorous defence mechanism. I know this from personal experience.
You can always retaliate by getting Morph to breathe on 'em!! ;D
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When you catch them, grass snakes have a very malodorous defence mechanism. I know this from personal experience.
You can always retaliate by getting Morph to breathe on 'em!! ;D
He's better now - better being relative. You can no longer smell him from the other side of the room, unless he farts.
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There was a grey squirrel on the lawn this morning for quite a while.He busied himself burying stuff & eating other things before scuttling away via the framework of the gazebo on the bottom patio.
We had an action replay earlier this morning even using the same exit route.
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Yesterday, near Elephant & Castle, I saw a black squirrel. Yes, black ???
It was a tiny thing that ran across the road in front of me. And it had a bushy tail, so it wasn't a rat.
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I was at Center Parc in Elveden Forest this week for a Workshop, and saw no end of squirrels and small deer. I'm not sure what the deer species was, they were a lot smaller than the larger deer you see wandering around places like Richmond Park, probably only about the size of a medium sized dog. I'll post a photo next week, since I've just had to power the server down for the weekend (electrical safety testing).
The squirrels are incredibly tame and cheeky, checking around the chalets for anything they can find to eat. You come across them all the time when walking around the site, but on a bike you catch them even more unaware. The entire site must have tens of thousands of them at least.
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Not today - last Sunday - a grey wagtail at our woods. This was the first time ever it's been seen there (we have records going back to the 1960's from a local naturalist). It was probably attracted by one of our ponds that is drying out a bit so there is plenty of mud. Really pleased about that sighting.
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I was at Center Parc in Elveden Forest this week for a Workshop, and saw no end of squirrels and small deer. I'm not sure what the deer species was, they were a lot smaller than the larger deer you see wandering around places like Richmond Park, probably only about the size of a medium sized dog. I'll post a photo next week, since I've just had to power the server down for the weekend (electrical safety testing).
Would they be muntjac? (http://www.bds.org.uk/muntjac.html)
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Would they be muntjac? (http://www.bds.org.uk/muntjac.html)
Yes. Vermin of the Norfolk/Suffolk woods (among other places, doubtless).
If I had a garden (rather than a clearing) I'd not be happy- they root up plants. As it is, I am devising traps....
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Yes, that looks like what we saw. I guess in places like Center Parcs they don't do too much damage, it's basically forest with chalets scattered throughout.
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This was at the bottom of the garden at former Volio Towers. For a sense of scale, look at the leaves in the hedge behind
(http://www.bosphorus.f2s.com/muntjac3.jpg)
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On the first Reggie Ride, a muntjac nearly lodged itself in the wheels of a rider as we departed Wicken Fen. I don't know who was the most surprised....
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Would they be muntjac? (http://www.bds.org.uk/muntjac.html)
Yes. Vermin of the Norfolk/Suffolk woods (among other places, doubtless).
If I had a garden (rather than a clearing) I'd not be happy- they root up plants. As it is, I am devising traps....
Free venison! Do you have a big freezer, or will you hang the meat to mature?
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Rats >:(
Eight pink baby ones and a gert big Mummy one:
(http://www.ivytodd.com/images/rats.jpg)
IN MY WORM BIN FFS! I hate squatters.
Needless to say, Mummy rat did a runner when I opened the lid to find this scene of Norveticus domesticity. The babies are now under my compost heap - very dead.
I've thrown away the contents of the wormery, rescued what few worms were left and started again, this time inside one of the sheds. I now can't stop washing my hands.
Hate rats.Hate rats.Hate rats.Hate rats.Hate rats.Hate rats.
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Free venison! Do you have a big freezer, or will you hang the meat to mature?
They're teeny things, hardly worth it Couple of casseroles and a few game pies.
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Here are the shots of the probable Muntjac's that I mentioned a few days back.
(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/Deer1.jpg) (http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/MagnetometerWorkshop2009/P1010579.JPG)
(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/Deer2.jpg) (http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/MagnetometerWorkshop2009/P1010580.JPG)
(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/Deer3.jpg) (http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/MagnetometerWorkshop2009/P1010581.JPG)
Earlier on, one came much closer to the Chalet, but these were a hundred feet or so from the window.
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Not probable. Definite.
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Yesterday evening an enormous flock of crows gathering in the field inform of our house. Haven't seen such a big flock for ages. If it persists someone will be getting a shotgun out soon.
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Not today exactly , last week actually , Turnstones in St Ives Cornwall , wandering around on the quayside and the harbour wall , not way off in the distance where you could hadly see them ....... http://www.yudu.com/i/1xwz (http://www.yudu.com/i/1xwz)
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Just rode in from work, on a dreary wet night. Cut off the road onto the bit of footpath that runs past my flat and somebody's dog was out for a walk on its own in the rain. i drifted up to a yard behind, and he looked round. I had a lovely clear view of the black and white stripes in my headlights before Brock dove into the hedge.
Closest I have ever been to a live one! Magic! But no camera to hand.....
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Fleeting view last Thursday from the train as it left Poole. Large predatory bird on a post, not 20 yards from the train. I thought "That buzzard's breast feathers are very pale and with no dots... perhaps it's a juvenile."
It was only today, on reading that an osprey has been seen at the Arne RSPB site only a mile or so away, which makes me think that that is probably what I saw.
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I think I saw a heron yesterday but it flew away pretty quickly.
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I think I saw a heron yesterday but it flew away pretty quickly.
That would be the turbo version then.
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I saw the half swan half canada goose hybrid again this afternoon.
Poor fella was all alone, I will have to get a picture, grey beak like a goose, swan shaped but with a dirty snow coluored plumage.
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Got any pictures, Zoiders? I suspect you've got a juvenile swan that has grown to full size but has yet to get an orange bill and the white plumage. They stay grey for quite a while.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Höckerschwan_Cygnus_olor_7b_Richard_Bartz.jpg may help?
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I saw the half swan half canada goose hybrid again this afternoon.
Poor fella was all alone, I will have to get a picture, grey beak like a goose, swan shaped but with a dirty snow coluored plumage.
Cygnet? (http://anchor-ramblers.com/USERIMAGES/Mute%20Cygnet%202.jpg) :-\
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I saw the heron again today and it was definitely a heron this time, but it still flew away before I could get a pic.
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Two herons having a right barney on the shore outside work. They were making a right vicious-sounding hissing noise at each other whilst fighting.
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A water vole beside a fenland drain :)
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A Green Woodpecker as we cycled along NCN21 just south of Gatwick.
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Heard, not seen, last night, as we camped in a field near Woodstock: At least two, probably three. different types of owl. :)
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First barn owl company of the season this morning. Nice to see she's survived the summer.
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Heard, not seen, last night, as we camped in a field near Woodstock: At least two, probably three. different types of owl. :)
The one going knor, knor, knor was cycleman. ;D
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OK, so not terribly exciting on the face of it, but I was walking the dog last night and one of our local urban foxes tried to cross the road and had to scarper to avoid a car, he ran between two parked cars to emerge on our side of the road about 6 feet in front of us, face to face with the dog.
Who promptly froze and scarpered behind me.
Fox then adds to her humiliation by deciding to trot past us and into one of the alleyways...
He was a pretty big lad too, glad they were able to be civilized about it!
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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.
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Saturday - saw a buzzard on the ground in a field. Not seen that before.
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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
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The first Robin of the season seen at the bird table this morning.
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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.
(http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff320/jspooner99/G11325.jpg)
Can't see it? Look closer, centre foreground.
(http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff320/jspooner99/G11325_kingfisher.jpg)
Oh, and some geese.
(http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff320/jspooner99/G11293.jpg)
(http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff320/jspooner99/G11290.jpg)
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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.
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The first Robin of the season seen at the bird table this morning.
Robins are odd birds---both resident and migratory.
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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 !
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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.
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A ladybird!
Only the second one I've seen this year. :(
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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 ???
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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. :thumbsup:
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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 (http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/norfolk/hi/people_and_places/nature/newsid_8185000/8185894.stm)
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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 ;D
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Longtail tits in the garden this morning. First I have seen here for a few years.
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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.
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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. :)
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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.
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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.
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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
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Sounds like two owls are involved. Sadly I can never remember which of the two sounds is the male and which is the female.
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Parakeets over Dorking.
A bunch of ladybirds of all different (FSVO "all") colours basking on a handrail in Redhill.
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A very large flock of brent geese.
Nutty's parents.
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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 ........
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/98052/91d1b84cb/IMG_2881.jpg)
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/98055/64a20a34d/IMG_2882.jpg)
Any ideas ? The closest match I can find is the Ferruginous Duck
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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.
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A very close (<10m away) view of a kingfisher sat on a post by a pond (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=362140&y=178965&z=115&sv=362140,178965&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=544&ax=362140&ay=178965&lm=0) in N Bristol, on my lunchtime 'get out of the office before I go mad' stroll. It flew off to a tree, then came back to the same post for another 30s before finally departing.
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A good sized goanna sunning itself on the road. When I slowed it ran the wrong way (back in front of the car) - luckily the brakes are good so it got away. No time for a picture though!
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Snakehips, looks like a ferruginous duck (female that is) to me, but the head is a little too rounded. May be a hybrid, but FD is still best bet there.
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A bird of prey of some sort flying at 90* to traffic flow across the M53 just south of J4 (on the Wirral).The wing tips & colouring were definately those of some sort of hawk.
Despite it's low altitude I couldn't identify it further 'cause both of us were travelling at a rapid rate.
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flap-flap-glide style of flying or glide?
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flap-flap-glide style of flying or glide?
flipflap
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At Two Tree Island:-
thousands of knots
hundreds of avocets, dunlin, lapwings
lots of redshank, shovelers, teal, wigeon
about 20 golden plovers
several little ringed plovers
a little egret
a few black-tailed godwit
about 8 greenshank
quite a few grey plovers
and probably a few odds and sods that I've forgotten about.
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flap-flap-glide style of flying or glide?
flipflap
Well,the most common hawk would be a sparrowhawk, which has a long tail, rounded wingtips and a very characteristic flight where it beats its wings two or three times then glides, then repeats (flap flap glide)
A kestrel (pointed wings, but can look rounder at times) has a fluttering series of rapid wing beats in horizontal flight. A buzzard (short tail) tends to have a set of three or four rapid and shallow wingbeats followed by long glides.
Kites will show lots of tail twisting. A goshawk, if you are really,really lucky just looks like pure power. Deep body, strong flight, very purposeful and direct.
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Yesterday: 5 seals, a heron anna deer.
Today, more herons, a deer, some kestrels anna bloody huge great sea eagle! (called 'Ralf (http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1443920?UserKey=)' apparently)
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Yesterday on the Transporter 200: a close-up heron on the Newport levels, and an overhead shouty kite at Dyfennog, near Sennybridge, in the Brecon Beacons.
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on the 400 on sunday - 2 crows harrying a fox
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Two roe deer just ahead of us, scrambling through a hedge to get off the road when they heard us coming. About half a mile south of the M4 south of Reading. Got to within 10 yards of 'em.
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Someone out walking a blue poodle this morning. I have my suspicions that the colour wasn't entirely natural. ;D
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Netted quite a haul at Musselburgh today. Star billing was a Wilson's phalarope but also snow bunting, red throated diver, slavonian grebe, velvet scoter, long tailed duck, great crested grebe, red breasted merganser, goosander, goldeneye, wigeon, teal, curlew, oystercatcher, redshank, cormorant and shag to name but some !
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Damn. I *need* Wilson's phal. (in this country) ...
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It's been there for a few days. There are several photies of it on The SOC: Bird photos (http://www.the-soc.org.uk/photos-2009-autumn.htm)
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Well, yesterday actually. A fox, sat just outside the entrance to Ebbsfleet International Station at about 9.15pm. Didn't seem to mind the people wandering past it. Looked perfectly healthy - good condition actually. Got up after a bit, walked about and sat back down again.
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Quite mundane, but a sight that always lifts my heart. This morning, I saw a pied wagtail at Figges Marsh. It was a bit hidden in the grass, but just lifted up & away in it's typical swooping flight as I went past, so I got a perfect view of it's back as it flew off.
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On my way home yesterday I saw a pheasant stotting around in the grass.
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Seen yesterday on Wandsworth Common, a really beautiful Great Spotted Woodpecker. A few hours later there were 2 long tailed tits in almost the same place. It was lovely :D.
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The 'claimed' 900 lumens of retina searing power of my bike light were enough to
stop a Muntjac deer briefly enough for me to get within 20ft of it.
I'd heard tales of them being around here right inside this urban vicinity, never thought I'd see
one of these elusive and shy little fellas though.
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The 'claimed' 900 lumens of retina searing power of my bike light were enough to
stop a Muntjac deer briefly enough for me to get within 20ft of it.
I'd heard tales of them being around here right inside this urban vicinity, never thought I'd see
one of these elusive and shy little fellas though.
See 'em often here in inner Reading. There are a few living in the cemetery at Cemetery Junction. Give them remains of salad sometimes. They seem to be very fond of lettuce. Pretty used to people, but won't let you get very close.
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Pretty used to people, but won't let you get very close.
One of the little buggers was sleeping on my doorstep the other week. We have a glass front door, I couldn't believe the cheek of it. When she saw me trying to get my camera out, she ran off.
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A pregnant (or very fat) muntjac in the office grounds....
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Badger crossing my road! Chased him up the road where he turned right then along a fence beside the footpath until he managed to escape under the fence and into the golf course.
I like badgers, me!!! (http://smiley.onegreatguy.net/badger.gif)
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2 nuthatches in a tree by the cafe in Oaks Park. That cafe is always a good birdwatching spot :D.
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A mundane bird, but a pretty one - a magpie that walked past just outside the window of the cafe. Very close, with the iridescence of the feathers clearly visible, the colours changing as the bird ambled by.
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About 4:30 the other morning. A very large very fat badger ambling down the road. He wasn't to be hurried. Made my morning.
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A family walking with an adult dog and two teeny tiny little puppies, smaller than big guinea pigs. They might have been Jack Russell puppies or some sort of terrier. The puppies were a bit all over the place so I decided to stop until they were past. They stopped for a sniff and explore of the bike and my right foot - one of them had to stand on his hing legs to sniff my trouser band! I'm not really that fussed about animals, particularly not dogs and especially particularly not little dogs, but the puppies were just so cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute.
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Seen on Sunday. Perigrine falcon on Brighton beach swooping down to plow through a swarm(?) of Starlings. Smashing.
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A mundane bird, but a pretty one - a magpie that walked past just outside the window of the cafe. Very close, with the iridescence of the feathers clearly visible, the colours changing as the bird ambled by.
(http://farm1.static.flickr.com/74/176467251_2a6da9cace_b.jpg)
Seen in the right light, magpies are incredibly coloured birds, one of my favourites. Like mallard ducks I think their ubiquity can blind us to how deceptively attractive their colours are.
(I didn't kill the bird for the photo)
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Exactly. I can still remember my excitement as a kid the first time that I noticed a 'black & white' magpie could be blue.
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When my father was growing up, in one of the places where he lived, a lot of the land
had been stolen generations ago was owned by the Duke of Buccleuch – my dad always marvelled at the sight of a magpie, thinking it the rarest of birds. This was because the Duke’s gamies would blast the crap out of any magpie they saw.
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:hand: Those gamekeepers are experts in wildlife conservation, don't you know? I read it in a BASC press release, so it must be true ;)
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Magpies definitely rule the roost around here. Replacing all the sparrows and starlings which used to be the most common.
I too also like their iridescent colouring when the sunlight catches them, but f**kin' hate their non-stop Kalashnikov calling at dawn.
Although it doesn't even come close to the iridescence of a kingfisher which happily
now are becoming a more familiar sight around here. :D
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:hand: Those gamekeepers are experts in wildlife conservation, don't you know? I read it in a BASC press release, so it must be true ;)
Self-styled "guardians of the countryside" :-\. What the countryside probably needs is fewer guardians and more Guardianistas ... ;)
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:thumbsup: ;)
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Well, yesterday actually. A fox, sat just outside the entrance to Ebbsfleet International Station at about 9.15pm. Didn't seem to mind the people wandering past it. Looked perfectly healthy - good condition actually. Got up after a bit, walked about and sat back down again.
There was a photo on the BBC London news the other day of a fox on the escalator at Walthamstow Central station (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1233831/The-Lon-den-Underground-The-urban-fox-takes-escalator-Tube-station.html). I think he was prevented from boarding a Victoria Line train to Brixton for not having a valid ticket.
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There was a photo on the BBC London news the other day of a fox on the escalator at Walthamstow Central station (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1233831/The-Lon-den-Underground-The-urban-fox-takes-escalator-Tube-station.html). I think he was prevented from boarding a Victoria Line train to Brixton for not having a valid ticket.
Twenty or so years ago I used Walthamstow Station a lot. I often saw a guy who had a pet fox and carried it on his shoulder (yes I am sure it was alive , and not one of those things that some women used to wear round their necks).
Presumably the fox does not require a ticket if being carried.
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/28169/52eadfed3/regards.jpg)(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/28170/346c719a5/from.jpg)(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/28171/5eb32df38/snakehips.jpg)
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Um, not today. Well, yes, today, but in a different way.
Today as I crossed Figges Marsh, I was joined by a pied wagtail that flew beside me, banking and weaving away & back as it conducted its stalling flight.
But last week, I disturbed a pair, and they flew ahead of me, an escort of synchronised swooping. :)
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I've been house bound with a cold for the past few days so wasn't expecting to see anything to merit a posting here. That was until a buzzard glided into view from the sitting room window this morning. In 10 years here that's only the second one I've seen from the house. But given that we're, as the corvid/buzzard flies, only 2 miles from Embra city centre that's not bad. :)
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The birds are hungry. My bird feeders are being mobbed. I think I have to go outside & refill the most popular one, that all the finches go for. It looks almost empty.
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The birds are hungry. My bird feeders are being mobbed. I think I have to go outside & refill the most popular one, that all the finches go for. It looks almost empty.
Hehe. We have a bird table outside the kitchen window, beside a Hawthorn hedge. A Robin owns it. He's a bloody bully - and chases off everything. He has three fat balls and a heap of seed all to himself.
He watches me through the window as I make tea.
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The birds are hungry. My bird feeders are being mobbed. I think I have to go outside & refill the most popular one, that all the finches go for. It looks almost empty.
I'm having to fill ours 2-3 times per day at the moment, and they're big feeders. They're covered in birds.
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My wren is back. Haven't seen him for a few weeks.
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He's a bloody bully .... He has three fat balls
clearly too much testosterone
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Seen yesterday (location rural New South Wales - Audax 300)
Big black snake (2 metres long) crossing the road
lots and lots of birds including many lorikeets and rosellas
cattle grazing along the roadsides because of the drought (accompanied by stockmen on horses and dogs)
3 wallabies
2 foxes
many rabbits
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A barn owl flying over our garden this morning. Beautiful against the snow.
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A barn owl flying over our garden this morning. Beautiful against the snow.
I am so envious ! One of my favourite birds but I haven't seen one for decades :( Now in the space of two days both you and Chris S describe seeing them over your gardens !
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At work yesterday I managed to get within 10 feet of a snipe (quite sure it wasn't a woodcock - couldn't quite make out any bars on the nape) sitting on concrete in a corner of the work car park.
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A barn owl flying over our garden this morning. Beautiful against the snow.
I am so envious ! One of my favourite birds but I haven't seen one for decades :( Now in the space of two days both you and Chris S describe seeing them over your gardens !
Well it's not that surprising here, we are lucky as there are several pairs round the village. They hunt in the field opposite my house and roost in the tee. In the summer they tend to fly up behind me when I'm walking home from the pub then scare the hell out of me by shrieking.
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I've been house bound with a cold for the past few days so wasn't expecting to see anything to merit a posting here. That was until a buzzard glided into view from the sitting room window this morning. In 10 years here that's only the second one I've seen from the house. But given that we're, as the corvid/buzzard flies, only 2 miles from Embra city centre that's not bad. :)
I've seen a buzzard flying over our garden and we're close the centre of Aberdeen
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Just a gentle walk from the house today, lots of robins, blackbirds and wrens, another buzzard, and a small group of fieldfares.
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Heron standing on the bank of the small brook.
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We had a good view of a nuthatch in Hockley Woods this morning. We heard it before we saw it and it was the unfamiliar call that made us look a little harder.
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A flock of what I think may have been redwings, stripping a couple of bushes of berries this morning.
And then some more (or the same lot?) about half a mile away this afternoon, stripping some trees.
Two weeks ago, those trees were rather colourful. Hardly a berry left now.
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Redwings! Lovely wee things. Saw a few of them feeding on cotoneaster berries up Balgay Hill today. Also on the list:
Mistle thrush
Blackies
Chaffinches
Corbies
Greylag geese
Goldcrests
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Buzzard
Woodcock!
Sparrowhawk
Never known a woodcock to be up Balgay before but it was very close quarters and corroborated by a fellow twitcher. Seems to be the season for that sort of thing! Siskins also heard, but not seen.
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A moorhen sitting on the wall outside the kitchen, boggling at me through the window. :)
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I've been house bound with a cold for the past few days so wasn't expecting to see anything to merit a posting here. That was until a buzzard glided into view from the sitting room window this morning. In 10 years here that's only the second one I've seen from the house. But given that we're, as the corvid/buzzard flies, only 2 miles from Embra city centre that's not bad. :)
I've seen a buzzard flying over our garden and we're close the centre of Aberdeen
I too saw a buzzard flying over our garden yesterday, getting 'mobbed' by a singular corvid.
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A jay. A woodpecker (heard, not seen). And some very hungry ducks on the frozen lake at Reading University, who mobbed us when they realised we had food.
And an igloo.
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A small flock of Long-tailed Tits worked their way across my back garden several times in a most pleasing manner this morning.
Snake
My Library (http://www.yudu.com/library/6690/Snakehips-s-Library)
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We've just come across a little group of l-t tits too, in one of the gardens up the road. They really are the most delightful little creatures. :)
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A couple of green woodpeckers, one greater spotted, a redshank and lots of geese: mostly grey lag, lots of Canada geese, and one snow goose! Very pleased about this last. I've only ever seen one before, and that was fleeting. Today's sighting was from quite close quarters. It was grazing with hundreds of grey lag geese. I could see its black wing tips very clearly as well as the brilliant whiteness of its plumage.
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A first for us today. Male pheasant on the garden fence. They're quite common round here (lots of 'shoots'), but it's the first time we've ever seen one actually in the garden. Mrs C got a picture, but it had, of course, moved before I could get the big camera ready.
S
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A walk from Gullane Beach to the Aberlady reserve today. Saw hundreds of fieldfare, and what I think was a tawny owl hunting in broad daylight. (Never seen that before). Also roe deer, redwings, wigeon, eider, turnstone, oystercatcher and redshank.
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Just remembered from Boxing day, in fields beside Brechin, hundreds of geese being watched by a buzzard sat on a fence post.
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A couple of green woodpeckers, one greater spotted, a redshank and lots of geese: mostly grey lag, lots of Canada geese, and one snow goose! Very pleased about this last. I've only ever seen one before, and that was fleeting. Today's sighting was from quite close quarters. It was grazing with hundreds of grey lag geese. I could see its black wing tips very clearly as well as the brilliant whiteness of its plumage.
Only ever had snow geese in Iceland! Usual front window stuff at the moment with flocks of long tailed tits working through, and a nice female great spotted woodpecker yesterday.
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A blue tit hitting our utility room window. Followed by a Sparrowhawk trying to grab it off the window sill where it was holding on....the Sparrowhawk could not get to it due to being too large.
Mrs Noodley 'rescued' the blue tit and put it in a box, thinking it would die as it was in a bad way. A few hours later she went back to find it totally revived and released it ;D
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Not very exotically, from my parents dining room in the rain, I saw these two, amongst others.
(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/ParentsSeagull2_Thumb512.jpg) (http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/ParentsSeagull2.jpg)
The seagulls do manage to land in the garden, just. There wingspan is so big that they can only just land and take off, but they do frequently check back to see if there is anything that they can nab from the stuff my Mum's put out for the garden birds.
(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/ParentsDove1_Thumb512.jpg) (http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/ParentsDove1.jpg)
We're not 100% sure what sort of Dove this is, although after hunting through the RSPBs website, and Wikipedia, I reckon it's a Eurasian Collared Dove, which explains why it isn't in my Dad's Observer book of birds, since it was published before that species of Dove was seen in the British Isles.
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It looks like a collared dove to me.
We saw a Female Great Spotted Woodpecker in the tree in our back garden. Also a flock of medium sized brown birds but we couldn't really see enough detail to identify them accurately. :)
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It looks like a collared dove to me.
def. a collared dove.
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It looks like a collared dove to me.
def. a collared dove.
An ex twitcher friend has given up on caring about pigeons and their ilk, is a dove a pigeon?
I did see my second bullfinch a couple of days ago. He was sat next to a very colourful Chaffinch and I thought it was a pair of them at first. Very bonny. It made me realise how few birds I get to see.
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An ex twitcher friend has given up on caring about pigeons and their ilk, is a dove a pigeon?
Doves are the same family as pigeons.
On the whole, the bigger species are called pigeons and the smaller are called doves.
It's not a solid distinction though. For example the wild version of the Trafalgar Square type domestic pigeon is a rock dove.
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The wood pigeon is also known as a ring dove.
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A first for our area (well, spotted by me anyway) - a flock of fieldfares :thumbsup:
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Red kite flying low over the M4 near Membury.
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A first for our area (well, spotted by me anyway) - a flock of fieldfares :thumbsup:
Back again today - counted over 30 in the flock.
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Red kite flying low over the M4 near Membury.
There's a pair nesting close to there. We used to live just down the valley, and often saw them over the garden or in the fields around the village.
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A first for our area (well, spotted by me anyway) - a flock of fieldfares :thumbsup:
Back again today - counted over 30 in the flock.
We've not managed a flock, but we've had a regular visitor in the last few days.
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4038/4233744108_f7131f3d66.jpg)
T'was an odd day for birds altogether. Apart from our usual suspects (pigeons, crows, magpies, blue tits, collared doves, spuggies, blackbirds and robins) we had a couple of bullfinches and a great spotted woodpecker...
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Two deer somewhere near Shere.
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On the 200 yesterday it rained and rained (very welcome but not great for riding). The wallabies at the first control seemed to take it in stride though! 4 wary but not overly concerned.
(http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/yy155/sandyvigar/BingaraandBeyondWallabies2020110.jpg)
(http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/yy155/sandyvigar/BingaraandBeyondWallabies3020110.jpg)
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On the 200 yesterday it rained and rained (very welcome but not great for riding). The wallabies at the first control seemed to take it in stride though!
That's impressive, I suppose they never lose their brevet card stamps, and can keep them dry in the rain ;)
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Just back from Hogmanay in Dumfries & Galloway - highlights were hen harriers (2), twite, and tree sparrows. And of course thousands of barnacle geese and the odd red squirrel.
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On the 200 yesterday it rained and rained (very welcome but not great for riding). The wallabies at the first control seemed to take it in stride though!
That's impressive, I suppose they never lose their brevet card stamps, and can keep them dry in the rain ;)
[/ quote]
;D
;D
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Hey, Sandy, I didn't know you were riding in Derbyshire! ;D
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;D
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One huge fox - easily the biggest I've ever seen. He must have been hungry cos he was hunting in clear daylight and didn't back off very quickly at all.
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Bullfinches at our woods. Never been seen there before. Can't actually think why they are there as the berries have all gone from the berry-bearing trees (holly and hawthorn). Nice to see though.
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Hey, Sandy, I didn't know you were riding in Derbyshire! ;D
It doesn't necessarily have to have been in Derbyshire, it could have been Loch Lomond, or even further south, around Horley (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=17735.msg318863#msg318863), possibly, although Tim may have been describing some in a Zoo.
Apparently they are sometimes seen at another location, rather a lot further south than that. :-\ ;D
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Visit Whipsnade Zoo, & you find wallabies roaming free. Some escaped many years ago, but it seems they had the wit to realise that the environs of the zoo were a wallaby-friendly zone, so hung around.
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In the Pentlands today - a dipper, a buzzard, quite a few red grouse, and a woodcock
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A fox, crossing the A10 just north of town. At first, I thought it was a large cat. Then the lights of an approaching car silhouetted his brush, and there could be no mistake.
I knew there were foxes in the area, but it's the first time I've seen a live one there.
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On a walk yesterday
Mallard
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2673/4240423885_ba850f3bde.jpg)
Canada Goose
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2700/4241198370_9d92cd6ffb.jpg)
Coot
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2701/4240424437_1f90ea705e.jpg)
Pheasant
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4055/4241199398_b841f9aa1e.jpg)
Lapwing
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2768/4241199578_38d4cef06c.jpg)
Long-Tailed Tit
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4240427707_238f1e6fb2.jpg)
Juvenile Cormorant
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2738/4240428525_07029811f3.jpg)
All within Edinburgh city...
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On a walk yesterday
Mallard
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2673/4240423885_ba850f3bde.jpg)
Duck!
(Cracker of a photie, btw :thumbsup:)
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Yesterday, my first little egret of the year.
Flying over my house and seen from my armchair!
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This morning a barn owl flying down a snow laden avenue of trees - magical. And on the way back from taking Mrs Pcolbeck to work about a thousand pigeons all in one field.
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I will try and get some pics up, but owl traces in the snow. Rodent run......big hole and wing and tail imprints. Will try and stick some pics up.
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Looked out of my window about five minutes ago and saw two foxes motionless at the end of my lawn , rear to rear , in what must have been the post-coital configuration.
I took a couple of flash photos , opened the door , took a couple more shots and they didn't move. They only went off when I tried to get closer to them.
Unfortunately my efforts yielded nothing in the way of visual evidence.
Snake
My Library (http://www.yudu.com/library/6690/Snakehips-s-Library)
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Vulpine voyeurism!
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Parakeet as I cycled to work. And I wasn't even in Richmond Park.
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Parakeet as I cycled to work. And I wasn't even in Richmond Park.
They are all over the place (http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/invasion-of-the-parakeets-441304.html) these days. They are quite common round here and I have heard them as far in as The Kennington Road as I go to and from.
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Superstoker is a bit fed up of their screeching in the back garden waking him up.
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Parakeet as I cycled to work. And I wasn't even in Richmond Park.
They are all over the place (http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/invasion-of-the-parakeets-441304.html) these days. They are quite common round here and I have heard them as far in as The Kennington Road as I go to and from.
Might be a few less after this winter I would think.
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Finally got a clear sight of the handful of newcomers to the locality and identified them as Redwings.
Took a stroll by the Thames and saw a flotilla of up to 40 Tufted Duck (all male) on the river , and a Heron sitting in a Weeping Willow.
Snake
My Library (http://www.yudu.com/library/6690/Snakehips-s-Library)
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I saw a fair few redwings today. Also, a cormorant which had abandoned the estuary and taken up on a small freshwater creek. Oh, a solitary mute swan flying about in a snowstorm. It looked lost.
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I took a stroll along the Thames to Seething Wells on the Surbiton / Ditton border. Unfortunately it wasn't even remotely seething , being almost completely frozen over.
Most of the birds I saw on my last visit had gone , but about 50 Lapwing were standing around resolutely on the ice sheltering from the Northerly wind. One Heron remained to keep an eye on the one patch of unfrozen water.
The ice surface was marked by animal (presumably fox) tracks.
The highlight of my walk however was the male Pochard that I saw on the river in Kingston just where the Hogsmill joins the Thames.
Snake
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/117711/3f79e8714/PochardC.jpg)
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Topped up the bird feeders with high energy grub today. They're queuing up. Replaced the ice in the water dish with warm water as soon as I was up. Everything that isn't flowing is frozen.
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Now getting redwings and fieldfares mixing it with the long tailed tits outside my window.
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A wren in the back yard, after the food which is somewhere under all that snow:
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4026/4260547570_c8d081e529_o.jpg)
I also saw a couple of moorhens duck walking at the local (frozen) pond :thumbsup:
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A Fieldfare has been taking refuge in our back garden for the last couple of days.
Feeding on berries and taking shelter under our fir trees.
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A couple of Fieldfares have been hiding amongst the Starlings over the last few days. On our walk today we saw masses of bunny rabbit tracks and other unidentifiable marks in the snow. I should never have thrown away those Tuff Wayfinder shoes. ;D
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. I should never have thrown away those Tuff Wayfinder shoes. ;D
I think I remember those ! Were they the ones with the compass in the heel ? :)
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. I should never have thrown away those Tuff Wayfinder shoes. ;D
I think I remember those ! Were they the ones with the compass in the heel ? :)
The very same.
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Standing outside the back door at 0700 - a fox ran ran up to me, failing to see me, and only stopped when he was almost at my feet. No idea where he thought he was going - if I hadn't been there I'm sure he'd have run in to my kitchen.
Also seen in garden lately: boisterous parakeets.
This is in TW9: the wilds of, er, North Sheen :-\
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It was yesterday, but to my utter delight and astonishment, I saw a pair of Otters frolicking in the Tees. Otters, in the Tees! Darlo has otters :D
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That's still an unfulfilled ambition of mine: to see a wild otter.
There was a piece on the BBC website the other week about a pair of dead otters found in an illegal crafish trap on the river Wid, between Chelmsford and Billericay.
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That's still an unfulfilled ambition of mine: to see a wild otter.
I've seen them in the US, but never here. I'd love to. They had them (apparently) on the lower reaches of the River Lambourn
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That's still an unfulfilled ambition of mine: to see a wild otter.
We've seen several whilst touring in the Western Isles. Our best spot was on Jura when one was busy catching his/her lunch in front of us while we sat eating ours. :)
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Most of a Peregrine, chomping on something, about 1 foot away from my feet, for several minutes. In fact it’s still there.
To explain, I work on the 15th floor of a 16 floor building and we are regularly privileged to see a peregrine, sometimes two, swooping round the building. At the moment it is perched below my window and I can only just see it by pressing my forehead against the window and looking down, seeing its body lengthwise, its head busily working away at a dead something, probably a pigeon. It was the flying feathers that alerted me to it. Thaty was 10 minutes ago and it is still there.
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(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2734/4262429317_3bc7072132.jpg)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4040/4263175460_42e9e475d5.jpg)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4029/4262422395_18315ca39d.jpg)
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I like to see coots out of the water. Just to look at their really weird looking feet. ;D
I'm sure they're a Friday afternoon rush job by Mother Nature.
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I like to see coots out of the water. Just to look at their really weird looking feet. ;D
I'm sure they're a Friday afternoon rush job by Mother Nature.
They're also a good bet for the Ministry of Silly Walks
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/4262424421_1565dbceaa.jpg)
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I like to see coots out of the water. Just to look at their really weird looking feet. ;D
I'm sure they're a Friday afternoon rush job by Mother Nature.
we have teenage moorhens in our pond, and in the cold weather they've been coming round to the house to eat the birdfood. They're really funny, and their tracks in he sno are great :)
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(http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/1011/owlrodent.jpg)
One of three spots where Mr Rodent met Mr Owl
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Great photo Tony !
It's been noticeable how many bloody splodges there are on the snow in and around the woods. Predator heaven...
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Fox has just strolled down the street. We saw one down nearer the town earlier (next to the cemetery). And I saw a porky one last night near Trinity Church Square near Elephant & Castle last night. Not at all bothered by the few people around. I suspect the Southwark Hunt haven't been active lately.
Yesterday morning, as I passed the pond, I saw the heron sat on the edge of the road, so I passed within a metre of it. Cool.
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Two Redwings in a tree on our street, looking all dumpy and fluffed up :D.
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Lots of redwings in the Meadows today
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The foxes have been out and about in some numbers around Larrington Towers recently. I've seen them while both on the way to work and coming home.
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A rather nice cock pheasant in our garden just now.
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Cormorants.
I saw three of them in the park a few days ago, coinciding with the cold weather. I had never seen any in the park previously. This morning there were five, four at the top of a tall sycamore, the other one fishing. I didn't see it catch anything, but the lake has loads of roach and rudd in it normally, so I don't think the anglers will take too kindly to the cormorants' presence.
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Great photo Tony !
+1
Nicely spotted.
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A couple of tits.
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That's still an unfulfilled ambition of mine: to see a wild otter.
There was a piece on the BBC website the other week about a pair of dead otters found in an illegal crafish trap on the river Wid, between Chelmsford and Billericay.
I've spoken to a friend who works at the municipal golf course, and apparently the otters have been resident in Darlo for a couple of years, and he used to see them regularly on summer mornings. The git never mentioned them to me >:(
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A small group of long tailed tits flitting about at the back of the house.
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Great photo Tony !
+1
Nicely spotted.
I will tray and get some of the other shots up
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A walk along the East Lothian coast today east from Gullane, where several hundred fieldfare are still munching their way through all the buckthorn berries. On the water eider and long tailed duck. On the shore bar tailed godwits, grey plover, rock pipts, oystercatcher, turnstone, redshank, and (I think) dunlin. Further inland several good views of roe deer and a small flock of pink footed geese.
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A buzzard doing a very good kestrel impersonation, hovering by beating against the wind, above Wolesnewton.
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The FNRTTC wallabies. And the lesser spotted (in fact completely spotless) Knee Bandage.
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Yesterday and all last week, Alpine choughs and snow buntings :)
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Seagulls, lots of 'em, although I'm about fifty miles inland. The flood plain at the bottom of the garden has flooded and they're all swimming about.
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Some lots of birds in East Anglia. Singing, flying about, & just generally enjoying the mildness of yesterday in the sunshine. I'll need to work out what they all were later on :)
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3 birds of prey on my ride yesterday. 2 Buzzards, one flew overhead near to Catton Hall & 1 was hovering looking for food in a field between Orton on the hill & Austrey. The other bird was perched in a tree near the river trent at Alrewas but not being much of a birder (something I'm trying to rectify) I do not know what it was :(
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For cute small mammal fans:
Photo of the Day: Best of August 2009, Photo Gallery - National Geographic (http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photos/best-pod-august-09/#4549_600x450.jpg)
In the wrong thread entirely, but I didn't want to start a new one, and hopefully someone will appreciate this!
[Oh OK: I saw about 8 red Kites in 4 miles this morning, including two feasting on some roadkill - they scarpered only just in time to avoid a talon/car-roof interface. Fantastic sight.]
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Snowdrops in flower (just) outside Grosmont, and a Hazel hedge in bud. Spring is sprung :)
(more sno forecast for that area tonight & tomorrow though)
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Out for a walk, and testing the new K20D:
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4020/4298880200_2e602f8bd6.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27345381@N03/4298880200/)
I think I like my new camera. :D
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Lambs!
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Cormorants. At least 4. Three in sight at once at one point, two perched on a dead tree, one swimming in the river.
On the Thames just downriver of Kennetmouth.
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I saw a pair of cormorants today on the River Wandle and an egret
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Snow Buntings up at the Cairngorm Ski Centre
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4300779812_ed423e3ab1.jpg)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4061/4300031591_1b5c4cb990.jpg)
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(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4061/4300031591_1b5c4cb990.jpg)
Snacking between meals... I dunno.
I've seen a heron in the brook.
They're getting a familiar sight now though.
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I saw a pair of kites circling over the woods at the top of Heath House today.
Actually I think they knew how close to death I was as I grovelled to the top of the hill & were doing their impression of a vulture.I had not,at that time,shovelled my heart & lungs back into my chest cavity so I probably did resemble a carcass.
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Lots of urban foxes last night on the way home, more than I think I've ever seen on my commute before, although that was later than usual for my commute on a Monday, after midnight. I didn't actually count them, but I saw well over a dozen, whilst not making the slightest attempt to look for them, so most of these were crossing roads or very close to them (in fact since I've got a bit of a stye in one eye, I was watching for traffic more than normal to compensate for poorer vision).
It may have just been that I was out when few humans were about, but I believe that this is the breeding season for your bog standard red fox. I suspect given that it was relatively mild and dry a few more than usual would have been out on the pull. ;D
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I saw a fox cub this morning!
It's really early for one to be on it's own, but it clearly wasn't a cat, and dashed across the road near Carshalton Ponds.
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I've seen several wrens in the last 2 days. Either that or I have a very small stalker ;D.
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I've seen several wrens in the last 2 days. Either that or I have a very small stalker ;D.
I could relate my naked wren capturing adventure one Christmas morning ...
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Some amazing bird captures on the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8487031.stm).
I love the barn owl being pursued by the kestrel. It's a superb capture.
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^ Fantastic :thumbsup:
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Two pairs of eyes looking at me in Gunner's Copse.
(http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff320/jspooner99/big.jpg)
Can't spot them? Here they are (heavily cropped version of above).
(http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff320/jspooner99/20100201_0941.jpg)
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A redwing. Hopping about on the grass just by Sainsbury's.
First one I've seen this winter.
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(http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d69/JT808/IMG_0075.jpg)
These two little fellers were waiting patiently for their owner while he had elevenses.
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;D Fantastic stuff, JT :)
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Another snatched shot out of my front window. Not great, but you can see what bird it is
(http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/2605/redwingzoom2o.jpg)
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(http://peter.chesspod.com/gallery/d/6972-1/DSC00599.JPG)
Well, Monday actually. Coming in to land at Doggetts Gravel Pit, Rochford.
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A small clump of snowdrops just coming out :)
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First lamb of the season. Unfortunately, it was just the front half of lamb at the side of the road being pecked at by a crow :hand:
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I could relate my naked wren capturing adventure one Christmas morning ...
You probably did it a favour. I wouldn't give a naked wren much chance of surviving winter. Did you knit a little jumper for it?
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A kestrel in a tree just a little off the Innocent Path this morning. He flew off as soon as I stopped.
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Bobb's hat.
Maybe.
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10 days ago now, but anyway:
2 ravens cronking over the Grassmarket and in front of Edinburgh castle ...
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A large brown rat, mooching about on the patio. Cheeky bugger. We were warned that our new abode might attract these chappies but I didn't realise they would be here so quickly.
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A large brown rat, mooching about on the patio. Cheeky bugger. We were warned that our new abode might attract these chappies but I didn't realise they would be here so quickly.
Time to get a large <colour of your choice> cat. It won't cost much in food. ;D
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A clattering of Jackdaws. (about a dozen)
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Last night riding along the sustrans track north of Didcot power station a Barn owl flew alongside me for about 150 metres. It was about 3 metres away, at head height, a bit of a "wow" moment
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The biggest pigeon in the world. It was as big as a lamb! And a kestrel in a tree over the Wisp.
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The biggest pigeon in the world. It was as big as a lamb!
Does this mean that the dodo is not extinct?
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At Musselburgh this morning - 1 Slavonian grebe, 3 long tailed ducks, good numbers of velvet scoters, goldeneye, c100 bar tailed godwit. Wigeon and teal on the lagoons.
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Larks, loadsa geese honking the fields, ubiquitous buzzards, snowdrops, lambs.
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Half a dozen, possibly eight buzzards soaring together at Countesswells.
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As I rode past, a kestrel alighting on a tree to make a meal of an unfortunate rodent that it was holding in one of its talons.
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Half a dozen, possibly eight buzzards soaring together at Countesswells.
Drat. I was going to post about the two Buzzards that were wheeling about in circles 500' above our house earlier - but you win!
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Saw four or five buzzards today around between S. Derbyshire and Rutland, but the best was a Kite soaring over the Welland Valley. I didn't know they'd made it this far east.
Oh, and what looked like a swift. Way too early, surely?
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An enormous grey heron swooping down the Angidy River just up from my house on the way back from my ride today.
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Saw four or five buzzards today around between S. Derbyshire and Rutland, but the best was a Kite soaring over the Welland Valley. I didn't know they'd made it this far east.
Oh, and what looked like a swift. Way too early, surely?
Kites have been reintroduced in Fineshade Woods, by, IIRC, RSPB in conjunction with the Forestry Commission. There's a Visitor Centre at Top Lodge - about 2 km S. of Duddington or about 7 km. E of Harringworth viaduct. It has a live display from a camera aimed at one of the nests, or at least it did last July when Mrs N & I stopped at the nearby caravan site for a few days (we used to live in Stamford). I saw a few kites in the air while riding through the woods to collect provisions from Kingscliffe, though not many.
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I've taken to doing late evening rides out to the Washes at Welney. It's eerie out on a road almost level with miles of flooded land. Only the sound of hundreds of wildfowl calling.
Anyway, before I get there I ride alongside the river bank for a mile or so and the barn owls are getting quite used to me trundling past. they sit on fence posts, a metre or so from the edge of the road. Six of them spotted last night - four of them just sat on their posts and watched me ride by. Two of them took off, one no more than 18" above my helmet. :o
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Kites have been reintroduced in Fineshade Woods, by, IIRC, RSPB in conjunction with the Forestry Commission. There's a Visitor Centre at Top Lodge - about 2 km S. of Duddington or about 7 km. E of Harringworth viaduct. It has a live display from a camera aimed at one of the nests, or at least it did last July when Mrs N & I stopped at the nearby caravan site for a few days (we used to live in Stamford). I saw a few kites in the air while riding through the woods to collect provisions from Kingscliffe, though not many.
Thanks Nick.
Saw a pair of herons this morning, mooching through the drainage ditches around some beet fields near the Trent. A little later on, a kestrel and a few buzzards.
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Half a dozen Red Crested Pochards on a pond in Bushy Park , Hampton Court.
They look so spectacular at the moment that my young nephew , not a bird enthusiast up til now , exclaimed 'what are they ' when he saw them.
Snake
My Library (http://www.yudu.com/library/6690/Snakehips-s-Library)
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Forgot to say. A cormorant on the Kennet in the middle of Reading, day before yesterday. Gave me a filthy look & dived when I stopped to look at it. Don't usually see them there: they generally hang about on the Thames, in less urban settings.
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Sparrowhawk from the train, somewhere between Kirkcaldy and Leuchars
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Pied Wagtail that kept scarpering close just in front of me. Overly cute.
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As todays ride was cancelled due to snow I had a wander and saw a Dipper this afternoon.
I also ended up in the Art Gallery and they had a conservation and naturalist exhibition showing some of their collection from a long time ago when eggs and birds were collected legally. There were two Golden Eagles and they were huuge!
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Nice view of a kite on our Beacons 200 yesterday. Not that unusual, maybe, but it's the first I've seen this year.
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4 redwings and 2 wrens out the back window. The redwings were busy turning over fallen leaves and the wrens seemed to be taking advantage picking at whatever the redwings were leaving.
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I've got a good view of the beach on the south side of Aberdeen harbour from our new office. I'm going to have to learn waders :)
Today there were oystercatchers, ringed plovers (I think) & something else I couldn't identify.
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I've got a good view of the beach on the south side of Aberdeen harbour from our new office. I'm going to have to learn waders :)
Today there were oystercatchers, ringed plovers (I think) & something else I couldn't identify.
I'm jealous !
What did the 'something else' look like ?
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A skein of geese wheeling and honking overhead in a grey, snowy winter sky
Again, not rare but it made me smile as I was trudging down the drive with the rubbish & recycling :)
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Neighbour has just reported an otter swimming upstream in the ditch at the bottom of our gardens. Must keep working, must keep working, must keep working................
Green parakeet attempting to get seed out of hanging feeder with wrong shaped beak, plenty of food on bird table, why not eat that?
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I've got a good view of the beach on the south side of Aberdeen harbour from our new office. I'm going to have to learn waders :)
Today there were oystercatchers, ringed plovers (I think) & something else I couldn't identify.
I'm jealous !
What did the 'something else' look like ?
Slightly smaller than an oystercatcher, grey on top, white underneath, red/orange legs, couldn't get a good view of the bill - so it obviously wasn't large & colourful like an oystercatcher's.
I think the plovers are of the little ringed variety.
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I've got a good view of the beach on the south side of Aberdeen harbour from our new office. I'm going to have to learn waders :)
Today there were oystercatchers, ringed plovers (I think) & something else I couldn't identify.
I'm jealous !
What did the 'something else' look like ?
Slightly smaller than an oystercatcher, grey on top, white underneath, red/orange legs, couldn't get a good view of the bill - so it obviously wasn't large & colourful like an oystercatcher's.
I think the plovers are of the little ringed variety.
Could the "something else" be redshank, possibly?
I'd be quite surprised if the ringed plovers were "little", as they should still be in Africa and even in summer they're (really) rare in Scotland ...
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Could the "something else" be redshank, possibly?
Redshank sounds good to me too. Or possibly turnstone ?
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I looked up the RSPB bird guide & I'm leaning towards redshank for the unknown.
As for the plover, perhaps I should read a bit more & not just look at the pictures ::-)
I'll have to take binocs & a bird guide to work :thumbsup:
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A curlew flew acroos the road in front of me on my way home last night.
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I looked up the RSPB bird guide & I'm leaning towards redshank for the unknown.
As for the plover, perhaps I should read a bit more & not just look at the pictures ::-)
I'll have to take binocs & a bird guide to work :thumbsup:
See if you can talk to some of the people sharing your shiny new building (I think) ...
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I looked up the RSPB bird guide & I'm leaning towards redshank for the unknown.
As for the plover, perhaps I should read a bit more & not just look at the pictures ::-)
I'll have to take binocs & a bird guide to work :thumbsup:
See if you can talk to some of the people sharing your shiny new building (I think) ...
They're not arriving until April.
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A Dunnock on he fence. I like Dunnocks. They are small brown things but nicely proportioned and usually overlooked even though very common.
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Some people might question the moral standards of dunnock females (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunnock) ;)
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Seen last weekend rather than today, but a load of Reed Buntings.
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4057/4372707321_4699aa222e.jpg)
Also Curlews, Oystercatchers, some small wader that I'm not sure of, Wigeons and possibly Goldeneyes...
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Took a pair of binocs & a guidebook to work today. I'm pretty certain that what I thought were redshanks are redshanks.
Also saw some turnstones.
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Took a pair of binocs & a guidebook to work today. I'm pretty certain that what I thought were redshanks are redshanks.
Also saw some turnstones.
:thumbsup:
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Took a pair of binocs & a guidebook to work today. I'm pretty certain that what I thought were redshanks are redshanks.
Also saw some turnstones.
Redshanks tend to walk a bit like chickens.....
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Tufted duck in amongst the mallards.
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Tufted duck in amongst the mallards.
Have you seen a specialist?
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A first for our back garden this morning - a cock pheasant.
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Cycling north of Aberdeen saw loads of buzzards, several curlews & a lark (heard a few of these).
At the Ythan estuary there was a raft of eiders gossiping like a gaggle of grannies on the no. 17 bus ("Ooh..", "Ooh..").
Oh, and a dead blue tit on the road :'(
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At the Ythan estuary there was a raft of eiders gossiping like a gaggle of grannies on the no. 17 bus ("Ooh..", "Ooh..").
Which is why (I'm told) they're known as "wifies" down the coast. Long-tailed ducks are called "oldsquaw" in N America for the same reason, though with a different rhythm (ooh OOH ooh ooh).
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Crocuses and a beautiful Jay. The sunshine really helping to show off his iridescent colours. :thumbsup:
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We once shared a house with a bloke from Wakefield (who later became slightly famous in a political scandal)
He'd never seen a Jay before:
"Hard bastards, those" he said, "You'd f'in have to be if you were a pink crow"
I've had a soft spot for them ever since :)
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"Hard bastards, those" he said, "You'd f'in have to be if you were a pink crow"
;D
I've always thought of them as the Danny La Rue of the crow world.
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From Bill Oddie's Little Black Bird Book....
'I've seen this funny bird in my garden'
'It was a jay'
'Shall I describe it'
'No, it was a jay'
'It wasn't a jay'
'Yes it was'
'No it wasn't, I've seen jays'
'Yes I know, you saw one in your garden'
and so it goes on... ;D
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From Bill Oddie's Little Black Bird Book....
'I've seen this funny bird in my garden'
'It was a jay'
'Shall I describe it'
'No, it was a jay'
'It wasn't a jay'
'Yes it was'
'No it wasn't, I've seen jays'
'Yes I know, you saw one in your garden'
and so it goes on... ;D
I saw him doing that stuff on the telly once. He came across as an arrogant knob.
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I think he used to sometimes grate on Kate Humble's nerves. But she was ever the professional.
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Anyway, seen today...dozens of redwings in the Meadows.
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60-foot "peregrine" outside the Scottish Parliament ;)
BBC online (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8543983.stm)
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Geese
Lapwings
Gulls
Rats
Badgers (dead)
Deer (dead)
Fish (in the verge, by the road. WTF?)
Two Stoats.
Quite a lot of squashed Frogs.
Ahh... a bike ride in The Fens :thumbsup:
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Have you been suffering rains of fish and frogs (and possibly badgers and deers!) ?
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Have you been suffering rains of fish and frogs (and possibly badgers and deers!) ?
That area between Downham Market and St Ives? Who knows what happens there...
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Hundreds and hundreds of starlings, doing the swirly coalescing, folding group flying thing near Knighton
Lovely :)
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Not by me but by Mrs Pcolbeck. A Red Kite sat on some road kill about a mile from our house.
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Anyway, seen today...dozens of redwings in the Meadows.
...and dozens of them in our local park in Sydenham on Sunday. I've been used to seeing the odd one or two around our area this winter but this was quite a sight - perhaps a hundred or so picking around on the very waterlogged grass, mixed up with a handful of starlings.
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Not by me but by Mrs Pcolbeck. A Red Kite sat on some road kill about a mile from our house.
On my ride on Tuesday, I commented to my cycling partner that I wished I'd kept count of the kites. At the time, I could see six. I'm not sure what double figure number I saw altogether. ;D
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Not by me but by Mrs Pcolbeck. A Red Kite sat on some road kill about a mile from our house.
On my ride on Tuesday, I commented to my cycling partner that I wished I'd kept count of the kites. At the time, I could see six. I'm not sure what double figure number I saw altogether. ;D
Not as common up here as they are on the South Downs. I often see them from the M40 where it goes up through the big chalk cut.
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Fish (in the verge, by the road. WTF?)
What a strange plaice?
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Buzzard. :D
And I got within 20 metres of it before it decided to launch itself off from the fence.
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Decapitated Fox in the 4-foot (the gap between the rails) at Proof House Junction, Birmingham. Seen yesterday morning, still there just now. I had the misfortune that both yesterday's and today's trains stopped with me next to the corpse, giving a grandstand view.
Proof House - Known to train drivers as "the crucible" as you have to get a red before you get a colour.
PS [Dom Joly Voice]I'm On The Train[/Dom Joly Voice]
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I saw an intact fox from the train on Weds afternoon trotting across a snow-covered field near Blackford.
This evening a pair of deer in a field just past Carnsnootie.
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Cycling north of Aberdeen saw loads of buzzards, several curlews & a lark (heard a few of these).
At the Ythan estuary there was a raft of eiders gossiping like a gaggle of grannies on the no. 17 bus ("Ooh..", "Ooh..").
Oh, and a dead blue tit on the road :'(
Went to Arundel WWT reserve with some friends and their little girl, and all the eider were doing their "Ah-OOH!" calls. Jessy goes "Look, mummy, Frankie Howerd ducks!"
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A couple of goldfinches and a little group of long tailed tits at the back of the house.
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I heard loads of great tits reinflating their tyres with a rusting foot pump.
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First dolphin of the year today :thumbsup:
Also this weekend: heard larks, yellowhammers & woodpecker; saw deer, kestrel, geese (skeins & in the fields) & lambs plus the usual plethora of buzzards.
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Barn owl about 90 minutes before sunset.
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Near Sonning Common this morning. A kestrel, hovering maybe 20 foot up, & so intent on something at the side of the road that it ignored Mrs B & me as we cycled almost directly under it.
A kite at Sonning Common, apparently chasing another one away from its patch.
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Yesterday, on the Grand Union canal towpath near Knowle, was a Chinese Mandarin duck (drake presumably) mixed in with the usual mallard. All were in full breeding plumage, looking truly splendid in a brief spot of sunshine.
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A seal scoffing a fish in the harbour yesterday evening.
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A pair of dunnocks acting strangely in the back garden. One was flitting about following the other and stopping every so often to flick its wings. I assumed this must be some sort of courtship display but I've just looked it up and found it to be quite the reverse, the birds in question must've been both male and the wing flicking is the owner of the territory telling the other to be on his way.
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The sex life of dunnocks is hugely complicated and, frankly, rather louche. A female may copulate with up to 20 males ejecting the sperm of those she reckons aren't up to it!
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The sex life of dunnocks is hugely complicated and, frankly, rather louche. A female may copulate with up to 20 males ejecting the sperm of those she reckons aren't up to it!
The stuff I learn here is amazing. This ejecting of the sub optimal sperm, is it a conscious choice?
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Last night it was so clear that I could see M42 and M43 next to Orion's Belt. (naked eye)
I've got crappy peepers even when wearing glasses, so a bit of a scoop for me.
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Mr. Reynard strolling across open fields over Cauldon Low near Ashbourne.
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Marsh harrier near Walton on the Naze.
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On my way home this evening, a curlew stood in the middle of the road.
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Heard today - woodpecker next to the surgery. I couldn't see it, but it must have been on the far side of one of the two closest trees. He gave a hammer as I drew to a halt, then two more as I was getting my breath back and my keys from my bag. :)
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Five ladybirds on the ceiling of my Bathroom. I occasionally see one in there, but I don't know why five of the wandered out today. Presumably just the right combination of moisture and temperature kicked them into activity.
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Fairly fresh dead badger beside the road between Henley & Wargrave this morning. Looked as if something had been munching on its guts.
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Five ladybirds on the ceiling of my Bathroom. I occasionally see one in there, but I don't know why five of the wandered out today.
Ah... The Gathering. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xr8vUTm64h0)
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Last night, on the road back from son number 2's school after a parents' evening, a badger. A live badger. Trotting happily along the side of the road and then hopping up the embankment and looking round at us as we passed. We were absolutely over the moon about this. We've never seen live badgers in the wild before and, what's more, this was in London.
(Well, on the edge of West Wickham: here (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=hayes,+kent&sll=51.51749,-0.42746&sspn=0.129894,0.362892&g=hayes&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Hayes,+Bromley,+Kent,+United+Kingdom&ll=51.369115,0.02708&spn=0,359.977319&z=16&layer=c&cbll=51.369177,0.026979&panoid=TFXC3Se2AfQF4XbHG-DHSg&cbp=12,318.04,,0,5))
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A plethora of road kill today - a badger, a mountain hare & a frog :hand:
Live stuff seen: buzzards, red grouse, lapwings doing their crazy aerobatics.
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Mad March Hares.
I thought that was a bit of a myth but they were crazy like crazy things. Very distracting.
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Mad March Hares.
I thought that was a bit of a myth but they were crazy like crazy things. Very distracting.
Brilliant aren't they. We get loads of hares round here.
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Three old boys out on nice vintage club bikes near Kington; the one in front on the descent had a cardboard box on his rack, containing a small dog :)
also a large fox near Llanfihangel Crucorney, a hare near Knighton and a kite near Llandrindod Wells.
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last night, a tawny owl in Frank Dixon Way and two very athletic frogs on the pavement outside our house
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Last night, near Streatham Common station, I saw a ginger domestic cat and urban fox within about three foot of each other. Neither seemed to be in the least bit interested in the other, and far more worried about me, even though I couldn't get anywhere near them because of a six foot high metal fence between us!
I've always assumed that there would be some animosity between the two species, or at least avoidance, since they must be targeting broadly the same sort of prey.
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I saw a rather beautiful but very dead rat in the middle of the car park as I drew in to work. I managed to move it before anyone drove over it.
It had been killed by a bite to the neck, but hadn't been eaten by the predator. I'd guess a cat or a fox.
A number of birds - crows and magpies were worrying at the wound. When I moved the corpse, the crows were wandering about as if they were saying, 'I'm sure I just left my breakfast here...' ;D
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A swan in the local brook. It was sporting the last remnants of its juvenile plumage.
I was at least 10 metres away from it and it still had a hissy fit. ;D
Yep, it's spring.
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Great close-up of a sparrowhawk dismembering a pigeon at the roadside. I was nearly on it before it saw me; just up the road from Tewdric's house.
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It does suprise me how close you can get to wildlife sometimes on the bike before you are spotted.It realy can be a joy:especially on quiet country lanes with no vehicles & few folk about.
It has been one of the unexpected benefits of doing audax rides.
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Indeed
I did a perm Denmead 600 on my own in July 2006; it was a glorious weekend, and I managed to tweak the route to stop at home at about 400 k.
Just after dawn next morning, another beautiful day, I was tiddling up a little lane between Hungerford and the Test Valley and came up behind a big fox, just sitting in the road with his back to me looking at the day. I got very close before he heard me and scampered off :)
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Literally dozens of frogs/toads on the lanes tonight. They seem to be just sitting in the middle of the road drinking up the warmth and wet.
I didn't hit any, but 2 wheels are a better aim than 4, I reckon it'll be carnage in the morning.
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loads of frogs on the lane past our house last night and this evening, and so many in our yard that I had to use a torch to be able to walk across it without squishing lots.
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A stag with gert antlers on the little lane that goes up to Haresfield Beacon on the way home
I enjoyed something similar in Glen Garry last year.Taken from my Dear Diary thread in Ride Reports
A red deer is running along side me approx 10 metres away in the trees.It appears to be spooked & panicy:it suddendly hangs a very sharp right which brings it across the front of me so close that I am almost wearing the antlers on the barbag.Frightening & exciting at the same time to have wild life so up close.I wonder if the deer felt the same way
The deer did not become aware of me untill I had almost passed it by
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The first wasp of the year.
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The first wasp of the year.
+1
and... 8 seals, the usual ubiquitous buzzards, noisy larks, anna red sqrl :D
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Not seen but heard, the year's first skylark. Yesterday.
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The first wasp of the year.
+1 on Friday.
First mozzie in the kitchen too...
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Avocets on the River Clyst. Last chance before they all migrate up north to breed.
Also godwits and widgeon feeding like mad, getting ready for their return to the breeding grounds.
S
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A great white egret, in the half flooded field 3/4 mile from my regular sunday pub, along with 70-80 wigeon, 50 teal, a dozen or so shoveler, some canada geese, a couple of herons
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No today, but over the weekend I was back in the north-east (Scotland) to see me mam.
Saturday was seal day near Newburgh (around 200 on the beach)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2781/4447405683_2091d8280f.jpg)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4047/4447444023_7c978c73d8.jpg)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4005/4447420365_3a9b8d25b9.jpg)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4013/4447456797_33c853b0da.jpg)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4027/4447471553_927fc2e809.jpg)
Sunday saw an early morning spin around the town I grew up in (Ellon) and into the woods where I played as a kid. Never once saw a red squirrel in there before in all the years I wandered about in there. Saw at least half a dozen in the space of ten minutes...
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4025/4450418074_6aa85dbe55.jpg)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2788/4449650777_76ec4fb3d4.jpg)
Saw a grey squirrel on the walk into work this morning and that got the proper 'meh' treatment after the reds yesterday.
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And I thought I was doing well with 8 seals at the Bridge of Don...
What focal length were you using to get your grey seal shots anth?
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And I thought I was doing well with 8 seals at the Bridge of Don...
What focal length were you using to get your grey seal shots anth?
You need to get yourself to Newburgh... ;) There's a short walk from the golf club to see the seals from the other side of the water (which we normally do), or a longer walk on the peripherary of the Forvie Reserve that took us here. There are usually maybe 15-20, this was exceptional.
We managed to get within about 30 yards. Any closer and they got a little spooked - and we'd got to that point very very slowly. We sat for about 45 minutes just watching and snapping away - the noise from them was incredible. 200mm for the close-ups - some are cropped down, others left full size.
Seriously, your seal fetish needs to be sated with a trip!
EDIT: there are certain times of year, when there are young pups, that you're not allowed to walk round this side as well.
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A great white egret, in the half flooded field 3/4 mile from my regular sunday pub, along with 70-80 wigeon, 50 teal, a dozen or so shoveler, some canada geese, a couple of herons
Great white? There's a rarity! Whereabouts was that?
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Ashleworth Ham (http://www.birder.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Recent%201st%20half%2010.htm), here (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=382895&y=226382&z=115&sv=382895,226382&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=770&ax=382895&ay=226382&lm=0)
I ride past pretty much whenever I go to the pub by a non-direct route. It's the second time I've seen one whilst riding past, though this time I knew about it in advance.
They aren't as rare as they used to be. There's been half a dozen floating round the country for most of the year. When I started back in the mid 70s there was onto about one every other year, and not for very long either.
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(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4047/4447444023_7c978c73d8.jpg)
Was the one on the left telling jokes?
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(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4047/4447444023_7c978c73d8.jpg)
Was the one on the left telling jokes?
Toilet humour - something to do with the privy seal.
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A grey wagtail down by the Water of Leith on a lunchtime wander:
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4069/4459305837_07bef18173.jpg)
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Ashleworth Ham (http://www.birder.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Recent%201st%20half%2010.htm), here (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=382895&y=226382&z=115&sv=382895,226382&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=770&ax=382895&ay=226382&lm=0)
I ride past pretty much whenever I go to the pub by a non-direct route. It's the second time I've seen one whilst riding past, though this time I knew about it in advance.
They aren't as rare as they used to be. There's been half a dozen floating round the country for most of the year. When I started back in the mid 70s there was onto about one every other year, and not for very long either.
Damn, far too far away for me
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Lots of pheasants. One cock pheasant seemed to be almost tame and almost nonplussed at me being 3ft away.
Lots of red deer and rabbits.
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I saw two black pheasants on Sunday. A bit of a contrast with how colourful the males look at the moment.
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Ashleworth Ham (http://www.birder.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Recent%201st%20half%2010.htm), here (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=382895&y=226382&z=115&sv=382895,226382&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=770&ax=382895&ay=226382&lm=0)
I ride past pretty much whenever I go to the pub by a non-direct route. It's the second time I've seen one whilst riding past, though this time I knew about it in advance.
They aren't as rare as they used to be. There's been half a dozen floating round the country for most of the year. When I started back in the mid 70s there was onto about one every other year, and not for very long either.
I've just been on the phone to my mother (in Glos) who said she had just been over to see a GWE at Ashleworth. I expressed suprise but then remembered that someone here had mentioned seeing one, and lo and behold it's this same one.
What a fine bird it is too!
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Wild boar in the forest, shortly before dusk. Six or seven of them. They all turned to look at me as I stood stock still. After about a minute they decided I was harmless and turned round to continue eating. Then they all ran off in the opposite direction. First I've ever seen.
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FIIIGHT !
A sparrowhawk took one of our resident jackdaws this morning. She had it on the ground and was just about start butchering it when the cavalry arrived. A couple of jackdaws went straight in and started pecking the hawk, and about 100 more streamed out of the barn and wheeled overhead, making the most unholy noise and filling the sky.
In the end the hawk gave it up as a bad job and exited, pursued by an angry mob...
The original jackdaw flew away.
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3 (separate) barn owls tonight, and quite a number of bats, type unknown
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Seeing urban foxes is not unusual in my part of the world, even in daylight, but they're usually to be seen bolting into gardens and so forth. The other day, though, there was one trotting unconcernedly across Sainsbury's car park at about 3 pm.
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Out on a pre breakfast spin, I was concentrating on picking a line between potholes, while being aware that a car was approaching from behind, when a deer broke loose from the woods and ran across the road in front almost under my front wheel. A bit close.
Earlier I saw some cows. In a field.
Yes, Mrs. Hall was similarly unimpressed, but there were English Longhorns. I do like those traditional breeds.
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Some time over Easter Lt. Col. Larrington and I were sitting in his conservatory when a brown blur and a crashing of bushes signalled that a hen pheasant had failed to set down in his back garden. Never seen a pheasant around those parts save as part of a Dinner.
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A goldfinch on the nyjer feeder on the patio.
This isn't so unusual, except that they've been missing since the bad weather.
:D
S
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On Saturday: several seals & a deer on the island at Bridge of Don, loadsa buzzards, larks, heard yellowhammers, bonkers lapwings, shelducks & hundreds of eiders on a beach.
And I saw a blue tit flying out of the nest box I put up a couple of months ago, so fingers crossed.
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I wandered out to the shop earlier, and spotted a fox in the car park. Spotted me, too, and seemed to lope off. But when I got back, it was still wandering about.
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A huuuuge owl pellet in the yard. That must be one big owl :o
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It's a football from your next door neighbour's Mallers. Throw it back.
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Day before yesterday really, but anyhow.
A BIG pod of dolphins fishing in between supertankers in the Bosphorus. (back home now :'( )
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What was it that I saw the other day while riding about?
Looked like a sausage dog version of a mouse, long extended body, about 10 inches total, didn't look like it had much of a tail. Bright orange!?
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Weasel ?
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I thought weasels had quite visible tails. We see them regularly round here (and stoats too) and they're like cartoon animals as they can change direction instantly.
Last night driving home from the pub I saw a pair of green eyes in the verge beside the quiet road. We realised it was a badger, who then decided to step out in front of the car and trundle across the road. Fortunately we stopped in time. He then stuck his head in a hole in the bank beside the road (back end still sticking out, just like my dog does - she thinks you can't see her now) and we carried on.
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I think you're right re the tail, but I couldn't think of anything that fits the description without much of a tail...
If it's 10" long and slim it's likely going to be a mustelid of some sort, I think. Orange sounds weaselly...
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Today seems to be the day for the magpies to plunder the blackbirds' nests. I had hoped it wouldn't happen this year. Council contractors removed the magpie nest on Monday while tree pruning in my street so I figured that without extra mouths to feed the magpies might leave the blackbirds alone.
I heard a commotion , two blackbirds were trying to fight off a pair of magpies from a nest about three gardens away. Then one of the magpies turned its attention to the nest in the tree at the end of my garden. No messing , it flew straight in to the tree directly at the nest. In a futile gesture of solidarity with the blackbirds I ran out and shook the tree and the magpie flew away. It was then that I noticed the two dead fledgelings (one decapitated) on my lawn , presumably dropped by a magpie on an earlier raid.
I find it odd that the magpies don't come down for the meal that is lying there waiting for them on the lawn.
Do they kill for pleasure ?
Snake
My Library (http://www.yudu.com/library/6690/Snakehips-s-Library)
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Yes having read you thoughts and googled weasel it does look like the best candidate. It went by fairly quickly, I probably didn't see the tails. That's pretty cool I don't remember ever seeing anything like that before, don't get many daytime creatures in Brum.
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My first lapwing of the year. There used to be huge flocks of them round here but not these days.
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Green Woodpecker on NCN21 near East Surrey Hospital, as I had a lunchtime pootle.
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Mrs C cleaned the windows at the back of the house last week. Ever since we've been beseiged by a variety of small birds attacking them. Mostly chaffinches and robins from what I can see. I presume they can now see their reflections and are seeing them as a threat. The windows weren't that dirty to look through, but I guess that the thin coating of dust made all the difference in preventing a reflection.
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Looked out of the window first thing this morning and saw this little creature tip-toeing about.
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/151537/930c3828a/Fox1c.jpg)
Could have been this chap or its family that cleared up the dead birds on my lawn on Thursday (see previous post)
Snake
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Ubiquitous buzzards, 3 deer (Roe, prolly) and a lizard :)
Oh, and a dead badger :'(
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1 Bambi
1 long mousey rodenty type thing (maybe 1inch wide but long, 10cm-ish, and milk chocolate brown)
1 Squirrel. Looked like a red squirrel, but bigger. Much redder than a UK Grey. Maybe we get different squirrels in Germany?
2 Birds with yellowish front, light brown back, and had ear tufts.
edit: birds look like crested tits
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1 Squirrel. Looked like a red squirrel, but bigger. Much redder than a UK Grey. Maybe we get different squirrels in Germany?
Red sqrls come in different colours. We saw a Black red sqrl when we were in Germany, running across the road in front of a group of people who looked like they'd just been at a funeral, spookily.
Bit like this one: File:Squirrel germany.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Squirrel_germany.jpg)
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Lots of interesting birdlife over the last couple of days as we were enjoying a short break on the Lancaster Canal and the Lune Estuary. But by far the most thrilling sighting of the weekend was a solitary swallow seen today. Made my heart sing.
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Very out of date by now, but...
On the way to Lunnun 8 days ago, there were numerous red kites. The good lady at the Falcon Inn said that someone in Thame was probably feeding them, since they occurred in agitated flocks. I subsequently saw such a flock of 20-30 kites over Watlington and stopped to watch. The birds were, circling, wheeling, diving, maybe even tumbling, in a way that looked more like a display for the mating season than a feeding frenzy. I didn't see any of them diving to field level. It was an incredible display of aerobatic skill, way beyond the effortless gliding that seems the norm. Has anyone any idea what was going on?
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Three toads when the builders lifted the yorkstone slabs that form a path along the back of our house. Funny thing is I have lived here ten years and never seen a toad in the garden before, newts and frogs (next door has a pond) but toads no.
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am sat at my desk watching a woodpecker attacking the peanuts in the birdfeeder 5 meters away. Such aggressive pecking, sounds like someone hammering in nails!
Sadly, the camera is in the house. There's a bluetit on the other side of the feeder now too, and a finch of some sort picking up the crumbs underneath. Cool.
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Yesterday, actually. Woke up to find pigeon feathers all over the garden. Hypothesised that there had been a pigeon/cat interaction, resulting in a reduction in the pigeon population.
While pottering about by the bird feeder later in the day, I was scolded vociferously by a rather scruffy blue tit. Definitely aimed at me: it was looking me straight in the eye, from no more than 2 metres away. I think it was complaining that I was between it & dinner. Cheeky little bugger. Who does it think provides the grub?
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a number of May Bugs. (They're dumb creatures, and obviously can't read a calendar either)
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Buzzard. Not exactly remarkable but for the fact that it was the nearest I'd seen one to home - only just outside Sittingbourne.
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A brown hare. :D
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Last Friday, a pair of otters - 1 adult & 1 young - foraging along the coast by Kyleakin (Skye)
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A stoat running away from me, then diving into the hedge.
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A heron, looking a little lost standing as it was in a field of what I think are going to be peas, and being dive-bombed by a gang of black-headed gulls.
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Buzzard. Not exactly remarkable but for the fact that it was the nearest I'd seen one to home - only just outside Sittingbourne.
I saw one flying over my house the other day in Warwick, which is nothing remarkable maybe, but I've never seen one here before and it was being harangued persistently by a crow, so I assume it's an occasional visitor.
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NickNackers and Warwickestershirelad, interesting comment about sightings of buzzards over towns as I too saw one last weekend over Brighton, just calmly floating around, which got all the Herring gulls in a bit of a flap. They didn't go near it, and he/she was unconcerned by them.
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A grey squirrel perched on top of one of my neighbours fence posts making a hell of a racket, I think against an example of Felis Catus who was unconcernedly wandering off in the other direction. I can't say I've ever heard a squirrel making quite such an odd sound. Initially I wondered it if it was a large bird. A very strange sound.
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Right now (9.35am). Blackbird on top of an Elm tree singing his heart out trying to attract a mate or declare his territory. Beautiful sound.
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A couple of deer wandering unconcernedly around the motorcycle training area next door to the office. Though I bet as soon as there's any motorbike activity they'll be off like a shot and probably end up under a lorry on the A414 :-[
I've seen muntjac around these parts but these were full size proper bambis.
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Living: first swallows of the year, bullfinch, siskin, jays, buzzards, yellowhammers, deer gracefully jumping over a fence, (not so) wild boar, zillions of lambs.
Dead: badger, 3 deer (2 on railway track).
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Stripy cows mmmmmmmmmm
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v437/kenderworld/DSCF0789.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v437/kenderworld/DSCF0791.jpg)
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Belted Galloways (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belted_Galloway), or 'Belties'. Not seen that much in Galloway, except at the Wigtown Show.
In the US these cows are often informally known as "police car cows,""panda cows" or "Oreo cows" after the Oreo cookie.
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On my ride to Blackheath at around 5-30am, I passed an amazingly cheeky fox. I was just coming to the top of a bit of hill, around Sydenham iirc, so slowing slightly, and the fox who had been slowly wandering across the pavement, towards some houses, actually turned around and started to come towards me.
I'm guessing that it was reasonably used to humans, and maybe gets fed by someone, so when it saw me slowing, it thought that food was a possibility! I quite often see foxes on my commute, but most of them are quite wary of people, and tend to run away. The most "friendly" may stop and watch me pass, but normally fairly warily. This is the first time I've seen one actually appear to decide to try and approach me.
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A (very nearly) kamikaze squirrel.His brakes were sharper than mine & he had a very impressively small turning circle :)
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2 Black Woodpeckers.
Thought they were crows or something when flying but were clearly woodpeckers when they landed on a tree. Hadn't realised they were so big! Usually tend to see Great Spotted Woodpeckers around the local forest.
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A not-barn owl between Bourne End and the next village at about 5 am on the last stretch of the Severn Across. It was sitting on the kerb, looked at me, realised I was quite close and flew off.
(Amazing wldlife identification, I know, but it was dark and I was tired)
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A not-barn owl between Bourne End and the next village at about 5 am on the last stretch of the Severn Across. It was sitting on the kerb, looked at me, realised I was quite close and flew off.
(Amazing wldlife identification, I know, but it was dark and I was tired)
Bourne End in Bucks? If so, were you heading West, towards Marlow?
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The first bat of the year doing batobatics around the garden :thumbsup:
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A not-barn owl between Bourne End and the next village at about 5 am on the last stretch of the Severn Across. It was sitting on the kerb, looked at me, realised I was quite close and flew off.
(Amazing wldlife identification, I know, but it was dark and I was tired)
Bourne End in Bucks? If so, were you heading West, towards Marlow?
East, from Marlow, through Bourne End to, erm, erm... Broadthingy? (It's been a long sleepless weekend...)
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2 Black Woodpeckers.
Thought they were crows or something when flying but were clearly woodpeckers when they landed on a tree. Hadn't realised they were so big! Usually tend to see Great Spotted Woodpeckers around the local forest.
They are BIG, aren't they?
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A very good view of a buzzard soaring over Stambridge Mills, less than 3 miles from Southend Town Centre.
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A rust coloured stoat or weasel, whichever is the larger.
This snake, which I think is an adder rather than a grass snake. It had been run over, which I didn't realise until I'd taken the picture, and was still alive so I dispatched it with a blow from lock. :'(
(http://www.delthebike.ukfsn.org/images/snake.jpg)
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With that pale patch on it's neck it looks more like a grass snake.
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With that pale patch on it's neck it looks more like a grass snake.
I've never seen either in the flesh and I thought the bright flash was a warning so my first thought was adder as I know they bite. That's why I didn't pick it up until I had killed it.
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Yes, a grass snake.
I haven't seen one for a few years. Last year my brother came across one his his garden. It was almost certainly newly-hatched and he took some video of it which resides on his mobile phone. I'll see if Dez can put it on general release when we are next adjacent.
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I once saw a bird of prey take a grass snake from the verge on the side of a road. It flew off with the snake wriggling in its talons.
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These are remarkably difficult to get pictures of. Their speed reflects their name.. The two pictures are taken at about 0.3 sec apart. Cropped so you see pretty much the full resolution shot on a 135/2.8 manual lens at f5.6 with a flash. I'll try and do better at the weekend.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3123/4564087718_c8f3386d4a_b.jpg)
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3188/4564088386_c2306267d3_b.jpg)
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That's early for Dundee ...
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I'm presuming there are no young yet as they weren't in and out the wholetime. Will try again at the weekend if the weather is good to get some better photos.
..d
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What is it David?
edit: [oh sorry, I just got it] :-[
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Swifts. Fantastic birds and very hard to capture.
..d
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A pair of redstarts on an extended commute home, I also had great close views of an otter fishing on the River Usk earlier in the week, but as that wasn't today I can't boast about it here...
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(http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n275/yellowhammer_01/08%20herps/blackadderbredhurst03.jpg)
I was going to ask what that was but I can see it in the filename... how interesting, where do you find them all?
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Heard yesterday, rather than seen today... first swifts of the year.
Wind must have been right, and it was warm with plenty of bugs in the evening.
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Seen yesterday from the train. West of Chichester, male marsh harrier.
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Some say sparrows are on the decline. That is because they are all in my garden.
You can get very close if you stand still enough (about 10ft away).
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4052/4567341335_b70bc53e09_b.jpg)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4010/4567973430_ae7c61460b_b.jpg)
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House martins - been around for a while here.
A pair of long-tailed tits collecting feathers (ex-pigeon) from on & under my blackcurrant bush. Nesting material, I presume.
A dead fox on the A4074 this morning. Looked freshly dead & young. Didn't learn about cars fast enough.
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Cycling along the road near Dartford by myself on the FNRttC, when I had left the TEC group behind (dealing with yet another flat, unknown to me), and the main body of the ride was probably over half an hour ahead at the halfway stop. Lots and lots of bunnies along the edge of the road, I guess the main ride would have scared them, but a single cyclist didn't really pose much of a threat.
Not particularly unique, but I haven't seen any bunnies up close for quite a while, normally the activities of the day scares them off.
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A pair of buzzards sweeping low over the A30 at the junction for St. Brewards
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Yesterday, two red squirrels in a wood just north of Glenfarg
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The local magpies are feeding their young. Having eaten all the young blackbirds in the area they are now chasing adult starlings all around the place.
Snake
My Library (http://www.yudu.com/library/6690/Snakehips-s-Library)
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Three buzzards on St.Keverne beacon
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A barn(?) owl on Saturday afternoon, near Melton Mowbray. It flew over our heads and landed in an oak tree by tthe side of the road, blending in very well. It took off as I was digging my camera out.
Saw a hare haring across a field a bit later.
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That is so beautiful
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Yesterday evening as I was leaving Dunmow by car, five fox cubs playing in the road. Very sweet!
Today as I went to feed next door's hens - a dead hedgehog caught in the electric fence around their pen and presumably killed by the shock. It was quite difficult to extricate it from the fence as it had stuck its head through. Very sad to see it.
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That is so beautiful
Isn't it? I do have a bit of a thing for hawkmoths, albeit tinged with a curiosity about what they'd taste like. Nutty, I'd think. ;)
How do you know what Nutty tastes like? ???
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A white deer by the railway line a little south of Three Bridges
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Lapwings. Seen a week apart in farmed fields.
Last weekend, south of Hay-on-Wye, 5mins ahead of Arabella.
Previous weekend, somewhere in Hants, with Scottlington and Manotea.
The Audax bird!
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On St. Keverne beacon a moorhen & several chicks waddling along the road,in primary :thumbsup:
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Yesterday I saw a green wagtail in Battersea Park. :)
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a buzzard over Manhay near Falmouth
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We saw loads of those today as well. We also saw a duck with 11 ducklings.
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Couple of pics taken by my 11yo this weekend whilst looking for wildlife along the local ex-railway path.
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1190/4593724812_16d9615abc_b.jpg)
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3479/4593726856_a873df825a_b.jpg)
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That black adder was one of my favourites - he had just finished shedding his skin when I found him and looked absolutely mint, so black he was almost purple.
I was going to ask where you got the blue-rinse viper from. I thought she had been confined to the dustbin of history in 1990. ;)
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Numerous rodents, mostly a light chocolatey brown sprinting across the path, most being about 1inch long.
Another squirrel... (actually seen yesterday)...
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4052/4604394646_88daa98499.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/47663483@N00/4604394646/)
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Saw a blue tit in the back garden looking for spiders under the roof overhang of the shed. I've never seen one here before.
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A fecking mosquito which was mainlining into a vein in the back of my left hand until I felt a sharp stab of pain and crushed the little git, but not before she had relieved me of a considerable quantity of blood, which exploded all over my fingers.
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(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1392/4608930685_8f70d481be.jpg)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4026/4590934569_7fce165282.jpg)
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Ooh, nice sqrl pic :)
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Yesterday, spent a happy 15 minutes or so winding up a cuckoo. I cuckooed back at it and it came to find me. Mrs. Wow and I had concealed ourselves under a hawthorn bush.
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you can still pull the birds then Wow ;)
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Even more rodents in the forest. Never seen so many.
And 1 Slow Worm (I think). It was maybe 15-20cm long 5mm diameter and "snakelike", but had white marks behind its head. Slithering across the path through the forest, and nearly squished it on the bike. Had stopped for a 30sec breather and literally 30cm from my wheel was this virtually camouflaged creature.
edit: +1 squirrel
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We can haz sqrl pic too. It wasn't very close, so apologies for crapness...
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4033/4612600420_6dc71076b8_o.jpg)
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I had the company of a Roe deer running along a few yards in front of me today for about 100 yards until it could get off the roadside and into a field...I didn't have time to reach into my rear pocket and get my camera phone to take a picture ;)
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Three black swans seen in a mile of Thames, each with at least one cygnet.
And here is one of them -
(http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq48/Bledlow/IMG_0181.jpg)
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Yesterday saw pair of crows trying to harras a Heron ,later on saw a vey scabby looking fox .Greenfinches fighting in hedgerows .
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Saw my first swifts of the year at the weekend.
Dolphins in the harbour yesterday.
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Lesser whitethroat on the way into work this morning, first one of the year. :)
Haven't seen a lesser w/throat in years!
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Heron, stood on the riverbank by the office as I walked in from the station this morning.
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On my run this morning, I saw: a raccoon, several white-tail deer, a heron, a pair of orioles, and the young raven that one of our neighbours is hand-rearing after it fell out of its nest! It is really rather big, but it sits on her shoulder and takes meat from her hand. The parents are still around and come feed it too. It's almost ready to fly off...
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A toad, I think, ambling across the road. Dark brown, warty, and driving an old vintage car. Ok, I lied about the last bit.
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Yeah, it was a white van, wasn't it? ;D
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I'd believe it if you had said he was riding a bike ;D
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Lesser whitethroat on the way into work this morning, first one of the year. :)
Haven't seen a lesser w/throat in years!
Saw a marsh warbler on the way home, in the same place! :smug:
:o
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(http://peter.chesspod.com/gallery/d/7791-2/DSC05269.JPG)
The biggest slow worm I've ever seen. About 18" long I reckon. That's Auntie Helen's hand just before it was bitten off.
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That's a big fella.
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What a beauty!
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That's a whopper of a slowie WB. :) Did you find it out on the crawl or under cover?
Lots of grass snakes about early this morning, and a female broad-bodied chaser was ovipositing in my pond as the male patrolled above her.
It was in the path in front of us. I saw it and shouted "Stopping!". Fortunately AH also avoided running it over.
When I picked it up (by the upper body so that it shouldn't shed its tail) it became very lively and I plonked it in the undergrowth.
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(http://peter.chesspod.com/gallery/d/7798-5/DSC05277.JPG)
It's a bit noisy in our garden at the moment.
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It's a feline taunter!
"I blow my nose at you, you so called Dog.
I meow in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries".
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Two smallish looking badgers scurrying along the bridleway making grunting noises at 2330 tonight. They both dived down the big hole that I had narrowly missed cycling into earlier on in the evening.
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Barn Owl hunting over the fields about 10.30 this morning. See these fairly regularly, I reckon I've seen 3 or 4 this year, all in daylight.
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Heard a sparrowhawk making its "ki-ki-ki" noise. There was a lot of commotion in a willow tree and said sparrowhawk emerged with something tit-sized in its talons.
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4 red kites at very low level, just beginning to spiral up on a thermal over the road, somewhere in deepest west-Wales :)
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On Wednesday we had to swerve round a pretty big snake (rural Oxon Thames flood plain). Must check some pictures to ID it. It was big enough to put the wind up 2 of us!
This morning's club ride was plagued by squirrels acting like sheep i.e. running down the road away from us instead of simply stepping into the hedgerow. Odd.
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Yesterday we saw a buzzard flying off with its lunch, looked like a wee rabbit or possibly a rat. It was holding its noms in the aerodynamic fashion that ospreys carry fish.
Also saw a brown hare :thumbsup:
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Went badger watching with my brother. He often sees badgers in daylight, from quite close range.
We saw one badger at 8.35 - well before sunset. The trouble was that it either saw or smelt us and that was the end of that, apart from an hour being eaten alive by mosquitoes and shredded by thorn bushes.
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Oooh yes, badgers
I was just turning into our drive on Saturday night at about 10:30, coming home from the Teifi Traveller, when I saw a pair of half-grown badgers playing in the road :)
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Went badger watching with my brother. He often sees badgers in daylight, from quite close range. ...
Don't worry Wow, the Somerset Kamikaze Badgers will be out in force for the Solstice WARTY (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=32300.0) in a few weeks time. ;D
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Went badger watching with my brother. He often sees badgers in daylight, from quite close range. ...
Don't worry Wow, the Somerset Kamikaze Badgers will be out in force for the Solstice WARTY (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=32300.0) in a few weeks time. ;D
Not neccesarily. Our new Govt has authorised a cull. The conservatives will shoot 'em and the lib-dems will stroke their heads afterward (TM ChrisS)
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Not so much today, rather over the weekend on the North Yorkshire Moors: cuckoo and curlews waking us in our tents at 3.30am and a lunchtime snipe sitting on top of a roadside cross in the middle of absolutely nowhere (well, near Ralph Crosses up above the head of Rosedale). Racing pigeons skimming low over the heather near Fylingdales. Lapwings cartwheeling above Chimney Bank. A grouse thinking about crossing a busy road at Hasty Bank and thinking better of it.
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A juvenile Greater Spotted Woodpecker in our back garden this morning...
...or rather on our fence. It seems to have realised that small insects live in the little gaps between the planks and the crossmember. It was hopping along the crossmember and sticking its beak into the gaps.
I do hope it becomes a regular visitor.
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Turkey vultures! I didn't think they bred on the island, but they do apparently. They are massive!
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On Sat' night on my way to Wetherby
4 owls, flying alongside me
1 badger, run across the road to get out the way
1 deer, stood in the road then bounded across the field and over the stream
Great to watch :thumbsup:
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The weekend's fare:
Aberdeenshire red kite, dipper, brown hare, red deer in a field in Tongue, buzzards, some seals, unidentified terns. At a cake shop, bolshy siskins, red squirrel, GSW, 3 varieties of tit.
And a male chaffinch which seem to have fungus growing on its left foot & on its left leg and it was missing its left eye - creepy looking.
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The weekend's fare:
Aberdeenshire red kite, dipper, brown hare, red deer in a field in Tongue, buzzards, some seals, unidentified terns. At a cake shop, bolshy siskins, red squirrel, GSW, 3 varieties of tit.
And a male chaffinch which seem to have fungus growing on its left foot & on its left leg and it was missing its left eye - creepy looking.
we get them hereabouts too:often seen driving motor cars ::-)
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Our Bluebird chicks taking their first interest in the outside world - so expect them to fledge today or tomorrow 8)
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A rat. Nothing surprising there, see a few every day (alive and dead), but this one didn't run away when I approached. It also had two large wounds on its left hind-quarters. Perhaps it had rabies???!!!
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A praying mantis, flying around our room last night then jumping from wall to wall. Soon it settled down and we spent a good while fascinated by its pupils visible behind horizontal slits - don't know whether you can call them eyelids - in the bulbous eyes, its mouth opening and closing as if eating - but if it was eating it had caught something too small for the human eye; a mite, maybe? - and then cleaning its front limbs, and its antennae waving asymmetrically in the air.
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Riding down the cycle track from Gatwick, by the fetid Gatwick Stream, on the new smooooooth tarmac, to Crawley. Firstly, a goldcrest, hopping out of a bush to sit on a wire fence for me to watch, and then, of all things, a full-throttle nightingale.
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Black swan with three cygnets. Approached by a dog while we were feeding them. The mother backed off slightly, ushered the cygnets behind her, & adopted a threatening pose. The dog dithered a bit, then cocked its leg in her direction. Well! Nice bit of body language, eh?
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Just now, in my garden: an entire squadron of frogs ??? Maybe a dozen or so, in my bone-dry garden with no water that I know of within the area. What's going on? ;D
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Just now, in my garden: an entire squadron of frogs ??? Maybe a dozen or so, in my bone-dry garden with no water that I know of within the area. What's going on? ;D
Next up: lice :o
Plagues of Egypt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagues_of_Egypt)
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On the way to work today, a badja.
Unfortunately, supine in the road.
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I went past that at about 0800 ish. When I went past the other way on the way home a bit later it had gone.
But I did see a couple of (live) deer in the field where they keep the ILS thingy.
(for non locals, this is a field a stone's throw from the end of the runway at Gatwick)
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But I did see a couple of (live) deer in the field where they keep the ILS thingy.
This should be made Technical Speak.
ATC: "Turn left heading 290, report established with the ILS thingy." :thumbsup:
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Not today but last week, on the Rhein & Mosel:
Lots of Black Kites
Quite a few black redstarts
Numerous fieldfares from close range: these threw me because they only visit Britain in the winter but are resident in Germany
Lots of a type of goose I couldn't identify positively but probably white-fronted geese
Two black-winged stilts.
We also heard loads of nightingales, one of which we saw.
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Heron in Grove Park, Carshalton, posing beautifully at the top of an ornamental cascade.
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A partridge trying to hide from me in the grass by the road near Pyecombe.
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Tit fledglings being fed by parent(s) on the feeders. Three male blackbirds fighting over the ground food table, now taking it in turns to feed.
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A swallow in two pieces on the road, legs & feet missing :-X
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A couple of days ago, the very amusing sight of three male mallards attempting to mate with one female.
She seemed to be well up for it, but every time one of the males tried to mount her, another would jump on his back and peck him in the head. These two would then have a bit of a scrap whilst the female quacked loudly, along with the third male, who perhaps was more of a voyeur than a participant. This went on for quite some time until a fifth bird in the form of a carrion crow swooped down and had a go at one of the mallards, whereupon all four flew off.
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A rather belated report, delayed by some uncertainty about the identity of the birds in question. On the ride from Oxford to Acton on Saturday morning, at about 4.00 at a guess, we were passing through the Colne Valley among the gravel pits when I spied a number of birds behaving in a very distinctively predatory fashion, hawking round the trees in the half light, as if hunting insects. At the time I suggested they might be nightjars but I rather dismissed this, as I'd always thought of them as heathland birds. However, advice from birdy colleagues and family members leaves me with little doubt that we'd seen nightjars.
I've also learnt that the way to attract nightjars is to place a white handkerchief on the ground and clap your hands. This may also attract constables.
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The blackbirds are bringing their offspring to my garden to feed.
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A young chaffinch - in the hallway. I opened the back door for the dog an hour or so ago and the chaffinch must have flown in. We managed to waft it back towards the back door and I think it's gone out now. That's two birds this week I've had to rescue from indoors!
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A young badger running across the lane about half a mile from the village last night when I was coming home about 11:00pm.
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This in the garden today:
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4011/4708354805_b9427bfcb2.jpg)
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A yellow wagtail and one chick on its nest which it had built right outside my sister-in-law's dining room window in a flower pot.
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Dolphins playing just off the beach in Mwnt.
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Lots of birdies around the Welsh hills and valleys on an audax yesterday, highlights being 2 pairs of redstarts, a few tree pipits and a fat fairly freshly fledged dipper that was too full of river invert goodness to move as I slowly trundled/wheezed passed.
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Lots of wildlife seen yesterday, on the cotswold and thames i did.
Hairs seem to be getting more common again around my way as I saw at least half a dozen in the first couple of miles, along with a pair of monkjacks. I also saw at least a dozen Kites flying over, I think it was Stadhampton all flying around together with one crow trying his best to scare them off.
In various other places I saw a kestrel swoop down in front of me and pick up a mouse or shrew, mother and young roe deer, baby roe deer sat on the side of the road.
And I got chased by three dogs at Sutton Benger, I was riding along the side of a big hedge and could hear this ticking sound, thinking that the rear mech was slightly out, when all of a sudden three dogs burst out of a drive way after me, the ticking was their claws on the tarmac ... that got the old heart working well though :)
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And I got chased by three dogs at Sutton Benger, I was riding along the side of a big hedge and could hear this ticking sound, thinking that the rear mech was slightly out, when all of a sudden three dogs burst out of a drive way after me, the ticking was their claws on the tarmac ... that got the old heart working well though :)
[/quote]
Dog sprints are very good training you know. There used to be a farm in Radnorshire with lots of collies that I used to pass going downhill, great fun watching them trying to keep up at 30MPH :demon:, I never made the mistake of cycling the other way though as I'm not sure even a chemically infused Pantani could have beaten a psychotic collie up a steep hill.
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A half-tame juvenile blackbird, which keeps popping round. It seems a bit clueless, perhaps thrown out by its parents before quite ready, or maybe 'special needs', as Mrs B suggested. We're torn between making sure it's well fed & fear of it becoming dependent on us.
Mrs B had a close encounter with a kite in the back garden yesterday, while reading An Artist of the Floating World (her, not the kite). A shadow passed over, & she looked up to catch the eye of a very low-flying kite having a good look at her. It then glided away, presumably pissed off because she wasn't dead.
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Dozens of tiny frogs by the edge of Mallards Pike lake in the Forest of Dean:
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_9Ae_dGIUcWs/TB6AI5Rjo9I/AAAAAAAAAmE/LaqEqMMMZ-o/s640/img_2528.jpg)
Sitting on a fingernail shows just how tiny they were:
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_9Ae_dGIUcWs/TB6AWdcoCPI/AAAAAAAAAmI/LBtWr_ZryHM/s640/img_2546.jpg)
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awwwh!
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A Sparrow Hawk on the back lawn, with a young Starling dinner.
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A shrew. In my bedroom. Being stared at by two crap cats who couldn't catch a cold in the arctic.
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A pair of marsh harriers getting some unwelcome attention from a crow.
Edit: It's bird of prey city out there at the moment; the crow (or one of its mates) has just seen off the neighbourhood kestrel.
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Corvids really aren't keen on any kind of raptor.
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Corvids really aren't keen on any kind of raptor.
Watching interactions between ravens and raptors is fun. Buzzards are attacked hard and fast, with furious flapping to gain height to stoop on the buzzard, who half rolls to present talons. On the other hand, goshawks....the ravens make a lot of noise, but do NOT dive in to make a physical attack.
Wonder why?
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30 Red Kites.
Can you guess which motorway I was on today?
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30 Red Kites.
Can you guess which motorway I was on today?
Yes
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Thought as much.
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On Sunday I looked up in to the clear sky above my garden and saw what I thought was a Cormorant , except that it was higher than you would expect and just cruising about on the air currents in a most un-Cormorant like manner.
As I watched the bird soared even higher , became a speck in the sky , then disappeared completely.
Can anybody think what bird might look like a Cormorant from below and behave like this.
I assume Cormorants could not fly like this and would have no reason to do so.
Snake
My Library (http://www.yudu.com/library/6690/Snakehips-s-Library)
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Heron?
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Soaring doesn't sound like a heron.
Crane?
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Heron and Crane (that would be great to see) have large wide wings and legs that stick out the back in flight. I didn't see legs , but the tail looked slightly fan-like .
Snake
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Sitting on a fingernail shows just how tiny they were:
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_9Ae_dGIUcWs/TB6AWdcoCPI/AAAAAAAAAmI/LBtWr_ZryHM/s640/img_2546.jpg)
Very tiny! Great photo's. Did you have wet hands for picking it up?
There's a reservoir near where I used to live and I came across a kilometre* long trail of toadlets along the reservoir wall and heading into the woods. They were slightly bigger than yours, nose to tail and three or four wide in some places. Thousands of em.
*checked on OS map at home.
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Unlikely to be a raven in this area, and cormorants DO get quite high up. Was it soaring with still wings, or beating them at all? How were the wing beats? Did they look as if they were flicking back from the wrist?
One possibility is white stork. At height, it canlook very black and thus changes shape. I have seen them over Kent. The predominant whiteness can let them "disappear" when at the right angle to the light.
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Dead tortoise in the road 10ish miles south of Norwich. Very sad as my folks have a tortoise, Daisy, that they've had for 35ish years, and this one looked a similar size (i.e. very adult - Daisy is about 90 as far as we know).
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Unlikely to be a raven in this area, and cormorants DO get quite high up. Was it soaring with still wings, or beating them at all? How were the wing beats? Did they look as if they were flicking back from the wrist?
One possibility is white stork. At height, it canlook very black and thus changes shape. I have seen them over Kent. The predominant whiteness can let them "disappear" when at the right angle to the light.
Thanks for the replies chaps.
TT , I did see a few wing beats at first but at that time I was convinced I was watching a cormorant. As it got higher the wing beats ceased.
It has occurred to me that it might just have been a largish gull , we get Herring and Lesser Blackbacked on the Thames near here , with its whiteness obscured by its distance from me.
I will keep my eyes aloft.
Snake
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Sitting on a fingernail shows just how tiny they were:
...
Very tiny! Great photo's. Did you have wet hands for picking it up?
...
Thanks - Canon Digital Ixus 75 in digital macro mode. I just put a finger down in front of one & it obediently hopped straight on, so no special handling required
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A grass snake wot the cat dragged in:
(http://ivytodd.com/images/IMAG0042.jpg)
Bloody cats >:(
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Call that a snake?
THIS was a snake!
Road kill 200 yards from my front door. Glove in for scale
(http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/6281/img0217jog.jpg)
(http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/4049/img0218aob.jpg)
She was pregnant.
(http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/1313/img0219y.jpg)
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A Sparrow Hawk on the back lawn, with a young Starling dinner.
Another sparrowhawk sighting - sitting in the top of the pyracantha at the bottom of the garden, in urban Bristol, for about 30s before flying off.
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Another Red Kite. Yeah, yeah.
But this was over the M25, about 1 mile Heathrow-wards of J12. Never seen them so close to London before.
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I saw a cormorant this morning. In the midlands, 70 miles from the sea. :o
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They come up rivers in summer quite often. We get them at Kirkham which is about 25 miles from the sea regularly.
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Seen while in Soho Square Gardens: a raptor (looked like a falcon) hovering over Centre Point. Stooped and killed. Awesome.
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I saw a cormorant this morning. In the midlands, 70 miles from the sea. :o
I've seen one recently within 10 miles of Meriden. It was before the pubs had opened ;). One of my fellow wildlife volunteers (a birder with a better eye for fauna than I can ever aspire to) has seen one or more at Draycote Water.
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That's a very good list for a single visit, it must be one of those rare country parks that is managed for nice habitat rather than dog walkers.
From my own eyes 200+ km around the hills of S Wales covering many habitats yesterday yielded only about 20 bird species (raven, redstart and wheatear being about the most exciting), are our feathered friends moulting already?
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(http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee253/ianrsparrow/DSC06418.jpg)
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(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4783783729_d2097f9491.jpg)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4142/4784419702_8964bc965d.jpg)
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A young badger (cub?) sort of fell out of a roadside hedgebank as we were riding through deepest Worcestershire this morning. It seemed a bit dazed, but obviously not too badly, since by the time we had stopped to look back it had disappeared. The hole that was presumably a sett entrance was thigh high, so it is presumably pretty good at climbing near-vertical banks
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(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4783783729_d2097f9491.jpg)
Spear thistle?
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4142/4784419702_8964bc965d.jpg)
Surely water lilies, but the amphibian in the foreground makes identification a bit difficult ;).
Superb photos btw. I've been told the name of the bumble bee this week, but have already forgotten.
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Just been clearing out the pond a bit. This little chap came up with a pile of weed.
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/nicknacknick/IMG_0592.jpg)
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Also found in the pond was this. Antone any idea which dragonfly it's from? I've googled around but haven't found an exact match yet. It's about 5cm long.
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/nicknacknick/IMG_0594_1.jpg)
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/nicknacknick/IMG_0597_1.jpg)
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Ta. Yup there's plenty of stuff lives in there. But a bit less foliage now and a bit more room to swim.
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I've seen either a few of these, or the same one several times, recently, in my garden.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3282/3118500135_2fbb9dc070.jpg)
Scarlet tiger moth
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I saw a red kite today, which I spotted all by myself. I was embarrasingly excited about that.
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And a stoat - first one I've seen for ages :)
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Two buzzards (two separate occasions, may have been the same individual twice) flying just about 3 metres in front of me at head height. Very impressive.
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I saw a red kite today, which I spotted all by myself. I was embarrasingly excited about that.
We saw loads of red kites this weekend. It was wonderful. We were near the Chilterns, so there is a large group of them living there, and its entirly unsurprising to spot several, but they are still magnificent every time.
I spent a lot of time watching a pied wagtail, which is probably my favourite bird. And I was observing a load of ants. Fascinating things.
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Mrs. Wow and I were treated to the amusing sight of two moorhens, both with their beaks stuffed with soggy bread, pootling across the park lake in convoy to deliver the swag to their chicks. It turned out they were not mates, as one was intercepted by its brood whilst the other continued for another 30 yards or so before being welcomed by four small black balls of fluff.
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Oh yes. TGL spotted a moorhen chick - so tiny it was standing on a bent reed - in a village pond. Moorhen feet are disproportionately big.
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A headless thing that unspooled a snakey neck to reveal a grumpy cormorant. :)
Also menacing swans and jumping salmons!
Paddley paddley good.
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A pair of peregrine, one redstart and lots of ravens&spotted orchids in the sunshine between Abergavenny and Blaenavon. The local hobbies appeared to bug'd off to somewhere with more dragonflies though.
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Yesterday afternoon near sharpthorne, first a doe and fawn crossing a forest track and then a group of about 1/2 doz, which may have included the first two, in the trees.
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does seeing something in the newspaper count?
Forty-ton whale lands on yacht during Cape Town sailing trip - Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7901247/Forty-ton-whale-lands-on-yacht-during-Cape-Town-sailing-trip.html)
probably be time for a new pair of shorts!
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does seeing something in the newspaper count?
Forty-ton whale lands on yacht during Cape Town sailing trip - Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7901247/Forty-ton-whale-lands-on-yacht-during-Cape-Town-sailing-trip.html)
probably be time for a new pair of shorts!
Did you see the advert next to the story for a cheap pot of petunias?
..d
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OK, seen on holiday. Took me a while to identify it having never seen one quite like this before.
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/4815781301_66303e71a8_b.jpg)
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They don't show them like that very often in the books ...
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They don't show them like that very often in the books ...
.. or on the christmas cards..
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They don't show them like that very often in the books ...
.. or on the christmas cards..
Well, they don't look like that at Christmas ;)
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While cycling from Turners Hill towards East Grinstead, the car driver in front slowed as a young deer wandered into the lane.
It was either not too bright, or scared of what was in the fields, as it kept trotting along the lane. The car driver put his hazards and we built up quite a tail back.
After about 400m a car came the other way. Faced with motors from both directions Bambi decided the fields weren't that frightening after all and scuttled off.
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A snake. Don't know what species. I only saw its black body/tail slithering away from me into the long grass at the roadside.
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Wind-blown inner tube maybe?
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The other side of the river to Düsseldorf:
(http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx30/Auntie_Helen/Duesseldorf%20Rides/DSCF5575.jpg)
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Bleedin' terrapin! in Priory Park!! >:(
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Yellowhammer, I want to go for walks with you. You spot such fascinating things.
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Two young blackbirds have been skulking under my blackcurrant bush for the last few days. It's a good hiding place, shielded by other plants at the front, wall at the back & one side, & the compost bin on the other side. A couple of adults turn up sometimes, usually one at a time, to help them feed.
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Yellowhammer, I want to go for walks with you. You spot such fascinating things.
You've scored.
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Cheeky fellow! ;D
I just see things which get categorised as: Insect, bee, ant, butterfly, caterpillar, dragonfly (or is it a damselfly?), frog (maybe toad, now I think about it), snake - or slow worm, they're not snakes at all, are they? But they look like one to me... :-\ etc etc.
So much more intersting to know Stuff about what you see. I used to have a partner who was an expert on botany. She knew common and Latin names for all sorts of things, and could spot the differences between plants I thought were identical (and the link between ones I thought were different). Of course, it went in one ear and out the other, and I was left thinking 'Ooh! Pretty blue flower' or whatever, but it was nice that someone knew.
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I'm about up with Clarion when it comes to the identifying stuff lark. Going around with someone who Knows Their Stuff is a wonder. TT was brilliant at the Barnes Wetland place last year (ooh, we must go again). My chums Frank and Bob are also ded gud at the birdy stuff. And my friend Nic has an utterly amazing blog (http://www.londondailynaturephoto.co.uk/) of London Nature Photos.
Dragging the thread back on topic, cycling home yesterday I saw a female Mallard (duck, not steam powered loco) legging it down the road, pursued by a bear young fox. I'm guessing the fox had already had a go at the duck, reducing its flight capabilities. The fox ran off when I got too close.
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Today on my way to work I saw either a weasel or a stoat. First time I've seen one and I don't know which it was! I know that one is weasily recognised and the other is stoatally different, but the sun was behind it and it was some distance away so I didn't get a good view. I think it's face was a bit stubbier than stoaty so maybe a weasel.
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Today on my way to work I saw either a weasel or a stoat. First time I've seen one and I don't know which it was! I know that one is weasily recognised and the other is stoatally different, but the sun was behind it and it was some distance away so I didn't get a good view. I think it's face was a bit stubbier than stoaty so maybe a weasel.
Weasel:
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b187/vicechair/Stoves/2ef12183.jpg)
Stoat:
(http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/10_04/shellwild3L25140_800x655.jpg)
Hope this helps ;D
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Heaps of buzzards (boring I know, but they were all pretty low down today), a kestrel, an osprey and 7 seals.
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About 7 (I think) dolphin a couple of hundred meters offshore, surfing the boat's wake near Nissaki, Corfu. They really do give every appearance of doing it for fun.
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They do it on porpoise.
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They do it on porpoise.
You are Aperitif AICMFP
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About 7 (I think) dolphin a couple of hundred meters offshore, surfing the boat's wake near Nissaki, Corfu. They really do give every appearance of doing it for fun.
Having a whale of a time.
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A pipistrelle or similar bat. Flying around inside the South Terminal baggage reclaim.....
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Wesaw lots of stuff this weekend.
Watlington did its own brand of turning something fabulously magical like red kites into something so familiar and everyday ;D
And there were the pied wagtails, too. They're always pretty.
Late at night, as we were heading for bed, Butterfly heard a noise behind our tent, and we found a little hedgehog feasting on the watermelon discarded by the teenagers. Sadly, after a few seconds thinking about it, it walked off into the hedge. We both reflected that it was a long time since we've seen hedgehogs, which seem to have been much more common in our youth.
Saturday night was also when I saw an owl swoop silently over the next field. I'd hoped to see bats too, but not this weekend, I'm afraid.
Next day, when folk had gone, the bunnies crept back out onto the field. I'm sure many campers will have encountered their little holes, or their leavings. But they tend to stay in the lower field when there are campers about.
later, over the Chilterns, a bunny considered jumping into our front wheel, but I am pleased to say it reconsidered.
We saw a weasel, too, near Turville, but it was unfortunately less alive than the optimum. :(
Approaching the campsite in the unpromising position of being next to the M4, under the Heathrow flightpath, and in between Slough & Maidenhead, Butterfly noticed a small group of deer grazing in a field. They were still there later, when we popped out shopping in the dark, and at least one was there the next morning when we set off.
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On Monday I also saw a Kingfisher over the Thames near Hambledon Lock. It was magical, but Clarion was piloting and missed it. He did see the baby heron though. There were also some fabulous butterflies up towards Christmas Common and a heap of baby moorhens in a nest somewhere. :)
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All that lot, too! :)
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These
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/deers_1.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/deers_2.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/deers_3.jpg)
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Amazing pictures. I particularly like the last one where one has his head cocked to one side looking at you.
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Stag party :thumbsup:
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The one with his head cocked is saying, "Is it a gun? I'm not sure, it could just be a camera. I think it's a camera." and the ones in the background are saying "F*ck that - we're off, it could be a gun!".
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I like the way he seems to be squinting, with one eye shut.
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I like the way he seems to be squinting, with one eye shut.
He has a rechambered 7.62 SMLE rifle in that long grass and is drawing a bead......
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Sticklebacks.
I hadn't seen any for years, but recently, one of our dog walks, an ornamental garden with waterfall and artificial stream which had not been working for years, has seen the council turn the pump back on. The stream and the small pools are teeming with 10-spined sticklebacks. Quite nostalgic.
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Last week in Germany (Düsseldorf) I think I saw a Nuthatch - is that likely?
On Friday, when out riding with Redfalo (who has just joined this forum) and his wife around Great Bromley we watched a stoat dragging a dead mouse across the road. Or its baby, or something. A stoat dragging something across the road. I said to Redfalo, "You'll never see that in London..."
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Momonga - Japanese dwarf flying squirrels. Seen by Mrs B at Nikko the last couple of nights. Japanese cuteness personified.
(http://cuteoverload.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/momonga.jpg)
(http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRbt_PBGrYk5-NyKgQOWLX0Tg1Cja1hnr9CNmsFfxJ8Wa80kWY&t=1&usg=__PqUkx42TGoMeyBpVJxRXdVNNy4Q=)
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On Holiday in Poolewe last week and from the cottage window we watched seals, otters, herons, various waders and an owl. Every time we looked out the window Loch Ewe looked different. Magical.
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Moved a tray in that had been left to dry in the garden.
Small slow worm under it. Not slow at all when I tried to get hold of it to move it to a safer place!
We know they're in the garden, but we don't see them that often.
S
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A stoat in the garden
Since Big Cat died the voles & woodmice populations have exploded; they used to be confined to the undergrowth and shrubberies, but now their holes are all over the grass.
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Since Big Cat died the voles & woodmice populations have exploded; they used to be confined to the undergrowth and shrubberies, but now their holes are all over the grass.
Once the junior team are allowed out, that unconcerned bunch of rodents will become a rapid training exercise in tracking and hunting. :-\
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Last week in Germany (Düsseldorf) I think I saw a Nuthatch - is that likely?
Don't see why not. The only one I've ever seen was in Bamberg.
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We get them on our seed feeders. Lovely.
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Yesterday, while I was descending N. towards Shipton under Wychwood, a roe deer shot across the road about 2m in front of me. There was a memorable crunch of hooves on loose stones as it kicked off from the roadside. I was mightily relieved that I hadn't arrived half a second earlier. I don't know much about deer, but it had the start of antlers about the size of its ears.
I'd had a similar encounter, but at a more comfortable 10m distance, around Basingstoke, riding S. last Monday.
Are roe deer common in those areas?
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I think nuthatches are more common in West England 7 Wales than they are in the south-east although I have seen them in Hockley Woods, about 5 miles form Southend.
A pal of mine who lives in mid-Wales showed me his old post box, the slot of which had been sealed up with mud, except for a small hole. He quizzed me as to what it was, and I think he was quite surprised when I identified it as a nuthatch's nest.
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Last week in Germany (Düsseldorf) I think I saw a Nuthatch - is that likely?
They're not uncommon around here - West Midlands suburbia. We have had them on our feeders, though not observed in the last couple of years. I've identified more by sound than sight.
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They're very common round here as well as in Central and Eastern Europe. I think of their call as sounding a bit electronic.
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.. Shipton under Wychwood, a roe deer ...
I'd had a similar encounter, but at a more comfortable 10m distance, around Basingstoke, riding S. last Monday.
Are roe deer common in those areas?
Yes. They're common over the whole region. When commuting by train from Reading to Basingstoke, Newbury, & Oxford, at various times, I saw them very frequently, sometimes multiple sightings in one trip.
I've often seen them when out on the bike, sometimes crossing the road, & I once had a near miss as close as yours, when one roe deer leapt across the road in front of Adrian Lawson, & another between Adrian & me, near Beenham (a bit west of Reading). Luckily, my bowels were already empty.
Several witnesses to that near miss. It was a Reading CTC Wednesday evening ride, a few years ago.
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Out today I saw this poor chap with 'angel wings' , for details see wikipedia or similar.
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/205473/dd8168ee7/Egyptian1c.jpg)
Snake
My Library (http://www.yudu.com/library/6690/Snakehips-s-Library)
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Not quite in the wild, but I made friends with a European Eagle Owl during this weekend's cycling tour of the Cotswolds.
(http://www.soi.city.ac.uk/~jwo/acf/JoOwl2010.jpg)
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Ace
I love Eagle Owls :)
Damn big feet
Where was that ? Cotswold Wildlife Park ?
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It was the Batsford Falconry Centre (http://www.cotswold-falconry.co.uk) (beware atrocious web site design).
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Ace
I love Eagle Owls :)
Damn big feet
Where was that ? Cotswold Wildlife Park ?
They are devvil birdz ;) (according to some, anyway ...)
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Not today I'm afraid but I've only just uploaded from the camera: a pair of keas by the entrance to the Homer Tunnel near Milford Sound
(http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f130/PaulRide/kea.jpg)
and a pesky turkey outside my sister-in-law's house
(http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f130/PaulRide/bushturkey.jpg)
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Quite a lot of dead frogs this morning on the cummute. Not in the same numbers as springtime froggy-goes-a
-courtin'-getting-run-over numbers. It may be the start of a compressed plague season because last night we had the flooding. Or maybe that was somehow the cause of the frog slaughter. Most were fat, rather than flat, so had not been run over.
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I had forgotten the Secondary Slaughter that is late summer.
It was a warm, humid and wet morning here. By the time I went out at 9am, the roads were a froggy carnage :(.
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A flock of long-tailed tits, foraging in bushes beside the path we were walking along this morning. We stopped to watch them, & once we'd been standing still for a couple of minutes they ignored us, perching within feet of us making soft churring noises, & flying past very close.
Mrs B thinks they're cute.
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These two were in an orchard belonging to a B&B. They were wild but not too scared to run away. The foal was bouncing around like Tigger most of the time.
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aF252wVgwes/THF8QiByc8I/AAAAAAAAEvo/cP4u06MB2GY/s800/22082010180.jpg)
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This:
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4116/4924126770_80c5500113_z.jpg)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4094/4923530763_10579e621f_z.jpg)
Edited to add:
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4076/4924260228_52ae4d0d14_m.jpg)
???
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Shield bug (http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Bugs.html)?
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I had one of those on my arm in Wales last week. Pretty alarming when you don't actually feel it there but just look down and see it.
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Shield bug (http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Bugs.html)?
Indeed, possibly the Forest bug (http://www.britishbugs.org.uk/heteroptera/Pentatomidae/pentotoma_rufipes.html).
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Last Saturday week actually: Charlotte and I were looking at some corvids near Mwnt and I couldn't be sure whether they were jackdaws or the rarer orange-billed coast-dwelling variety.
Charlotte's remark?
"I do like looking up at a chough!"
Shocked, I was.
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An hour or less ago, camouflaged in the vine:
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4929153597_1d4cfc8315_b.jpg)
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Just now a barn owl screeching away on the telegraph pole just outside our garden.
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Yesterday, on a bridlepath near Alfriston, a small sidewinding snake, which was too quick for me to rescue my phone from my pack. He was no more than 5 inches long, a very dark green with a cream-coloured band just behind his head.
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Just now a barn owl screeching away on the telegraph pole just outside our garden.
We had a little owl in our plum tree yesterday morning, in broad daylight
It seemed quite happy
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On Saturday a kestrel flew over our house :thumbsup:
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Yesterday, on a bridlepath near Alfriston, a small sidewinding snake, which was too quick for me to rescue my phone from my pack. He was no more than 5 inches long, a very dark green with a cream-coloured band just behind his head.
That sounds like a newly-hatched grass snake. I've never seen one side-winding but then I've never seen one so small. Maybe they change their means of locomotion as they get older?
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That sounds like a newly-hatched grass snake. I've never seen one side-winding but then I've never seen one so small. Maybe they change their means of locomotion as they get older?
I expect he was feeling very exposed on the stone flags by the foot-bridge and was improvising in the eagerness to find shelter. It was a lovely sighting and I'm sad not to have captured a shot of it.
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Just now a barn owl screeching away on the telegraph pole just outside our garden.
We had a little owl in our plum tree yesterday morning, in broad daylight
It seemed quite happy
Little owls are often about during the day in a most un owl like fashion. Mind you our local barn owl was hunting during the day earlier in the year. Young to feed I should think.
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I was out in my boat on Sunday, when I saw a small [frantically searches for collective name] of ducks clustering on the river under an overhanging bramble bush. They took it in turns to rear up out of the water, and pluck a blackberry from the bush. They must've liked them, as they kept going back for more.
Fox in my garden on Tuesday. By the time I'd switched the camera on, he'd seen my bright yellow jacket and scarpered.
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[frantically searches for collective name] of ducks
A raft or paddling of ducks? (http://www.birdnature.com/groupnames.html)
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On Saturday a kestrel flew over our house :thumbsup:
A couple of weeks ago a kestrel flew into my house. It actually flew into the living room window then dropped onto the window ledge and sat there looking in at me from about three feet away. I tried to fire up the camera on my phone but it flew away before I could get a photo. I wasn't too sure what kind of bird it was (other than a bird of prey) but a visit to the RSPB website convinced me that it was a kestrel.
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Tawny Owl on the telegraph pole - silouetted against the afterglow.
Also - a cloud of bats whizzing around the front garden. I've never found where they sleep - the loft I guess.
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Frog on the doorstep. Just a little one.
Tried kissing it- no joy.
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Loads over the last few days: buzzards, red deer, oystercatchers, rock pipits, grey seals, kestrels, a red squirrel and a golden eagle.
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Loads over the last few days: buzzards, red deer, oystercatchers, rock pipits, grey seals, kestrels, a red squirrel and a golden eagle.
In the Ashby de la Zouch area?
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i saw a dead Mink today in the middle of a country lane....
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In the Ashby de la Zouch area?
;D
Arran, Kintyre and the west coast of Scotland. More buzzards, herons and another red squirrel today as we headed east towards Comrie, where I've seen green woodpeckers and can hear owls, pheasants and lots of woodpigeon.
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A frog, in the boot of my car.
How it got there is left as an exercise for the reader. ;D
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An absolutely terrifyingly enormous hairy spider, which barakta allowed to escape, and is now keeping the now legendary low profile somewhere in the tangle of dusty cables behind her desk. It's biding its time and is going to kill us and eat us when we go to bed. :-[
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An absolutely terrifyingly enormous hairy spider, which barakta allowed to escape, and is now keeping the now legendary low profile somewhere in the tangle of dusty cables behind her desk. It's biding its time and is going to kill us and eat us when we go to bed. :-[
For some reason when I read this, this song popped into my head ...
YouTube
- The Cure - Lullaby [Music Video]
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOHQs405XcU)
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A HUUUGE dragonfly patrolling outside our kitchen window, hunting wasps.
Biggest one I've ever seen.
And on the way home just now, 10 buzzards spiralling up on a thermal, all shouting their feathery heads off :)
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S'funny, we saw a great big green dragonfly on Sunday clattering around, and then later in the afternoon several squadrons of Swifts swooshing and swifting around the Downs gobbling up flies and whatnot coming up off the ground from all the sheep poo, prior to saluting "Goodbye" to southern Britain for this year.
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A dead housemartin which Mildred our big chicken then grabbed and proceeded to devour. Chickens are the avian equivalent of goldfish in that they have tiny brains and will eat anything.
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Mmm, goldfish omelette! :D
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Saw a red squirrel today while out for a cycle through some woods!
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Last week whilst on a site visit for work the CCTV camera inspecting the culvert recorded what was either a large Mink or a small Otter. current opinion is that it probably was a young Otter. The ecologists will be going out next week to try to corroborate the poor video with prints or droppings.
This will be the first Otter recorded on this river since the 60s so the conservation team are rather excited.
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2 buzzards in the fields opposite my lane, I thought I'd heard them recently but today was the 1st time I've seen any that close to home.
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A large skein of geese flying in the direction of Englandshire yesterday. Autumn has arrived !
A post script...
Arrival of wild geese heralds onset of autumn - The Scotsman
(http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland/Arrival-of-wild-geese-heralds.6539468.jp)
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A small group of 10 pinks over North Berwick this afternoon; swallows and house martins moving through.
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Riding back from Northallerton, I saw a small leaf blowing in the road and thought, "Those autumn leaves, they always look like little animals running in the road".
It was a little animal running in the road.
I stopped, and watched. It was a tiny vole. It zigzagged around the road. There was a car coming.
Little Voley stopped under the instep of my left foot for a moment, and when the car had gone, ran into the verge.
I was reminded of the rabbit at the end of Peter Abelard, thrusting its head trustingly into his hand just before it died.
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Amazing! 22nd September. Swifts and swallows flapping and skimming around in the skies above Brighton, on avery warm day. Lovely.
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And now a buzzard has gorn across the sky. No wonder the Herring Gulls got all excited.
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Several hundred pink foot grazing in the fields next to my ride home this evening - the first time I've seen them this year. In a few weeks time I'll be riding past them in the dark, just me, my Ixon IQ beam ( :thumbsup:) and the glorious sound of all of them flying off to their roosts.
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I've just found a Common Lizard in the garden (at least, that's wwhat I think it is)(I was looking for the local frog at the time) That's the first time I've ever seen one - global warming in Staffordshire?
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Just outside my back door:
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/nicknacknick/Img_0847.jpg)
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Just outside my back door:
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/nicknacknick/Img_0847.jpg)
Lordy.
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It's started!
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So what's eating what?
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Isn't the big one a sexton beetle? They're grave diggers. The little ones are surely some kind of (making my skin crawl) spider mite.
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Saw a young seagull today. Not so strange, living by the sea. This one was doing the padding the ground for worms thing. This morning it was doing it on the road. This afternoon it was on a car roof. No idea what it did for lunch.
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BY ALL THAT'S HOLY! I'VE JUST SEEN A SWALLOW SKIMMING ACROSS THE SKY IN BRIGHTON!!!
7TH OCTOBER.
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My magnolia is in flower.
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A roe deer. Looked quite young. It's normal to see them in the forest, but this one was in a field a good mile from the woods and very near the road. I shall take this as a sign of approaching winter (brr, it's six degrees today!)
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BY ALL THAT'S HOLY! I'VE JUST SEEN A SWALLOW SKIMMING ACROSS THE SKY IN BRIGHTON!!!
7TH OCTOBER.
I don't think that's terribly unusual.
I didn't see any swallows today so they may well have taken advantage of the north wind and buggered off.
The latest in the year I have ever seen a swallow / house martin / swift was a pair of house martins on 20th November 1976 on Westcliff sea front. That was an absolutely freak incident though and I've never seen them later than about the third week in October otherwise.
According to South East Essex RSPB Local Group - Latest Bird Reports (http://www.southendrspb.co.uk/sightings.htm), several swallows were seen yesterday.
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No, perhaps not, but given the crap weather around September and distinct lack of sightings, I thought the buggers had all buggered off. It was probably just our southern johnnies. The one I saw, and the House Martin yesterday, were most likely our northern johnnies making their way down for the trip abroad.
Mind you, the way the wind was going yesterday I wouldn't be at all surprised if they weren't blown along to Cornwall.
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Probably. Our housemartins only left a few weeks ago them another small batch turned up a week later presumably on their way south from further north.
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My magnolia is in flower.
So is my ceanothus. Wha'gwaan'?
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Spotted my first ever nuthatch visiting out bird feeder :)
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Spotted my first ever nuthatch visiting out bird feeder :)
They are quite violent, aren't they?
Have you ever seen a greater spotted woodpecker on a bird feeder? They really give it some welly. :D
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Spotted my first ever nuthatch visiting out bird feeder :)
They are quite violent, aren't they?
Have you ever seen a greater spotted woodpecker on a bird feeder? They really give it some welly. :D
we've got one in the garden, vicious looking bugger it is too.
I saw what I think was a red kite on my run yesterday, bloody huge bird of prey shaped bird, with reddish wings but I didnt see any white feathers on the underside of the wings. It came out of the tree as I ran under it, and flapped slowly about 50 yards ahead of me till it drifted across to the other corner of the field. I'd heard there were a couple of pairs living round here but hadnt seen anything that close before.
It was here (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=chiswick+hall+chrishall&sll=51.491197,-0.265645&sspn=0.006172,0.016544&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Chiswick+Hall,+Chrishall,+Royston,+Hertfordshire+SG8+8RA,+United+Kingdom&ll=52.007208,0.10289&spn=0.001526,0.004136&t=h&z=18), give or take.
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On yesterdays ride a very white looking wasp landed on my bars briefly, not sure if it was infected or going mouldy but there was just a hint of yellow and black on the underneath.
I also saw a very dark plumaged pheasant in a hedgerow.
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Spotted my first ever nuthatch visiting out bird feeder :)
They are quite violent, aren't they?
Have you ever seen a greater spotted woodpecker on a bird feeder? They really give it some welly. :D
Had a greater spotted woodpecker check out the birdfeeder but didn't hang around.
Today on the way to Gibside: 1 red kite, 1 dead cat, 1 dead cow.
At Gibside: 4 jays, 1 red kite, 1 wren.
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A mouse that Mojo brought in. It had a large (for a mouse) stomach wound and died in my hands while I was considering how best to put it out of its misery.
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Lots and lots of frogs. Large and small, all over the roads. Some so well camouflaged - they have the colouration and markings of leaves - that I nearly ran them over.
Also some kind of small, pale-coloured hawk in a field. Not a kestrel. Looked a bit like a merlin, but I think those are only found further north. Maybe it was a sparrowhawk, but I'm not sure.
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Just back from two weeks on Speyside. Our last swallows of the year, and our first redwings, plus crested tits, black grouse, and the usual abundance of red squirrels. And an added bonus, on a day trip to Findhorn, a sighting of the Moray Firth dolphins.
Judging from the parked landrover the Autumnwatch team appeared to be staying in a cottage just up the road from us. Sad to say that we didn't see any wild cats...
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what we think was a sparrow hawk was plucking a pigeon at the bottom of the garden.
our cat was very pleased to have lunch delivered. ::-)
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what we think was a sparrow hawk was plucking a pigeon at the bottom of the garden
Very likely a sparrowhawk, as you say.
We had a local one at the last house, a big female who used to regularly pluck and butcher wood pigeons in the garden, and carry them off in pieces.
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what we think was a sparrow hawk was plucking a pigeon at the bottom of the garden
Very likely a sparrowhawk, as you say.
We had a local one at the last house, a big female who used to regularly pluck and butcher wood pigeons in the garden, and carry them off in pieces.
I've only once seen a sparrow hawk catch a large bird, a collared dove. The brief view I had gave me the impression that the sparrow hawk, with its talons embedded in the dove's back, took advantage of the dove's final few wing beats to steer it to where the sparrow hawk wanted to go before killing it. I suppose that a large bird like a dove would be too heavy for the hawk to carry away.
Quite chilling.
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Judging from the parked landrover the Autumnwatch team appeared to be staying in a cottage just up the road from us. Sad to say that we didn't see any wild cats...
I'm not convinced they did either. Some stripey kittens, sure, but way too kitten shaped to be able to tell if they were actually wildcats for me.
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We think we saw a Black Grouse today too, and a bit late some female red deer ran across the road in front of me. And the ubiquitous buzzards, but swooping across the road only a few feet in front of my face, twice today.
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We think we saw a Black Grouse today too, and a bit late some female red deer ran across the road in front of me. And the ubiquitous buzzards, but swooping across the road only a few feet in front of my face, twice today.
That's because the buzzards were saying "WTF is a penguin doing in Scotland?"
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went for a walk up the culm
Saw a Kingfisher. I wouldn't have spotted it but Mrs V was was looking at a branch through binoculars and it landed on it!
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We think we saw a Black Grouse today too, and a bit late some female red deer ran across the road in front of me. And the ubiquitous buzzards, but swooping across the road only a few feet in front of my face, twice today.
...and a a mouse/shrew type thing jumping across a ditch.
...and kestrel.
...and some yellow sheep.
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Continuing the sparrow hawk theme, one visited our garden the day before yesterday and caught something there - a pigeon of some sort judging by the feathers. I have seen sparrow hawks here occasionally, but unfortunately didn't see this one in action.
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Judging from the parked landrover the Autumnwatch team appeared to be staying in a cottage just up the road from us. Sad to say that we didn't see any wild cats...
I'm not convinced they did either. Some stripey kittens, sure, but way too kitten shaped to be able to tell if they were actually wildcats for me.
Well they almost certainly caught wild cats on video and the camera traps, but the cute kittens may or may not have been completely wild. It seems more likely that the black kitten was a Scottish cat / domestic cat hybrid.
I wonder if Scottish wild cats are like domestic cats, and the kittens can have multiple fathers? If so, then a pair of kittens could have a Scottish wild cat mum, and one could be pure Scottish wild cat with a wild cat dad, whilst the other kitten had a domestic cat dad.
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I wonder if Scottish wild cats are like domestic cats, and the kittens can have multiple fathers?
That'll be the Torry cats.
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I wonder if Scottish wild cats are like domestic cats, and the kittens can have multiple fathers?
Yes. Each kitten is from a separate egg, separately fertilised.
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The same as humans then in the case of non identical twins or triplets etc.
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If so, then a pair of kittens could have a Scottish wild cat mum, and one could be pure Scottish wild cat with a wild cat dad, whilst the other kitten had a domestic cat dad.
Brave domestic cat :)
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A sea eagle!!!
I was just sat in the 'sun' room, looking out across Loch Broom. There it was!
:thumbsup:
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/sea_eagle.jpg)
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Jaded, those pictures are (definitely*) of a golden eagle. Which (out of a sun room, anyway) is probably even cooler :)
Seen last week (on Mull): sea eagle**; golden eagle**; otter; peregrine; hen harrier; red-throated diver; great northern diver; barnacle goose; lots of other stuff ...
* - trust me; I know
** - including 2 of each at the same time ...
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Dolphins leaping in the harbour mouth this morning.
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Yesterday, three red deer.
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Not by me, alas, but seen by the security guards at our local Embra shopping centre.
Otter is caught on camera at Capital shopping centre - Edinburgh Evening News
(http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Otter-is-caught-on-camera.6600966.jp)
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A couple of bats. I half wonder if they're attracted by the sound of my dynamo? ::-)
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A dormouse, it was in a dormouse box so I shouldn't be too surprised.
Spotting otters in Scotland is just cheating.
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Spotting otters in Scotland is just cheating.
Point taken, the last time I went to Sainsbury's you couldn't move for the pesky little critters :)
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A pheasant, and a very squashed frog.
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A dormouse, it was in a dormouse box so I shouldn't be too surprised.
Spotting otters in Scotland is just cheating.
Spotting Dormice in Scotland is a real challenge
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Not by me, alas, but seen by the security guards at our local Embra shopping centre.
Otter is caught on camera at Capital shopping centre - Edinburgh Evening News
(http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Otter-is-caught-on-camera.6600966.jp)
8) I'd better keep this from FirstBorn, or he'll be wanting to go down there looking for spraints ...
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A trio of red kites on the M4 near Hungerford
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Which lane were they in? ;D
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At Musselburgh, a snow bunting. And a sparrowhawk. I do hope that the former doesn't end up as dinner for the latter.
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A few red grouse, snipe and raven scattered around the higher bits of the Black Mountains on a glorious day, I am very lucky indeed to be (possibly temporarily) paid for looking at this stuff
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A cow crossed with a panda. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnspooner/5138708229/)
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Jaded, those pictures are (definitely*) of a golden eagle. Which (out of a sun room, anyway) is probably even cooler :)
Seen last week (on Mull): sea eagle**; golden eagle**; otter; peregrine; hen harrier; red-throated diver; great northern diver; barnacle goose; lots of other stuff ...
* - trust me; I know
** - including 2 of each at the same time ...
Ooh, thank you! I shall report back to the bird-watching neighbours.
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Cygnets! Little ones, very new, on the Kennet.
I don't give them much chance of seeing Spring, let alone getting their black adult plumage.
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Seen a couple of weeks ago and I wasn't aware of apples affecting acorns, but that doesn't mean much.
(http://i52.tinypic.com/2u6puu0.jpg)
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A trio of red kites on the M4 near Hungerford
There are always red kites near the M4. Don't think I have ever not seen some except when its been raining or snowing.
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Seen a couple of weeks ago and I wasn't aware of apples affecting acorns, but that doesn't mean much.
(http://i52.tinypic.com/2u6puu0.jpg)
Give it a few days and it'll erupt from its stomach
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Saw this critter out and about this morning. I was surprised to see it so late in the year, but it was very lethargic, and didn't move from this flower for several minutes, making no attempt to fly away from the camera lens about 1 cm away.
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1312/5164840894_60eef557d3.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnspooner/5164840894/)
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Wasps around today, being dozy
We had an invasion of butterflies last night - one's been asleep over the fireplace since we moved in, but it woke up and drove the cats ballistic, so I put it out. Repeat 4 times as its mates hiding up the chimney also awoke :)
All Tortoiseshells (as is one of the cats)
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Jaded, those pictures are (definitely*) of a golden eagle. Which (out of a sun room, anyway) is probably even cooler :)
Seen last week (on Mull): sea eagle**; golden eagle**; otter; peregrine; hen harrier; red-throated diver; great northern diver; barnacle goose; lots of other stuff ...
* - trust me; I know
** - including 2 of each at the same time ...
Definitely a goldie. Tail size is one big pointer.
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Sparrowhawk perched in a tree beside the A4074 looking as if it was waiting for something to kill.
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Sparrowhawk perched in a tree beside the A4074 looking as if it was waiting for something to kill.
Waiting to chased off by blackbirds is the more likely option.
Very little about the Rhondda yesterday a few Raven on the hilltops and a couple of large playful groups of long-tailed tits the only diversions.
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30 odd waxwings, Fettes area.
<quote from colleague>
Comely Bank boneyard is seething with evil sparrowhawks. The poor wee waxies are all doomed, doomed..............
</quote>
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^ and me, about 2 dozen of them on the canal at Harrison Park.
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Seen on Monday - is this possible?
We were out walking at High Woods Country Park in Colchester through a woody bit with both dogs off the lead. Young cockapoo Poppy was running ahead and we saw an animal run out of the woods on our right, cross the path and dive into undergrowth on our left. Poppy stopped and, amazingly, returned to me when I called her.
This is because it looked rather like a small wild boar. Or possibly (the back end at least) like a deer. But the front really did look like a boar - James said the same. We have form for wild boar spotting - were in the local newspaper in Tonbridge several years ago when our Weimaraner cornered a Wild Boar.
So, is it possible it was a wild boar, or was it a deer that looked like a boar?
And we're still amazed Poppy came back when called!
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4 buzzards circling around Tatton Park.
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Canada geese and Moorhens on the Grand Union Canal.
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A roe deer stag with a rather magnificent set of antlers tonight walking along the side of the road just outside Malton.
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Seen on Monday - is this possible?
We were out walking at High Woods Country Park in Colchester through a woody bit with both dogs off the lead. Young cockapoo Poppy was running ahead and we saw an animal run out of the woods on our right, cross the path and dive into undergrowth on our left. Poppy stopped and, amazingly, returned to me when I called her.
This is because it looked rather like a small wild boar. Or possibly (the back end at least) like a deer. But the front really did look like a boar - James said the same. We have form for wild boar spotting - were in the local newspaper in Tonbridge several years ago when our Weimaraner cornered a Wild Boar.
So, is it possible it was a wild boar, or was it a deer that looked like a boar?
And we're still amazed Poppy came back when called!
Wild Boar in Britain (http://www.britishwildboar.org.uk/index.htm?map2.html)
I've never seen one but it seems possible.
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Seen on Monday - is this possible?
We were out walking at High Woods Country Park in Colchester through a woody bit with both dogs off the lead. Young cockapoo Poppy was running ahead and we saw an animal run out of the woods on our right, cross the path and dive into undergrowth on our left. Poppy stopped and, amazingly, returned to me when I called her.
This is because it looked rather like a small wild boar. Or possibly (the back end at least) like a deer. But the front really did look like a boar - James said the same. We have form for wild boar spotting - were in the local newspaper in Tonbridge several years ago when our Weimaraner cornered a Wild Boar.
So, is it possible it was a wild boar, or was it a deer that looked like a boar?
And we're still amazed Poppy came back when called!
It'll be a muntjac (http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/muntjac-deer) The males have tusks.
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Wild Boar in Britain (http://www.britishwildboar.org.uk/index.htm?map2.html)
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 !
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At Musselburgh, a snow bunting. And a sparrowhawk. I do hope that the former doesn't end up as dinner for the latter.
How lovely, I've never seen a snow bunting but would love to!
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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 !
They are trying to halve the FoD boar population, but not succeeding (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-11034307)
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A quick spin in West Lothian this morning - 2 goosander, 1 dabchick + chick (albeit quite well grown), 1 tree sparrow, loads of fieldfares and hundreds of pink footed geese.
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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 !
They are trying to halve the FoD boar population, but not succeeding (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-11034307)
They are hard to control. Germany is having a real problem with wild boar and a hell of a lot more people shoot them than do here. They can be very destructive.
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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 !
They are trying to halve the FoD boar population, but not succeeding (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-11034307)
They are hard to control. Germany is having a real problem with wild boar and a hell of a lot more people shoot them than do here. They can be very destructive.
At work we are part of a consortium funding a bounty for any shot.
They spread disease. We spend millions on biosecurity and some fool lets a couple of 'pet' boars loose to spread pneumonia, salmonella, foot and mouth, whatever. They're no longer welcome in East Anglia, we have too many pig farms for it to be safe.
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Seen from breakfast table this morning with the two smaller gears: magpie teasing a young fox: first the magpie sat on a wall and the fox vainly jumped, then the magpie moved to the runner bean post and the fox vainly jumped, then to the greenhouse and the fox vainly jumped, then a repeat of all three before the magpie grew bored and flew off, leaving the fox to saunter onto the bottom lawn where, out of sight of the house it undoubtedly dug holes in persuit of slugs and left a disgusting cr*p. The larger of the smaller gears was chuffed to have seen a fox's face for the first time - he often glimpses a body or a tail but could not remember having seen a face. So cute but argh! the cra*p! and argh! the holes!
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A lesser spotted woodpecker, I think
Rubbish photo, grabbed rapidly from inside the house using my phone. It's the bird on the left; too small I think to be a Greater Spotted (the other bird is a Finch of some sort, for scale) though it had the correct black/white/red uniform. Plus it's eating from a ground feeder (on a wall pillar) and I've only ever seen the Greaters on the peanut feeders.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/bosphorus/woodpecker.jpg)
They're quite rare here. I've heard a woodpecker in our Yew tree. Hopefully it was this chap :)
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I think lesser spotteds are pretty rare all over the country. I've never seen one but I've heard that they are present in some local woodland.
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I was up on one of the downs South of Croydon, and was talking to someone as we stood in clump of trees.
Above our head, and very close to us, a robin flitted around. Beautifully fitting to the frosty scene across the down.
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There's a snowdrop attempting to flower in Priory Park.
I first noticed them flowering there in early December the year my mum died (2004) and they appear every year, but I've deliberately looked for them this year.
It must be a very early variety because elsewhere I've never seen snowdrops in flower until January.
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A lesser spotted woodpecker, I think
They're quite rare here. I've heard a woodpecker in our Yew tree. Hopefully it was this chap :)
If that's a finch on the right that's a gtr spot woodpecker, sorry to bring you the bad news, although they've only just arrived at our feeders and we regard it as good news, the local nuthatches are yet to be tempted by our food though, a matter of time hopefully ???.
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mmm
Mrs MV said the same. Very small fella though.
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mmm
Mrs MV said the same. Very small fella though.
They're surprisingly small. Loud, though ...
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I always regard dunnocks as having a very quiet, understated song.
It's wrens who are the noisy buggers.
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Whilst scraping the ice off the car windows at about 8.30am on our suburban Welsh street, a fox trotted unconcernedly past me barely giving a glance, moseyed along the pavement, inspected a few front gardens and ambled off into the distance. I really had to double check that it wasn't a dog or a cat.
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Whilst scraping the ice off the car windows at about 8.30am on our suburban Welsh street, a fox trotted unconcernedly past me barely giving a glance, moseyed along the pavement, inspected a few front gardens and ambled off into the distance. I really had to double check that it wasn't a dog or a cat.
A lot of urban foxes are quite unconcerned about humans. Earlier this year whilst I was cycling slowlyish up a bit of hill on my way to Greenwich to meet up some people for a ride, one actually started walking towards me. I assume it had been fed by some humans, so wasn't so much unconcerned as positively friendly!
I've had plenty of other wander out of gardens, look at me, and then just wander at the same speed into the next door garden, presumably just doing a regular check of gardens and bins for anything edible that had been left out.
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We've all seen them , but you can't resist taking a photo when one sits in front of you like this ...................
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/256218/d8aed379b/RobinC.jpg)
Snake
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Was watching a robin in the garden this afternoon: squirrels have repeatedly knocked the wire-mesh tube bird seed feeder from the tree it usually hangs, so I'd rehung it from the top clothes line. Various finch-types were zooming back and forth to it. A robin was sitting on a bush enviously watching them feed (I'd also thrown some seed on the lawn beneath the feeder's new position but the birds hadn't yet found it). The robin eventually tried - repeatedly - to land on the feeder but kept changing its mind on the final approach: much mid-air undignified flutters with feathers sticking up in stange directions.
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A pair of pheasants have taken up residence behind our shed -
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p23/chris415700/IMG_0925.jpg)
I wonder what we'll be having for Chrismas dinner ;D
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By pure coincidence ...
This is one of at least two pheasants who are regular visitors to my mother's garden. I didn't realise there were two until they both appeared together. Snapped through a gap in the curtain. He appears to have spotted me but it didn't phase him - he just carried on pecking at the seeds.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5044/5237767804_5be5f2a786.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnspooner/5237767804/)
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Snake
No it isn't.
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Snake
No it isn't.
Nothing gets past you! ;) (Nuncio Attenborough?)
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Spotted this evening on my ride home - a deer. Very close. Slamming on brakes close. Fortunately thanks to the Cyo wunderlite it wasn't too close.... It skittered down the icy road for 20m or so before disappearing into the undergrowth again.
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Saw these recently in Richmond Park , acting like a pair. Any ideas what they are ? Pochard / Tufted hybrids ?
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/256809/2f197cb95/I_3881c2.jpg)
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Quite a large flock of long tailed tits this morning. These tiny birds are often amongst the first to succumb in a pronged cold spell: they eat mostly insects which are pretty scarce now and of course there were very few around in the cold snap last winter.
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Was watching a robin in the garden this afternoon: squirrels have repeatedly knocked the wire-mesh tube bird seed feeder from the tree it usually hangs, so I'd rehung it from the top clothes line. Various finch-types were zooming back and forth to it. A robin was sitting on a bush enviously watching them feed (I'd also thrown some seed on the lawn beneath the feeder's new position but the birds hadn't yet found it). The robin eventually tried - repeatedly - to land on the feeder but kept changing its mind on the final approach: much mid-air undignified flutters with feathers sticking up in stange directions.
By this morning the robin (I assume its the same one) had learnt how to land on the bird feeder and was tucking in.
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Monday, on a truly dreadful daytrip to Southampton by train, in some flooded and frozen fields near Chichester, a bittern. Walking across snow from one set of reeds to another. A real "OH!!!" moment.
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I'd just left Elsenham this morning when I heard the "ki-ki-ki" of what I thought was a sparrowhawk. I also saw what I thought was a wood pigeon on a nearby wire.
The next thing I knew there were two birds rolling around in the field about 100 yards away with an occasional "ki-ki-ki" sound. I watched for quite some time and was impressed for how long the supine bird kept struggling. Indeed, every so often it seemed as though the two birds were wrestling and they'd change places.
This went on for about 5 minutes and eventually both birds got up and flew away. I think they were both kestrels and that they'd been having a good old scrap, but I really could have done with a pair of binoculars.
Some years ago I observed a male kestrel continually dive-bombing what I assumed at the time to be a female, but with hindsight may well have been a juvenile bird. The RSPB: Kestrel: The kestrel's year (http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/k/kestrel/kestrel_year.aspx) refers to kestrel territories and I assume that this is what I've been fortunate enough to witness.
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Oh, and not long before I stopped at the Viper I was obliged to find a convenient hedge. I had noticed some beehives in the corner of the field.
As I was weeing a honey bee came and settled on my arm, possibly attracted by the yellowy-green fluorescence of my night Vision jacket.
"Hello!" I said to her, "What are you doing out today?"
At which point she flew off back to her hive.
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Just round the side of Sainsbury's at Colliers Wood there was a beautiful Jay having a bath in the river Wandle :D
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Lovely sight.
We also saw a pretty pied wagtail a bit further on. My favourite bird.
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Had a fleeting view of a brambling today. I gather that they are not uncommon but I'd never knowingly seen one before. Always nice to see something new.
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(http://media.ispyabird.co.uk/photos/photo/image/3741/main/Stanborough_12_12_2010_0027.jpg)
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A blackcap? In Aberdeen? In winter?
I can't find anything else in our bird book that it might have been
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A blackcap? In Aberdeen? In winter?
I can't find anything else in our bird book that it might have been
There are reports of blackcaps overwintering in the UK. We had a couple in the garden the winter before last. They're taking advantage of our warmer winters ??? and earlier springs to start breeding earlier and getting a head start on the birds which are still migrating. But Aberdeen does seem rather far north and cold...
S
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Waxwings on the Tandem Club ride, down at Normans' Bay, wot is near Pevensey.
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Whilst scraping the ice off the car windows at about 8.30am on our suburban Welsh street, a fox trotted unconcernedly past me barely giving a glance, moseyed along the pavement, inspected a few front gardens and ambled off into the distance. I really had to double check that it wasn't a dog or a cat.
A lot of urban foxes are quite unconcerned about humans. Earlier this year whilst I was cycling slowlyish up a bit of hill on my way to Greenwich to meet up some people for a ride, one actually started walking towards me. I assume it had been fed by some humans, so wasn't so much unconcerned as positively friendly!
I've had plenty of other wander out of gardens, look at me, and then just wander at the same speed into the next door garden, presumably just doing a regular check of gardens and bins for anything edible that had been left out.
This afternoon, whilst shovelling building spoil in the garden with my two smaller gears (11 and 14), the younger one said 'There's a fox!' - it was eight feet from us! It ambled around the garden and around us (we stood still) for a good minute and a half before ambling off. Seen quite a lot of foxes over the years but never had the opportunity to view one so close or for so long.
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On the way out of work tonight, feeling a bit upset, I saw a bunny rabbit hopping about in the hospital car park. We get a fair few of them. This one looked at me, then made its way to my car to wait for me.
I suggested he make way for my car, since he was liable to squashing, and he obliged.
A nice little moment. Cheered me up.
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Saw a sea eagle at Loch Leven nature reserve yesterday! :thumbsup:
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Thursday, actually, at midday. A fox. A rare sight here on Europe's Eastern Wall, they normally keep out of people's way in the forest, unlike their bolder British cousins.
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What I think was a sparrowhawk being mobbed by pigeons.
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Swans. Lots and lots and lots of Swans.
Here: Welney - Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) (http://www.wwt.org.uk/welney)
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Lots of redwings in the hedge by the footpath. A whole tree full of sparrows chattering away at the falling snow.
Lots of dogs going nuts in the snow. Dogs are fun :)
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(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/ducks.jpg)
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(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/cold_heron.jpg)
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Yesterday: a brace of Woodcock, near Cock Wood, Downham, Essex.
Today: turnstone, a greater spotted woodpecker and a pair of great crested grebes. The last were swimming in the estuary near the coastguard station. I can't recall seeing grebes swimming in salt water before.
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Today, 5 hares :)
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head hare?
nose hare?
ear hare?
pubic hare?
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head hare?
nose hare?
ear hare?
pubic hare?
Or - my favourite from Chris Packham last series - Ryan Hare ?
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A redwing in Chatham. Yay :D
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An addendum to post 1600 above: a brace of foxes at Gunners Park.
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Last night, hedgehog nicking the chicken's food :-\
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You may be able to help us with this one.
We saw two bird in the hedge next to our garden. Didn't get a great look at them, but it was about sparrow sized, with a pretty even, brown, thrush-like back, and a black face, not cap. You could definitely only see it when it turned its head.
As they flew off, they had a low, swooping flight, like a wagtail.
Anyone any ideas?
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What length/colour of tail ? Did it show any strong patterns as it flew off, eg wing bars/rump/tail feathers ? Based on the description so far how about a reed bunting ?
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No wing bars - as I say, just a fairly even brown colour. Didn't get a good view of the tail.
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Two Long Tailed Tits in the garden today !
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woodpecker, near Prickwillow. I recognised it from it's flight thanks to tips from Wow on the way back from the yacf camping. It very kindly rested on a telegraph pole looking very woodpeckerish to allow me to confirm it's id.
I have forgotten which kind of woodpecker, but I'm sure Wow will remind me.
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Just let the dogs out for a final wee. Roosting in the tree over our pond about three metres from the back door was a smallish raptor-looking bird. In my torchlight it looked maybe kestrelly. Is this likely? It didn't budge despite two doggies running around underneath and me shining my torch at it from several angles so James could get a look.
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Just back from Otmoor to look for starlings. Saw about 50, rather than the 50,000 we'd hoped for, but the ducks, geese, teal and widgeon made up for it. Also a long discussion with RSPB warden about the collective noun: it is widgeon, not widgeons and they squeak: only mallard quack in flight. Great afternoon out. Happy New Year beasties!
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Drove over to Bo'ness today, didn't see very much but did see a greenshank, the first one I've seen for several decades. I don't think that there's many of them about in this part of the world.
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Very bold hare in the snowy woods.
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Not today, but a few days ago, when I was at my parents over the New Year. This is their "pet" seagull, whose been coming to the back garden ever since he was a juvenile.
My Mum throws food onto the garage roof for him (her?) since he can't easily land in the garden, and certainly can't get into the bird house that he's perched on!
(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/Seagull_Christmas2010_thumb480.jpg) (http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/Seagull_Christmas2010.jpg)
Interestingly, the Common Gull is so named because it's noted for foraging on Common Land during the winter, rather than due to it's abundance.
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Though that's a herring gull.
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Heard but not seen: greater spotted woodpecker drumming this morning in Priory Park. Some say that this is a sign of spring, although I have heard them hammering away in October.
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Heard but not seen: greater spotted woodpecker drumming this morning in Priory Park. Some say that this is a sign of spring, although I have heard them hammering away in October.
I heard a woodpecker on Sunday in Priory Park. How do you know that it's a greater spotted on sound only?
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Heard but not seen: greater spotted woodpecker drumming this morning in Priory Park. Some say that this is a sign of spring, although I have heard them hammering away in October.
I heard a woodpecker on Sunday in Priory Park. How do you know that it's a greater spotted on sound only?
The green woodpecker is also known as a yaffle - which is its high-pitched yelping cry. They don't drum.
The RSPB: Green woodpecker (http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/g/greenwoodpecker/index.aspx)
Greater spotteds drum as a method of communication. They also have a high-pitched staccato alarm call which sounds a bit like an amplified manic blackbird on performance-enhancing drugs.
The RSPB: Great spotted woodpecker (http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/g/greatspottedwoodpecker/index.aspx)
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The green woodpecker is also known as a yaffle - which is its high-pitched yelping cry. They don't drum.
:thumbsup:
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A rather smart Bullfinch when I was having a cup of coffee in the lane.
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A nurban fox in Reading last night. It waited for a gap in the traffic, then trotted across Kings Road & entered the grounds of Thames Valley University (or Reading College, as it used to be called).
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It obviously was a member of the Tufty Club :D
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Had 'our' Heron sitting on the roof today.
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6 cormorants on the Monnow at Monmouth today.
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Though that's a herring gull.
Is it? Oh well, my Gull recognition is only marginally better than my random bird recognition. I'm doing pretty well to recognise it as a gull at all. ;D
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Four hares. Two in the distance and two others which bolted from cover just a metre or so away. If they had stayed put I very much doubt we would have spotted them.
Also lots of muddy mole hills!
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The green woodpecker is also known as a yaffle - which is its high-pitched yelping cry. They don't drum.
See also Bagpuss and Professor Yaffle, who is, of course, a woodpecker.
(Good stuff about the drumming there Wow. Filed away for future reference)
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A couple of days ago, a Snipe (which one of the cats carefully carried in through the back door and was thankfully rescued and flew away some minutes later).
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While out earlier on another abortive Waxwing hunt I stopped by one of by favourite haunts , the ponds of Bushy Park. , and saw this (forefront) bird.
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/272415/be31d3e76/I4141c.jpg)
At first sight it looked like a male Tufted , shown behind for comparison. The bird is bigger than the Tufted and has only a small tuft on the back of its head. The top part of its head is a lovely chestnut colour and the lower part of the head looks greenish (as does the rump) in a more favourable light.
Unfortunately most of the time the light and certain other conditions were far from favourable , but as I stood there in the biting wind hoping for a better picture a male Shoveller came down on the water nearby. As I cycled away a Green Woodpecker joined me for a brief period.
All in all a pleasant experience.
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^ Sorry, no idea !
Today I was exploring further the frankly grim industrial estate in which my work is now located. Came across a nice little group of about 20 redpolls. So it's not all bad.
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Just been watching a crow on the beach outside work trying to break open a shell using the 'fly up & drop onto stones' method. I'm not sure if it managed to get a meal, though.
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I just saw a platypus! I've never seen one in the wild before as they are largely nocturnal. This one must be having trouble sleeping.
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I just saw a platypus! I've never seen one in the wild before as they are largely nocturnal. This one must be having trouble sleeping.
Nice one :thumbsup:
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I just saw a platypus! I've never seen one in the wild before as they are largely nocturnal. This one must be having trouble sleeping.
Nice one :thumbsup:
Unless the poor bugger has been displaced by the flooding.
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No I'd run away from the flooding and the locals say they arw often there and led me to the spot. Excellent break. Back to the clean up in a much improved frame of mind.
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Catkins! Lots 'n lots of 'em. Great clouds in the trees.
It's January, FFS, & December were reet cold. What's gone wrong with the world?
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Whilst crossing Anglesey on a train this afternoon, a nice, if fleeting, view of a peregrine perched on a wall.
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TinyURL preview enabled !!! Never heard of it. OK then ...
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/275081/3386c9000/I4152.jpg)
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[img]http://tinyurl.com/659d7ss[/img]
The trouble with using TinyURL for an image, is that those of us with TinyURL preview enabled, see bugger all!
There's also little reason, since the whole point of TinyURL is to make the URL smaller if you are likely to need to type it, or if you want to use it where the total number of characters is limited, like in a tweet. Since neither case applies, there's no real reason why you can't just use the full original URL for the jpg.
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Actually seen on Saturday in our back garden around 8am. Bold aren't they? They wandered about a bit locked together.
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/Riggers_1956/2-foxes.jpg)
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20 live fish rescued from our swimming pool and returned to the Brisbane River!
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Three swans just flew over my head. If my life was fiction that would probably be a symbol of somethingorother.
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The portent of your symbolism has flown over my head too.
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It's an omen of much good-fortune: you were lucky indeed not to be crapped on from a great height by three swans.
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The last time I was aware of three swans flying over my head, I was standing my the side of the Avon in Tewkesbury. One of the swans hit an overhead power cable and, after a flash and a bang, landed with a thud and a wisp of smelly smoke, in the reeds just along the riverbank from where I stood. Then people started emerging from their moored boats to enquire (a) what the hell than noise was and (b) why the electricity had gone off. I pointed to the swan and to the power line that was now draped across the river bank into the river.
Eventually two police officers turned up and took the swan away in a body bag.
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Two goldfinch in the tree directly outside the office window - the first I've seen for ages. A colleague says there were 10-15 there earlier this morning.
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The bulbs in my window boxes are starting to come up. :D
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There were catkins this morning in the park.
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(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/275076/09b069e35/I4149.jpg)
I think one of the females of the herd had tried to get away but the male had tracked her down (poor choice of hiding place) and was about to bring her back in to the fold.
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There were catkins this morning in the park.
A week later than my first sighting here. Is Southend colder than Reading?
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There were catkins this morning in the park.
A week later than my first sighting here. Is Southend colder than Reading?
Probably not. They appear to have been there a while. I just haven't noticed.
(http://peter.chesspod.com/gallery/d/10080-5/Image0122.jpg)
27lb common carp caught this morning. We just happened to be strolling past when the angler was landing it. High 20s are quite often caught but I've never heard of anyone landing a 30lb fish.
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That'll keep his tummy full for a while!
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That'll keep his tummy full for a while!
Except he will have put it back in the water straight after the photo was taken.
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Is that because of rules or for some other reason? And if it's rules, are they national or local, year-round or seasonal?
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I saw a muntjac. Nothing unusual in that, I see them every day, so often that in this house we refer to them as rat deer.
This one however, didn't see me, despite the fact that I was in a car with headlights on. It ran into the side of the car.
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[on sunday] a peacock, sitting watching the world go by from the top of a six foot gate about 5 miles south east of cambridge. Took me quite by surprise.
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Is that because of rules or for some other reason? And if it's rules, are they national or local, year-round or seasonal?
In general in the UK fishing for carp is for sport not eating. Most lakes with anything that size have been specially stocked to attract the fishermen and the owners complain if you do not follow the catch and release principle.
So it tends to be the rules. If however you are fly fishing for trout or salmon then the lake/river owners tend to let you keep up to a set limit per person. EDIT - but you have paid to fish in either location, its just that carp is not considered food in the UK. This all led to a number of angry fishermen a few years back when the influx of Eastern Europeans came in as they not only didn't pay to fish but then caught the prize carp and took them home for dinner.
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Interesting. In Poland you see many artificial lakes deliberately stocked with a variety of species including carp, where you can pay to fish - usually by the hour - but AFAIK you can keep and eat what you catch. In fact these places usually provide a grill and picnic tables too.
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I've eaten eels, pike and perch that I've caught but I'd never consider eating a carp.
When we were in Ireland a few years ago we saw a chap catch a decent-sized bream from Lough Gill and he took that big snotty thing home to eat. A few days later we saw another guy catch a very decent sea trout (from where I stood it looked to be about 7lb) from the river as it flowed through Sligo town centre. He was fishing off one of the bridges but the fish took him ages to land (we were watching for at least half an hour and he had hooked it quite some time before we got there), and he had to walk among the tourists, rod held above his head, and make his way down to the river bank. Eventually when he landed the fish he threw it up into the crowd that had gathered to watch him. There must have been at least 200 people by that time and we all burst int a big round of applause for the guy. It really was some very skilful angling we saw that day.
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A Little Egret, we also saw a Eurofighter Typhoon on a shakedown flight and some kind of attack helicopter. Yesterday we saw a whole load of Pinkfoot Geese, a Kestrel, a Bae Hawk, a Toucano and two Typhoons doing some sort of close formation flying.
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Interesting. In Poland you see many artificial lakes deliberately stocked with a variety of species including carp, where you can pay to fish - usually by the hour - but AFAIK you can keep and eat what you catch. In fact these places usually provide a grill and picnic tables too.
Carp are bottom feeders and would taste of mud when freshly caught, that's why they are kept in tanks of fresh water next to the road prior to sale in Poland.
If you plan on eating Carp, they should never be cooked when first taken out of a pond, but be placed in a container in running water. This will help in getting rid of their somewhat muddy flavour. Here is a traditional carp recipe from Poland:
Carp (http://polishpoland.com/carp.htm)
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Traditionally you keep live carp in the bath for a few hours. I hadn't realised it was to 'demuddify' them.
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Last night. Little owl, snowdrops, snowflakes.
This morning. Barn owl.
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Barn Owl and a group of five Bewick Swans this morning.
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Meteorite. I think.
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A couple of goats cavorting in the open road, as we navigated through the farmland south of Long Eaton on the EM Fixedwheel ride
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Buzzard by Cottenham cambs
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3 dippers
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Four long-tailed tits cavorting in a tree (a cherry, I think) & eating the new buds.
Anna kite over Cemetery Junction.
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A stoat in his winter plumage dashed across the road between me and on-coming car, then once the car had gone he was sat up in the verge watching me grind up the hill.
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Redpolls and goldfinches briefly cheered up my walk around the prison exercise yard* today.
*as I think of the industrial estate in which I have the misfortune to work.
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A coot building a nest.
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Barn Owls.
4 separate sightings on the way to work.
How big are their territories?
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Barn owl, this evening.
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Barn owl, this evening.
Ooh, where? Home town or work town?
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Barn owl, this evening.
Ooh, where? Home town or work town?
Just south of work town, out in the countryside....the stars were very bright and I thought to myself, I bet there's owls about! And then one flew by. Was out for a works meal at a country gastro-pub - I had a melt-in-the-mouth lamb shank - in fact, I shall take you and Crusty there when you come down.
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4 goosanders and a comorant on the canal today
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Yesterday, heard but not seen. Skylark. Out by Stanford in the Vale
Seems awfully early to me.
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Yesterday:
A handsome Stag and two Does crossing the road near Uppark, West Sussex.
A several of Red Kites in the Chilterns - near Latimer.
Two buzzards doing their soaring thing.
An entire family (so it seemed) of Badgers ambling across the road near Welwyn.
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Snowdrops, crocuses close to opening, & even a few primroses.
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A fox, this morning, in broad daylight (about 11.30). Scruffy looking bugger with a mangy tail.
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This one regularly kips on my neighbour's shed roof , sometimes having a lie-in until about 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/282027/cf97d21ec/I4177c.jpg)
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A woodcock, giving me the usual woodcock- heart attack as it sprang up from by my feet.
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Seen today, from the comfort of our living room - gs woodpecker, greenfinch, bullfinch, chaffinch, siskin, redpoll, long tailed tit, blue tit, great tit, coal tit, dunnock, blackbird, woodpigeon, magpie. I just wish the RSPB Birdwatch had been today !
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Sheep, Highland cattle, Llamas, Shetland ponies and an eagle stooping. Am at my childhood home in the Grakpian highlands and quite spoiled for choice.
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yesterday, two red kites soaring over the church yard.
I remember as a 12 year old the school minibus pulling over to point out a red kite in Mid wales, as they were that rare. Now we have them in East Berks.
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Riding home last night a badger crossed the A23 near Coulsdon. Stopped and looked at me as I went past. Just about the first time I've seen a badger (live) in the wild.
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Riding home last night a badger crossed the A23 near Coulsdon. Stopped ad looked at me as I went past. Just about the first time I've seen a badger (live) in the wild.
Saw one (also the only one ever) crossing the road at Wakehurst a few years ago; they are incredibly "whatever" and don't seem to react to road traffic at all
reminds me; several years ago I was entrusted with a carload of Geermans so decided to take them to Beachy Head; passing a "Badgers" warning sign on the way back they enquired what Badgers was; having temporarily forgot it was Dach in German I said "it's a black and white wild mammal"
" oh a Zebra" came the reply
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reminds me; several years ago I was entrusted with a carload of Geermans so decided to take them to Beachy Head; passing a "Badgers" warning sign on the way back they enquired what Badgers was; having temporarily forgot it was Dach in German I said "it's a black and white wild mammal"
" oh a Zebra" came the reply
So a dachshund hunts badgers? The look to be too small to me,
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They're just for going down the holes & chasing them out.
I was always confused by my understanding of 'Dach' as 'roof'
ETA: 'badger' is 'Dachs'
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5 buzzards circling over downside near cobham as i rode through :thumbsup:
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I glanced out of my back window and an unusual flight pattern caught my eye. A closer look revealed a male Sparrowhawk sitting on the roof of my bird feeder table. Presumably I had seen its lunge towards some prey.
Earlier there had been a mixed flock of Tits in the same area , Great , Blue , Coal and Long Tailed.
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2 stags and an eagle on the N. Harris estate
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5259/5454300879_83410d23d0.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/5454300879/)
Stags (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/5454300879/) by windy_ (http://www.flickr.com/people/acf_windy/), on Flickr
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I can't see the eagle ;)
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There it Clarrers…
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/Riggers_1956/Eagle--Stags.jpg)
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Ah. Thank you. It's obvious when you know, isn't it?
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Barn Owls.
4 separate sightings on the way to work.
How big are their territories?
Catching up late on this one...
Not sure on the size of barn owl territories, but I have seen five hunting the same piece of marshy grassland at the same time, so they can't be that big or that strongly held. Mind this was on an RSPB reserve and all the birds involved were feeding young at the time.
S
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Yesterday, heard but not seen. Skylark. Out by Stanford in the Vale
Seems awfully early to me.
I have heard them in January on the hills near here. Most wonderful way of lifting the spirit in the middle of winter!
S
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20 mile ride, 2 buzzards, a heron and 3 cars ;)
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A couple of weeks ago I was out riding and came across a large bird of prey which had been killed by a car. It was a large bird and I stopped to pick it up, its wingspan would be around 4 feet. It weighed perhaps three pounds. Underneath it was the rabbit it had been feeding on. I threw it to the side of the road.
Today I passed it and it is still there, gently rotting away. I'll take a picture next time.
How do I tell what it was?
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A couple of weeks ago I was out riding and came across a large bird of prey which had been killed by a car. It was a large bird and I stopped to pick it up, its wingspan would be around 4 feet. It weighed perhaps three pounds. Underneath it was the rabbit it had been feeding on. I threw it to the side of the road.
Today I passed it and it is still there, gently rotting away. I'll take a picture next time.
How do I tell what it was?
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/families/ (http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/families/) is a good start.
I'd guess buzzard on the grounds they're big, common and eat rabbits. But without some other distinguishing features it's a bit difficult
S
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2 deer this morning on the way to work :)
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About 20 waxwings in the trees at the back of the house. Armchair birdwatching, can't beat it :thumbsup:
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^ since my last post also seen a treecreeper and a gs woodpecker in the same trees. And the waxwings just paid another visit. Meanwhile, on the feeders in the garden, loads of blue/coal/long tailed tits. We're certainly enjoying our new house. :)
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Waxwings....you lucky sod.
Today, loadsa buzzards and 2 red kites :)
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Waxwings were back again today, about 30 of them. They seem to be eating the leaf buds on the tree. Not sure if the tree is going to appreciate their attention much. But its probably endured worse.
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We saw and heard a magpie on sunday. Not very unusual but it was coughing. Not sure whether it was a real cough or it was putting it on.
I heard one in almost the same place last weekend making "odd" noises. Are they mimics?
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A dipper this morning, on my way to work :)
Sorry, unable to shed any light on the coughing magpie.
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We saw and heard a magpie on sunday. Not very unusual but it was coughing. Not sure whether it was a real cough or it was putting it on.
I heard one in almost the same place last weekend making "odd" noises. Are they mimics?
If you read Gerald Durrell's "My family and other animals" magpies most certainly are mimics. I don't suppose he made all that up.
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It's dead badger ago go round here. Seen three in the last couple of days - they all look juvenile.
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If you read Gerald Durrell's "My family and other animals" magpies most certainly are mimics. I don't suppose he made all that up.
I don't suppose he did, thanks. I'll put it on my reading list.
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We saw and heard a magpie on sunday. Not very unusual but it was coughing. Not sure whether it was a real cough or it was putting it on.
I heard one in almost the same place last weekend making "odd" noises. Are they mimics?
If you read Gerald Durrell's "My family and other animals" magpies most certainly are mimics. I don't suppose he made all that up.
He is believed to have made up substantial parts of it though.
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Aha, I did wonder at the not making stuff up comment.
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At the back door last night
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5058/5482817252_f8449277e2.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackpuddinonnabike/5482817252/)
Before retiring to the neighbour's garden (he'd been chased out of the garden by our wee cat the night before)
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5135/5482223495_d5ec50cb46.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackpuddinonnabike/5482223495/)
Buzzard over the centre of Edinburgh at lunchtime today
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5255/5485854726_6684c0c469.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackpuddinonnabike/5485854726/)
(sorry, been taking a lot of wildlife shots recently - set up EdinburghWildlife (http://www.edinburghwildlife.com) in the time I've been away...)
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set up EdinburghWildlife (http://www.edinburghwildlife.com) in the time I've been away...
Looks interesting :thumbsup:
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Buzzard over the centre of Edinburgh at lunchtime today
That's a sparrowhawk
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Buzzard over the centre of Edinburgh at lunchtime today
That's a sparrowhawk
Now see it did bug me at the time, the wings weren't right, but it was soaring much much more like a Buzzard.
I do, naturally, have a Sparrowhawk shot... ;)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4107/5206158643_89ba40b2e4.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackpuddinonnabike/5206158643/)
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Nice , a male Sparrowhawk appeared briefly on my bird feeding table a couple of days ago but it had gone by the time I got my camera.
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Buzzard over the centre of Edinburgh at lunchtime today
That's a sparrowhawk
Now see it did bug me at the time, the wings weren't right, but it was soaring much much more like a Buzzard.
Possibly displaying (round and round in circles, getting higher and higher, with occasional fluttery bursts of flapping??).
This lot Edinburgh Sparrowhawks - hawkwatch home | Edinburgh Hawkwatch (http://www.edinburghhawkwatch.org.uk/) might be interested.
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A woodcock
The RSPB: Woodcock (http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/w/woodcock/index.aspx)
I've never seen one before, but we were pootling about in a swampy bit of land behind our barn this morning and disturbed one who was resting up in the undergrowth. Positive ID by the Woodland Trust chap I was with :)
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I saw a couple of woodcocks when strolling around with my brother on Christmas Day.
They are not the sort of bird recommended for someone with a weak heart.
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Fox. Yesterday lunchtime. I was riding back to work and was passing the last bit of countryside before the edge of Yeovil. A car 'parps' its horn and I look and see a fox in the road. It ambles into the hedge line and proceeds to stand there as I rode past. I must have been within 10 feet of it at the very most. It was totally uninterested in me. Didn't even bother looking at me.
Never been that close to a wild one before!
S
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A red kite in our village. We're going to my parents' house tomorrow, so we'll probably see theirs - they feed them bacon.
Earlier this week in the woods near work, some other large bird of prey, possibly an owl of some kind staying up late.
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A red kite in our village. We're going to my parents' house tomorrow, so we'll probably see theirs - they feed them bacon.
<snip>
If your parents have only one kite, I'd be worried that the salt in the bacon might have been bad for the other birds' health ;)
They're a bit commoner than that, in that part of the Kennet valley IME. Nevertheless they are glorious birds to watch - truly masters of the air that make even soaring buzzards look inefficient. Nice to hear they've spread west as far as your place.
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This morning a roe deer stood by the railway line just a bit south of Three Bridges.
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An emu?), between Newdigate and Rusper.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_4-9WXGlMFks/TXKBsU1J3gI/AAAAAAAACWc/p0rGf1CieC4/s512/IMGP5283.JPG)
It seems to be missing some feathers on its head.
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Chernobyl wild fowl?
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A curlew(?) near to the pier, Southend on Sea.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_45o2t790K90/TXNHSP7GawI/AAAAAAAAGJM/rnVPyIDI22Q/wader.jpg)
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The waxwings are back in the garden just now, about 40 of them.
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Here are some I prepared earlier:
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_4-9WXGlMFks/TXPL0Gc5ppI/AAAAAAAACYc/bBIKgXJaXxw/s512/IMGP4985.JPG)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_4-9WXGlMFks/TXPMqI1KxrI/AAAAAAAACYc/7LxdRQtSH90/s720/IMGP4983.JPG)
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I saw a kite today, just on the Skirrid. They're not common at all here and that's only the second I've seen below the Black Mountains
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Was explaining to a riding companion, during recovery from Weatheroak Hill, that there were lapwings last year in one of the roadside fields & they might have been nesting there.
Right on cue, a peewit emerged from the field, waved its wings about in case we hadn't identified it properly, and settled back to walking. No calls/song, no display flight, and without binoculars I'd have struggled to distinguish another bird from the bigger stones in the field. But... psychic bird? ;)
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A curlew(?) near to the pier, Southend on Sea.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_45o2t790K90/TXNHSP7GawI/AAAAAAAAGJM/rnVPyIDI22Q/wader.jpg)
I reckon it is.
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Looks like a very straight beak to me. Um.... I dunno... Godwit?
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A raven mobbing a buzzard yesterday (it's a bit funny using the word mobbing for one bird).
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greater spotted woodpecker in the garden this morning as I wend to unshed the bike - being jolly noisy and bright in the sunshine
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A Kingfisher on the canal in Rochdale yesterday morning.
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A skunk at Hampton Court , on a lead , being taken for a walk.
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A green woodpecker on our lawn.
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A pair of deers this morning under Hartshead Pike (ashton-u-lyne). They brightened up my last commute no end. Very boingy!
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A Buzzard being chased by a Kestral. I was moved to think "Pick on someone your own size."
Also - a field covered in hundreds of Fieldfares.
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Just added brambling to the house list :)
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A pair of buzzards circling over Little Switzerland, down Boxhill way.
A parakeet over Betchworth.
An unknown yellow bird in a hedgerow. A bit bigger than a sparrow, a sort of yellow and black flecked breast. Any ideas?
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The RSPB: Siskin (http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/s/siskin/index.aspx) ?
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^ The RSPB: Yellowhammer (http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/y/yellowhammer/index.aspx) ?
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Looking at picture 2 on the yellowhammer page, I'd say that's it.
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Two goldfinches have finally found the niger feeder I put in out for them in December!
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That reminds me - we saw these chaps at Centre Parcs
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/birds_1.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/birds_2.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/birds_3.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/birds_4.jpg)
The ringers were there netting and recording/ringing birds.
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i spotted a spotted woodpecker in fetcham yesterday morning woodpecking ;D
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Yesterday my dreich ride to work was briefly cheered by the yellow of a grey wagtail. And my equally dreich ride home was accompanied for several seconds by a female sparrowhawk skimming along at pedal height beside me. So it wasn't all bad.
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Not seen today at all, so I'm a fraud.
But on Saturday, in Stratford, I was distracted by something falling on the ground from an arch beside a building.
I thought it might have been pigeon droppings, but there was a lot of it coming down, so I looked closer. It wasn't from under the roof bit, but from behind. I then saw it was moss.
OK, I thought, someone's cleaning the rooftiles the other side. No ladder apparent, so I thought I'd have a look.
It wasn't a person; it was a thrush-sized bird (couldn't see clearly as it was silhouetted and flew off fairly sharpish). It was hopping along the roof picking up the blobs of moss and, rather than flying off with them for nestbuilding as I would have expected, dropping them over the edge of the gutter.
It's possible the bird was planning to come back later & pick them up off the ground, but there was more than might be needed for a nest.
I wonder if there was something in the moss that the bird was eating, or collecting for its young...
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Blackbirds do that and so do magpies. I'm there are plenty others which do too.
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May well have been a blackbird. What was it doing?
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May well have been a blackbird. What was it doing?
looking for something that lives under the moss?
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Well, if there was that much moss it must have had a leaf mould base I reckon, and that will have wrigglies living in it, I expect.
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Blackbirds seem to be hardwired to go nosing about underneath things. They throw the bark off our so-called flower beds & toss leaves about on the lawn. I guess they're looking for tasty noms rather than trying to recreate the "child's bedroom" look in nature.
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First saw this creature a couple of months ago and posted a pic earlier in this thread. This pic taken close up in sunlight shows the bird more clearly. It lives with Tufted Duck and Red Crested Pochard in Bushy Park , Hampton Court.
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/303808/294f5923a/I4225c.jpg)
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Sitting in my back garden after mowing the lawn this morning two buzzards circled overhead. Didn't realise I looked that knackered. Never seen them so close to home before.
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Blackbirds seem to be hardwired to go nosing about underneath things. They throw the bark off our so-called flower beds & toss leaves about on the lawn. I guess they're looking for tasty noms rather than trying to recreate the "child's bedroom" look in nature.
They are, they are - but they're pretty good at picking the right things to nose about under, i.e. things likely to have a population of nice tasty invertebrates squirming beneath 'em. Your bark provides an excellent habitat for blackbird food. They see it as a snack bar.
What they really like is a flowerbed dressed with nice fresh compost or other worm food. Do that, & they'll be rummaging merrily in no time at all - & finding plenty of yummy (to a blackbird) things. I have to protect any seedlings I put in compost-enriched soil, or the little feathered buggers'll root 'em up in their hunt for what lives underneath.
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Third dead badger by the road in a fortnight :(
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5017/5540821631_bfe464a9d1.jpg)
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Bird skellingtons (outside a café):
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5058/5540825967_df904e7bf3_z.jpg) (http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5058/5540825967_40dbf05637_o.jpg)
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A cormorant flying along parallel to the shore and just inches above the almost flat calm surface. They must gauge their height by reference to the waves because the sea was so calm that a small boat's wake was clearly visible on the surface and the bird rose up a couple of feet to cross it before dropping back down again.
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A cormorant flying along parallel to the shore and just inches above the almost flat calm surface. They must gauge their hight by reference to the waves because the sea was so calm that a small boat's wake was clearly visible on the surface and the bird rose up a couple of feet to cross it before dropping back down again.
Sounds 8) - the way you've described it.
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Three more species added to the 'birds seen from the house' list today - buzzard, goldcrest, goldfinch. That takes the list to 27 since 1st Jan. :)
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Two deer going up the embankment and into the woods between Balcombe and Three Bridges, which I was able watch easily because we were crawling along. The driver then apologised for our slow running and explained it was to avoid hitting the deer because "We don't want to hit the deer and the can damage the train".
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On the Long Water at Hampton Court Palace I saw two pairs of Wigeon.
I stopped to look at an interesting creature* on a nearby pond , parked my bike against a tree , walked cautiously round the tree and was confronted by the back end of a Parakeet sticking out of a shoulder height hole in the tree trunk.
* which I now believe to be a Gadwall (and its mate)
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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).
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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.
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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 (http://www.the-soc.org.uk/photo-viewer.htm?images/gallery2011/beangeese-slamannan-jan11b.jpg?Bean%20and%20Pink-footed%20Geese,%20Slamannan,%20Upper%20Forth,%20Jan%202011,%20�%20John%20Nadin)
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(http://www.bosphorus.f2s.com/reindeer.jpg)
Donner, Blitzen & friends having lunch.
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Wild Boar in Britain (http://www.britishwildboar.org.uk/index.htm?map2.html)
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.
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Wasp! Just now.
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Wasp! Just now.
David has reported many wasps in his observatory.
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A ginormous bee.
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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 (http://www.the-soc.org.uk/photo-viewer.htm?images/gallery2011/beangeese-slamannan-jan11b.jpg?Bean%20and%20Pink-footed%20Geese,%20Slamannan,%20Upper%20Forth,%20Jan%202011,%20�%20John%20Nadin)
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.
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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 ...).
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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 ? :))
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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 ...
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Wild Boar in Britain (http://www.britishwildboar.org.uk/index.htm?map2.html)
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.
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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
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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.
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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?
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Is she a Wild Thing?
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Wild? She's absolutely livid!
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A swallow.
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Red kites in Aberdeenshire this today :thumbsup: Loadsa buzzards, too.
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A slow worm in the garden. It slithered off under the fence before I could summon any other witnesses.
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This morning two herds(?) of deer at different locations, a solo muntjac and I felt the waft of a pheasants wings on my face.
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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.
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Red kites over Outwood. That's near Gatwick. They're spreading. Run for the hills.
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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.
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They've long since mapped out all the fast food places in Reading that are careless with their scraps.
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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.
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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.
:thumbsup: (unless you're a pigeon, in which case :( )
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A squadron of five parakeets alongside the M25, between junctions 3 & 4.
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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.
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The 1st bluebells I have seen this year & 3 Buzzards 2 a light colour & 1 dark brown whilst out walking yesterday.
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On a little ride this morning, several buzzards, a kestrel, and a sparrowhawk. Oh, and a hen harrier :)
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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 :D. There were also some yellow butterflies around the same area.
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Sea eagle south of Salen, Mull
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Yesterday out on a ride with datameister we saw 2 Curlews & a Kestrel :)
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Today, in Lincolnshire/Rutland : 1 red kite, several buzzards, 2 bullfinches, first swallow of the year, woodpecker (heard not seen) and several boxing hares. A good day really!
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(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5225/5606445349_6559190e5d.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/5606445349/)
blackbird (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/5606445349/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
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That's a nice picture David.
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Walking between Lewes and Brighton what I think was a peregrine falcon and several skylarks. TBH I didn't actually look for all the skylarks
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A Jay right outside my front door, SW6, looking like it was getting food for the little ones.
This is sixth animal that I have been told while growing up are rare to spot in built up areas and very shy to humans. All these I have seen within steps from my front door in London.
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a heron being chased and force to land in a little stream in a park in slough yesterday :)
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Chased by what?
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Crows doing a mating dance,
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a crow :)
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one
less fewer adder
(http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae7/fboab/2011-04-18165204.jpg)
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Adder subtracted?
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Evidence that the vole the cat brought in last week is alive and well and, er, nesting in my recycling-to-go. :-\
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Evidence that the vole the cat brought in last week is alive and well and, er, nesting in my recycling-to-go. :-\
The vole that skittered across my path on yesterday's Spring Into The Dales is only just alive and well, by a few centimetres!
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A tadpole.
And a cormorant fishing.
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A mother duck with 18 ducklings.....18!!!!!!!!!!! Surely a record!
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one less fewer adder
(http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae7/fboab/2011-04-18165204.jpg)
Sure not a grass snake? I posted a pic earlier of a similar one
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A mother duck with 18 ducklings.....18!!!!!!!!!!! Surely a record!
Not even close (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-13129199) :o
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one less fewer adder
(http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae7/fboab/2011-04-18165204.jpg)
Sure not a grass snake? I posted a pic earlier of a similar one
That's an asphalt snake.
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A badger sett which had been undergoing maintenance last night or this morning. The fresh-dug earth thrown out of two holes was still damp. It's the biggest sett I know near here, a short walk from Satwell.
In the Chilterns, so plenty of red kites, of course.
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Night Heron.
Quite unusual for these shores and this one, on Two Tree Island, had generated quite a lot of interest amongst the spotting scope brigade.
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In the sun in front of our house this afternoon:
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5145/5643976266_c57a25f877_z.jpg)
Just shed his skin, I think. All shiny-bright and just woken.
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That is a very nice picture, jealous!
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that is
serpently certainly a super pic M.V. 8)
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A buzzard and little baby rabbit. Not together though, so ok for the rabbit.
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Lots and lots of hares, 2 buzzards, 2 red kites. I think it must be a very good year for hares, I see them on every ride!
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A buzzard. Over Gatwick. Bit far East, but not the first i've seen round here.
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A couple of whitethroats screachting away in darkest Chatham. Nice birds, shame about their song.
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A pair of great crested grebes busy building a nest, in the middle of Reading.
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Lots of very cute rabbits!
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Swallows, at last!
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Lesser spotted woodpecker
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Lesser spotted woodpecker
Oo where? I've never seen a lesser spotted.
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I have, in two places. One was in Hungary, but the other was in the Stodmarsh reserve in East Kent. They are as small as a robin.
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/pic/?o=RrzKj&pic_id=519945&v=0&size=large
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There were some small dying elms adjacent to my brother's house (I think there still are some) and a few years ago he had a few sightings as some (a pair I think) pecked under the loose bark for insects.
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Just back from a glorious week in Dumfries & Galloway. Wall to wall sunshine, temps in the high teens/low twenties, masses of wild flowers and summer migrants. The only sign that it was still only April was that many of the trees were still bare. Amongst the wildlife spotted were pied flycatchers, ospreys, whitethroats, blackcaps, nuthatches, plenty of swallows and willow warblers, and this chap, seen near New Abbey...
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5104/5649073422_8b620c0ce3_z.jpg)
Also several sightings of red squirrels in the garden of the cottage in which we were staying :thumbsup:
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It's a lovely part of the country. We cycled across D & G on our way from Lowestoft to Ardnamurchan. I must get around to spending a week or so there. I understand that even in that part of the world the dreaded midge still makes its presence felt so perhaps a week there in the summer is a bad idea.
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I understand that even in that part of the world the dreaded midge still makes its presence felt so perhaps a week there in the summer is a bad idea.
We've found most bits of it are relatively ok for midges, it's just the forest areas that can be bad. I've found the clegs to be more of a problem than the midges.
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Lesser spotted woodpecker
Oo where? I've never seen a lesser spotted.
Outside the house were I live in south of Ely, pure chance, looked out the window and thought GS woodpecker, but then realised no red, and smaller than blackbird.
~Today saw loads of Hares, a Barn Owl and Hobby. And some lesser spotted twitchers, coffee stop at Welney, they've got a Blue Throat at the moment.
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A deer thing, last night on the road between Bibury and Barnsley. Scared and little, it clattered away off down the road as I passed it.
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Lesser spotted woodpecker
Oo where? I've never seen a lesser spotted.
Outside the house were I live in south of Ely, pure chance, looked out the window and thought GS woodpecker, but then realised no red, and smaller than blackbird.
~Today saw loads of Hares, a Barn Owl and Hobby. And some lesser spotted twitchers, coffee stop at Welney, they've got a Blue Throat at the moment.
look at the pic I took I linked to above. The other difference is that the GSW has wing patches, while the LSW has a sort of ladder of stripes up its back.
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Yep, thats it
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Just a slowworm today.
Never seen lesser spotted woodpecker. Did see black woodpecker before on a ride - they're huge! (pita to get a photo though)
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And another slow worm.
And a huge bird on a bit of dead tree, right above the path in the forest, 10 paces in front of me! Anyone know if there are red kites in Germany? Of all the pics I've found, that seems to be the closest match.
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There are. We saw a lot of black kites in the Rhein and Mosel areas last May/June.
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And another slow worm.
And a huge bird on a bit of dead tree, right above the path in the forest, 10 paces in front of me! Anyone know if there are red kites in Germany? Of all the pics I've found, that seems to be the closest match.
There are a lot of red kites there, indeed.
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Can you believe it, another slowworm?
This one was in three pieces, a major piece with the head, very much alive, and its tail in two bits, one of which was still twisting. A magpie was feeding on it, of course on the head and body part, so I took that bit off the road and put it into the long grass where it might survive, and left the tail for tyhe bird.
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stoat bouncing along a footpath
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Moving a load of stuff in the log grass bit of the garden we (self and the two smaller gears) found a total of seven slow worms in a couple of square metres. One gave birth to a clutch of babies on my son's hand and, when put in the grass, gathered them up into a gelatinous ball and slithered off. Only one of the seven had a tail missing - it had healed over so was an oldish loss. Often find one or two slow worms when (infrequently) strimming this part of the garden but amazed to find so many today.
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A ferret out for a walk with a cat.
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Mrs Wow, Butterfly and I spent a very happy few minutes watching a willow warbler singing away to himself. Very interesting how their tails bob in time with the notes of the song.
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Just some gulls at the beach.
Tricky manual focussing with the 500mm mirror lens.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5029/5676576481_2c0679cc57.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/5676576481/)
DSC_6181 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/5676576481/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5102/5677141318_af7c53055c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/5677141318/)
DSC_6190 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/5677141318/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
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A cuckoo, Red Moss near Edinburgh.
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Mayflies. Hordes of 'em flying by the Thames late yesterday, & dying all over the towpath & river, where they were being feasted on by assorted birds. Swans, ducks, gulls - even a couple of grebes.
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Grass snake, in the ponds at Thames Valley Business Park, Reading. Mrs B heard a rustle & glimpsed a head briefly poking out of some reeds. We waited a bit, then I made a small disturbance on the landward side, & it swam out. Mrs B pointed at it, & it immediately turned back. Maybe her suddenly outthrust arm was reminiscent of a herons neck extending. It was small enough to be at risk from a heron.
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Beaver. Redwings and fieldfares singing. Pair of goldeneye.
Slightly disappointing on the bird front ;)
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A large hare running across the road this evening and a barn owl just outside my house.
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Foals:
(http://www.bosphorus.f2s.com/foal.jpg)
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A pair of goldfinches, have never seen them before - they are so lovely to look at :)
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Two herons on the banks of the Macclesfield canal
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A stoat, nearly ran it over when it ran out in front of me.
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Beaver. Redwings and fieldfares singing. Pair of goldeneye.
Slightly disappointing on the bird front ;)
Beaver! coooool.
Bats!
Saw my first one of the year tonight. :)
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Beaver.
One of the officially sanctioned ones or an escapee ?
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Beaver.
One of the officially sanctioned ones or an escapee ?
This was the genuine wild article (and thus indistinguishable from the "official" ones - the *ahem* escapes apparently speak with a German accent).
(Clues to rough location are in the original post - I was a bit off my normal patch ;))
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Cuckoo, heard but not seen, in Priory Park.
I clearly heard it call 4 times and in a more rural setting wouldn't have had any doubt. But in Priory Park? I've been going there on and off for about 30 years, almost every day in the summer fro the past 7, and am doubting my sanity.
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Beaver.
One of the officially sanctioned ones or an escapee ?
This was the genuine wild article (and thus indistinguishable from the "official" ones - the *ahem* escapes apparently speak with a German accent).
(Clues to rough location are in the original post - I was a bit off my normal patch ;))
Evidence:
(http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m85/rjevans6/Dam.jpg)
(http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m85/rjevans6/Stick.jpg)
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A pair of goldfinches, have never seen them before - they are so lovely to look at :)
They're beautiful, aren't they? I got a feeder and niger seed and hung it from a tree in the carpark at work in December. It took the goldfinches until early April to work out it was there, but now they get through a feeder-full a week. I was so excited the first time I saw them. I'd never seen one before and I was surprised by how lovely they are. They're the highlight of the carpark now.
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Well the swifts finally showed up on 5th May and had set up home in the external rafters of my apartment by 6th May. Still only seen/heard a few. Guess they arrived on the wind from the south? Been easterly for a week or 2. I think it's about the same date as last year despite the warm/dry April.
edit: this thread tells me they arrived on 30/4 last year (but that's probably a few days earlier than typical)
Blackbirds? thousands. Why do they always fly at your wheels if you disturb them while riding a bike?
Cuckoo - heard my first of the year. And maybe 2nd? Or did the first just fly closer to the path?
Pied Wagtails - a few.
Black Redstarts - seen a few at work, but none nesting near my place like the last few years.
Still only seen the one single cockchafer / maybug.
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With Andy M mentioning Pied Wagtails, yesterday I saw a grey one in its usual place in the ford stuffing its face with flies but did wonder why they "wag"?
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We have a great tits' nest.
I've heard the noise of babies above our front door, near roof level, for a couple of days, but couldn't see how they could have got into the roof space, or why we couldn't hear them from inside the house.
It's because they've nested in the sewerage venting pipe, presumably where it bends out to go round the guttering. That means that, when the babies fledge, they are going to have to scale about 2' 6" of vertical pipe before they escape. I think that's going to be difficult for them, but I would imagine that the parents wouldn't build a nest where the babies are doomed.
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Swifts flying around outside the flat this afternoon ...
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A cinnabar moth this morning - first one I've seen. Lovely!
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They like ragwort, which one is meant to eradicate on sight. Bit of a conflict there...they are lovely moths
We have housemartins nesting in the eves :)
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Never seen one wandering about in the wild - so it was great to see a weasal (pretty sure it wasn't a stoat) as I rode towards home from the Hailsham 400. Climbing a big hill and this little brown chap appeared from the hedgerow, saw me and popped back. Seconds, but it was nice to see.
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Swifts flying around outside the flat this afternoon ...
Swifts here this evening - heard them before I saw them.
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Our housemartins are back and since it rained yesterday they are trying to construct a nest. Hope the new plastic sofits don't cause them a problem and that the stone wall will be all they need for adhesion.
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Well the swifts finally showed up on 5th May and had set up home in the external rafters of my apartment by 6th May. Still only seen/heard a few. Guess they arrived on the wind from the south? Been easterly for a week or 2. I think it's about the same date as last year despite the warm/dry April.
edit: this thread tells me they arrived on 30/4 last year (but that's probably a few days earlier than typical)
Blackbirds? thousands. Why do they always fly at your wheels if you disturb them while riding a bike?
Cuckoo - heard my first of the year. And maybe 2nd? Or did the first just fly closer to the path?
Pied Wagtails - a few.
Black Redstarts - seen a few at work, but none nesting near my place like the last few years.
Still only seen the one single cockchafer / maybug.
Puzzled...you have swifts nesting on your house rather than house martins? And pied wagtails rather than white ones? Pied is largely restricted to the UK.
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A cinnabar moth this morning - first one I've seen. Lovely!
Cool. I've never seen one, but, by chance, I was reading up about the cinnabar in out moths & butterflies book this morning. Beautiful. I understand MV's conflict.
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A hare on yesterdays ride.
and a monstrous amount of roadkill, all nicely mashed up, then cleaned by the rain. :sick:
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Swifts flying around outside the flat this afternoon ...
Swifts here this evening - heard them before I saw them.
50 kmh - same birds?? ;)
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Swifts on the Sussex coast on Friday.
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Cobwebs all over the bushes near Kingsworthy in Hants. Seen elsewhere as well.
Why so much of it? Anyone know?
Big piders?
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Cobwebs all over the bushes near Kingsworthy in Hants. Seen elsewhere as well.
Why so much of it? Anyone know?
Big piders?
Caterpillars Strike Force (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=34097.msg638712#msg638712)
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Cobwebs all over the bushes near Kingsworthy in Hants. Seen elsewhere as well.
Why so much of it? Anyone know?
Big piders?
Caterpillars Strike Force (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=34097.msg638712#msg638712)
And
Caterpillar invasion turns cemetery into horror film set
| Metro.co.uk (http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/stories/829270-caterpillar-invasion-turns-cemetery-into-horror-film-set)
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Peregrine over Honor Oak Park, south east Londonton, on Saturday at 5.30pm.
Funnily enough I had taken a call from a friend earlier in the afternoon who wanted my opinion as to whether the bird of prey he'd seen in Greenwich Park might have been a peregrine. I wonder if these are the Bankside ones, fed up with the poor quality of recent exhibits in the turbine hall.
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Puzzled...you have swifts nesting on your house rather than house martins? And pied wagtails rather than white ones? Pied is largely restricted to the UK.
Might well be white wagtails. They look pretty similar.
Definitely swifts. In a small void between a wall and an external rafter, on the 4th floor. I think martins and swallows have white on them? These are completely black.
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They like ragwort, which one is meant to eradicate on sight. Bit of a conflict there...they are lovely moths
We spend quite a lot of time clearing ragwort from the grassland nature reserves.
Grazing animals have evolved to eat around the stuff; I have a vivid memory of a field close to the Little Hay TV mast with a lot of horses and more ragwort (flowering) than grass.
However if the grass is mown for hay or silage, the ragwort is much less likely to recognised. So, if there is even the remotest possibilty that the grassland might be mown for a hay crop, the ragwort has to be removed. Those are the rules. It's a bit like H & S.
We do find ragwort plants with colonies of cinnabar moth caterpillars. It is sad :-[ that they are to be excluded from the nature reserve.
We have housemartins nesting in the eves :)
Lucky you. Saw my first martins yesterday in the Cotswolds.
Are the droppings as good a fertilser as guano?
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Small Blue butterfly. That's good - not that common here
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Cycling to work this morning I saw a starling fall dead out of the sky :o I had a quick look round but couldn't see any raptors.
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Swallows. In the kitchen.
I found one lying on its back in the middle of the floor, and had a strong word with Big Cat. It seemed unharmed but stunned so I picked it up and took it outside and it flew off.
An hour or so later i found 2 more fluttering round the windows inside the kitchen, so I suppose the cat is innocent and they were flying in through the open door and hitting the windows from the inside.
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Swallows. In the kitchen.
I found one lying on its back in the middle of the floor, and had a strong word with Big Cat.
Did he not Cat egorically deny it?
IGMC
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Cycling to work this morning I saw a starling fall dead out of the sky :o I had a quick look round but couldn't see any raptors.
Lack of raptors? Look no further: BBC iPlayer - Fair Game? Scotland's Sporting Estates (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0116lfs/Fair_Game_Scotlands_Sporting_Estates/)
(A BoP probably wouldn't have let go ...)
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On the commute the other day I confirmed I now have yellowhammers.
They are a pretty little bird.
Today?
I have been treated to shagging sparrows by the back door. I'm sat here working and the cock sparrow has been having his way 6 times with the hen. Randy little buggers. She didn't seem to mind.
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Red Admiral a couple of days ago. Hordes of coot chicks, ducklings (there's one brood of 20+ by County lock, in the middle of Reading, goslings & cygnets.
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Yesterday, a rather handsome male Cockchafer, at Chez boab:
(http://www.ivytodd.com/images/boabchafer.jpg) (https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PSyBAi603kdSDkrB_l6W0-iJuTeidCYaK25ZJr5qMp4?feat=directlink)
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That photo needs a 50p for scale.
He was mahoosive, and the boab-lets were scared. Luckily, someone big strong and fearless removed him from the landing. (Me, not Chris S).
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Yesterday, a rather handsome male Cockchafer, at Chez boab:
(http://www.ivytodd.com/images/boabchafer.jpg) (https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PSyBAi603kdSDkrB_l6W0-iJuTeidCYaK25ZJr5qMp4?feat=directlink)
Fnaar fnaar.
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Yesterday, a rather handsome male Cockchafer, at Chez boab[/url]
Gosh I haven't seen one of those for decades.
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Rather sadly, a Jackdaw being opportunistic in our back garden and grabbing a fledgling sparrow that was rooting around the lawn. A few swift (no ornithological pun intended) pecks to finish the poor thing off, and then off it flew with it in its claws.
One of those images that your brain keeps reminding you you've seen, and that you could do without.
Oh well, nature etc.
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A cuckoo, at Mucking Hall (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=591723&Y=189724&A=Y&Z=115).
The arrow marks the spot where I attempted to conceal myself under a tree whilst I cuckooed at it.
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On the Snow Roads: loadsa deer, mountain & brown hares, heard a cuckoo while descending the Cabrach, possible badger in Glen Isla (only a glimpse so can't be certain).
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On the Snow Roads: loadsa deer, mountain & brown hares, heard a cuckoo while descending the Cabrach, possible badger in Glen Isla (only a glimpse so can't be certain).
I slowed right down in Glen Isla when I saw a badger sized black animal crossing the road ahead around dusk. When we got closer I realised it was a black lamb out on the road. A rabbit ran out in front of me at the top of Glen Isla while I was descending at about 30mph. I didn't have time to react at all, but it did a massive jump (handlebar height) and I missed it by a few inches. Also saw an owl, a few bats and a hedge hog wandering along the grass verge.
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Yesterday, a rather handsome male Cockchafer, at Chez boab[/url]
Gosh I haven't seen one of those for decades.
I got hit on the head by one just outside Brecon a couple of years ago, and found 2 crawling up my leg as I cycled along in a similar place a few weeks ago.
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A puddock or a toad under a plant outside our shed this morning.
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Heard screeching past just now, but I moved too slowly to see them: swifts.
I've been seeing martins for quite a while, but these are my first swifts of the year. I suspect I've been rather unobservant.
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I suspect I've been rather unobservant.
I don't think so , I have only just seen Swifts in the last couple of days. Sand Martins OTOH arrived in large numbers on the Thames about a month ago.
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Cinnabar on my grubby windowsill
(http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae7/fboab/DSC00135.jpg)
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Over the last few days in the New Forest:
Redstarts flycatching.
One Dartford warbler near Rhinefield.
Lots of blackcaps.
LOTS of cuckoos.
An adder.
All three hirundines, and swifts...and then, on the causeway to Hurst Castle, April asked "What's the difference between a raven and a crow?"
As if by magic, one raven appeared, being mobbed by one carrion crow.
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I've got a delightful young Robin feeding on my lawn at the moment.
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I suspect I've been rather unobservant.
I don't think so , I have only just seen Swifts in the last couple of days. Sand Martins OTOH arrived in large numbers on the Thames about a month ago.
I haven't seen any swifts yet either :(
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They've been here (North Kent) for about a fortnight.
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Heard, then saw some swifts round here (just south of Manchester) two days ago. Uplifting sound.
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Twice within a few weeks ive seen Red Kites, one flew along side me for a few hundred yards, it had a plastic bag in its talons, what would it want with that i wonder? then last week saw another one fairly close carrying what looked like a mouse, i know Northants is a hotspot for these birds but this is the first time ive seen them close up ie within 50 yards.
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...Red Kites, one flew along side me for a few hundred yards, it had a plastic bag in its talons, what would it want with that i wonder?...
I think the red kite is one of those birds that likes adorn its nest with 'treasure'.
ETA: see BBC News - Stuffed toy Rudolph is red kite target (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-12058839)
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A snake.
I assumed it was roadkill, but when I lumberingly turned around for a closer look, it had gone.
Teeny, it was, pencil sized.
Is there a term for baby snake? Snakelet?
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Is there a term for baby snake? Snakelet?
A worm ;D
Just kidding. I don't think there is a word for it, no. 'Juvenile' is probably what the herpetologists use to describe them.
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Is there a term for baby snake? Snakelet?
a little creep?
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...Red Kites, one flew along side me for a few hundred yards, it had a plastic bag in its talons, what would it want with that i wonder?...
I think the red kite is one of those birds that likes adorn its nest with 'treasure'.
ETA: see BBC News - Stuffed toy Rudolph is red kite target (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-12058839)
Ah i see, if i see one carrying a cuddly toy then, i,ll know it just wants one so it can admire it in its nest.
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A snake.
I assumed it was roadkill, but when I lumberingly turned around for a closer look, it had gone.
Teeny, it was, pencil sized.
Is there a term for baby snake? Snakelet?
could have been a Slow Worm maybe, ive seen one on the road before and they are pencil sized, not a snake but a legless lizard i believe.
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Ants. Loads of them. We had a few inside the building at work a few weeks ago, but that's not happening right now. As it is, I spotted some heaps of sand at the far end of the car park and went to investigate. There is an area of about four metres in any direction which is riddled with antholes.
I'm not looking forward to their flying :-\
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A cream spot tiger moth. Never seen one before. Very striking, but not that uncommon, it seems.
Cream-spot Tiger Arctia villica - UKMoths (http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?bf=2058)
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Saw two Tern over the Thames in Kingston ..........
.... and the young Robins on my lawn
.... which have now started sunbathing
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A pair of Great Tits flying in an agitated fashion near a climb I was trying (and failing) to do. Watching them a bit closer, and listening, it became apparent that they were nesting in a crack in the rock, halfway up the next climb (Pine Crack at Stone Farm).
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Blue tits clearly feeding young in the neighbours' nestbox.
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A pair of Great Tits flying in an agitated fashion near a climb I was trying (and failing) to do. Watching them a bit closer, and listening, it became apparent that they were nesting in a crack in the rock, halfway up the next climb (Pine Crack at Stone Farm).
Which route were you on, Tim? Haven't climbed there for years
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Scruffy little long-tailed tits in considerable numbers raiding the hydrangea just outside our window, bold as brass and not put off by three of us watching from about three feet away. A bit later I went out to inspect the plant and realised that the birds must have been feasting on scae insects - or at least grabbing them ad carrying them home to their young.
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A pair of Great Tits flying in an agitated fashion near a climb I was trying (and failing) to do. Watching them a bit closer, and listening, it became apparent that they were nesting in a crack in the rock, halfway up the next climb (Pine Crack at Stone Farm).
Which route were you on, Tim? Haven't climbed there for years
Stone Farm Crack, next to Cat Wall, but couldn't get off the ground. I think they're using 11.4m/s^2 for gravity instead of the more usual 9.8. In reality it's a year or more since I was there and I'm not as bendy & stretchy as I once was. Erosion means the starts of many climbs are further up, IYSWIM. Managed, after a fashion, Pinnacle Buttress which is shown as 5a in my tattered guide book.
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We now have a pair of bullfinches (Mr and Mrs). Haven't seen any of those for years. The bastard squirrels have also found the seed and are arriving four at a time; Cat minor is doing a reasonable job of chasing them back up the tree.
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Peregrine, having a cr@p. Little ringed plover. Lots of seabirds (guillemot; razorbill; kittiwake; shag). Staggering quantities of thrift.
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Well, actually seen on Sunday to be precise. Wasp nest in our garden. Domed paper nest is currently about 80mm wide x 100mm deep. I'm gonna have to keep an eye on it methinks.
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A buzzard, flying 18" off the ground (wings almost touching the tarmac) and about 10 yards in front of my bike. Then it veered off through a gap in the hedge and, once it was above the field, slowed down so we could have a good look at each other. Then it was off.
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Sure it was a buzzard & not a goshawk ? They tend to fly like that; they sometimes surf down the road in front of the car on the displaced air wave
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Seen today in my garden as I was coming back from a walk with both doggies
(http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx30/Auntie_Helen/General%20pictures/Bluetitfledgling2.jpg)
(http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx30/Auntie_Helen/General%20pictures/Bluetitfledgling1.jpg)
Fortunately I managed to hustle both doggies inside before they saw him/her. Poppy the Cockapoo would have liked nothing better than to snap up a baby blue tit. She and Lucy were kept inside until he hopped away into the hedge. Hope he's OK.
We had bluetits nesting above our shed but I hadn't realised they had managed to raise a chick to fledging stage already.
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Sure it was a buzzard & not a goshawk ? They tend to fly like that; they sometimes surf down the road in front of the car on the displaced air wave
Looked too brown for a goshawk, although they are the same sort of shape.
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M'wasp nest. And you can see what busy bees they've been, and continue to be…
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/Riggers_1956/Wasp1-270511.jpg)
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/Riggers_1956/Wasp2-270511.jpg)
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/Riggers_1956/Wasp3-270511.jpg)
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The queen wasps were very active here a month or 6 weeks ago; lots of small nests appeared, just a couple of cm in diameter, over one weekend inside my sheds and in the attic. I knocked them all down as they started and they've not reformed. Just one in a chimney left that I can't reach.
Interesting to see an outside nest, riggers. I've only ever seen them inside buildings, where they're protected from the elements
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Sure it was a buzzard & not a goshawk ? They tend to fly like that; they sometimes surf down the road in front of the car on the displaced air wave
Looked too brown for a goshawk, although they are the same sort of shape.
Goshawk females are browner and bigger than the males. The keys are deep chest, eyebrow, and tail length, in that sort of view.
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The queen wasps were very active here a month or 6 weeks ago; lots of small nests appeared, just a couple of cm in diameter, over one weekend inside my sheds and in the attic. I knocked them all down as they started and they've not reformed. Just one in a chimney left that I can't reach.
Interesting to see an outside nest, riggers. I've only ever seen them inside buildings, where they're protected from the elements
Seems to be a hive of activity. I think I might have to cut off the branch and ship the whole thing somewhere else, most probably at night when it's colder and they're inactive. Trouble is we only have a small garden, and we use it all. So… means going through the house, and we live in a town. Nearest rough ground is a good half-mile away. So do I walk or take the car? Hmmmm… interesting. A recipe for disaster or huge comedic potential. And no, I don't own a video camera for possible You've been framed. It'll be you've been stung.
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We had a few queens trying to get into the building here at work about a month or so back. Fortunately, they were all dissuaded.
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We had a few queens trying to get into the building here at work about a month or so back. Fortunately, they were all dissuaded.
/resists obvious joke
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Hmmmmm, some of the flight patterns of my wasps do look a tad 'mincy'. Should I be concerned.
– worried of Brighton
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Anyone know what this is? My neighbour found it on their plants. It's about 8mm long. thought perhaps a young 'Devil's Coachman'.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/Minitar1/Dg/MysteryBug.jpg)
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Or young ladybird* larvae.
*No, not lady boy
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Anyone know what this is? My neighbour found it on their plants. It's about 8mm long. thought perhaps a young 'Devil's Coachman'.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/Minitar1/Dg/MysteryBug.jpg)
Any unidentified bug is a "Blood Sucker". Trufax.
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Or young ladybird* larvae.
^This, I'm pretty sure.
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There's only one :P
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Male Gtr spotted woodpecker feeding it's young on our feeders, said youngster then slipped under my sparrow-netting defences around my veg patch to investigate my carrots and beetroots, a sample of one "proving" woodpeckers are much cleverer than sparrows?
Off dormousing now, so best wake up the hounds.
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Quite a few youngsters hopping around the garden this morning - dunnocks, great tits, blue tits and robin. The local neighbourhood moggie is getting a lot of attention from the parents.
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Magpies.
I love them.
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Magpies.
I love them.
I've never tasted one
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A pair of long tailed tits in the garden. Infrequent visitors to our garden though we get all the other tits bar crested tits.;
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Depending where you live, your nearest crested tits are either Scotland or Calais.
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Depending where you live, your nearest crested tits are either Scotland or Calais.
Scotland then.
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A pair of long tailed tits in the garden. Infrequent visitors to our garden though we get all the other tits bar crested tits.;
Bearded?
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No not them either so that's two types we don't get. Oh hang on no marsh or willow tits either. So that s four. Maybe I should have said all the common ones.
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Saw a Ring Necked Parakeet , presumably young , with its head sticking out of the nest hole (in a tree) . Another , presumably adult , flew up to it but did not feed it , perhaps just trying to encourage the young one to leave the nest.
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Great Spotted Woodpeckers on one of our feeders....
Over the last week we've seen a male and female returning for the peanuts. Beautiful sight, the birds that is, not the peanuts.
:)
oh and a Bullfinch which we hardly ever see.
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A seagull repeatedly trying to get something out of a tree in a neighbour's garden - maybe a fledgling?
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Last night, on the commute home, I saw two fox cubs on Tooting Bec Common. At first I thought they were rabbits (although it would be a very odd place to see them), but when one ran not too far from me, I realised they were small foxes. I'd surprised an adult fox just the other side of the bridge, so that might have been Mum. Whilst I often see foxes on the commute, that's the first time I've seen cubs.
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I would have thought Tooting Common would be perfect for raising cubs, with plenty of cover and easy access to food. There's no cubs at the end of our garden this year, which is just as well for the vegetable plot, but a shame nonetheless, as it was fun watching them play in the garden.
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A dolphin :thumbsup:
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Damn, can't beat that.
I have, however, just rescued an ant from our studio floor, and put him back outside.
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Last night, on the commute home, I saw two fox cubs on Tooting Bec Common. At first I thought they were rabbits (although it would be a very odd place to see them), but when one ran not too far from me, I realised they were small foxes. I'd surprised an adult fox just the other side of the bridge, so that might have been Mum. Whilst I often see foxes on the commute, that's the first time I've seen cubs.
A few years ago, I spent an hour watching a vixen playing with her four cubs in my back garden. It was dusk at midsummer. The undergrowth behind our garden has been cut back and I've seen no cubs of late.
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Magpies.
I love them.
Me too!
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A cartload of Sawfly caterpillars, busy eating the leaves of our Solomon's Seal. Stripped some of it to nothing already.
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Frog in our garden tonight.
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Bye bye slugs!!
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A dolphin :thumbsup:
We've just been watching several dolphins & a seal in the harbour alongside our office. Normally the dolphins are seen at the harbour mouth or just outside.
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A very big beetle in my back garden. I took a picture, which I may post later.
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Well, Ringo Starr's about to do a tour, but he was the smallest Beetle.
Oh.
I see what I've done.
IGMC
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The queen wasps were very active here a month or 6 weeks ago; lots of small nests appeared, just a couple of cm in diameter, over one weekend inside my sheds and in the attic. I knocked them all down as they started and they've not reformed. Just one in a chimney left that I can't reach.
Interesting to see an outside nest, riggers. I've only ever seen them inside buildings, where they're protected from the elements
About 20 years ago I had 3 small beehives, the results of a queen-rearing course I'd been on at Writtle Ag. college. They were arranged in a small amongst some trees in my parents' garden some distance from the main honey producing hives. My dad started complaining he'd been stung a few times when working near them, which would have defeated the object because one of the main characteristics one tries to avoid when rearing queens is a tendency to sting.
The next time I went to my parents', I investigated and discovered the culprits: a wasp's nest in a very similar evergreen bush to Riggers', only about 10' from my bee hives! That's also the only "outdoor" wasps' nest I've seen.
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Red kites, scores of them. They are great to watch but I can see them being declared a pest in 10 years' time, because they are now trying to get food off the plate; a bit scary when something has a 5' wingspan. They seem to have doubled in number in the last year in the Chilterns, and have made it as far west as Uffington White Horse (I even saw one circling over Didcot station last month).
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Red kites, scores of them. They are great to watch but I can see them being declared a pest in 10 years' time, because they are now trying to get food off the plate
Strange coincidence - just got off M40 at J6 near Chinnor and there were piles in the sky. A few years ago they could be seen on the Ridgeway near to Goring. Now they're overhead in Pangbourne/Whitchurch-on-Thames most days and local farmers are already complaining about them. It'll be less than 10 years.
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i see them quit often here in slough :o. they must be lost ;D
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i see them quit often here in slough :o. they must be lost ;D
Slough's enough to make anyone want to quit ;D
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Apparently numbers increased by 130% in the last year :o
If they ban people from feeding them then they should spread out; the only reason places like Watlington can sustain such a ridiculous density is that they are being fed for entertainment.
The Torygraph, predictably, reports a scare story that they are stealing children's lunches and that farmers and the RAF want to see them "removed" from the Chilterns; obviously many of its readers belong to the shooting fraternity. As they're too weak to kill livestock and are unlikely to get in the way of one of the helicopters from Benson*, there isn't really a case to answer.
*if there were fixed-wing aircraft, maybe a flock of kites could cause havoc with the engines, but these are Sea Kings and the like; the kites clear off as soon as they hear one coming.
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I believe the pigeon-sized bird of prey I saw diving after something in Chalfont Lane was a sparrowhawk.
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3 deer in next door's garden. (We back on to a mahoosive forest).
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.... have made it as far west as Uffington White Horse (I even saw one circling over Didcot station last month).
I saw one over Didcot for the first time about 15 years ago. There were several in the Lambourn valley 5 years ago.
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Oystercatcher chicks. Heard a cuckoo on Cairn o'Mount.
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The Torygraph, predictably, reports a scare story that they are stealing children's lunches and that farmers and the RAF want to see them "removed" from the Chilterns; obviously many of its readers belong to the shooting fraternity. As they're too weak to kill livestock and are unlikely to get in the way of one of the helicopters from Benson*, there isn't really a case to answer.
Mrs B & I saw a ploughman followed by a flock of kites once, & stopped to watch. When he reached the end of a furrow at our end of the field, he stopped to talk to us. He liked the kites, enjoyed having them follow the plough, & was well aware of their harmlessness. His only objection was to the people who fed them. He felt it was bad for the birds, causing overcrowding & discouraging them from spreading out.
We see them over our house most days - in Reading. They got here a long time ago, & have been south of the M4 for at least a couple of years.
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My mum saw a kingfisher today on the Huddersfield canal.
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I believe the pigeon-sized bird of prey I saw diving after something in Chalfont Lane was a sparrowhawk.
Female a lot bigger than the male. Look for a very peculiarly sparrowhawky level flight characteristic, "flap-flap-glide, flap-flap-glide"
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Sitting on the top floor of my hotel in Toronto last night I saw grey feathers fluttering past the window.
A few minutes later I saw a Peregrine flying by.
Could the two be related?
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Two magpies are having a very noisy fight in the space in front of my basement flat. There's a nest in the rowan tree in front of the house and they're noisy creatures as a rule.
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The other day I saw either a swallow or a housemartin swooping over the burn and catching insects. I didn't get a good enough view to be sure which one it was. It definitely wasn't Norman Cook though.
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One of the few remaining UK ruddy ducks, on the River Wye. There is an ethnic cleansing programme to get rid of them, apparently.
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We've got Red Kites over head right now. Can't believe we have them in the Vale of Pewsey. At least a pair circling over head. One came down very low hence I saw it out the rear French door window but it was being harried by a crow.
I tried to take a picture but it is too sunny.
Beautiful tail and the white triangles under the wings were very clear.
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Mrs Z saw a pair of red kites between our village and Swindon today - she had to almost stop the car to check whether they had forked tails or not. They tend to drive out the buzzards, which would be a shame as we have three of those in the area.
She also saw a jay flying across the M4 slip road (!). I love jays; they're just so exotic looking.
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Poppies growing in the verges & fields near Epworth & Shireoaks.A lovely splash of brilliant red amongst the greenery.
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A pair of muntjacs ran across the road in front of Peli and me today.
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Illegal immigrants! I hate muntjacs; they're a real pest in some areas and they're ugly to boot.
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Illegal immigrants! I hate muntjacs; they're a real pest in some areas and they're ugly to boot.
More ecologic migrants really.
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Loadsa jackdaws going bonkers around the back gardens today. I wonder if they're trying to flush out fledglings from the trees?
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Wow thats amazing just been having that conversation with the missus re larger birds congregating on back garden.
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Yesterday, a weasel dashing across the road. Quite comical. The sun was behind us so its red colour was quite obvious; normally you just see a dark bouncing streak.
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yesterday: a squirrel in Clumber Park messing with his nuts on the verge
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Peregrines & a dragonfly in the centre of the city (the latter in the busy, but probably condemned Union Terrace Gardens (http://friendsofutg.org/)).
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A baby heron in Carshalton ponds :D. I saw it last week, but too briefly to be certain. It was there again today 8)
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Over the past 2 weeks, whilst on holiday in beautiful but damp Dumfries and Galloway, loads of whitethroat and blackcap, an adder, several cinnabar moths, lots of shrews and voles, lone sightings of cuckoo and spotted flycatcher, and most intriguingly, what appeared to be a nesting whooper swan. A spot of googling has just confirmed this as a possibility.
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A dead tree with about 10 cormorants sitting in it. Around a Berkshire gravel pit. Surreal.
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Yesterday, about a dozen storks - in Germany. Wow, they're big!
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200-odd swans on the Tweed at Berwick
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A seal with a fish in its mouth in the Medway.
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I clapped my eyes on a white rabbit today. Not unusual on the pennine moors in winter though their brown this time of the year and this was in rural Chester. Maybe it was an domestic rabbit got free ? Do we have wild white rabbits in parts of Chester ? I don't know, though I haven't seen one before.
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I've seen the odd white rabbit in the wild too
I suppose they're either domestic escapees (or been dumped) or the offspring of
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A dead tree with about 10 cormorants sitting in it. Around a Berkshire gravel pit. Surreal.
There's a drought down there, isn't there? Fish will be hard to come by.
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A few weeks/months ? ago I saw a pair of Mallard with 11 small chicks. Today in the same place I saw a group of 12 Mallard with no adult male. I assume I was looking at the same adult female with all 11 young (male and female looking the same at this stage) still alive.
Quite remarkable
And beautiful
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Sitting on the top floor of my hotel in Toronto last night I saw grey feathers fluttering past the window.
A few minutes later I saw a Peregrine flying by.
Could the two be related?
Back in Toronto this week. On the desk in my room is a card announcing the hotel's new arrivals with a picture. 4 fluffy Peregrine chicks :)
Same thing happened last year as well so I guess it's a permanent resident which is nice.
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A redstart. Just a fleeting glimpse but nice to see. I've never yet seen a redstart whilst on foot, every sighting has been from the bike.
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Saw a sparrow yesterday. First time I've seen a sparrow in a long time.
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At the pub in Naburn, Butterfly spotted a noisy fledgling sparrow demanding food, and a parent feeding it.
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A red kite over the motorway embankment west of Slough on Saturday morning. I understand they're becoming quite common here now, but that's the first one I've seen (identified) in England.
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Last night, I saw a swift in my next-door neighbours' kitchen. Poor thing had flown in through the attic window then got panicked, & couldn't find its way out through the doors & windows they left wide open for it. They asked for my help.
It had ended up perched on a pot plant, cowering behind it in a corner. I picked up the plant & carried it outside. The sun was down, but the sky was still light. I expected the swift to fly away as soon as it was outside, but it clung to the plant, so I put a finger under it & gently lifted it. When it had to choose between transferring its grip to my finger and flying, it chose the latter: circled a couple of times, then seemed to get its bearings & flew off.
I'd never touched a swift before.
[edit]Forgot to add: we saw a sparrowhawk hunting on Sunday, very close. Mrs B expressed regret that we didn't stop to see if was successful.
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A dead pigeon under the bird feeders. No obvious signs of injury on it.
A very torpid bee in a foxglove flower.
We have the Garden of Death :demon:
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@Bledlow.
When I was quite young i remember a swift on the ground in our garden. It was unable to take off.
We caught it and threw it into the air and of it zoomed. No idea why it landed.
Swifts are surprisingly large when you see them up close - their wingspan is well over a foot.
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A very torpid bee in a foxglove flower.
We have the Garden of Death :demon:
The bee was yesterday. I went and looked to see if it was still there this afternoon (I got bored during a teleconference about water shut off in wells and suddenly remembered I was going to check) and it was not, so I would like to think it was having a wee sleep.
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A very torpid bee in a foxglove flower.
We have the Garden of Death :demon:
The bee was yesterday. I went and looked to see if it was still there this afternoon (I got bored during a teleconference about water shut off in wells and suddenly remembered I was going to check) and it was not, so I would like to think it was having a wee sleep.
Porbably eaten (and causing a chain reaction of secondary DETH) ;)
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@Bledlow.
When I was quite young i remember a swift on the ground in our garden. It was unable to take off.
We caught it and threw it into the air and of it zoomed. No idea why it landed.
Swifts are surprisingly large when you see them up close - their wingspan is well over a foot.
I noticed that this one went down (I'd put the plant pot on the garden wall, & the swift was maybe 5' off the ground), before flying upwards.
Yes, I was a little surprised at its size.
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We had a swimming gala last night as Mrs G was very stressed up to the last minute with kids dropping out, so she asked me to walk her dog quickly before we left for the pool. To save time and make it easier I took him into the field opposite. It is a very large area, more a combination of fields with electric fences. It is used by diary cows to graze.
As I got into the middle I heard a bird of prey noise and noted it was excessive but didn't really twig at first. The closer I got to the tree line the louder it got. So I kept walking towards the noise. Luckily the dog was not bothered.
I then found this:
(http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e81/GruuB/IMG00055-20110702-1711.jpg)
(http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e81/GruuB/IMG00056-20110702-1712.jpg)
(http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e81/GruuB/IMG00057-20110702-1712.jpg)
I could see a parent flying above so I moved away but was concerned as this little beauty was making a right din. But due to time I couldn't ring any one for advice as we had to leave.
When I got home some several hours later and before it was truly dark I ran back over but it was gone. There was no puff of feathers left behind so I am hoping it flew away and was not carried by a predator.
As I went back towards home I startled 2 baby badgers too. Luckily I had left the mutt at home this time.
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I wanna baby badger.
Yesterday I saw a red sqrl :D
anna squashed adder :(
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I wanna baby badger.
What about a baby badger and a baby otter ? Too much cute ! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwbVQetLqfM&feature=related)
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I saw the Cheddar Gorge Peregrine Falcon this morning. It was making a really loud noise right up at the top of the cliff. I thought the noise was coming from my BB initially because it seemed in time with my pedal strokes!
The RSPB seem to be doing a very good job of protecting the birds and their nest, they are keeping an almost permanent guard on the site.
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I wanna baby badger.
What about a baby badger and a baby otter ? Too much cute ! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwbVQetLqfM&feature=related)
*broody!*
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On Thursday evening, our tai chi class went out onto the school field to do a set.
Across the other side of the field, in the late evening sun, were four foxes all lined up just as if to do some tai chi.
This miring, in the park, we heard what sounded like an alarm call, but it wasn't the right tone for either a blackbird or a greater spotted woodpecker. On closer inspection the noises were coming from a family of black-caps cavorting around in the branches of an oak tree.
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A Bar Headed Goose on the Thames in Kingston ( upon Thames)
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A lovely pink Jay sitting in the tree outside my office window this afternoon. Only the second I've seen here.
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They're my favourite birds.
We now have a humungous woodpecker visiting the bird nuts, and Mrs & Mrs Bullfinch have produced a juvenile.
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A peregrine above the back gardens, circling among a group of swifts.
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A weasel. Dead, courtesy of A Cat. That's quite impressive.
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Has the cat in question got the bite marks to prove it or did the weasel die of other causes?
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A rather hansom bantam cockerel in our garden today. No idea who's he is. He wasn't very tame and was extremely quick. I tried to catch him but he was off and garden hopping. Hope he gets home before Mr Fox finds him. Our ladies didn't seem over impressed with him.
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A rather hansom bantam cockerel in our garden today. No idea who's he is. He wasn't very tame and was extremely quick. I tried to catch him but he was off and garden hopping. Hope he gets home before Mr Fox finds him. Our ladies didn't seem over impressed with him.
Small cock syndrome?
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Has the cat in question got the bite marks to prove it or did the weasel die of other causes?
One of them's in a very funny mood, so possibly so. They're not usually interested in already-dead things anyway, and the weasel looks to have had the back of its neck bitten out, which is the usual way they finish off prey
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A weasel. Dead, courtesy of A Cat. That's quite impressive.
Some time during the 1970s, one Sunday morning our then dog spent a considerable period of time barking at and generally worrying a redundant farmyard pump which my dad had hoped to return to its former glory. Eventually, fed up with the noise, my dad upturned the pump and a weasel slithered out. There was a brief but violent encounter which resulted in a dead weasel and a dog with a bleeding black bit to his nose.
My older brother was around at the time and we successfully passed the weasel's corpse through his wedding ring, just to test out the old wives' tale.
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Weasel goes through pump and wedding ring lol
Are you sure it wasn't on Looney Tunes ?
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A rather hansom bantam cockerel in our garden today. No idea who's he is. He wasn't very tame and was extremely quick. I tried to catch him but he was off and garden hopping. Hope he gets home before Mr Fox finds him. Our ladies didn't seem over impressed with him.
Just seen someone I know walking their dog. Turns out its one of their cockerels. They had two (by accident they wanted hens) and were pulling their necks yesterday. One ended up in the pot and one escaped. So Mr Cockerels best plan is to keep running and hiding. Good luck to him :)
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A rather hansom bantam cockerel in our garden today. No idea who's he is. He wasn't very tame and was extremely quick. I tried to catch him but he was off and garden hopping. Hope he gets home before Mr Fox finds him. Our ladies didn't seem over impressed with him.
Small cock syndrome?
;D ;D ;D
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Our woodpecker turns out to be a young Great Spotted. I'm sure there's a Green around here too, because it's incredibly noisy.
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Barnes reserve on Sunday. Very quiet...then spotted a green sandpiper, loads of warblers feeding young and finally, six black-tailed godwits in summer plumage flew in.
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My mum says there are two or three sparrows in her garden which come down into the hen run and steal feathers from the ground. They fly up to the fence with them and sit for a while turning the feathers over and over in their beaks. Some of them they discard and then try another one, some of them they fly away with.
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Our woodpecker turns out to be a young Great Spotted. I'm sure there's a Green around here too, because it's incredibly noisy.
It's a distinctive call for sure. On early morning rides through Richmond Park they are often to be seen in the grass verges - Green Woodpeckers being ground feeders much more than other woodpeckers. I get them in my garden from time to time rifling through the moss on the crap patio.
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Juvenile partridge in our garden. The dog caught it briefly, then it go away. I posted the doginside the house and then wafted the partridge through the fence to the wheat field next door.
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Autumn colours :(
In fact they started to appear early June soon after some exceptional gales - I assume they've been caused by wind damage. We noticed them particularly whilst on holiday in Dumfries & Galloway where all the trees near the sea were totally scorched on the seaward side. Caused by salt spray ? But these ones outside Edinburgh today are some miles from the sea.
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6147/5933795289_29df1ff411_z.jpg)
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green woodpecker in the park near slough on ncn61 on a dead branch woodpeckering :thumbsup:
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Taken on Monday. (only just got back from mid-Wales, on Sustrans route 2B, where uploading and internet options are none, and none). Rosebay Willowherb.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/Minitar1/Dg/IMG_0848.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/Minitar1/Dg/IMG_0850.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/Minitar1/Dg/IMG_0849.jpg)
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I saw 3 birds of prey today
1 near Newport
1 in Loggerheads
1 in the Jodrell Bank vicinity
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An ickle hedgehog, tucking into roadkill. We persuaded it to move on before the inevitable.
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/camping_4.jpg)
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Two red kites over Bramham crossroads (where the A64 crosses the A1) on the way home from work yesterday.
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zOMG AndyK, that's some colour saturation!
The green woodpecker has now been spotted, so we have two woodpeckers in the 'hood.
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My mum says there are two or three sparrows in her garden which come down into the hen run and steal feathers from the ground. They fly up to the fence with them and sit for a while turning the feathers over and over in their beaks. Some of them they discard and then try another one, some of them they fly away with.
The last time we brushed the moulting cat we put all the loose fur outside. The birds wouldn't touch it ;D They are quite happy with my hair or rabbit fur.
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zOMG AndyK, that's some colour saturation!
The green woodpecker has now been spotted, so we have two woodpeckers in the 'hood.
That's Hipstamatic on the iPhone. ;)
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one from last weekend, mrs mike and the
money pit horse
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a19/mikes99mail/P10205551.jpg)
(she was nearly - but not quite - last :) )
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A kestrel or a sparrowhawk, not sure which.
Big deal you say...
So we were on a treasure hunt, which took us to Buncton Chapel at Wiston. It's a tiny Saxon chapel up on the hill, along a muddy path. As we got near some people passed us and asked if we were going to the church. We explained we were in pursuit of clues. They asked that we leave the door open so that the "big bird" inside could escape.
It was perched high up in the rafters, flying back and forth as I tried to get a picture on my phone, but no joy. Dark upper, barred lower parts, I think. Can't remember the wing shape.
What was most likely the next was outside the chapel, a pile of sticks wedged between a down pipe and a corner of wall, next to an open window, which must have been how it got in.
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In Watlington at the weekend, so unsurprisingly we saw loads of red kites. Not actually more than we have in previous years - the maximum I saw at one time was less than a dozen.
Riding to the site on Friday evening, we stumbled upon a kite which had decided to go for a dead rabbit on the verge. Unfortunately, after it had committed, we appeared one direction, and a car the other. The kite dropped the rabbit into the road and flew off at high speed. But it's very rare that you get to see a bird taking prey at such close quarters.
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Also seen: A whole load of swifts down very low taking insects. We are told this is a bad sign, weather-wise. A few swallows mixed in with them, which I thought didn't happen, but the view of the tails was definitely clear enough to verify. We had loads of earwigs, some of which were unwise enough to try to get under TGL's mat at night :( And various other insects, including a rather pretty orangey-red one. :)
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Clearing round the pond this morning, I came across a lickle grass snake which slithered out and away.
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A juvenile green woodpecker in the tree outside my window
It's the first green I've seen here
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Seen on the way home from work yesterday, a tree sparrow. Not something I can say very often !
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Cycling back along the Taff Trail in the rain at 11pm last night I swerved because the large leaf I was about to ride over was looking back at me! I tilted my light down and rode slowly because the path was crawling with toads.
I think they were toads, they were squat and slow-moving, not long-legged and jumpy like frogs.
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In & around stratfield Saye, North Hampshire, while cycling this afternoon:
A fallow doe & fawn crossing the Devil's Highway a short distance in front of us.
A hen partridge trying to distract us from her chicks (Mrs B spotted the chicks, but I missed 'em).
A roe deer crossing the road.
Kites.
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Yesterday. A dead badger , dead fox :-[ Alive fox :) an a bird of prey with a wing span of about 1 metre in Staffordshire. No idea what kind of bird it was ? Speckled in colour I think ?
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A thrush, in my hand.
Tam caught it but I managed to get it off him undamaged but shocked. Half an hour in a cardboard box in the shade and it was good to go
Then at about 4 pm a huuuuge bat was trying to get into the eaves. Obv. set its alarm clock wrong.
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Deer deer.
Literally. Yesterday in Richmond Park, I saw a group of deer sat seemingly content near the western cafe. People were posing for photos near them. I was very surprised by their docility.
There was another group on the northern side of the park. Again very near people. I expect that humans are so common in RP that its not worth running away from them any more.
More characteristically, as I was heading out to meet Butterfly on the last part of her ride home from Brighton, I was climbing How Lane to Chipstead, when a deer popped out of the hedge on the left. It was quite startled, but fortunately was quite small. It ran up the road a bit, then darted up the bank into the bushes on the right. But it carried on up the hill, from the sounds of rustling.
Shortly after, I saw a badger scuttling into the bank. I was a bit slow to get m'gun out.
Several bats up there too, and all the way through Chipstead. Shame when I passed through Woodmansterne it was still passably light, as apparently that's a good place for batwatching.
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On my ride home today, a stoat, a roe deer, and 2 buzzards
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A pyramidal orchid (never seen one before so I went back with a camera)
(http://www.bosphorus.f2s.com/orchid.jpg)
and this area of lumps in the ground. I've been puzzling over these, so today I had a closer look and I reckon they're a huge number of ancient ants' nests. They cover an area of several hundred square metres. That's a lorra, lorra ants...
(http://www.bosphorus.f2s.com/anthills.jpg)
(http://www.bosphorus.f2s.com/anthills2.jpg)
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Three woodpeckers. Green body and wings, grey throat, red head. I am hopeless at identifying birds (stop sniggering at the back) so I googled these.
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Yesterday
An eagle - I think a golden eagle - on a rock by the road to Abergwesyn
Obviously an escapee as it had traces on
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Day before yesterday a Marsh Harrier
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Buzzards, a sparrowhawk, single herons, and a stoat.
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Mrs P was bemoaning the lack of birds when a deer (prob. roe) appeared on the road in front of us :thumbsup:
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Two days ago - frogs! Loadsanloads of ickle babby froglets, hopping around Caversham, on a path near the Thames.
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Seen on holiday: three red squirrels on Brownsea Island (the greys can't swim far enough to drive them out, heh) goldcrest, yellowhammer, a lot of buzzards and some unidentified smaller bird of prey, probably a hobby or marsh harrier. Lots of gulls including a great black-backed gull with a fish in its mouth and a high speed cormorant. And lots of (now endangered) starlings at Stonehenge. The last time I saw a starling was in April, and that was in Hyde Park!
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Yesterday I saw a white (presumably escaped pet) rabbit in someone's front garden on the way to the stables. By the time I'd stopped and come over to have a look it had scarpered!
Other than that, our normal pair of red kites were out in force and we had hundreds of housemartins watching me jump with the pony!
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A very cheeky mouse in the shed. I went out to fill up the washing liquid and feed the birds. While I was filling the bottle I heard a scuffling noise and turned round to see a mouse leaping out of the bag of dried mealworms and sitting on the box of fat balls. I knew it would eat the fat balls given the chance but I wasn't expecting it to eat the worms. Will explain why the bag was suddenly full of 'broken biscuits' though!
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Lots in Mid Wales yesterday: red kites, buzzards, goldfinches, a hare and what looked like a merlin. I think that's the first one I've seen. :thumbsup:
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I forgot to include this in my ride report last week, but on Tuesday, whilst descending in the Black Isle towards Fortrose, I was travelling at about 25 - 30 mph when what I'm reasonably sure was a vole shot out from my left and I think it went between my wheels. I hope I missed it - I certainly didn't feel anything - and simultaneously there was a great disturbance to my left and a red deer doe suddenly set off, travelling at about the same speed as I was. I once saw one of these buggers leap clean over a fence which must have been about 6' high so even though there was a hedge between us, I braked sharply so as to avoid any chance of the deer trying to emulate the vole.
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Saw a barn owl last night.
On today's ride saw a huge hare run across the road in front of me in Higham, Suffolk.
Saw a baby alpaca who had been born five hours before - he's Dillon and belongs to my friend Kirstie.
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Saw a baby alpaca who had been born five hours before - he's Dillon and belongs to my friend Kirstie.
Photie ?
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Day before yesterday a Marsh Harrier
I saw one of these for the first time (leaving aside one that I may have hallucinated at Dunwich) on Wednesday up on the north Norfolk coast between Holkham and Wells. A very fine sight. A hobby and a little egret also at Holkham, and peregrines at Poplar while we queued for the Blackwall tunnel.
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Speaking of voles, there was a large dead one on the drive yesterday. The cats deny responsibility but the little one is looking a bit shifty.
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Saw a baby alpaca who had been born five hours before - he's Dillon and belongs to my friend Kirstie.
Photie ?
(http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx30/Auntie_Helen/General%20pictures/223078_10150411683874129_687859128_10669850_4053477_n.jpg)
Being sniffed by his half-brother Stanley
(http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx30/Auntie_Helen/General%20pictures/185495_10150411684479129_687859128_10669856_3477187_n.jpg)
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Happy :)
5 hours you say ? They come out big don't they !
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Happy :)
5 hours you say ? They come out big don't they !
Probably fold up quite well though.
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We were driving back from seeing family, under the lee of Stac Pollaidh, when one of the kids said we might see some deer. I said that as it was windy and chilly they would all be in their burrows. Miss Jaded added that all you'd see would be their antlers, like old branches. Right around the next corner we were both proved right.
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/deer_1.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/deer.jpg)
These deer were the wrong side of the wire.
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That reminds me. I saw a roe deer stood by the side of the rail track on Sunday evening. That must be the fifth time in a year and it is always in the same stretch, between the Balcombe tunnel and the M23.
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Just seen this out of the window. It was moving too fast/too far away to get a good photo
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/bird_of_prey_1.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/bird_of_prey_2.jpg)
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And this little chap near the beach.
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/weasel_stoat_1.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/weasel_stoat_2.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/weasel_stoat_3.jpg)
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Mr Bullfinch is back on the sunflower seeds. I haven't seen him for a week or two. Mrs Bullfinch was with him this morning. They are getting incredibly rare, but they did manage to knock out at least one sprog this season.
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A fox scampering through the gardens behind our place this morning
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I've noticed this year there's been lots more of the UK 7 spot ladybirds around, compared with last year, when there were lots of the foreign invading Harlequin ladybirds.
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I saw a ladybird in a park the other week with four spots. mmmmm
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Yesterday morning: a sparrow hawk perched on a dead tree in the park. It was very impressive that, although it was standing on a large bough with no other twigs or foliage near it, it actually merged in with the colour of the bark very well. Jan and I were watching it for a few minutes when the bloody dog got bored and started barking, whereupon the sparrow hawk flew away.
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Heard, rather than seen on today's ride: a quail :smug:
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And this little chap near the beach.
Very nice!
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That reminds me. I saw a roe deer stood by the side of the rail track on Sunday evening. That must be the fifth time in a year and it is always in the same stretch, between the Balcombe tunnel and the M23.
I used to count it a bad day if I didn't see roe deer on my rail commute between Reading & Newbury. There were three spots where I'd often see them.
Saw one standing in a wheat field watching us cycle by on Friday, & a dead fawn at the side of the road yesterday. A lot of flattened fauna on our Sunday ride: as well as the fawn, there was a big & bloated badger, stinking to high heaven, & more pigeons & rabbits (mostly obviously young) than one could shake a stick at.
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10 house martins doing complicated aerobatics outside the kitchen and shouting, just for the sheer joy of it, on a lovely sunny morning :)
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A mouse. Being squabbled over by the hens as they had caught it in the run this morning.
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Perv Cat from nextdoor who likes to stand up on the box under the bathroom window, poke her head through the open window and watch you shower.
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A huge flock of long-tailed tits. Maybe this should go in the squee thread?
http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs25/f/2008/035/2/7/Long_Tailed_Tit_2_by_cycoze.jpg
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Perv Cat from nextdoor who likes to stand up on the box under the bathroom window, poke her head through the open window and watch you shower.
And to think that people once doubted re-incarnation.
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Two close encounters out on the river tonight:
A low-flying pigeon that nearly took my hat off.
A wasp crawling around the neck of my waterbottle. Fortunately very sleepy so it didn't sting.
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IME modern wasps don't sting anyway. They're got fat and indolent, and are easy to kill.
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A huge flock of long-tailed tits. Maybe this should go in the squee thread?
http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs25/f/2008/035/2/7/Long_Tailed_Tit_2_by_cycoze.jpg
Definitely squeee ...
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Wild nature in all its raw glory -- three House Sparrows hopping into the air intakes of a parked Honda to pick out the dead bugs.
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A huge flock of long-tailed tits. Maybe this should go in the squee thread?
http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs25/f/2008/035/2/7/Long_Tailed_Tit_2_by_cycoze.jpg
I don't know what was on there but it triggered the IT policebot :-\
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A huge flock of long-tailed tits. Maybe this should go in the squee thread?
http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs25/f/2008/035/2/7/Long_Tailed_Tit_2_by_cycoze.jpg (http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs25/f/2008/035/2/7/Long_Tailed_Tit_2_by_cycoze.jpg)
I don't know what was on there but it triggered the IT policebot :-\
Possibly.
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from the country show on sunday:
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a19/mikes99mail/temp/L1000181.jpg)
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a19/mikes99mail/temp/L10001831.jpg)
not sure what kind of birdie it is, i remember them saying it was from 'arabia' and didnt like cold weather..
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Saker falcon, probably ...
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The easiest to train is supposed to be Harris's Hawk. The best is supposed to be a cross between a gyr falcon and a peregrine; the gyr is more powerful but comes from the frozen north and doesn't tolerate warm climates. Cross it with a peregrine and you get the best of both worlds.
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A cloud of over 100 swallows, swifts & martens whizzing around our little valley :)
On Monday morning, a red squirrel as we exited Paris
On Thursday afternoon, a squashed red squirrel in the same place :(
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A muntjac with a death wish crossing the road in front of me. Horrible ugly things.
When we went blackberrying earlier this week, lots of spectacular "Robin's Pincushion" galls on the roadside dog roses.
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Four apparently motherless young shrews, one of them lifeless & the others no doubt soon to join it. They were milling about at the edge of a track, except for the flattened one in the middle. One was looking weak. It tried to suckle my finger, poor thing.
Mrs B wondered if we might try to save them, but when I described the difficulty of rearing shrews, she regretfully abandoned the idea.
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A ladybird which had alighted on my bosom. I let it walk onto my finger and over my hand for a while and then I shook it off into some flowers.
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This morning when I got up, through the brain fog that accompanies going to bed too late on a school night, I faintly heard the tinkle of a cat bell. I dismissed it as the windows were open and the cats like our garden. Then I noticed a sleeping cat shape left on the soft cushions on our sofa. I felt the imprint and it was warm! When I went downstairs to the loo, on my freshly cleaned windowsill there were muddy paw prints. So Pervy Cat slips in through our bathroom window at night.
This isn't the first time I've thought that Pervy Cat has slept in our living room, but I've never had this much evidence before.
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A ladybird which had alighted on my bosom. I let it walk onto my finger and over my hand for a while and then I shook it off into some flowers.
This post is useless without being filmed in soft focus with a backing of gentle music and then used to advertise some feminine hygiene products. :thumbsup:
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A bit late to count as 'seen today', but 3 kingfishers blue-streaked across directly in front as mattc and I were riding the canalside path back to Ouistreham early on Saturday evening.
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Our volunteers' jolly today finished with a visit to the new RSPB reserve at Middleton Lakes.
We saw a small flock of lapwings take flight as a buzzard appeared above. However the big excitement was seeing several grass snakes swimming in a recently excavated scrape on the edge of a reedbed. And despite the 2011 (Midlands) drought, it was full of water.
They were all fairly young. None was thicker than my little finger, and only one had the black flank markings that I've seen on bigger specimens on our (WWT) reserve in Alcester. It was just amazing to watch them wriggling through the water, with only a head poking up above the surface. I don't think life would be much fun for tadpoles on that bit of water.
The reserve has some nice Sheffield stands. Sadly, but not surprisingly, mine was the only bike there.
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Between Turners Hill and Lindfield the night before last a weasel ran across the road in front of us. Tiny and very quick.
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A kestrel, battling in the teeth of today's gale to hover for half a minute or so. He/she stopped, turned and disappeared downwind in seconds.
Fortunately I had only a crosswind at the time, with a nice dense quickthorn hedge for extra shelter
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We've a little family of buzzards on our land. They're incredibly squeaky - presumably the young and their mother communicating - and they're very happy that we've just had the grass cut so they can see the micicles :)
They hover & soar over the house all day long.
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Last night but only a few minutes before midnight, as I was approaching Brock Hill, a very appropriate badger.
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About five minutes ago, a delicate little bat fluttering around my shoulders just outside Paddington station. Magical!
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What looked from a distance to be a small piece of dog poo scuttling across the road turned into a field vole as I got closer. It found its way onto the grass verge, which had been mown, and was unable to conceal itself. It didn't seem to be alarmed at my proximity and I wonder how good their eyesight is.
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A ladybird which had alighted on my bosom. I let it walk onto my finger and over my hand for a while and then I shook it off into some flowers.
This post is useless without being filmed in soft focus with a backing of gentle music and then used to advertise some feminine hygiene products. :thumbsup:
Indeed. A walking bosom being shaken onto some flowers would be a great subject. ;D
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Brown, furry rodents with thick tails and no sense of shame have been photograhed by David whilst he's been collecting tomatoes.
Will probably upload pics to Flickr when I get a tuit.
Looks like more observatory cables have been chomped :( :(.
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Brown, furry rodents with thick tails and no sense of shame
I've got one of those too:
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/nicknacknick/P9130007AS.jpg)
Not exactly unusual but it's only the 3rd time in 15 years that I've seen one in our garden.
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I'm in Norway; it's a lemming year and there are squashed ones every 10m or so along some roads. Here is an unsquashed one from the weekend (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hairy-bunnets/6143205068/).
This year they can be seen all the way down to sea level. No stories of them jumping off cliffs though.
Lemmings have a curious defence behaviour, when you are about to step on one it holds its ground and squeaks at you. They say that it will die with rage if you torment it, but I haven't tried that.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36VjxTG6CEk
Housemartins this morning, taken from our bedroom window
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Gathering for the off, do you think?
I love house martins. Where we stay in The Lakes, we saw what can only be described as a flying school of them lining their young up on a roof and watching bthem do short spins - wonderful.
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Breakfast, I think
They've been doing that every fine morning this summer. There's a couple of nests under the eaves.
However, they may be plotting something along the lines of what you suggest:
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6171/6146231239_7d9fa04b19_z.jpg)
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I wouldn't have thought there were enough houses in your neck of the woods to support that number of house martins!
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I wouldn't have thought there were enough houses in your neck of the woods to support that number of house martins!
The seem to jam into the nests under our eaves, but I think they live in the barns & old sheds around the place. We lost one nest in the recent rain though.
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Last night: an owl (species unidentified) which flew low along the road ahead of us, then perched on some wires. A few bats, also of unidentified species.
[Edit]Probably a Tawny Owl.
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A sparrowhawk that flew right over my head on the outskirts of Chepstow this afternoon.
It could have been a kestrel, but I don't think so - it wasn't doing any windjamming and it looked more of a grey colour, as far as I could tell.
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On the way back from watching the Tour of Britain at Sandringham, a hare, so big that I thought it was a muntjac deer until I got close and it pricked up it's ears and hopped away.
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Millions of House Martins swirling around above Glynde yesterday (18th Sep). Red dots signify a House Martin.
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/Riggers_1956/Housemartins.jpg)
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Bats in our garden :D 8)
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Dead housemartin on the road near Inverurie :(
Live red kite near Skene :thumbsup:
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Bellowing noises coming at you from all directions from the male deer in Bushy Park.
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Skein of geese heading south.
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Pink-footed geese from the train between Larbert and Stirling.
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A herd of deer (real ones, not the ratty Muntjac wannabes) standing in the middle of a misty ploughed field.
A Heron, skimming effortlessly over the shallow fog near the river. Presumably trying to find a gap in the fog so it could land.
A long eared (or some other Strigidae member) owl. Watching me intently from his/her perch atop the swings in Market Weston.
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Reported by Mrs B: a collision (which resolved after discussion into it brushing against her hair) with a bat, in the grounds or Reading University while she was running there last night. She was not able to give a description.
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A crow mobbing a buzzard, yesterday at the top of Cheddar Gorge. Can it be a mob if it's singlehanded? Can it be singlehanded if it has wings? Then the buzzard got above the crow and attacked it! It dodged, but then a few more buzzards and several more crows appeared from somewhere and they were all wheeling around in the sky. Looking at their wings, it occurred to me that perhaps the crows were actually ravens, but I don't know if they're found in the Gorge? It was so fascinating I stopped and watched - time limits be blowed!
Later I rode under a telegraph* wire from which a kestrel flew off. I mentioned the previous scene to another rider and he said, "Yes, I saw lots of blackbirds." Ok, maybe he meant "black birds" but he definitely said "blackbirds".
*Why do we still call them telegraph wires? When did anybody last send a telegraph?
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A large skein of brent geese on the sea front in Westcliff. They were flying the wrong way (west to east): they spend the summer in Siberia and turn up on the Thames estuary at this time of year, leaving again in the spring. I wondered whether this lot thought "Bugger this for a game of soldiers!" as they seemed to be going back to where it's nice and cold.
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*Why do we still call them telegraph wires? When did anybody last send a telegraph?
You don't send telegraphs, any more than you send telephones. You send telegrams via a telegraph.
Mrs B & I saw an ex-badger this morning. I think it had been very unlucky or remarkably incompetent, since it had managed to get run over on a track where the motor traffic consists of the four wheel drive vehicle(s) owned by the occupants of a single house, & the occasional farm vehicle. Dead long enough to get very smelly.
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A jay and a magpie squabbling over berrying rights to the rowan tree. The jay won.
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Skein of geese heading south.
Another yesterday evening & three skeins this morning.
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Reported by Mrs B: a collision (which resolved after discussion into it brushing against her hair) with a bat, in the grounds or Reading University while she was running there last night. She was not able to give a description.
An actual collision happened to me last week on the return from the Thursday night social ride.
Freaked me out a little it did
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A fox. Which would not be worth mentioning if it had not been in broad daylight in the school playground.
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I saw a fox too this morning. Trotting along the sea wall down the creek towards me. Got to about 50 yards away before it noticed me, turned tail and scarpered.
Also seen: green woodpecker, loads of godwits, curlews, oyster catchers and a marsh harrier.
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I saw a fox yesterday. I was sat in a meeting in a GP practice (not ours), when one trotted across the patch of green outside the window. Much more interesting than the meeting, I have to say.
We do occasionally see foxes round here too, though.
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Currently looking at the fattest greenfinch ever. It's Cyril Smith done as a greenfinch. It's not only eaten all the pies, it's commissioned Greggs to make another truckload. I fear for the string holding up the bird feeder.
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It's been there for 15 minutes now. It won't be able to fly.
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Just got out the binoculars. It's like a fricking beach ball.
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Greater Spotted Woodpecker as we pootled around Newdigate.
Some gorgeous Aberdeen Anguses. With their thick legs and solid shoulders they reminded me more of billiard tables than cattle.
A falcon of some sort. Long tapered wings, light brown/honey coloured. Bigger, I think than a kestrel. It flew along the lane then up over a tall hedge into some trees.
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Currently looking at the fattest greenfinch ever
Possibly it's a victim of trichomoniasis (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article637452.ece)
They tend to puff up their plummage and look fat. Nasty; it's a real threat to the finch population.
If it's in your bird feeders you should sterilise the lot, and any drinking bowls. We stopped feeding the birds at the last place when this appeared.
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A hare. At the side of the lane up to Little Sodbury. Dead and with flesh stripped off half its carcass.
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Well technically, seen on Saturday 8th October, but at least 4, possibly 5, House Martins flying over Hollingbury Golf Course.
Yes, what are you doing hanging around. Fly my beauties, fly!
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We had a buzzard* swoop down right in front of us while out horse riding yesterday. It seemed intent on something, then changed its mind and flew over to a tree, where I presume it landed-we couldn't see due to the angle.
*I think it was a buzzard...I'm not great at birds-of-prey-that-are-not-kites, but it was big, a greyish brown colour and didn't have the forked tail. ;D
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I seem to be seeing lots of dead things at the moment. After Saturday's hare, yesterday there was a squirrel and a badger. The badger was in a farm gate and un-squashed, don't know if it was roadkill, farmerkill or something else.
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Same dead badger as last week. More leathery, less smelly.
Usual crop of kites.
A yellowhammer (I think) darting into a hedge just ahead of us.
A kestrel having trouble hovering in the gusting wind. It swooped, but came up with nothing & flew back across the road just in time to have to take evading action to avoid us. ;D
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A jay, I think, unless there are other things jay-sized with a white rump. It looked a bit too dark but it's hard to tell against the sky.
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A WOMAN pushing a bicycle up our street. Not seen one of those in ages! I think the gradient had defeated her pedalling...
(I did say I'd post here when I saw one!)
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(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6168/6233975583_a8dcc79371_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/6233975583/)
IMG_4804con (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/6233975583/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
and IWOOT too:
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6093/6234466792_cbfdfa3704_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/6234466792/)
IMG_4789 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/6234466792/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
look at the fur on that nose! Lovely :)
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6238/6234462070_6679fe2f52_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/6234462070/)
IMG_4786 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/6234462070/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Ants - loads of ants.
My sister lives in Tuscany and has a southwest-facing bank that she is trying to grass over. She cleared the weeds, raked over the surface, scattered grass seed, raked them in and watered them. An hour or two later the bank was covered in ants going up the bank carrying a grass seed each and ants going down the bank to get another one. They appeared to be dumping them in piles around the tiny holes that are obviously the entrance to their underground lair. Other ants then picked them up and took them below ground.
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If people were as organised and efficient as ants, it would be truly scary!
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70 pink-footed geese over Nicolson St this morning ...
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Skein over the house heading north this time. Must've forgotten something.
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I love your squirrel, Mrs. P.
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Three ladybirds within a few metres, each one a different species. One was black with two crescent-shaped red spots, the other two were red with IIRC 8 and 16 spots.
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I love your squirrel, Mrs. P.
Me too! I made Pingu & Bob stop at the sqrl cafe everyday we were away :)
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Skylarks singing like it was spring yesterday.
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Skylarks in October!?! :thumbsup:
For me it was a day of raptors. Three buzzards circling above a copse - does that mean they would be a family group? Are buzzards territorial? Then two kestrels, separately, one jamming the wind, the other perched on a wire. Also lots of feathery signs of a sparrowhawk, but I didn't actually see it.
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Skylarks in October!?! :thumbsup:
For me it was a day of raptors. Three buzzards circling above a copse - does that mean they would be a family group? Are buzzards territorial?
yes, and yes
We have a small family group - mother & 2 young - who've been milling about our little valley shouting at each other this summer.
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Thanks, MV. Saw another buzzard today, although I didn't recognise it until I heard its "kee-ow" cry. And an owl, in the middle of the day in a small copse of trees around an old quarry. I assumed I must have disturbed it by clomping around like a clumsy human, but I see that the short-eared owl is diurnal and matches the muddy brown colour I saw.
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A pair of buzzards between Canewdon and the river Crouch. Very impressive. One of them was hovering quite adroitly.
Also, 4 skylarks all within a few yards of each other.
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Thanks, MV. Saw another buzzard today, although I didn't recognise it until I heard its "kee-ow" cry.
It's called bwncath in Welsh, which roughly translates to cat-bird, because of its call.
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Slightly more mundane, but, while I was eating a butty at the western kiosk in Richmond Park, there was a very beautiful crow, with no fear of humans. It was wandering about near me, chattering away. Unfortunately, when he was in front of me, the sun was behind him, so I couldn't get a decent photo. When he hopped round under the bench, I got this:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/ado15/IMAG0061.jpg)
The feathers showed up beautifully when in the sunlight, with an iridescent blue and purple coming out.
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Looks like a jackdaw?
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Yes, it was, of course. The RSPB site has the chattery call.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/j/jackdaw/index.aspx
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A mouse, in the office.
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Slightly more mundane, but, while I was eating a butty at the western kiosk in Richmond Park, there was a very beautiful crow, with no fear of humans. It was wandering about near me, chattering away. Unfortunately, when he was in front of me, the sun was behind him, so I couldn't get a decent photo. When he hopped round under the bench, I got this:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/ado15/IMAG0061.jpg)
The feathers showed up beautifully when in the sunlight, with an iridescent blue and purple coming out.
'Tis true, 'tis a Jackdaw but you appear to have wet yourself, nevertheless!
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Late post...but a semi-palmated sandpiper, little stints, little ringed plovers, eiders and an avocet at Pennington a week ago.
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Coupla seagulls 'paddling' for worms this morning.
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More buzzards...
Monday, working with my brother-in-law in his dad's garden, we heard a soft call (contact call?). The caller was obvious, slope soaring halfway up the ridge. Then we spotted the second bird, over the top of the ridge. B-i-l had never seen buzzards there before, though when he lived there buzzards were very rare in England. It's the first time I've heard these calls, and I've no idea what they signify.
Tuesday, while labouring in a disused railway cutting, I heard similar soft calls. Only one buzzard was visible, but the view was limited by trees.
Today, removing surplus sedge & silt (and copious amounts of hydrogen sulphide with delicate organic overtones) from a nearby pond, we heard the clear, penetrating sound of a buzzard who was confident he was in charge of his patch. Again, the (presumed) caller was visible, but trees limited the view.
What's going on? The "territorial" call (should that be "song"?) would fit with autumn establishment of territories, with older birds competing with young males - do buzzards do that? But what are the soft calls be about?
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A pair of swans flying parallel to the train I was on leaving Paddington this morning.
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Nick, there are a number of sounds birds make, one of which is 'song', which the Cetti's warbler memorably declaims as "Fight me, F*** me, or F*** off!"
Another set are alarm calls, which are usually loud, as per the blackbirds "chackchackchack..."
A third are begging calls and parent-chick noises.
Finally, you have contact calls, such as the willow warbler's "fooeet" or, indeed, a buzzard's soft "Hi, I'm here, anyone else about?"
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Thanks Steph.
I'm not very good at bird songs & calls, but have noticed blackbirds' alarm calls (when they're not turning over rustly leaves in the undergrowth).
I'd guessed that the soft calls might be contact calls, but can't understand why there's so much more buzzard communication than usual. I don't think of them as sociable birds, like rooks or sparrows, so wonder whether it's seasonal.
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I saw a jay in Redhill today. It flew down from a hedge, posed side on in front of me, looking just exactly like an illustration from a bird identification book, then flew back a moment later. Just showing off its lovely colour for me :)
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Jays are beautiful. :)
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Just back from Wales, where there were ravens flying round Dryslwyn Castle on a dark cloudy day, making it look very evil. They look like crows but they're the size of buzzards.
Also a pair of male bullfinches in Dinefwr Park and a load of deer.
And, from 8pm last night, a LOT of rain. West Wales is apparently getting a month's worth of rain in 24 hours. It wasn't raining this side of Bridgend and it's bone dry in England.
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Just back from a wet week on Mull. Managed to see: both eagle species (just); hen harrier; great northern diver; whooper swan; barnacle goose - and lots of wind and rain.
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Along with the ubiquitous buzzards: fieldfare, GSW & 2 red kites :thumbsup:
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I'm guessing it was the whole family of kites, as I saw 5 circling over a small copse calling to each other! Fantastic sight as they were really quite close!
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A bumblebee, bumbling around my garden-ette this morning. It is warm for the last day in October.
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Two heron and four kingfishers. Narrow boat holiday ftw.
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Peacocks / hens.
A whole flock(?) of them.
1 male and around 6 females, strutting around the car-park of a rural village hall just off the main road, at around 06:30 this morning.
Goodness knows where they came from.
--
F
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A bloody enormous chaffinch, sat on my bird feeder for ages stuffing itself silly.
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Just remembered, I narrowly avoided running over a tree rat yesterday morning, after it decided to make a dash for my front wheel having just noticed it was running alongside me.
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Ok, not today, but on sunday I noticed a jay hopping round the patio, carrying what looked like an acorn - before bouncing up to one of the larger, wider pots and burying it. First time I've ever noticed one do that, I thought squirrels were always the culprits. Then came across this today:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/15536611
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Just remembered, I narrowly avoided running over a tree rat yesterday morning, after it decided to make a dash for my front wheel having just noticed it was running alongside me.
I got one on Sunday. Ran over the bushy tail.
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I ran one over several years ago, when it tried to cross the road between my wheels. Spine cracked when the wheel went over it (I heard), but it dragged itself into the undergrowth with its front legs before I could stop & get back to it, so I left it to die rather than make its suffering worse by chasing it through the vegetation.
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A hedgehog. Wandering around on the grassy, bushy and mushroomy verge of a city street in broad daylight. When we first saw it, it was moving rather slowly and unsteadily, as if it might be ill, but I reckon it was probably just coming out of hibernation for the warm afternoon, as we passed the same place maybe half an hour later and it was still there, walking far more smoothly and fast.
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Dead stoat as roadkill :'(
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A wheatear. It hasn't been reading the right bird books or it would be in Africa by now.
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A flock of long-tailed tits, plus a few other titmice. It's that time of year.
Then they came closer to where we were working. The hedge on the other side of the footpath had been laid 5-10 years ago and was evidently a good food source. It's the first time I've been close enough to these little birds to watch them without binoculars. Magic ;D .
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A flock of long-tailed tits, plus a few other titmice. It's that time of year.
Arsenal fans? :demon: ;D
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It's the first time I've been close enough to these little birds to watch them without binoculars. Magic ;D .
Agreed . A flock of long tails visited the tree outside my house on a couple of mornings last week. Lovely to see.
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This chap:
(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/KaisPrey_thumb640.jpg)
Click for bigness (http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/KaisPrey.jpg)
Who Kai was chasing around the hall, and managed to let escape several times. I assume he was playing with it, which was why it escaped, since I saw him with it in his mouth several times before it legged it, and he was searching around for it.
I hurriedly grabbed a margarine pot and managed to corner it.
It's possible there's more than one out there, because Kai's still noising around, but he hasn't stuck to any one location, so possibly he's just hunting for that one, and doesn't realise I've released it into the back garden. Kai's hearing is clearly fantastic for hunting like that however, since he was zeroing in on it, when I couldn't see where it had scarpered to. There's also the possibility that the reason it was loose in the house, was that someone <looks pointedly in Kai's direction> had brought it in, and managed to let it escape too successfully :-\.
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Saw my first urban fox at the railway station this morning.
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Incidentally, does anyone know what species of mouse that is? I'm guessing just a common house mouse, but it was quite small, it's body was only about an inch long, so I'd imagine it was immature and if that's the case, possibly I should watch out for others?
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Incidentally, does anyone know what species of mouse that is? I'm guessing just a common house mouse, but it was quite small, it's body was only about an inch long, so I'd imagine it was immature and if that's the case, possibly I should watch out for others?
looks like a wood/field mouse to me. I'd agree that i''s likely been imported.
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Incidentally, does anyone know what species of mouse that is? I'm guessing just a common house mouse, but it was quite small, it's body was only about an inch long, so I'd imagine it was immature and if that's the case, possibly I should watch out for others?
looks like a wood/field mouse to me. I'd agree that i''s likely been imported.
I think you're right Mal. We have them in our garden and very occasionally in the house. They have bigger ears and are browner and with bigger eyes than the house mouse. They are described as nocturnal but this just means that they are around at night AS WELL! They're out in the garden all day.
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A creature, seen only on account of its glowing red eyes in the beam of my head torch, peering over the top of The Bridge in Canon Hill Park a couple of hours ago. Barakta's lights were pointing the wrong way on a corner and she didn't see it. It was the right size for a cat/dog/fox, but I suspect that it was in fact some sort of demon hound, escaped from the bowels of Mordor.
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Could it have been the Werewarg of Wolverhampton?
More prosaically, don't foxes eyes glow red in headlights?
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About 8 short eared owls near Maidwell in Northamptonshire. It was getting a bit dark when we saw them so apologies for the quality of the photos as I had to set the camera to ISO 1600.
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p23/chris415700/IMG_9926.jpg)
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p23/chris415700/IMG_9891.jpg)
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p23/chris415700/IMG_9867.jpg)
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A red kite put on a fantastic display at Junior#2's football match this morning.
It was buzzing a small copse of trees next to the pitch, and all the birds in the area seemed to appear out of no-where to chase it off.
It was doing loop-the-loops, and swoops to inches of the ground, full wing-and-forkytail profiles both front and back, in the area of groung next to the pitch. It was about 10 feet away from the pitch, on the far side from the spectators. This went on for 20 minutes, and resulted in most parents missing one of the goals!
It's the closest experience I've had with Kites.
Sadly, no photos.
--
Ron
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A rat, sitting in the middle of the cyclepath eating something, completely unfazed by barakta's trike wheel passing within about a centimetre of its tail. It continued to be unfazed as I wobbled up to it and caught it in the beam of my head torch as I passed over saying "Is that a rat au van? Bloody hell no, it's a live one!"
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A couple of months ago I was watching a rat in our local park and I thought it was behaving remarkably confidently in the presence of humans and dogs. After a while I realised it was blind.
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A buzzard being mobbed by rooks.
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1 stoat
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Marsh harrier, over the marshes near Paglesham.
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(http://www.bosphorus.f2s.com/cricket.jpg)
On our post box this morning. She's up late (November), albeit looking a bit brown round the edges. The postman was quite disconcerted.
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Not remotely cycle related but seen a couple of days ago in Amsterdam. About 7pm just after the fish stall in the market had packed up.
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/nicknacknick/cuyp.jpg)
I never realised they were particularly opportunistic buggers, but there they were - about half a dozen of them - just hanging about for scraps. Most herons scarper when you get within about 50 yards of them. These were wandering around in the street and only toddled away if you got within a couple of feet from them.
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/nicknacknick/heron1.jpg)
Just like the people, Dutch herons are somewhat more laid back than ours.
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Don't see this very often, even here. Turned off the A40 heading home when I spied a Red Kite flying about 15 to 20 foot above & in front of me
when suddenly he folded his wings and dropped to the road, didn't actually land but picked up something, flying away it looked like a worm hanging from his feet, had to brake quite hard other wise I would have flattened him ( I was in the car ) nice to see them in "action" so to speak
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Geese.
Millions of them, in flight.
My work is near Montrose Basin, and that's Goose Central.
It's a bird reserve, and a major international stopover for Geese.
The have started their annual commings or goings, and the sky was thick with them flying over at 4pm.
Skene after skene.
And the noise is terrific.
I watched their massed formations passing overhead for about 5 minutes, till I got too cold.
But still they were coming, with no end to them in sight.
--
F
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Coming down the backroads by Wing in Bucks yesterday, I could swear I saw an albatross!
It was huge, had the slim wings and that hooked beak thing going on.
Never thought I'd see one of them!
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I had a sea front pootle and saw lots of gulls, a curlew, a load of dunlin, assorted other waders but pride of place went to the snow buntings.
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(http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6106/6402426317_5e22cafeac_z.jpg)
A small gang of wild boar/Old Spot cross piglets on our lane just now.
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Down to the new nature reserve at Riverside Park (the former landfill site - a large patch of artificial MT5 apparently).
Shelduck, Teal, Oystercatchers, Redshank, crows, mallards, gulls of various sorts. It was blowing an absolute hoolie - trying to use the bins and my eyes were watering.
No small birds to be seen.
Saw a cormorant and a heron there yesterday.
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A koala - in our yard! We got the dog before he got the koala but not before the koala decided attack was the best defence and ran at him and took a swipe at his nose. Feisty creature taking on a greyhound perhaps five times its size. We were relieved when it headed for the nearest tree even if it is a frangipanni. Hopefully with the dogs locked in it'll come down soon and resume its journey as there are no suitable feed trees in our yard.
Must keep the dogs in at night for a couple of months.
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Sure it wasn't a dropbear? Sounds like one...
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A Harris Hawk, seen Friday, being taken onto the roof here at Derby Hospital for a bit of pigeon scaring - and if I was a pigeon, I'd certainly go elsehere.....he looked like a serious birdy :)
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c212/clifftaylor/0_buildings_-_scottish_parliament_harris_hawks_065083_1024.jpg)
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Buzzard taking a kill on the railway line. I have some photos which are pretty poor (it was a long way away and the light was falling fast) 1600ISO and 1/250th with a 500mm lens and the bird was the height of the AF markings..
Think it was a rat it got.
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Them's mighty talons.
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A buzzard being mobbed by crows at Doggett's Farm.
Two muntjac, plus assorted wildfowl, at Hanningfield visitors' centre.
A heron flying over, struggling with the headwind even more than I was, between Ashingdon and Hullbridge.
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Apologies for the poor quality pics - can't afford the lens I really need to get better ones (even a weekend hire would be more than this lens is worth).
Buzzard with kill
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7174/6413096957_ddb2eb04ed.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6413096957/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6413096957/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
Cormorant
(http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6118/6413095749_50704e7389.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6413095749/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6413095749/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
Teal
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7141/6413143041_6b1cb9def7.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6413143041/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6413143041/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
Oystercatchers
(http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6102/6413141475_c57e87eb8e.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6413141475/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6413141475/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
Shelduck
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7150/6413144747_2e5639b475.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6413144747/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6413144747/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
Redshank
(http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6120/6413146165_74aeac6e04.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6413146165/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6413146165/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
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Sparrowhawk perched on a wire by the road 200 metres south of the M4 this afternoon. Gave us a dirty look when Mrs B started talking about it, & flapped lazily away as we drew near. Very near, in fact.
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(http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6118/6413095749_50704e7389.jpg)
Are you 100% sure that's a cormorant? Its head shape, from that picture, give the impression of one of the divers (black- or red-throated, or great northern).
Edit: looking more closely, its bill seems to be curved down at the end, rather than sharp pointed, which is a cormorantish characteristic.
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Yes. I had the distinct advantage of being able to watch it for some considerable time in the company of someone else who knew what they were looking at.
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Yes. I had the distinct advantage of being able to watch it for some considerable time in the company of someone else who knew what they were looking at.
That is, indeed, a great advantage. I saw a cormorant (well, several, but most were flying) today and the first glance made me look for a diver. When it resurfaced I trained some binoculars on it and there was no doubt.
There was also a great crested grebe in the same bit of reservoir but the first, and clearest, tell-tale sign for the grebe is that its beak points downwards. Cormorants' and divers' beaks point up.
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Sure it wasn't a dropbear? Sounds like one...
Hmmmmm - you could be right! ;D
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A red admiral in Priory Park. Not bad for St. Andrew's Day!
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Each day this week since Monday, Robin Redbreast has visited our bird table.We have one every year & I wonder if it's the same bird.
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Sparrowhawk on Turnham Green busily ripping up a pigeon whilst everyone got on with their lunchtime shopping around it:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7174/6441582261_95155331cf.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusjb/6441582261/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusjb/6441582261/) by marcus_jb1973 (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcusjb/), on Flickr
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Coupla buzzards and a jay.
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(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7001/6446771755_af57ec2344_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6446771755/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6446771755/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
And a couple of dippers squabbling over river rights..
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7147/6446776343_afeb6b3397_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6446776343/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6446776343/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7143/6446777329_a5a2ba6798_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6446777329/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6446777329/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7019/6446770101_86e198ab1e_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6446770101/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6446770101/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
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Went back to Blackberry Farm today. There must have been about 15 shorties around and it was difficult to look anywhere and not to see any. Got there a bit earlier and the light was better -
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p23/chris415700/IMG_0429.jpg)
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p23/chris415700/IMG_0448.jpg)
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p23/chris415700/IMG_0221.jpg)
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p23/chris415700/IMG_0182.jpg)
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p23/chris415700/IMG_0173.jpg)
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p23/chris415700/IMG_0105.jpg)
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p23/chris415700/IMG_0097.jpg)
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Can anyone identify this?
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7034/6446775123_b1d48dbf94_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6446775123/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6446775123/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
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Not the photo above (dunno) but on my ride today, a magpie perched on the rump of a shetland pony. It looked quite comical but they both seemed happy enough. Too far away for camera-phone-camera unfortunately.
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Can anyone identify this?
Struggling. Looks like a thrush of some sort - but what sort (after consulting my books) I'm not sure.
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That was about as far as I got. Definitely behaving a bit like a thrush - a largish one.
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A couple of days ago - some sort of brown hawk, maybe a buzzard but looked a bit too small and not quite right. Perched on a fencepost next to the road, flew off as I approached then circled behind me, keeping very low all the time, then landed in a field on the other side of the road.
Wonderful photos above from David Martin and Chris. I've just been to see the Wildlife Photography of the Year exhibition at Bristol Museum, and I swear some of the ones here are virtually as good.
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Can anyone identify this?
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7034/6446775123_b1d48dbf94_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6446775123/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6446775123/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
It looks quite like a fieldfare although is very short of speckles.
(http://www.digiscoped.com/files/fieldfare14.JPG)
The above is from this page (http://www.digiscoped.com/thrushes.html) and there seems to be a fair bit of variety in the number & density of the speckles.
Fieldfares are winter visitors to these shores, and I think our flocks mostly come form Siberia. When we were in Germany last year in the summer, I was surprised to see birds very like fieldfares by the Rhine, and very much more confident around humans than the fieldfares we see regularly in Essex in the winter. It was only after we arrived home that I checked their migratory habits and discovered that they are resident in Germany.
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Many thanks. I was thinking in that direction but stumped by the lack of spots.
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A sparrowhawk at Checkendon (S. Oxfordshire), perched in a spot where Mrs B says she's often seen one before on her standard solo loop.
A green woodpecker near Goring. We also saw one yesterday, just south of Reading. Both were on the ground when spotted.
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Spotted a log in the woods with what looked like a huge crop of oyster mushrooms erupting from it. No camera with me so no id of mushrooms or log, but do edible oysters grow on the outskirts of Manchester?
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Up in Leicester for the weekend, we took a walk along the canal/river this morning. We arrived at a rather manky weir with a collection of mallard and a handful of swans messing around. A swan sort of perched on the upper edge of the weir and, egged on by another, gave a little wiggle and slid down the face of the weir, looking a bit flustered.
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Marj & I have just witnessed avian homocide.Very spectacular & very very fast it was too.A kestrel swooped down from above the gazeebo & clawed into a small bird as the latter lifted off from the bird table,possibly being aware of & trying to esacape from, approaching doom at the last second.The kestral dragged it down onto the lawn & administered the coup de grace.
All a mere couple of metres in front of us.
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'twas a Sparrowhawk.not a kestrel
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Saw two geese flying low in a northerly direction over Blackheath this afternoon. I couldn't make out what type of geese (and wouldn't have much of a clue even if I could have seen detail :) )
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A couple of wagtails. One grey (though it looks yellow to me) and one pied (or should that be peh'd in Scotland?)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7162/6486778719_b1aa7041ff_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6486778719/)
Grey wagtail (female) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6486778719/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7009/6486779515_74135663f9_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6486779515/)
Pied Wagtail (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6486779515/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
Saw a curlew for the first time but it was a long way away..
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7161/6486872877_08f1f9e4ab_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6486872877/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6486872877/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
And a bunch of the usual suspects. I'd not seen Dunlin before.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7159/6486780349_9fd9d00fd6_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6486780349/)
Seabirds and waders (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6486780349/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
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Those two wagtails could be brothers.
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A Green Woodpecker, a Jay and a goldfinch brightened up a otherwise pretty monochrome ride this morning.
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Those two wagtails could be brothers.
oops Cmd-V-fail
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On the Norfolk coast at Horsey. Currently about 400 Grey Seal pups charming everyone.
(http://www.soi.city.ac.uk/~jwo/acf/Seal1.jpg)
(http://www.soi.city.ac.uk/~jwo/acf/Seal2.jpg)
(http://www.soi.city.ac.uk/~jwo/acf/Seal3.jpg)
(http://www.soi.city.ac.uk/~jwo/acf/Seal4.jpg)
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Sorry, Jo, can't possibly compete with that!
However, I did see a melanistic hen pheasant today. It flew right in front of me and landed by the side of the road. It was an even darker brown than this picture:-
(http://www.gobirding.eu/Images/Pheasants/Pheasant/Pheasant,%20North%20Creake,%208-Apr-11%20(A4).JPG)
I saw a male decades ago but this is the first hen.
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Parakeets!
In the trees on the border to the golf course next door to the stables!
I've seen pheasants, buzzards, kites and even a woodpecker or three, but parakeets??
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Do you live Home counties-ish, Why? They are not that rare, now, I believe, but still a marvellous sight!
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Just outside the M25 here ;D
How the heck have we ended up with parakeets?? Not that rare? ???
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http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/r/ringneckedparakeet/history.aspx
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/r/ringneckedparakeet/index.aspx
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Blimey! :thumbsup:
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A blackbird, pecking about among the hailstones. I wouldn't have thought this was worth mentioning as they used to be a many-a-day sight, except that they do seem to be getting less common now.
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Some blackbirds migrate (if it's a seasonal absence)
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Other blackbirds get slaughtered by magpies. Their open nests make the young easy prey.
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Some blackbirds migrate (if it's a seasonal absence)
No, I'm thinking of year on year, over ten or more years (probably twenty). Of course it's hard to compare, as I'm living in a different place...
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Hundreds of fieldfare in large flocks in the fields and trees by Woodspring Priory, on a cold & breezy walk around Sand Point (Weston-s-mud). Lots of goldfinch flitting about as well. Good views across to the snow-covered hills of south Wales.
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While pootling through Richmond Park with Sergeant Pluck, a Greater Spotted Woodpecker on one of those wooden cages that surround the roadside trees. Can't have been more than a handful of feet from me and the other traffic.
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not sure whats going on here, but you get used to the odd pair of Kites doing their thing above us, but last few days we've been inundated with them, this afternoon just before it got dark, about 4 ish 17 of 'em all wheeling & swooping and doing all sorts of acrobatics, I'll have to see if I can get a picture, they're flying in pretty close formation & fairly low as well, I know where there are couple of nest sites in the area so I'm not sure if thats a connection, all come home for christmas ;D
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Red kite roost (http://www.redkites.net/section72403_50285.html)?
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Yes - typical kite roosting behaviour. Nice :)
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At Hollingworth Lake, near Rochdale: maybe a dozen cormorants. We must be at least 50 miles from the sea.
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(http://peter.chesspod.com/gallery/d/14645-1/DSC08073.JPG)
Snow drops
(http://peter.chesspod.com/gallery/d/14660-1/DSC08078.JPG)
Butcher's broom
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I like those, Wow and remember the connotation for you of the snowdrops.
Cormarants up to a couple of dozen on Hollingworth Lake, which I'm sure you'll know?
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Ants in my kitchen 22/12/2011.
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Yesterday, green woodpecker, longtailed tits and a marsh harrier
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Seen yesterday on the M11. A buzzard. I am so used to seeing kestrels hovering at the edge of the motorway my first thought was what a huge kestrel! (Small/Far away)
Not long ago these seemed to be very uncommon, I used to see them occassionally when visiting my brother in Cornwall, I think there was a sanctuary nearby, but they seem to be extending their range. I saw one in Kent in the summer which upset all of the other birds in the vicinity and caused quite a commotion but I often see them when travelling through Sussex. Or perhaps I am just becoming more observant.
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Yesterday, in south London, a cornucopia of delights, including a jay, some pied wagtails (my very favourite bird), and many labours.
Most bizarrely, in amongst several slightly surreal encounters in Nunhead, I saw a bee! :o
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A bumble bee on the Japanese Quince in my parents' garden.
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While riding today: a sparrowhawk, a lesser spotted woodpecker and a brace of jays.
And just outside Bethersden, a herd of reindeer in a field. Now sadly unemployed I presume.
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When we were cycling along the sea front in Westcliff, the high tide had forced the turnstones up onto the promenade and two of them had to scurry swiftly off the cycle path to avoid us.
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When we were cycling along the sea front in Westcliff, the high tide had forced the turnstones up onto the promenade and two of them had to scurry swiftly of the cycle path to avoid us.
Your training regime is paying dividends, then?!
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Yesterday - muntjac deer ran out in front of me as I was descending a hill into Bourne End. Surprisingly alert braking saved both rider and deer from injury.
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Dead badger :(
Loadsa buzzards & geese, 9 seals & a tiny LBJ which I'm fairly sure was a wren.
Oh, and some llamas :)
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Forgot to post this on Tuesday - when I rode to Anglesey Abbey with the local club, saw:
On ride:
Deer - Muntjac & Roe
Notable Birds - Little owl & Lesser spotted woodpecker
Riding out to the start:
Tawny Owl that flew along about 10 metres in front of me for several seconds.
What I thought was a Barn Owl flying in the distance, but on drawing closer, I am pretty sure was a Little Egret.
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Day before yesterday, a large wasp buzzing against the inside of the window. The sunny weather had brought it out of hibernation, so I released it - don't know if it will die of cold now or hibernate again, but if I left it inside it was going to beat itself to death on the glass.
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On my way to Hyde Park Corner to meet the Friday Night riders on Thursday Lunchtime, I saw a flash of green as a bird flew across the road at Mitcham Common. 'That's a strange shape' I thought, 'where's it's tail?' Then I realised that it didn't have a long tail, because it wasn't a parakeet, it was a green woodpecker and it had landed on a tree by the road and was woodpecking :D. It was lovely 8)
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Kestrel, ubiquitous, buzzards, alpacas, ostriches.
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Some red deer on a hillside far away (briefly).
A large bird of prey - either a red kite or a juvenile eagle - having a good go at flushing out grouse from the frosty heather.
Lots of grouse.
And loads of snow hares (mountain hares), some white, one huge one white apart from the tips of it's ears, one greyish turning white.
On the Red Kite/Eagle thing, we were in Glen Mark, at the top end of Loch Lee which is a pretty remote bit of the Cairngorm National Park. I was looking for a wedge shaped tail (which it didn't appear to have) so my thoughts are the juvenile eagle.
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A bold treecreeper, creeping up a tree outside my parents' house at lunchtime today - the first one I have ever seen.
While I'm here, am I allowed to mention yesterday's sightings? Peregrine, sparrowhawk, teal, pintail, gadwall, mallard, mute swans, cormorants, g.c.grebe, peewits galore (hurrah!), shelduck, shoveller, pochard, tufted duck, coot, moorhen, men in camouflage with telephoto lenses longer than my arm, busts of Sir Peter Scott etc etc. But alas no bitterns.
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Hundreds of ducks resting by a dam. Obviously camera-shy - they took flight when I came near enough to snap them.
(http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/yy155/sandyvigar/Christmas%202011/DSC_0179.jpg)
(http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/yy155/sandyvigar/Christmas%202011/DSC_0180.jpg)
(http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/yy155/sandyvigar/Christmas%202011/DSC_0178.jpg)
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Long tailed tits :D
And buzzard, kestel, gsw.
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We saw some shelducks and lots of cool waders in the estuary mud on today's ride to Erith along the Thames path. :D
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The day started off with a male sparrowhawk perched on one of the poplars at the end of the garden.
Then we drove down to Musselburgh - nice views of amongst others teal, wigeon, bar tailed godwit, goldeneye, a whooper swan on the pond, a long tailed duck at sea, and a solitary bean goose amongst the greylags near the 'no cycling' bridge.
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A wee mouse while out photographing a local church:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7173/6620835129_85ec634575_z.jpg)
Very tame, and I could get really close with my 18-55mm lens. :thumbsup:
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Brian, I think that mouse is a vole! But it's a great shot!
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During the past week or so I have heard three song thrushes singing either at dawn or sunset, and yesterday afternoon there was a blackbird following suit. Spring's coming!
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A lone fieldfare being buffeted by bride of bawbag in a neighbour's tree.
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During the past week or so I have heard three song thrushes singing either at dawn or sunset, and yesterday afternoon there was a blackbird following suit. Spring's coming!
The cherry tree on a neighbour's lawn has been flowering for a few weeks...
Though I suspect it might regret that today! ;D
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A very local walk today along the Water of Leith through Juniper Green up to Currie, saw 3 roe deer, 2 dippers and a grey wagtail.
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Not quite today - but the past two and a half weeks have been a bit of a nature fest over in Sumatra:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7030/6629236811_39ff1c0307.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusjb/6629236811/)
Macaque and baby (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusjb/6629236811/) by marcus_jb1973 (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcusjb/), on Flickr
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7166/6629229145_0ae5ce9f3e.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusjb/6629229145/)
Elephant enjoying the scrub (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusjb/6629229145/) by marcus_jb1973 (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcusjb/), on Flickr
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7170/6629234039_7141001887.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusjb/6629234039/)
Thomas Leaf monkey and baby (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusjb/6629234039/) by marcus_jb1973 (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcusjb/), on Flickr
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7006/6629237199_c077b75a77.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusjb/6629237199/)
Orangutan hanging around (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusjb/6629237199/) by marcus_jb1973 (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcusjb/), on Flickr
We also saw gibbons, huge monitor lizards, butterflies, hornbills, peacocks, bats, cats, leeches and a million and one other animals - truly amazing experiences, especially being able to watch orangutan in the rain forest.
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Extraordinary marcusjb!
A little more prosaic here. I'll have to get him out of the pool filter box before I add more chlorine!
(http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/yy155/sandyvigar/Christmas%202011/DSC_0207.jpg)
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A lone fieldfare being buffeted by bride of bawbag in a neighbour's tree.
It must've been a scout. There were loads today decimating the berries on a neighbour's tree.
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Several dozen swans in some waterlogged fields. I've never seen so many together in one place before.
Also a man wearing plus fours, but he wasn't in the waterlogged field.
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A huge fox who I surprised in the shrubbery around Sainsburys when I walked there earlier. He wasn't particularly worried about me, even though he was less than six foot away.
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A female Kestrel in the distance
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p23/chris415700/IMG_0940.jpg)
nothing special about that, but this one was stealing a small rodent from a short eared owl -
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p23/chris415700/IMG_0936.jpg)
The kestrel spies the owl with a rodent in its talons
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p23/chris415700/IMG_0945.jpg)
the birds lock talons
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p23/chris415700/IMG_0946.jpg)
and the owl drops the rodent
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p23/chris415700/IMG_0947.jpg)
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p23/chris415700/IMG_0948.jpg)
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p23/chris415700/IMG_0949.jpg)
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p23/chris415700/IMG_0950.jpg)
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p23/chris415700/IMG_0951.jpg)
the kestrel dives down and takes the spoils
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Wow! Fantastic photos Chris!
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Astonishing. Well done.
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That's quite amazing. :)
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That's amazing stuff - a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
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Incredible :thumbsup:
Should I feel more sorry for the owl or the small rodent ? :-\
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A buzzard over Wick Rocks quarry while three ducks (possibly moorhens but I couldn't tell at that distance) swam in the water below. Then a kestrel flew off from a telephone line near West Littleton and did its wind-jamming for a short time before diving into the field.
What's happened to kestrels? There used to be lots of them round Bristol and Bath area, now they seem quite rare. OTOH buzzards used to be exotic and now are a fairly common sight. Perhaps the buzzards are out-competing the kestrels - except I thought buzzards were more carrion eaters and kestrels catchers of small mice, voles etc?
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OTOH buzzards used to be exotic and now are a fairly common sight.
I got a quick sighting of what I thought was a Buzzard in a tree on the RHS of the M32 as I drove in to Bristol yesterday.
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A buzzard over Wick Rocks quarry while three ducks (possibly moorhens but I couldn't tell at that distance) swam in the water below. Then a kestrel flew off from a telephone line near West Littleton and did its wind-jamming for a short time before diving into the field.
What's happened to kestrels? There used to be lots of them round Bristol and Bath area, now they seem quite rare. OTOH buzzards used to be exotic and now are a fairly common sight. Perhaps the buzzards are out-competing the kestrels - except I thought buzzards were more carrion eaters and kestrels catchers of small mice, voles etc?
I've seen kestrels and red kites on occasion over the moors near Kingston Seymour on CTC rides :thumbsup:
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Oddly enough, I've never been to Kingston Seymour but we went past the road to it on Saturday's CTC ride, and I said to someone how I'd like to go there just because the name sounds so appealing. Didn't seen any buzzards or kites that day.
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Saw a group of Teal and two male Shovellers on the Leg o Mutton reservoir at Barnes.
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Last night, caught in bike headlights:
A fox crossing the road ahead of us, on the edge of Sonning Common (a village a few miles north of Reading).
A badger ditto, a bit further along the same road.
This afternoon:
A muntjac staring at us in the local cemetery.
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what were you doing in the cemetry?
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Going for a walk & picking up some fallen branches for firewood.
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Copied from the Zev Thread, and strictly speaking it was Kim who saw this chap (or chapess) peering through the cat flap speculatively. I'm very glad that I closed it around sunset. At the moment, it's propped open during the day, to let Zev get used to using it. It's still unlocked at night, but unless you've got a programmed in RFID chip (as only Kai and Zev do) you can't get in.
(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/xanthus/catcam_2012-01-14T22:01:11Z.JPG)
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Spotted a little owl on the verge a on the way back from work tonight. First one I've seen and he looked a bit surprised to see me too. Lovely little thing.
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A mouse under my desk. Traps have been set.
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Copied from the Zev Thread, and strictly speaking it was Kim who saw this chap (or chapess) peering through the cat flap speculatively. I'm very glad that I closed it around sunset. At the moment, it's propped open during the day, to let Zev get used to using it. It's still unlocked at night, but unless you've got a programmed in RFID chip (as only Kai and Zev do) you can't get in.
(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/xanthus/catcam_2012-01-14T22:01:11Z.JPG)
That is one CREEPY picture...
*shudders*
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I saw a big big rat in a pile of rubbish on the street, ugh.
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Yes, rubbish is awful, isn't it!
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Cool! a fox! I think Zev will learn how to use the door fine when you stop leaving it open for her, perhaps. She's just yanking your chain.
We saw a black red sqrl outside our chalet balcony last week, and at 3am today we saw what I think was a barn owl flying up from the other lane of the dual cabbageway we were on. Hope it doesn't carry on doing it's hunting on the black stuff....
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29 bird species on a 200k ride today and not a single finch anywhere to be seen in Monmouthshire, Gloucs, Worcs or Herefordshire. I should report this to the BTO as a finch-only bird flu must have struck these parts ???
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Plenty of finches in our rowan tree, even without berries! Coal tits, great tits, chaffinches...
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A pair of dippers on a rock in the River Tame in Saddleworth, then a barn owl on the way home, while it was still light. It surprised me to see how pointed the wings are; I've seen lots of them but never noticed this before.
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What I think was a marsh harrier from a train window near Ford.
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A treecreeper, on the old tree outside my office window
An old apple tree was the mouse-like creeper's favoured haunt. Its progress up the gnarled trunk in a series of jerks, spasmodic rather than rapid. Now and then it would made a sideways hop attracted by a promising crevice before pushing its scimitar-shaped bill into the crack and delicately removing its quarry with the needle point. Reaching a branch it would travel outwards beneath it — quite as happy upside down as when ascending.
http://www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/bird-guide/treecreeper.asp
He'd obviously read up on what was expected, as that was *exactly* what he was doing :)
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What I think was a marsh harrier from a train window near Ford.
Almost certainly a hen harrier this time of year, they get to escape gamekeepers in winter by heading down to the lowlands.
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What I think was a marsh harrier from a train window near Ford.
Almost certainly a hen harrier this time of year, they get to escape gamekeepers in winter by heading down to the lowlands.
OK. Thanks
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Last week, a noisy raven sitting above a shop doorway in Douglas, Isle of Man. I've never seen one that close except at the Tower of London. They do not make a pleasant sound.
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Yesterday afternoon driving home on the M40 about 50 red tailed kites milling around together. You always see some on that section of the M40 but I have never seen such a huge number.
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A pike eating lunch
(http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x467/NorthamptonSailingClubPhotos/_SN2012/IMG_1643.jpg)
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Great photo. Do you know what sort of fish it was eating?
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Some kind of trout I think.
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Rainbow trout?
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A dead trout?
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I went to Barnes on the spur of the moment today, and saw this little chap, a few days to late for a birthday here.
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/005-1.jpg)
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Yesterday, in the New Forest, whilest on a ride on a mountain bike round some of the trails, a flock of crossbills (pics to follow) and the dark-eyed junco that's been around a while (no pic, unfortunately). Plus buzzard, reed bunting, looooooods of redwings.
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Last night as I left Mr Sainsbury's Emporium of Toothy Comestibles at 22:00, something flew down from the petrol station, over my path and alighted in a tree.
First thought was a pigeon.
Second thought was it's well past pigeony bed time and besides the wings were all wrong. Great big sticky out feathers at the tips.
Third thought was well exactly which kind of owl was it?
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Tawny owl, most likely.
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Female crossbill
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/005-4.jpg)
Male
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/004-2.jpg)
Pics taken at high zoom with no tripod, so excuse the quality.
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Tawny owl, most likely.
or a TeatOwl
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Grey wagtail this morning, dabbling in the stream.
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Yesterday on a telephone wire on the moors between Gisburn and Burnley, a little owl. They are supposed to be rare in the north of England but that's the second one I've seen in only 35 years.
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Just north of Uttoxeter on the A522 a LARGE brown bird of prey.It was sitting on a fence post within a thornbush hedge.I got within a couple of metres of it,which is suprising considering I had a Hope Vision 1 on setting 2 & a Cateye EL-410 on flashing,before it took off displaying those wonderfull wings & feathers.
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Most likely a buzzard, Al. They sit on posts and eat a lot of carrion; plenty of opportunity near Uttoxeter!
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aye,lots of brain dead therebouts ::-)
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Dormouse nests in our top field. Luckily empty cos those brambles are going. There'll be plenty left for the little fellows though.
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A buzzard, wheeling around incredibly close to me. Later a kestrel hovering above a field.
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Two grey wagtails in Westburn Park.
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Yesterday on a telephone wire on the moors between Gisburn and Burnley, a little owl. They are supposed to be rare in the north of England but that's the second one I've seen in only 35 years.
I didn't know little owls were scarce oop noorth. A few years ago I remember seeing one somewhere in the Diggle / Dobcross area.
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Two grey wagtails in Westburn Park.
The RSPB website (http://=http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/g/greywagtail/index.aspx) claims they are summer visitors to this area ::-)
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Yesterday on a telephone wire on the moors between Gisburn and Burnley, a little owl. They are supposed to be rare in the north of England but that's the second one I've seen in only 35 years.
I didn't know little owls were scarce oop noorth. A few years ago I remember seeing one somewhere in the Diggle / Dobcross area.
That'll be the one! (No, I didn't know, either, I got it out of a bird book!)
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I caught a robin in a school today. It had found its way into the building, possibly attracted by the inside light as a normally clear large perspex roof of an outdoor undercover area was unusually dark because of the snow covering. The poor bird was fluttering around in a stairwell with lots of kids milling about and was quite panic-stricken. Eventually it settled on a wall thermostat and I gently enveloped it in my right hand. When I took it outside it managed to fly away to the top of the building. I hope it survived but it was pretty stressed and breathing in a most laboured way.
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Well done!
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I caught a robin in a school today. It had found its way into the building, possibly attracted by the inside light as a normally clear large perspex roof of an outdoor undercover area was unusually dark because of the snow covering. The poor bird was fluttering around in a stairwell with lots of kids milling about and was quite panic-stricken. Eventually it settled on a wall thermostat and I gently enveloped it in my right hand. When I took it outside it managed to fly away to the top of the building. I hope it survived but it was pretty stressed and breathing in a most laboured way.
We have a blue tit in the scout hut. Any chance you could come round and do your St Francis impression?
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Th amusing part was that the librarian had telephoned the site admin people who manifestly couldn't be arsed to deal with a distressed small bird in a building. Apparently they asked her to fill in a form.
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Heard but not seen - an owl of some sort. Probably tawny.
Edit: I was actually thinking barn owl, but listening to the recordings on the RSPB site suggests it was in fact a tawny.
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Blackcap (m) tucking into the fatballls this morning.
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I went for a walk in the woods near West Stow (Bury St Eds) with the camera, what with being unemployed and all...
pretty rubbish for photos, but i was trying to get some wide angle shots of the trees (many, many trees) and wandered round a corner to be about 5 yards from 2 huuuuuge stags! Antlers probably 4 or 5 feet across, not sure who was more surprised!
they legged it, I took a photo - or tried to, the camera was set on self timer with a wide lens on, so by the time it'd taken, one of them was hiding behind a tree, the other was looking back cautiously from about 50 yards away - this is a 100% crop:
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a19/mikes99mail/temp/L1004925.jpg)
I walked towards them after I'd fitted a more suitable lens, but they legged it across the open bit in front and into the next lot of trees.
Amazing to see them so close, even if i did nearly wet myself!
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I remember disturbing one of those in a clearing in mid-summer. He was completely hidden in the undergrowth and I wouldn't have known he was there at all if he hadn't bolted, even though he was no more than 3m or 4 metres from me. For a split second I thought he was going to trample or gore me, but I guess it's the nature of these creatures to be even more nervous of 2-legged close-eyed animals than we are of them.
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A flock of waxwings this morning - the first I've seen this winter. About 50 of them heading north to Peckham.
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(http://www.bosphorus.f2s.com/pheasant_feeder.jpg)
eeejit
sorry he's a bit blurry, but he was very wobbly and it wasn't very light.
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Spotted while ironing this morning - one each of chaffinch, blue tit & blackbird, & at least 16 redwings. They perched in a neighbour's tree, & faffed around while the chaffinch & tit visited my bird feeder. None of them tried it, though.
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Today, in our garden, chaffinch, various sparrows, great, blue and long-tailed tits, robins, a jay, mistle thrush, blackbirds of course, collared doves and wood pigeons. And on our walk lapwings, fieldfares, red kites, and three hares. Magical.
Oh and thursday, in Tesco in Hemel, a robin :thumbsup:
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And a greater spotted woodpecker :D anna magpie.
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A rabbit!
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A couple of visitors to our feeding stations -
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/mattlangridge/DSC01875.jpg)
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/mattlangridge/DSC01871.jpg)
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And a greater spotted woodpecker :D
+1. This morning, in the grounds of Reading uni.
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Not a pretty sight
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/6864300795_99a222970d_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6864300795/)
Death on the Tay (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/6864300795/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
This is one of several. Don't know what got it but there are lots of buzzards around.
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1 dead badger, a few buzzards. Heard a woodpecker pecking wood and a skylark larking in the sky.
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2 mice on my commute - about 4 miles apart, one on Mitcham (fairly wild) Common, but the other on the pavement at the top of Streatham hill ???. About 7.55 in the morning between bus stops full of commuters! Must have the hardy town mouse type :D.
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Ten magpies in a flock.
One green woodpecker.
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Seal nomming a mahoosive salmon in the harbour.
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A heron in a drainage canal(?) at Heathrow, two moorhens at Reading Calcot, and a bird the shape and size of a buzzard but with a very pale underside - some variant? All on Sunday through a coach window.
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Not today, but on Sunday whilst playing Poo Sticks with TLD and the two Torslanda offspring, a Kingfisher!
We were stood on a small footbridge looking down at the stream when a flash of Cerulean went past.
Made me smile it did they are one of my favourite birds.
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A weasel? A teeny mustelid, anyway, on my way home this evening :)
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Two Goldcrest in a rose bush in East Acton.
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A squirrel on the Tram stop platform near my house. I quite often see squirrels around there, but never got that close before (about three foot away), or remembered to get my phone out to take a photo.
(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/WandleParkSquirrel.jpg)
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A very large herd of fallow deer near Fryerning.
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A squirrel on the Tram stop platform near my house. I quite often see squirrels around there, but never got that close before (about three foot away), or remembered to get my phone out to take a photo.
That's not a squirrel, it's a tree rat. :)
This is a squirrel:
(http://www.forestry.gov.uk/images/redsquirrel.jpg/$FILE/redsquirrel.jpg)
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Whilst out on the Thursday night pub ride, I sawed an Wol, it flew across the road in front of me.
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Two cormorants.
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A heron in a drainage canal(?) at Heathrow, two moorhens at Reading Calcot, and a bird the shape and size of a buzzard but with a very pale underside - some variant? All on Sunday through a coach window.
Red Kite perhaps- like these I saw from my back garden a couple of days ago-
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/mattlangridge/DSC01883.jpg)
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Paler underside than that and with a pale bar across the wings, near the ends. Unfortunately I didn't see the tail, it was just landing on a telephone pole or something similar. I think it was probably just a buzzard.
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Three Little Grebe on the Thames near Richmond.
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Paler underside than that and with a pale bar across the wings, near the ends. Unfortunately I didn't see the tail, it was just landing on a telephone pole or something similar. I think it was probably just a buzzard.
Almost certainly a buzzard. There's a good underside view here:-
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/buzzard/index.aspx
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Nice set of ducks: teal, widgeon, pochard, tufted, mallard, gadwall, shoveller, pintail and shelduck. Peregrine falcon and very, very close female sparrowhawk. Redpolls.
And a bittern in flight. Yes, I was at Barnes reserve again.
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Edinburgh YACFers may wish to hear that a bittern has been hanging about Duddingston Loch for several weeks now. There's also regular sightings of otters from those trying to see the bittern.
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There are currently loads of teal, gadwall, and shoveller on the waters near the wetlands , i.e. the Lonsdale Leg o mutton and the Thames itself.
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Either a frog or a toad. I don't know what species and all the guides I can find are American, but it was a couple of inches long with pale brown, smooth looking skin. It was jumping along the pavement near a stone wall this evening. A bit early in the year I'd have thought, but it was warm today for Feb and was raining.
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If jumping, it was probably a frog. Toads have much shorter back legs and generally crawl around the place.
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Don't toads usually have warty skin whereas frogs have smooth skin, or is that too much of a generalisation?
Not that I'm suggesting WARRTY riders are toads, of course!
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Usually, yes.
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Whilst driving in to work this morning I was forced into an emergency stop by a Red Kite in kamakazi mode hoovering up a small item of road kill. Awesome aerobatics.
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Coming home from that London last night, along the last 10 minutes or so of my journey, I managed:
3 muntjacks trying to cross the a40-separately
A horde of rabbits of the wild variety
Two foxes, one of whom looked really young-late cub? It was red, but looked awfully juvenile for February!
A hare
3 cats
and the white rabbit that appears to live near us somewhere and which randomly turns up on our street now and then. No idea if it's just a regular escapee or one that's gone wild.
Today I've only managed a low-flying kite and the two pigs that are constantly escaping onto West Hyde Lane...they're cute, but highly irritating, especially as horses are scared of pigs!
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Aston ASBO Geese. They barely lived up to their name, and the one that did try it on was quickly defeated by a harsh glaring-at from barakta, who is used to much harder, Stockport Scally Geese.
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a low-flying kite
I saw one of them today - a paper one in a little girl's hand!
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A friend has a young son, and when he was around 3 or 4 was taken to feed the ducks.
There are some fairly big and fairly agressive geese at the duckpond, which were as tall as the kid.
His dad would sho them away with his foot.
Junior had obviously been watching, because when a goose approached, and started trying to grab the food from his hand, he took an *almighty* swing at it with his foot, and *hoofed* the thing back into the pond!
This had the entire assembled audience in uproar.
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A Very F***ing Expesive Bus that cost a £1 million !!!!!!!!!!!!......yep the only new Roadmaster bus still with the Red garage plates, on it's test runs
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A sizeable collection of Wigeon on the Long Water , Home Park , Hampton Court.
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A red admiral.
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Of the Soviet navy? ;D
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Dolphins yesterday.
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New Forest Pigs Hoovering
(http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/ww143/benway_photo/photo.jpg)
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A buzzard above Aldham, soaring nicely in a thermal.
A sparrow hawk near Chappell, its wing tips almost touching the tarmac.
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Must've seen >20 buzzards today on 55km ride.
Heard a yellowhammer.
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A redpoll and a brambling in the garden this morning, both the first visits we've seen this winter. Lots of singing from dunnocks, chaffinches and robins.
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Must've seen >20 buzzards today on 55km ride.
Heard a yellowhammer.
Anna wooderypeckery.
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A couple of hen pheasants under one of the seed feeders hoovering up the spills.
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Two kestrels, separately, and two rooks, together.
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Must've seen >20 buzzards today on 55km ride.
Heard a yellowhammer.
Anna wooderypeckery.
And saw a kestrel
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A buzzard, but not just another buzzard - this one was sitting on a fence post as I hurtled (for me) by, and didn't move as I passed except to stare at me intently.
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In a tree on the green outside MFWHTBAB's house, a Harris Hawk, we think.
It's been hanging around on and off for some months. Wearing jesses. When it was first spotted, some people turned up to claim it (but didn't seem entirely kosher, apparently), but it refused to come down off the roof it was perched on. It was gone for a while, but seems to be back. As this keeps the pigeons on their toes, MFWHTBAB and neighbours are quite happy about this.
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1 squashed toad on road outside our house.
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Saw two sparrow hawks wheeling about on Hollington Level.One was very low & very close.Marvellous markings.
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Saw a kestrel making a kill yesterday. The way it plummeted down I could almost heat the thump as it grabbed whatever it was hunting. So glad I stopped and watched. Reminds me of a time in Spain when I saw a buzzard diving down, it started from around 400 yards up and went down like an Exocet. It wascompletely by chance that I saw it. It's one of the things that got me into watching birds.
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The ten ducklings of yesterday were originally 12, or so I was told, but now are down to 8.
While I was watching today, some people were throwing bread into the water and the duck was feeding happily, as were the ducklings. There was a flock of black-headed gulls milling around and suddenly there was an enormous commotion as one of the gulls had settled on the water too close to the ducklings and the mother attacked it quite spectacularly. The gull was coming off by far the worse in this encounter and for a time I wondered whether the duck would succeed in drowning it, but after quite a bit of thrashing about the gull escaped and flew away, seemingly none the worse for its encounter.
Although I've never seen them do it, I suspect that gulls are often responsible for the early losses in a brood of ducklings but this was the first time I've seen a duck attack one.
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One shag, one common tern, three black redstarts, one sardinian warbler, three crag martins, one blue rock thrush, uncounted numbers of yellow-legged gulls, one unidentified Dartford-style warbler, three booted eagles, thirty-plus short-toed eagles, ten black kites and a honey buzzard.
Plus a lot of barbary apes. Guess where I am...
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One shag, one common tern, three black redstarts, one sardinian warbler, three crag martins, one blue rock thrush, uncounted numbers of yellow-legged gulls, one unidentified Dartford-style warbler, three booted eagles, thirty-plus short-toed eagles, ten black kites and a honey buzzard.
Plus a lot of barbary apes. Guess where I am...
At the zoo? Or on the Rock.
(Brain of Britain had something about barbary apes last week. They're not apes but tail-less macaques)
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Apologies for the late posting on this one. Not today but Sunday a gull doing the jogging on the spot thing that is supposed to sound like rain and bring worms to the surface. The odd thing being that it was already raining.
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The ten ducklings of yesterday were originally 12, or so I was told, but now are down to 8.
While I was watching today, some people were throwing bread into the water and the duck was feeding happily, as were the ducklings. There was a flock of black-headed gulls milling around and suddenly there was an enormous commotion as one of the gulls had settled on the water too close to the ducklings and the mother attacked it quite spectacularly. The gull was coming off by far the worse in this encounter and for a time I wondered whether the duck would succeed in drowning it, but after quite a bit of thrashing about the gull escaped and flew away, seemingly none the worse for its encounter.
Although I've never seen them do it, I suspect that gulls are often responsible for the early losses in a brood of ducklings but this was the first time I've seen a duck attack one.
I've never seen a gull take a duckling but I have seen a pike taking one, amazing to watch and the duck was really confused as to where her offspring had disappeared to.
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A buzzard in a field near Newtown.
A dead tree rat in Colton.
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One shag, one common tern, three black redstarts, one sardinian warbler, three crag martins, one blue rock thrush, uncounted numbers of yellow-legged gulls, one unidentified Dartford-style warbler, three booted eagles, thirty-plus short-toed eagles, ten black kites and a honey buzzard.
Plus a lot of barbary apes. Guess where I am...
Gib?
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A Canada goose all alone in a field.
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2 coots and 2 rats at slough canal arm basin .
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One shag, one common tern, three black redstarts, one sardinian warbler, three crag martins, one blue rock thrush, uncounted numbers of yellow-legged gulls, one unidentified Dartford-style warbler, three booted eagles, thirty-plus short-toed eagles, ten black kites and a honey buzzard.
Plus a lot of barbary apes. Guess where I am...
Gib?
Yup. Had a flight of 12 black storks overhead today, plus a red kite. Pics to be uploaded when home.
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One shag, one common tern, three black redstarts, one sardinian warbler, three crag martins, one blue rock thrush, uncounted numbers of yellow-legged gulls, one unidentified Dartford-style warbler, three booted eagles, thirty-plus short-toed eagles, ten black kites and a honey buzzard.
Plus a lot of barbary apes. Guess where I am...
Gib?
Yup. Had a flight of 12 black storks overhead today, plus a red kite. Pics to be uploaded when home.
Say hello to 'The Angry Friar' for me Steph (and sink a jar or three on my behalf) :thumbsup:
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Larks, lambs &
llamas alpacas. Also, geese, buzzards, heard a woodpecker & most unusual: a pair of bullfinches :thumbsup:
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Larks, lambs & llamas alpacas. Also, geese, buzzards, heard a woodpecker & most unusual: a pair of bullfinches :thumbsup:
Lawks!
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From Monday:
Short toed eagle, and also with yellow-legged gull
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/027.jpg)
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/026-1.jpg)
Red kite
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/025.jpg)
Black kite
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/034-1.jpg)
Booted eagle
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/032.jpg)
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Just to add: I am really, really chuffed with that first photo.
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Just to add: I am really, really chiffed with that first photo.
It is stunning, isn't it? :D
I saw several Skylarks just after Ditchling beacon this morning - kind people kept stopping to check I was ok, but I just watched them for 10 minutes! They were wonderful. I saw a bird of prey of some description dive, presumably at a nest, but I couldn't see if it was successful.
I also heard several woodpeckers along the way :)
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Today's haul: more lambs, buzzards, geese & larks plus yellowhammers & a kestrel.
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I love that short-toed eagle Steph. It brings back memories of walking on the edges of the Cevennes. There was one moment when one of these eagles seemed to be showing slightly too much interest in the youngest member of the peewit family, but I'm sure it could not have done any real harm.
We've still got lingering redwings in our neighbourhood. Presumably if they hang around here any longer they'll miss their breeding opportunities elsewhere.
Oh, and a huge shield bug in our kitchen this weekend. We finally managed to get it into our box hedge where it disappeared.
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I will say it again: I am pleased with that picture! I did get a lot of crap ones, though, and I missed the black and Egyptian vultures that came through.
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It's a fantastic photo! The photo of the black kite is not so good as a photograph but is interesting to me as I didn't know they were found that far north, and most of the others I've never even heard of!
As for what I've seen today, it was three buzzards squabbling with a crow over a dead rabbit in a field (winner: me! They all flew off when I stopped to watch... :-\ ) and a stag, which I think was a red deer (though its coat was actually grey).
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So far north? That was Gibraltar! The black kite is quite common throughout Europe, particularly in Southern France.
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I've only seen them in India (that I remember) so I think of them as belonging far further south!
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A buzzard on top of my house, it was crying (miaowing) away for some reason and didn't seem fazed by my presence. Nipped inside for a camera, but it flew off.
I can't recall seeing one like that before.
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A buzzard on top of my house, it was crying (miaowing) away for some reason and didn't seem fazed by my presence. Nipped inside for a camera, but it flew off.
I can't recall seeing one like that before.
I once saw a Kestrel behaving oddly on my roof and elsewhere , rather like a lost child !
Maybe it had just been driven away by its parents. I believe some larger birds including birds of prey change their behaviour abruptly towards their offspring when it deemed to be time for them to 'leave home'.
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Yes, there was something definitely odd about this one. I thought perhaps it had made a kill and left or dropped it, but couldn't see anything obvious.
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On a similar note, the other day I spotted a raptor of some sort coming up from out of a field, over the hedge and over the road as I passed beneath it. It appeared to be carrying something (dinner presumably) in its talons. From the bullet head I'd say it was a kestrel.
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Pussy willow and heard a chiff-chaff.
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A robin in the kitchen. It had come in the back door and was banging its head on the window, so I caught it and put it back out the door where it flew off seemingly none the worse for the experience.
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Still 7 whoopers on Threipmuir and a brambling on the feeders at Bavelaw. But spring is in the air, lots of skylark song and displaying lapwings.
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A jay in Sutton.
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@ Clarion
There is no J in Sutton!
On a ride yesterday (Dales), I saw a cock pheasant, two curlews, oystercatchers and a lapwing all in the same field. A grouse, later on.
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Yesterday, a largeish bird swimming with its body just below the surface of the river. Its long neck doing a good Loch Ness Monster tribute.
No crest, but I'm guessing Great Crested Grebe still in winter attire.
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No crest, but I'm guessing Great Crested Grebe still in winter attire.
Cormorant ?
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I was riding along listening to a shrill repeated monosyllabic call , thinking Nuthatch. I glanced up and saw the rear end of a Nuthatch sticking out of a tree hole. Clearly not the one I heard calling but a pleasure anyway.
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Quite a lot of the usual waders, including avocet, but the most remarkable bird we saw today, and a species I haven't seen for a few years, was a short-eared owl.
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Lapwings, peewitting madly whilst doing that mad courtship dance, I could watch them all day :D
A bunny. Ducks. A yellowhammer. Grey wagtails :)
I heard a curlew as well.
Technically this was yesterday.
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Osprey on the River Isla when I was out walking the dog - that's the second time in a week. They are early this year.
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As with LG, this was technically yesterday, but I saw a raptor. Not that unusual around here, but this one was bigger than the usual ones(hobbies and kestrels), and looked more like a Peregrin Falcon (Looking at the RSPB bird identifier it might have been a Goshawk, more grey under the wings, and wings more rounded than the PF)
It also lead me to remember Mrs T seeing a LARGE raptor sat on our deck at the beginning of the year, and I started speculating about the missing cats being reported in our area (3 I know of so far this year).
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A GS woodpecker from our front door - never seen one in the city before.
A seal in the harbour.
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Ah, this morning, on the Parkland Walk near Crouch End, I heard (but didn't see :( ) two woodpeckers - one each side of the path.
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Two young rabbits, chasing a cock pheasant round and round in circles
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Last night, on our Thursday night bike ride, we saw bats and a wol.
As well as having a starry field to guide me home, that made the evening.
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On my ride into Uni today
(http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx30/Auntie_Helen/8a921b48.jpg)
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Was that anywhere near Ardleigh Reservoir, AH?
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A brown hare :D :D :D
Pheasants
Many larks
Finchy little brown jobs everywhere
Horses
A dog
Some kind of raptor, I suspect a sparrowhawk
*happy*
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Was that anywhere near Ardleigh Reservoir, AH?
Nope, it was on Tye Road in Elmstead (between Crockleford Heath and Elmstead Market)
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Was that anywhere near Ardleigh Reservoir, AH?
Nope, it was on Tye Road in Elmstead (between Crockleford Heath and Elmstead Market)
Ah. The reason I ask was that about 10 years ago I went fishing a few times at Ardleigh and I was most impressed by the vast number of rabbit corpses lying about, including, macabrely, a severed rabbit's head lying in over a foot of water. (Ardleigh, for a lake in SE England, had unusually clear water because at the time the Essex Water Co were removing the phosphates (residue from agriculture) from the pumped-in water and that caused a far lower algal bloom than is the norm. I don't know if ESW are still doing this.)
Anyway, I digress. At one point during my vain efforts to capture the enormous pike that live within its waters, Ardleigh at one time producing a British record of esox lucius, I was disturbed by the cries of an animal somewhere behind me. I climbed the bank to see a stoat attacking a rabbit. I had an old film camera with me and took some very blurry photos, managing to get fairly close in until the stoat released its prey and ran off. The rabbit, bleeding from the neck, staggered over and sat for a few seconds by my foot and I had neither the presence of mind nor the heart to whack it on the head and take it home for a pie. After a while it staggered off.
Half an hour later I heard similar cries to those I had heard earlier and could see a rabbit and a stoat thrashing around in the hedge. Whether it was the same rabbit I don't know, but I suspect that it was - it would have been pretty easy prey I would imagine, probably having been weakened by significant blood loss.
I don't suppose that Ardleigh Reservoir is the only place in your neck of the woods in which stoats and rabbits abound.
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I remember a few years ago see my mother's cat (a Siamese) take on a stoat. Bearing in mind the cat had dodgy eyesight (common amongst Siamese) they faced up to each other, then the stoat sprang forward, but the cat dodged and got it on the back of the neck. And held it till it was dead. I'd have backed the stoat in all honesty and had got a broom handle ready in case of need.
Cat was called Sinbad by the way. What a character it was.
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This week, without a camera with me, the roadkill I had to avoid was an intact recently-deceased deer. I have been to both Barnes and Arundel, and have had singing chiffchaff, whitethroat and cetti's, snipe, oystercatcher, redshank, eight species of duck, little egrets at Redhill from the train, ditto at arundel from a hide, buzzards, reed bunting, (not so) common and Mediterranean gulls, and two peregrines passing high over Arundel.
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Short-eared owl, hunting in broad daylight near Rochdale.
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Big white owl flying around the field at the back in daylight. Watched it for 5 mins, then thought to get my camera out whereupon it disappeared.
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Not quite seen, but certainly heard...
Having woken up at stupid o'clock, after less sleep than optimal, I spent quite a bit of time listening to a rather lovely woodpecker. I have a funny feeling you can tell what type it is from the noise, but I may have dreamt that! ;D
I think the rhythmic noise helped me drop back off again :)
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On my ride into Uni today
(http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx30/Auntie_Helen/8a921b48.jpg)
I haz sad snap :'(
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7260/7011825503_b3cbab7706_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/7011825503/)
IMG_0199 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/7011825503/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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None shall pass!
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7047/6865719214_2901712ab5_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/6865719214/)
IMG_0202 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/6865719214/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
I had to usher this from the road today
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7129/7011837171_79aa6b8c60_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/7011837171/)
IMG_0204 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/7011837171/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Found out who's been removing the netting in the garden
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7275/7013573225_4707738990.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/77272293@N00/7013573225/)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7252/6867461366_2e29ef2367.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/77272293@N00/6867461366/)
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Did you say "smile, please" ??
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Feline found a bat:
(http://p.twimg.com/Ao8J5YDCIAECVDK.jpg:large)
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Feline found a bat:
(http://p.twimg.com/Ao8J5YDCIAECVDK.jpg:large)
The big question is how the crap are we going to get it out of the light fitting. We are currently sat in the dark with the windows open hoping it can leave. The Cheddar bats are a protected species and I really don't want to harm it. It hissed at me when I touched it with a kitchen cloth!
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turn the light off, take the bulb out, drape a bit of cloth over the edge of the light bowl for it to climb up, and leave the room
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I'd be very disinclined to touch it with bare hands. There was a guy
two or three years ago in 2003 who caught rabies from a bat.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2003/aug/24/health.healthandwellbeing2 refers.
Fellow bat worker John Haddow said he and his colleagues did not know what sort of level rabies might be at in Britain.
Haddow, who was a close friend of McRae, said: 'Until last year, we assumed the incidence of the disease in the UK was virtually zero.
'It is around in northern Europe. People live side by side with bats, some of which will be carrying rabies. The big change now is that we are aware it might be there and so everybody needs to be a bit more cautious.'
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I'd be very disinclined to touch it with bare hands. There was a guy two or three years ago in 2003 who caught rabies from a bat.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2003/aug/24/health.healthandwellbeing2 refers.
Fellow bat worker John Haddow said he and his colleagues did not know what sort of level rabies might be at in Britain.
Haddow, who was a close friend of McRae, said: 'Until last year, we assumed the incidence of the disease in the UK was virtually zero.
'It is around in northern Europe. People live side by side with bats, some of which will be carrying rabies. The big change now is that we are aware it might be there and so everybody needs to be a bit more cautious.'
Well in my case that wouldn't be a problem, I'm rabies vaccinated.
We made it a kitchen cloth ramp to get out and it landed on the floor where I encouraged it to get onto my Which? magazine then put it out of the window :)
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Pheasant in the garden. Mostly.
Flew into the door. Toddled off, dazed and confused.
(http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae7/fboab/2012-03-27184941.jpg)
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It appears to have left a montage to itself on the window :)
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Not really wild things but I was surprised to see a couple of ferrets on leads being walked away from the local Tesco yesterday evening.
Later on I spotted this news report: Tesco Covent Garden has 'serious mouse problem' (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-17524235)
I wondered whether they were related.
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10 or so dolphins in the harbour right outside the office. They were quite active, jumping out of the water & tossing fish about.
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Rough-legged buzzard from the train between Peterborough and Grantham.
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A pair of greater spotted woodpeckers in Priory Park.
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I saw one Mute Swan mount its mate after a particularly close bit of mutual head bobbing. After what must have been less than ten seconds they parted , faced each other , and rose up out of the water slightly in what I took to be an act of mutual congratulation for a job well done.
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As I passed Carshalton Ponds, the heron took off and flew directly over my head, calling as it did. Glorious.
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As I passed Carshalton Ponds, the heron took off and flew directly over my head, calling as it did. Glorious.
You were fortunate.
Mrs. Wow and I were walking in the Doethie Valley ("Where?" I hear you ask, so I'll answer. "Here (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/idld.srf?X=276926&Y=250694&A=Y&Z=120&lm=1)!") some years ago. It was a 15 mile walk and I think we saw two other people all day. One of them was the postman who just happened to turn up to the Ty'n-y-Cornel youth hostel, which is left open so that passing ramblers can make themselves a cup of tea and put some money in the honesty box. The postmon said something in Welsh and handed me a bundle of letters. I think he thought I was the warden.
However, I digress. Back to herons. At one point we watched one take off and deposit what looked to be about a pint of fishy shit all over a perfectly innocent sheep that was just standing there minding its own business. The sheep looked very startled indeed.
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I was concerned that may happen, but I caught a bit of bird poo on the sleeve of my jacket a couple of weeks back. Unlikely to happen again soon.
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The herons in Kelsey Park frequently demonstrate the principle of shedding unnecessary weight when getting airborne by dumping great ropes of s**t as they take wing.
In other news, last weekend I spied an orange tip and a brimstone dancing round each other by the side of the Arun as we rolled down to Felpham.
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The herons in Kelsey Park frequently demonstrate the principle of shedding unnecessary weight when getting airborne by dumping great ropes of s**t as they take wing.
I'm kind of wishing I hadn't dwelt on that for as long as I did...
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The herons in Kelsey Park frequently demonstrate the principle of shedding unnecessary weight when getting airborne by dumping great ropes of s**t as they take wing.
I'm kind of wishing I hadn't dwelt on that for as long as I did...
I've seen a pigeon do that when it's suddenly realised there's a big heavy car rapidly approaching and it's got to move very quickly to avoid getting squashed. It really was very scared.
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A swan got panicked by me cycling past it at Mistley once and atempted to get airborne. When it finally managed it it pooped on my trike boom!
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We have acquired a pair of blackbirds. They're in & out of the garden all day, paying particular attention to the bed with a heap of compost (teeming with worms) on it. The female, in particular, is prone to ignore us & concentrate on finding food. She's gobbled up all the sunflower seeds from the birdtable (reminds me: must refill), & found the water dish. Last visit last night was just before dark.
On Thursday I saw what may have been mallard rape. A male was chasing a female around Aylesbury Canal Basin. Eventually, she dived, followed by him, surfacing soon afterwards coupled. Afterwards, he seemed very pleased with himself, her less so.
There were some pretty big carp drifting around the basin just below the surface. My stepfather reckons they're surfacing because the dissolved oxygen levels are low. The canal is currently only open one weekend a month due to the water shortage, so the water flow is much less than usual, & there aren't any boats moving around propelled by stern-mounted aerators.
They had a lot of dead fish there last year when the British Waterways Board decided to dredge in autumn, instead of winter as usual. Stirred up all the anaerobic muck at the bottom & set it decaying aerobically. :facepalm: Had to stop work & bring in aerators.
[edit]Just came in from the garden, looked out of the window & saw two goldfinches stuffing themselves at one of the bird feeders. That's good. They've been very lightly used recently. The removal of the big buddleia in one of the gardens backing onto mine took away a popular perching point, which birds would use to check out the neighbourhood before feeding, & wait to take their turn at a feeder. Visitors dropped off sharply.
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On this afternoon's ride, no fewer than three green woodpeckers together. There seems to be a good number of these about this year but I don't think I have ever seen so many together before. And later, a jay and a heron.
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Miss Z and I had our twice-a-year 7 mile walk to the top of Liddington Hill and back. Lots and lots of skylarks, some hovering quite close to us. A green woodpecker yaffling and trying to hide from us*, a great spotted woodpecker drumming and a very loud songthrush.
*there's a much tamer one closer to home, which hops about on the grass
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<snip>
The Cheddar bats are a protected species and I really don't want to harm it.
IIRC ALL bats are protected under UK law, not just the cheesy ones.
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<snip>
The Cheddar bats are a protected species and I really don't want to harm it.
IIRC ALL bats are protected under UK law, not just the cheesy ones.
I wasn't suggesting that other bats were not! This guy was probably one from the caves though, because of how close we are.
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Out this afternoon, and quite near to home, a lizard scurried across the road in front of me. I have never seen a lizard around these parts, but even more surprising being so early in the year. Also the first butterfly of the year - an orange tip - and later a couple of whites. They'll all be sorry next week when it snows.
The usual green woodpecker, jay and heron spotted as well.
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<snip>
The Cheddar bats are a protected species and I really don't want to harm it.
IIRC ALL bats are protected under UK law, not just the cheesy ones.
I wasn't suggesting that other bats were not! This guy was probably one from the caves though, because of how close we are.
My mis-interpreting what you said then.
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A big brown bird.
We were informed it was a hen harrier, and had no reason to doubt the veracity of the statement.
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/ado15/Lambeth%20Architecture%20Ride%2031%20March%202012/IMG_0242.jpg)
(not real)
On the top of a church hall.
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Sand martins!
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Slow worm yesterday, while clearing vegetation at the local Scout camp site. We left that pile of rotting bracken alone after that.
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I have at least one slow worm living in my compost bin, which makes composting slightly awkward. They're lovely though, so I don't really mind :)
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It's always tickled me that the Slow Worm is in fact a legless lizard.
When I win the lottery, I'm going to buy a Pubbe and call it "The Legless Lizard". Perhaps.
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Interesting dog mobile seen in Munich today.
(http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx30/Auntie_Helen/5820c060.jpg)
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Well yesterday, barn owls, buzzards (definitely moving in to the fens), hares, hen harrier
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On holiday in Dumfries & Galloway last week, lots of nuthatches, an osprey, the usual red kites, bluebells starting to flower, alas no red squirrels. Until recently you could be almost guaranteed of seeing them from the hides at Ken/Dee marshes bu that's our second visit in the last year that has been squirrel-less. However on this occasion we did have the compensation of a very close up view of a pair of willow tits, the first I've ever seen.
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On Smith's Lawn Windsor Park today, there was a red kite flying REALLY low over us for quite some time! You don't realise just how sodding big they are when they're high up...
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Seen plenty of wildlife this morning must have been due to the drizzle and nobody about. Pair of woodpeckers, a rabbit, hedgehog, a grey squirrel, pheasants, crows, magpies, wood pigeons, mallard ducks & a moore hen.
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1 Black Woodpecker (seen a few now)
2 Jays (believe it or not, the first ones I've ever seen)
1 bird of prey swooping about 20m in front of me (probably Red Kite, but can't be certain)
1 unidentified sparrow-sized bird creeping on a tree, light brown, pretty well camouflaged in fact, and laid quite flat against the tree. Any ideas?
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We heard a woodpecker this morning before even getting out of the tent.
Later we.saw a.tiny frog on the path, herons, swans, geese, seagulls aplenty, wagtails, what looked like a buzzard, and, most amazingly,.about two hundred seals on the beach near Horsey. Pics will follow.
Also saw several bats and heard, but not seen, at least two owls.
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1 Black Woodpecker (seen a few now)
2 Jays (believe it or not, the first ones I've ever seen)
1 bird of prey swooping about 20m in front of me (probably Red Kite, but can't be certain)
1 unidentified sparrow-sized bird creeping on a tree, light brown, pretty well camouflaged in fact, and laid quite flat against the tree. Any ideas?
Andym, I'm guessing you are in Germany or Eastern Europe, if you've seen a black woodpecker? The brown bird creeping round the tree is likely to have been a (wait for it) tree-creeper!
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Yep Germany.
Did wonder about treecreeper, but it looked different to that on the RSPB identifier.
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Yep Germany.
Did wonder about treecreeper, but it looked different to that on the RSPB identifier.
Andy, try a wryneck, which is a small woodpecker not much bigger than a sparrow. I've never been lucky enough to see one, nor expect to in the north of England!
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A wren :thumbsup:
Hares :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Bunnies
Sheeps
Baby sheeps
Lapwings
Curlews
Tits
Crows
Horses with jackets on
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Swift.
Seen Saturday 7th April at Trebetherick in Cornwall.
Just the one mind you.
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Hooray!
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Yesterday I saw two Wrens making a racket and battling it out as they plummeted to the ground.
They just managed to stop fighting and make a landing behind a pile of bricks where after some more racket one popped back up and, sitting on a brick, sang its heart out before taking off again.
Not sure where the other one went as it wasn't in the brick pile when I looked.
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A hobby plucking and eating a wood pibeon in the field opposite our house, and then on our evening walk 4 hares in various fields.
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Someone reported seeing and hearing a cuckoo today in Great Wakering (6 miles or so from here) on the Southend RSPB website. I shall have to pop down there tomorrow to see if the silly bugger has decided to stay or sod off somewhere a bit warmer.
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Don't know what it was, but it was dark grey with a tail like a bottle brush held stiffly out behind it. Scampering across a little lane near Hullavington, yesterday, on rather short legs. Didn't see its head, which makes identification a bit harder.
Today, honey bees - the first ones I've seen this year, as opposed to bumbles.
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A SWALLOW
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Sunday, in south Reading.
A roe deer, & soon afterwards five cormorants, one with a fish.
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Don't know what it was, but it was dark grey with a tail like a bottle brush held stiffly out behind it. Scampering across a little lane near Hullavington, yesterday, on rather short legs. Didn't see its head, which makes identification a bit harder.
Today, honey bees - the first ones I've seen this year, as opposed to bumbles.
Hate vto say it, but squirrels run like that!
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Yeah, I did think it could be a squirrel - but it looked too dark grey and its tail was kind of 'wiry'.
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Some of them are damn near black, & the dark ones are reported to be becoming more common.
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I'd forgotten about the black squirrels. Don't think I've ever seen one - at least till yesterday!
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A SWALLOW
Dun't mek a summer ;D
As for me, well, I saw a deer. Sort of.
What I actually saw was a movement in a thicket behind a hedge. Because of our relative movements against the obstructions, I could make out the shape as it put its head up, looked around, then jumped behind some bushes. It was a wonderful contrast with Richmond Park where I could see loads of deer casually displayed beside the roads, unfazed by the movement and noise. Much more special to spy something shy and evasive.
Funnily enough, we'd not long passed a chap, riding a bike, who was wearing a deerstalker hat.
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A SWALLOW
Swallows have been reported at Loch of Strathbeg.
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A SWALLOW
Swallows have been reported at Loch of Strathbeg.
Where they European of African swallows? Were they carrying coconut shells? These are the questions we NEED answering :)
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I cycled out to where the cuckoo had been reported yesterday but there was no sign of it. However, I did spend a happy ten minutes or so watching a common lizard - a very pregnant female by the look of her abdominal girth.
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Abdominal Girth. Good album title - Meat Loaf or Demis Roussos, maybe.
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Abdominal Girth. Good album title - Meat Loaf or Demis Roussos, maybe.
No no no, it was a Scandinavian prog metal band.
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I understand that there are laws which prevent the pruning or lopping of trees in the nesting season.
This is the result of the recognition of those laws by the morons who do such work in Southend.
(http://peter.chesspod.com/gallery/d/15557-1/Image0200.jpg)
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That's a brilliant image of the silliness of some folk!
Nothing especially springy today, but there are definitely a pair of kestrel nesting at the woods (first time I've recorded them at the woods nesting), as well as two yellowhammers. Saw the reed bunting again too. And a wood mouse with an acorn in its mouth. The bluebells are coming out quite profusely in some parts of the wood, and our two earliest oak trees are coming into leaf - it is always these two first.
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Abdominal Girth. Good album title - Meat Loaf or Demis Roussos, maybe.
No no no, it was a Scandinavian prog metal band.
I think you're mixing them up with Abbaminable Goth.
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Bats. Two, separately, last night, while on an evening ride south of Reading.
Mrs B saw two fallow deer near Wokingham today, & there were cormorants on the Thames just above Hungerford Bridge this afternoon.
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A weasel scampered across in front of me on my way home from work, across a quiet Cambridgeshire lane :thumbsup: As I went past I saw him watching me go by. Have seen both stoats and weasels in that neck of the woods now.
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I've noticed they're pretty fearless. They nearly always turn round and eye you up. Fortunately, there's not much meat on me!
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Mr. Buzzard (there are three in the village, but one of them is far braver and more inclined to be seen on the ground), sitting in the middle of the cricket pitch. When he saw us he flew up to sit on one of the football goals. I often see him on the way to or from work, either sitting in a tree or on a fencepost. Once I followed him down the road for several hundred yards - he was flying a few feet off the ground, probably looking for things to eat.
They're more impressive than red kites if you see one close up.
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A Crow buzzing a hawk of some kind to keep it away from it's nest, looked like a dog fight.
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We had a buzzard and a kite having a "conversation" mid-air over the fields this morning. It was quite fascinating...the kite left and the buzzard settled in a tree to keep an eye on its surroundings.
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Yesterday now, but whilst riding round Rutland we spotted a couple with a dog staring at a fence and further investigation revealed a couple of baby Wowbadgers.
(http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/575901_10150723763241839_551606838_9107636_512002969_n.jpg)
(http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/575332_10150723763491839_551606838_9107638_277122201_n.jpg)
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There were loads of kites to be seen between Wing and Peterborough. One swooped very low over us, but obviously decided clarion is not carrion.
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There were loads of kites to be seen between Wing and Peterborough. One swooped very low over us, but obviously decided TGL is not carrion.
Perhaps it couldn't spell and was looking for clarion?
Julan and I spotted a couple of kites on the way to Corby. We saw some corbies as well.
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The House Martins have arrived :)
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It's happy hour!
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Spent an enjoyable couple of minutes observing a pair of Grey Wagtail right on the edge of the 'Leg of Mutton' pond , Lonsdale Rd , Barnes. Never seen a pair together before. Lovely specemins. Was able to compare and contrast the male and female.
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They are beautiful, aren't they ? We get them in the beck at the end of our road in deepest Rochdale, along with dippers. I always think of the grey wagtails as yellow and the yellow wagtails as green!
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Seals. Hares, boxing. :D
Choughs . Wagtails. Lapwings. Curlews. Llamas . Barnacle geese . Canada geese. Bunnies . Cormorants .. Sheep. Cows . A beetle . Cowslips . Bluebells . Primroses . Oystercatchers.
Goldfinches
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A heron taking off from a field just outside Pucklechurch. A pale buzzard flying low over the road in front of me. A dead thrush in the gutter under a parked car. A smallish rat running away from Gardiner Haskins car park. Magnolias, hawthorns, cherry and apple trees, all in blossom. Honeysuckle.
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Not today but yesterday-
a flash of brown past the kitchen window followed by a mushroom cloud of down followed by a wood pigeon size bird atop the neighbours shed looking smug.
I thought Sparrowhawk but the colouring looked like a Merlin.
Whatever it was, the Red Baron or Maverick would've been toast :thumbsup:
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Also not today but yesterday…
An Orange Tip.
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Swifts are back (last year they arrived on 5/4, year before was 30/4)
also
1st cockchafer of the year
3 starlings picking the cockhafers before they even got a chance.
1 black redstart
not heard cuckoos yet, so might head out to forest over the (very long) weekend
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I might have heard a cuckoo yesterday somewhere near West Malling, but it was very windy at the time and the M20 wasn't far away so I was no means certain.
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On a walk between High Wycombe and Little Marlow today, our annual bluebell walk, an expert twitcher in the group identified a pair of grey partridges, quite rare apparently, he will be reporting the sighting.
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update: and today I did hear cuckoos :) probably 2, one on the way to frankenstein's castle, the other a few km away in a different forest.
saw 2 squirrels. red of course. and lots of mousey vole type things scampering through the undergrowth.
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I heard a cuckoo this afternoon in mid-Warwickshire - 3 calls & then silence. The peace was broken by a woodpigeon, which confirmed that it wasn't a case of mis-identification.
Earlier in the day, I'd stopped to remove a layer of clothing & realised it was under a busy rookery. There was the distinctive sound of a nestling demanding food with the insistent tones of a hungry baby.
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About half a dozen green woodpeckers this afternoon, five seen and one heard. It was mentioned earlier in the year that there seems to be many around this spring. Are they unusually common at the moment?
And a beautiful heron in the pond next to my house, took to the air when it spotted me as I walked round the corner.
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We saw a lamb being born today :D
Warning; photo contains placenta hanging from mummy sheep....
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7098/6979430640_cd0b4b74f9_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/6979430640/)
IMG_0292 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/6979430640/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Lovely photo - presume they were triplets, & hope all survived OK...
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Lovely photo - presume they were triplets, & hope all survived OK...
We must have spent about 30 mins watching this lot. The one on the far right is the one which just plopped out when we were there. It was trying to stand up pretty quickly but mainly succeeded in getting covered in more mud! The 2 on the left were up on their wobbly legs and appeared to be in search of milk when we left.
watching mum scoff up the placenta off the last one (there was a lot of it) was fairly stomach churning!
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Watching a rather fine male bullfinch on the sunflower seeds. The finches (mainly greenfinches) are eating an entire feeder full of sunflower hearts per day at the moment, and it's a big feeder.
The sad news from the local farm is that the winds brought down the tree in which one of the local buzzards (we don't have red kites here...yet) had laid its eggs. Hopefully it will have another clutch.
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A crow repeatedly flying to the top of, and then sliding down a Velux window in someone's roof.
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I became aware yesterday evening the we has bats again at Castle Fuzzy:thumbsup:
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At Mitcham Common, there was a huge squawking flock of the parakeets. Don't usually see more than about four at a time outside Richmond Park.
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Forgot to mention on Tuesday - first swallows of the year. They seem a bit late.
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At Mitcham Common, there was a huge squawking flock of the parakeets. Don't usually see more than about four at a time outside Richmond Park.
You can find a boat-load of them in Lloyd park.
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Ah. Never been there. A boat-load, you say? Pedalos, or do they row?
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sail? :)
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Distant view of a peregrine. Just a speck. I only knew what it was because I knew where its nest was, & other birds keep well clear.
County Offices building, Aylesbury.
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Yep Germany.
Did wonder about treecreeper, but it looked different to that on the RSPB identifier.
Andy, try a wryneck, which is a small woodpecker not much bigger than a sparrow. I've never been lucky enough to see one, nor expect to in the north of England!
I have seen ONE wryneck, just above Westendorf in the Tirol. Andy, your small brown bird...a treecreeper has a very distinctive foraging style, where it zig-zags/creeps up a tree to near the top, then flies down to the base of then next one. Creamy-white underneath, very well cammed above. Not only that, if it was a treecreeper, depending on where in Germany you are, it is quite likely to have been a short-toed treecreeper. Different species; forget trying to tell them apart by sight, but the song is completely different. Munich is full of STTs.
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A magpie chasing a tree rat :thumbsup:
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This wee beastie.
Flew into our living room window. I rushed out to get it before the local cats did - one was already running towards the house. When I picked it up it gasped a couple of times and expired. :(
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/nicknacknick/sparrow.jpg)
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Awwwwww! Poor ickle fing. :(
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Sat on the shed roof, enjoying some leftovers from yesterday's BBQ (which we had forgotten to bin), 1 large crow and 3 jackdaws.
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Yesterday:
A hare running along the road near Stracathro
Heard a cuckoo in Glen Isla
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Thought I heard a GSW at Hillhead this morning....although there were a couple of magpie about, could they be the source?
/
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A carrion crow sitting on the ground eating some... carrion! - a bird of some sort, while thrushes made a chattering in the trees and swooped down to chase it away. Perhaps it was a thrush chick the crow was eating? Crow was mobbed off several times but always returned till there were only feathers left.
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Heard today, really.
I've only just noticed that our house martin nests seemed to be occupied at last.
Where've you been, you naughty birds?
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Swifts! ;D
And also here in SE London, swirling round the Brockley Jack pub on Saturday afternoon. A fine sight and sound.
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Swifts! ;D
And also here in SE London, swirling round the Brockley Jack pub on Saturday afternoon. A fine sight and sound.
I've been looking & listening for them, but they haven't been apparent in Furryboottoon, yet.
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Extremely cute pair of tawny owl chicks, snoozing in the sun at the top of one of our oak trees
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8153/7159168842_bf254f88f5.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/alvecotewood/7159168842/)
Brimstone butterfly (pictured) also speckled wood and orange-tip
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5192/7159166040_d9ed648e4a.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/alvecotewood/7159166040/)
Nuthatch feeding chicks
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/7159163710_9a7fbc47ca.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/alvecotewood/7159163710/)
And...a kestrel with prey. Lots of action in and around nest boxes too - most of them seem to be occupied by blue tits or great tits.
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Tootling along the Crawley-Horsham cycle route yesterday, on a bit of bridleway, I rounded a bend to come face to face (OK, face to 15 metres away) with a startled looking deer. It shot off sharpish into the undergrowth.
Later that day we saw what looked suspiciously like English Longhorn cattle.
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Flying round my garden this evening-
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/mattlangridge/DSC02123.jpg)
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Sitting in the sun outside the Fleece at Bretforton I spotted 3 housemartins - first I've seen this year. A few minutes later the man at the next table pointed out some very high-flying swifts, around half a dozen - again a first this year.
The warm weather produced some wonderful smells - broom in flower, May blossom in sufficient quantity to fill the air briefly with its heavy scent and bluebells in a bit woodland. The combination of broom & free-range pigs in Danzey Green was an entertaining mixture :-\.
The day's treat was a grass snake crossing the road in front of me in Ullenhall. It was mature: length of a serpentine wriggly thing is not easy to estimate, but maybe a metre or so. And it was beautiful. The sun shone from its scales. It moved across the road with an effortless fluid sinuousity, that disguised its speed. It straightened out a bit to cross the grass verge and disappeared through the hedge. It was all over in seconds - less time than it takes my pocket camera to boot up :( . But I suspect it was a once in a lifetime sighting.
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Flying round my garden this evening-
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/mattlangridge/DSC02123.jpg)
That inspired me to have a go with the bat detector for the first time this year & I picked up a bat @ 45kHz within seconds :thumbsup: Saw it flittering around a couple of minutes later.
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Bugger, the Canada Goose chicks are out on the path by the canal on my route to the pub already. (An annual pain)
As I approached I saw that all the chicks were off the side of the path furthest from the canal, whilst the two adults were on the side nearest the canal. This meant that I would cycle between the adults and the chicks. I figured that would be trouble.
It was.
Ow. Pecked knee. :(
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3 hares of my morning spin.
A Harris hawk guarding the roadworks.
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About 4 o'clock today - a buzzard, soaring high in a cloudy sky - but in central Bristol?!
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A tree rat
Deceased Brock
Buzzard
Huskey
Sheep
Horses
Cows
Rabbit
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& 4 Hercules aircraft being broken up in a breakers yard in Hixon.The wings & tailplane were missing on each hull but nevertheless they remained impressively large.
Wrong thread maybe but I imagine the RAF are not only wild about it but perhaps apoplectic ;D
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I'm up in Derbyshire visiting my granny. Quite a few skylarks out in the fields yesterday. This one was mimicking the sound of a car alarm from a local farm in its song.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ppqHTpOtCGg/T6rfMUJrBdI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/34P3fS35344/s800/IMG_1114.jpg)
Trudging across the fields to get to my dinner as the light was fading I caught sight of a kestrel just before it dived in to the fields below.(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-fpX8Cflnjpo/T6renCSKv-I/AAAAAAAAAYI/HNIaMPOTKzY/s800/IMG_1142.jpg)
Lots of swallows, pheasants (three of which being chased by a lamb) and a couple of highland cattle calves that were having a great time annoying the grown ups. I'd never seen a cow skip before.
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Nice shot of the skylark. What lens were you using?
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For the last couple of days we've had a pair of goldfinch making regular visits to the garden - the first time we've seen them here. They're determindly picking flowers & stems from the forget-me-nots, so I assume that somewhere in north Bristol there's now a nest attractively lined with pale blue flowers.
Last week in Tuscany - a pair of jays and a pair of hoopoe. Seen them singly before, but never before in pairs.
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Well done for attracting goldfinches. They're around near us, but niger seeds haven't encouraged them to feed in the garden for several years.
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Swifts are here too
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A pair of swifts setting up home in one of the stables, as per normal. It's so nice to see them back :)
It only worries us because just occasionally one of the little ones falls out, and horses are big buggers...plus they couldn't go in my horse's stable as he's such a nibbler I'm sure he'd eat the nest-we've had to put chicken wire over his ceiling joist to stop him eating that ffs!
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Richmond Park: hundreds of parakeets. An ickle treecreeper (http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/t/treecreeper/index.aspx), a first for me. And a bird I didn’t recognise for a moment until it started doing its thing, a greater spotted woodpecker.
Not many hanimuls though, apart from 2 varieties of deer.
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A first for us - we saw cuckoos on the road between Glen Isla & Blacklunans :thumbsup:
Also seen today: first swifts & house martins of the year, partridge, buzzards, lapwing, curlew, yellowhammers, larks.
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Well done for attracting goldfinches. They're around near us, but niger seeds haven't encouraged them to feed in the garden for several years.
Bird seed feeder with Wilkinsons El Cheapo bird seed mixed ca 50/50 with Wilkinsons sunflower seeds. El Cheapo alone isn't popular, but the mix goes down well, as do unmixed sunflower seeds. Goldfinches today, yesterday, & I've noticed them most other days I've looked. Also other finches, tits, & some others.
I put niger seed in a special feeder & it was hardly touched. Put it on the ground, in spots selected to meet the criteria I found on the web, & it stayed there until it got mouldy.
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3 dead badgers in varying states of decay
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Yesterday on the Wiggy 100 we saw:
swallows
swifts
chaffinches
goldfinches
blue tits
a skylark and heard her mates
a curlew :D
a kestrel
a buzzard
Reindeer
miniature ponies and foals
black cows
lambs jumping over each other
some medium sized noisy brown birds at Brimham Rocks, which I needed Steph to identify. They sounded a bit like skylarks, but not quite so shrill and were sitting in the tops of the not very tall trees.
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First swifts in Furryboottoon today.
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Hooning downhill near the edge of Halsham on the tandem, we went past a road side hedge. An almighty avian row was going on inside it and then foom!
Two large black birds, possibly rooks or crows emeged, the rear one with a chick/juvenile something or other in its beak. They were hotly pursued by presumably the parent of the chick, smaller than the hunters but still black, so I'm guessing blackbird.
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Shortly after leaving Shenfield this morning, Jane pointed out a little owl on a wire. About a mile later, we saw another, flying into an oak tree.
I think it's vanishingly unlikely that it was the same bird flying along with us but, since it's a species that I probably haven't seen more often that about once every two years throughout my life, it's also most remarkable to see two on the same day.
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Buzzards n swallows n surprised looking deer!
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Some buzzards in West Oxfordshire & neighbouring bits of Gloucestershire, & an inflated badger on the road just west of Cumnor, lying in wait for an unwary motorist.
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Hector the cat's nemesis, Mrs. Blackbird, is no more. I have just seen a sparrowhawk kill her (cue lots of squawking). sit casually on the lawn for 5 minutes looking around, then fly off with the body. First bird of prey in our garden, and it didn't look as if it was scared of ANYTHING.
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Yesterday, in Priory Park, a heron perched on top of a very flimsy sign informing anglers of the closed fishing season.
Sadly, I didn't have my camera with me.
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(http://peter.chesspod.com/gallery/d/16072-1/DSC08501.JPG)
He was there again today.
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Excellent!
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http://peter.chesspod.com/gallery/d/16084-1/Video007.mpg?g2_GALLERYSID=7b178cacb01db718e14da85eae80b153
Tits, filmed by my brother.
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Daddy blackbird being followed around the garden by hulking great baby blackbird which had got the idea of pecking at the ground but wasn't achieving anything with it - but luckily, daddy knew what he was doing, so I had the pleasure of seeing him presenting youngster with a nice tasty worm. Aaaaaah. :)
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Nipped out this morning for a few miles to a farmshop wot does breakfast. While we were sat outside on a sundeck/logia thing, Mrs. Hall saw a blue tit, flying into a nesting box.
Said nesting box was part of a display of other nesting boxes all for sale and each with a label displaying the target species.
Either they had it right or the blue tits can read, as the bird in question was indeed using the box marked "blue tit".
Phew.
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Saw a kestrel jamming. Swallows and swifts over the Sharpness canal - haven't seen any in the city. Various unidentified water birds. Pink horse chestnuts, which I mention because they seem much less common here than the white variety and they're all a bit late this year.
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Yesterday. About 100ft away.
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/deers.jpg)
This morning
About 10 feet away...
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/jumping_lamb.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/lambs.jpg)
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On Thursday, whilst Auntie Helen an I were cycling along the new stretch of road which has been built because of the Abberton Reservoir project, a swift came hurtling towards us and flew over our heads so low that we could feel it.
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I've had such near misses a few times, most recently yesterday morning. One flew past my face (not above my head: at face level) so close that I felt the wind of its passing.
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On the way home from school we utterly trounced our previous record of 21, and spotted 28 ladybirds.
That's a lot of ladybirds to keep count of when you're only 4.
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On the way home from school we utterly trounced our previous record of 21, and spotted 28 ladybirds.
That's a lot of ladybirds to keep count of when you're only 4.
How many spots?
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Crikey, don't start him on that one. It already took nearly an hour to get (less than a mile) home....
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while crawling up windsor hill out of woburn green on the trike last night at around 11.30pm i was entertained by a bat catching insects gathered under a street light :)
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You can certainly see how those two got their names!
Good photos.
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(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/seen_today_2.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/seen_today_1.jpg)
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(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/seen_today_2.jpg)
Is that a tribble? Or a wild haggis?
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That is a right sided haggis, approaching adolescence. Slowly.
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(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/seen_today_2.jpg)
Is that a tribble? Or a wild haggis?
Owl Baby! (http://www.walmart.com/ip/1693053?wmlspartner=neQRQBqOKtQ&sourceid=22447269422145674665&sourceid=0100000012230215302434&veh=aff)
:D
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Also known as an "owlet" on account of anyone who keeps one as a pet frequently exclaiming "Owlet go of my finger you little bugger!"
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The was a dead bat in my hall this morning. One of my cats must be the perpetrator :(
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A reed warbler - heard but not seen.
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(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8146/7258304394_aa83d325cb_o.jpg)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7237/7258316670_c9cb384c83_o.jpg)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7216/7258318754_927e1d353d_b.jpg)
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Seen last night in Richmond Park: A dark grey fawn. I watched it for a while as it wandered between some trees, but I couldn't see any other deer with it, so I don't know what species it was. There are, apparently, red and fallow deer in RP. It was a bit spotty, so might have been a fallow.
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Also seen near Richmond Park.
We were sat on the terrace outside The Roebuck when I spotted a rat which came for a look round our bikes, then disappeared into the hedge again.
First time I went to RP, we went to The Roebuck, but also visited a pub down by the river where, coincidentally, we saw a rat.
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In Priory Park there are some oak trunks which, I think, were killed when a stream was diverted some years ago. A few of these trunks have had their boughs removed and one of them, between 30 and 40 feet high, is flat at the top where the chain saw did its work.
This morning there was a bird sitting on the top and at first I thought it was a carrion crow - all I could see in the bright blue was what appeared to be the top of a black head. As my eyes became accustomed to the brightness I realised that a male mallard had found a very lofty perch. He looked quite incongruous.
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Flying over Warwick's Priory Park yesterday I saw a buzzard circling high up in a thermal. Nothing unusual there, as my kids call it rabbit park. I've also seen crows, as in plural, mob buzzards over the same place, but yesterday a brave, lone crow was continually harassing the buzzard who was very persistent in its presence. After 5 minutes of action, I had to go and left them to it.
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Right outside my office window this morning, a grey squirrel was pruning leaf bearing twigs and then building a dray (or whatever a tree rat nest is called) in the fork of some branches a couple of feet deeper in the tree.
As I watched, the Mission Impossible music became an ear worm ;D
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In Perth today, a thrush. I can't remember the last time I saw one.
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The last but one time I saw a thrush, it flew, kamikaze-style, right into my motorbike helmet as I rode along a leafy lane in Warwickshire. Right sad, I was...
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(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7236/7266160784_0047e34b39_k.jpg)
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In Priory Park there are some oak trunks which, I think, were killed when a stream was diverted some years ago. A few of these trunks have had their boughs removed and one of them, between 30 and 40 feet high, is flat at the top where the chain saw did its work.
This morning there was a bird sitting on the top and at first I thought it was a carrion crow - all I could see in the bright blue was what appeared to be the top of a black head. As my eyes became accustomed to the brightness I realised that a male mallard had found a very lofty perch. He looked quite incongruous.
You would imagine, from their normal landing technique, that a duck would find it very hard to land in a tree.
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I think I just saw a sparrowhawk whizzing through the back gardens.
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Last night up at our local Scout campsite, a fawn. Really tiny, laying still in the bracken. Only about the size of a large cat. I guess its mum was nearby.
I made my excuses and left.
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A couple of albino baby rabbits at the sailing club. I might try and get a pic of them tomorrow.
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Earwigs. Lots of earwigs.
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On today's run saw a buzzard, a green woodpecker and a weasel; and heard a cuckoo - the first this year! Actually, the first for some years.
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a pitbull-cross type dog, trotting quite happily down the side of the road carrying a teddybear. No people anywhere nearby, presumably it'd killed them and made off with the cuddly toy. We left, at speed.
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you been camping again kim? :D :D
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Two small black birds with white stripes - possibly wagtails? What was remarkable was how they dived down right in front of my wheel and flew off as if one was chasing the other. Unless it was a courtship ritual but presumably a bit late in the year for that?
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Wren fledglings & mum shouting a us.
I saw more wrens today than I've seen in my life in total to date.
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you been camping again kim? :D :D
Worse: gardening.
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I had to evict an earwig from the (zipped closed) side pocket of my rack pack on Saturday. And two not_small black beetles from my breakfast bowl, which I had left (washed up, natch) in my tent porch yesterday morning.
I thought of you, Kim!
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I had to evict an earwig from the (zipped closed) side pocket of my rack pack on Saturday. And two not_small black beetles from my breakfast bowl, which I had left (washed up, natch) in my tent porch yesterday morning.
I thought of you, Kim!
protein
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That's what I tell myself when insects fly down my throat. Some of them have an interesting texture, but there's not much taste to them.
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Can't comment on texture 'cause I don't chew,just swallow.
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Buzzards beside the M4 in West Berkshire & Wiltshire this afternoon. Coming home from Swindon this evening, a buzzard sitting on a fencepost eating something, flanked by two magpies on the posts on each side, hungrily watching it eat.
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A Heron early this morning 0530 by the pond near Kingsweston House, Napier Mills Road to be exact.
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Flattened fauna:
One fox - well matured, nice & leathery, but still identifiable.
A rabbit & a hedgehog - relatively fresh.
On our ride today (getting it in before the wet weather): skylarks, greenfinches, kites, a heron, robins, a stupid wagtail that flew in front of Mrs B for at least a hundred yards before realising it should veer off to the side, a newly independent blackbird (immature plumage) rummaging around in a pub garden & the usual hordes of small brown birds.
Our local blackbird has found the gap at the bottom of the compost bin, & now mines it for worms. He's also realised that the patches of new grass seed are easy to dig up, seeking edible invertebrates. Little feathered bastard. If he didn't sing so nicely I'd be seriously pissed off.
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Red Squirrel crossing the road in front of me & Mrs Ernst Pottering for Tea. She also saw a stoat but I was only half way up the hill so missed it.
Red Squirrel. That's only the second time in my life.
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Red Squirrel crossing the road in front of me & Mrs Ernst Pottering for Tea. She also saw a stoat but I was only half way up the hill so missed it.
Red Squirrel. That's only the second time in my life.
http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/what-we-do/scotlands-red-squirrels/squirrel-sightings/
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The other day we saw a school of harbour porpoises when we were on the ferry from Iona. We also saw sea eagles and seals. No otters, unfortunately.
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Quote from: fboab on Yesterday at 06:57:14 PM (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=128.msg1244170#msg1244170)Red Squirrel crossing the road in front of me & Mrs Ernst Pottering for Tea. She also saw a stoat but I was only half way up the hill so missed it.
Red Squirrel. That's only the second time in my life.
http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/what-we-do/scotlands-red-squirrels/squirrel-sightings/ (http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/what-we-do/scotlands-red-squirrels/squirrel-sightings/)
Duly reported.
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A roe deer in Syd's Copse (Coate Water country park). We stared at it for about 5 minutes and it stared back, from 10 yards away. It could have been stuffed, except that it occasionally twitched an ear. We left it still standing there.
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A kestrel hovering above the road, it then dived into a watery roadside ditch. I stopped to see what it had caught, but it flew off empty-taloned. I hope that was only cos it missed and it hadn't been scared off by my screeching to a halt.
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Two spotted woodpeckers having what appeared to be a bit of a puch-up. The usual several green woodpeckers and a barn owl - flying in broad daylight - beautiful.
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Missed by me (I was in the shower), but Mrs B reports seeing a rather bedraggled jay in our back garden, where we've never previously seen one. It did not seem happy about the rain.
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YH, those are beautiful. Is that lavender? I'm not used to seeing it at that magnification!
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Whatever! They're beautiful photographs, well done.
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Those damselflies seem to have smiley faces, they are great pictures ;D
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Packing up acres of tentage this morning, I asked one the Young people to move the remains of the woodpile.
He pointed at it and asked "what's that?" I told him it was a wood pile. "No, that"
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-q7swHK7a4a0/T9OHaKeU-nI/AAAAAAAADUs/rNECkbUpoKk/s800/IMGP8526.JPG?gl=GB)
I'm presuming it's a ferret. It seemed very tame and unafraid of us humans. After ferreting (obv.) around in a couple of tents, it was caught in a t shirt and carried over to the trees and released.
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A golden eagle near Uig, Lewis.
There are lots of rabbits about, but no foxes on the island. I would imagine that rabbit is the eagle's staple diet.
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Garden Tiger moth(s). Not sure if I've seen one a few times, or a few once each, sunning on the pavement/road in our street.
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Peregrine falcon over Three Bridges station as we returned from a tandem club ride. Identified not by me, but by Some One Who Knows.
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I have been trying for ages to get a decent image of a Red Kite.
I'm getting there slowly (framing is crap though)
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/mattlangridge/DSC02250.jpg)
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Lots of stuff. Most notably, three golden eagles and a golden plover.
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Buzzards x lots (pretty close too, sat right outside my brothers house), larks. Also in his gdn, a jay & a red sqrl :D
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Yesterday morning, another daylight barn owl: ghosting through the coppices that border the roads around Smarden.
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I'm getting there slowly (framing is crap though)
I dunno, I really like that! :thumbsup:
Too kind :)
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Marsh&Small pearl-bordered fritillary butterflies x not enough, redstarts x plenty
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Not today, but Saturday while driving to Norrtälje for my uncle's birthday doohickey, I spotted 2 hares and in the archipelago itself, a sparvhök (probably translated sparrowhawk, but this is a guess...accipiter nisus). I haven't seen the bird of prey before, so i was quite excited :)
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Yes, that is a sparrow hawk. I remember seeing them in Poland, identifying it with a guide book and the Polish name gave no clues whatsoever to the English so had to work through the Latin.
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Swifts are building a nest in my horse's stable, above the light fitting. I'd be concerned, as my horse is a nosy bugger who tends to chew on pretty much everything, but the light fitting was deliberately put up with a sheet of plywood above it to keep nosy errr noses out as this isn't the first year we've had swifts in the stables! :)
I also heard something while cycling home this evening. It was well after dark (11:45), so whatever it was must've been nocturnal. But it sounded most like one of my dog's chew toys, or perhaps a glove puppet! I was riding alongside Black Park, so it's unlikely to have actually been a chew toy...it was reasonably rhythmical, two squeaks and then silence for 30 seconds or so, then two squeaks again, and so on.
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Its the rails of yer Brooks saddle....
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Visited my friend Kirstie's alpacas and met the new Cria called Mabel.
(http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx30/Auntie_Helen/bdd88eb3.jpg)
(http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx30/Auntie_Helen/8e5f8766.jpg)
(http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx30/Auntie_Helen/db30492e.jpg)
She's a real sweetie, very friendly already!
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I suspect somebody's gonna squeee!
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Squeeee!
AH, if you're visiting again, could you make a recording of the humming? :P
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I visit them weekly but have not yet heard one hum. Seen them spitting though!
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Oh they are awesome!
There are a few around these parts of Somerset too, but I haven't seen baby ones so far. Very cute!
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Take some Custard Creams. Then they'll hum. They LOVE custard creams.
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Cycling home today, something caught my eye in a tree overhanging the road. Closer inspection revealed it to be an owl, looking at me with a startled expression. Brown chest with dark stripes. Before I could snap it on my phone, a car came past and scared it off.
What flavour owl was it? Barn owls seem to have the wrong colouring. Little owl looks closer.
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How big? Tawny owls are small, Long or Short eared owls are bigger, but similar colouring.
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Tim, how big was it? If you are thinking it was the size of a barn owl, then it could have been a tawny owl. A little owl is only about the size of a blackbird and is more likely to be perched on a fence-post.
Edit XP with Chris
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Ooh about yay big. A lot bigger than a black bird. No where near as big as a European Eagle Owl (I've had one of them land on my arm at a display). Say about Barn Owl sized.
<fx:googles>
Tawny is more likely then, seeing it was in darkest Surrey.
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Seen in the past 2 weeks whilst on holiday in Dumfries & Galloway. Two great views of kingfishers fishing, also osprey, peregrine, pied flycatchers, cuckoo, willow tit, snipe, red squirrels, and numerous nuthatches and red kites. And unfortunately one grey squirrel visiting the garden where we were staying in New Galloway so that doesn't bode well at all. We've reported the sighting to the Scottish Wildlife Trust hopefully they'll be able to trap it and take it away.
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Dragged my lardy backside and cobweb covered bike out into the wintery weather this morning for a drag into the biting wind up on to the Pennines to be greeted with a fantastic sight. Right on the very top of the climb from Brighouse/Outlane past the Nont Sarahs and past the turn off to Scammonden a big bird was swooping over the road. As I got closer I realised it was a short eared owl hunting across the verges and the road. Me and the lady in front of me virtually ground to a halt as we watched this magnificent sight for 5 minutes. It eventually went off across the moors. It made the freezing feet and the aching legs worthwhile.
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I'm not far away in Milnrow, Itinerant, and I've never come up Nont Sarah's from your side without it being into the teeth of a gale! Maybe short-eared owls are on the rise; I saw one earlier in the year over here on the massive new i
ndustrial estate enterprise park at Kingsway. It was hunting in the middle of the afternoon before settling down in the grass, not a bit bothered. Never seen one before.
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We had a lovely view of a short-eared owl on the island of Flodda a couple of weeks ago.
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Over weekend (but just identified) a Wood Warbler. I think
On a visit to the gardens at Sissinghurst yesterday I noticed a board where are posted recent wildlife sightings. Amongst which was an Osprey. That seems a little unlikely for Kent - or can someone advise me otherwise...
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They turn up occasionally in southern England. I think they are normally juveniles. There was one at Hanningfield Reservoir a few years ago which hung round for quite some time. More recently, we were approaching Poole Harbour on a train and I had a very clear, but somewhat brief, sighting of a large bird of prey which I was sure was an osprey, sitting on a post. A quick google told me that one had been sighted a few times in that vicinity during the days leading up to my sighting, so I counted that.
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Yesterday we saw a dingy skipper butterfly in our meadow for the first time. This is one of our target species, and we have been trying to get it across to our meadow for a couple of years. First sighting yesterday!
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/7401871820_af1e340ca7.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/alvecotewood/7401871820/)
Lots and lots of common blue butterflies too including evidence they are breeding in the meadow, which is also very good news.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7244/7401871182_20711c7f2d.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/alvecotewood/7401871182/)
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Removed from the dog's jaws - a dead bat. I don't imagine for a moment she caught it herself, just found it in the garden. Next door's cat is a mega hunter so he's probably to blame. It was much smaller than I expected!
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During yesterday evening's pootle, a brace of what I presume were ostriches. Or possibly emus.
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Right, 30 minutes ago in SW London, hence getting dark but still a bit of light left: a HUGE insect, well over 2” long, with a heavy body like a fat moth suspended, hanging tail down, from large wings. At first I thought it was a bird, flying very oddly, but it must have some kind of enormous moth. What could it have been? I’m sure I could hear its wings flapping, and my hearing’s not the best :o
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Right, 30 minutes ago in SW London, hence getting dark but still a bit of light left: a HUGE insect, well over 2” long, with a heavy body like a fat moth suspended, hanging tail down, from large wings. At first I thought it was a bird, flying very oddly, but it must have some kind of enormous moth. What could it have been? I’m sure I could hear its wings flapping, and my hearing’s not the best :o
Mole cricket?
(http://insects.tamu.edu/images/insects/color/mcrick1.jpg)
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Pluck, there are several hawk moths that are big and whirr satisfyingly. You could check Privet, Poplar, Convolvulus and Elephant Hawk Moths
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Pluck, there are several hawk moths that are big and whirr satisfyingly. You could check Privet, Poplar, Convolvulus and Elephant Hawk Moths
It was as big as all of those put together :) It was about the size of a wren.
Mole cricket?
You've made that insect up ;)
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A stag beetle flys in that manner-
http://e-voice.org.uk/rp-beetle/photos/photo?photo_id=6913360
and can be quite large-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wild/projects-2011/united-kingdom/stag-beetle/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2010/06_june/18/springwatch.shtml
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Googling a few pictures of them in flight, that is quite possible, Fuzzy :) The Googling also reveals that they are to be found in Richmond Park, which is not far away from me.
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Last weekend (sorry, I've been busy).
The first great white egret chick ever to have been hatched in this country!
Down on the English Nature Westhay reserve on the Somerset levels.
No pics, I'm afraid, but it will be on the One Show after the Euro-footie is over.
S
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Sparrowhawk, Jay, Green Woodpecker (+ 2 off heard), Heron.
(thanks for the note re Ospreys Wow, interesting)
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A dead badger. (http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5331/7427180368_95c63e5067.jpg)
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A live badger, that trotted (though that's definitely not the right description of its gait) across the road about half a km from Tysoe, going towards Oxhill. It was about 100m ahead of me & I was unsure about identification, but the riders ahead had a much closer view & confirmed my suspicions.
This was around 1150 a.m. , i.e. before opening time. It seemed to have forgotten that badgers are supposed to be nocturnal.
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A deer belting across the road about 15m in front of me (about dusk in Herts).
Also 2 deer on different roads the day before but earlier ~5 or 6 PM.
I think the deer must be as confused by this strange summer as we are - this seems more like September/October behaviour to me.
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Loads of bats as we left Naburn returning from the Velovisionaries ride.
Two owls - one with large white underwings; one with a brown back - west of York in a rainy night.
A vole running across the road in front of us near Colton.
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Not today but over the weekend, our birdbath/ avian hydration station saw it's first ever visit by a Goldfinch.
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A small pigeon, must have been a juvenile, chasing a magpie larger than itself away from - something, don't know what. All happened on the ground. Odd I thought.
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We have baby swifts! :)
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Lying on my sofa admiring a flock of parrakeets in the tree at the front of our house.
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Lying on my sofa admiring a flock of parrakeets in the tree at the front of our house.
Don't send them over the A4 please - noisy buggers!
No - still amazes me to see a bright green flash and it's a parakeet. One of West London's more surreal sights.
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The swifts have hatched in one of the stables! We all spend way too much time watching them-from the stable door, so the parents still have enough space not to get too worried. ;D
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An otter!
My first ever in the wild, in the river Stour at Blandford Forum. Several people were standing on a bridge looking at something, so I stopped to see what it was, & saw the otter. Little bugger skedaddled underwater before I could get a picture, though, & surfaced too far away.
And a kingfisher, a hundred yards or so up the river.
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For the last few days we've had lots of Scarlet Tiger moths (http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/Moth/440/Moth.html?MothId=94) - often up to eight at a time - flittering around this small urban Bristol back garden. This is the first time we've ever seen more than the occasional butterfly here, so something local must have triggered a population explosion.
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Roman Snails.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Ecspi8HsF0o/T-zToGrPX9I/AAAAAAAADY4/A6QNAcxYt3g/s640/28062012186.jpg)
Manky mobile phone shot. They're on a construction site and a protected species, so not that welcome to the people doing the work.
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Two dead eels in Priory Park lake.
I've only ever seen one dead one there before, and no live ones. Two at once makes me suspicious that something is going on. The water does look particularly revolting at the moment: turbid milky appearance with green tinge and a fair bit of surface scum. I think it's a combination of the chemicals they put in to keep the weed down (the anglers don't like the challenge of a large carp burying itself in a big weedbed, the big girls' blouses) and the large quantity of biodegradeable groundbait they shove in the water.
Having said that, I'd expect eels to be more tolerant of filth than most fish species. There didn't seem to be a lot of surface breathing by the fish, which is a good sign that the oxygen levels are low.
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From memory Eels and particularly the young (elva SP?) are one of the indicators of good water quality and sensible river management e.g. fish passes on the weirs.
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Could be an algal bloom.
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There's a dearth of eels around at the moment.
Before my brother retired from the Essex Water Co., which was about two years ago I think, he went to a conference on this. I'm not sure that any light was thrown on the reason, but what seemed to me like a pretty obvious candidate was the reduced flow of the Atlantic Conveyor as a result of climate change. I think my bro told me that this wasn't even discussed.
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This fellow was in a bucket of water by the back door
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/ado15/IMAG0617.jpg)
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You haz a very lot of midge larvae there, clarrers!
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Now gone
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A toad. Spotted by my next-door neighbour while clearing part of the allotment we're going to share. She called me & Mrs B over. Mrs B was delighted. Nice to see.
It wandered off to part of the allotment we hadn't started clearing. It'll be OK. There's enough wild stuff round the fringes, & plenty of cover even on the cultivated allotments, as well as the two which I was surprised to see have been given over to brambles.
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Lots of swallows (I think) perched on telephone wires. They didn't have the usual long tail streamers, so I assume they're fledglings. The numbers puzzle me. This year has been too wet & cool for insects: insectivores would surely have suffered. Do young swallows socialise outside their immediate family this early?
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Not today but Friday evening (this is my first access to the interweb in a week)...
... a pine marten at the gate of the cottage in Scotland. He was eyeing up the dog and then seemed to decide that the garden wasn't an area he wanted to be in.
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Lots of swallows (I think) perched on telephone wires. They didn't have the usual long tail streamers, so I assume they're fledglings. The numbers puzzle me. This year has been too wet & cool for insects: insectivores would surely have suffered. Do young swallows socialise outside their immediate family this early?
I thought wet weather led to more insects, especially those with an aquatic larval stage. See Clarion's Bucket, above.
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I heard that swifts and swallows were fewer in number this year because the cold, wet weather had hampered their migrations.
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We seem to have the normal number of swifts nesting in our stables...two pairs (with squeaky offspring) in the main stable block, one pair (still apparently waiting for eggs to hatch, but nest was made a little later) in my horse's stable on the corner bit. We don't seem to have as many as normal chattering on the electricity line above them though. No scientific data is inferred from this ;)
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The largest slug that I have ever seen - shades give an idea of the scale of the beast. It was playing 'chicken' with the bikes on the cyclepath.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7262/7544292366_ae35f38139_z.jpg)
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Two herons and a little egret apparently flying in formation.
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2 evenings ago I saw a Hooded crow in Aberdeen! Yes, I was surprised as well!
Pingu looked at me like I was talking BS when I told him, but it was defo a hoodie.
That monster slug...ewwwh! *shudders*
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A heron and a kestrel (not together I hasten to add). Several muntjacks when driving home last night.
And my horse appears to be an uncle...the swifts in his stable have hatched and we are hoping the magpies don't get this batch! >:(
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Mrs B reported seeing lots of infant frogs on her run around the lake at Reading University last night.
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Yesterday, whist sprinting for a bus to site so no time to take a photo, a baby hedgehog snuffling along the pavement! He clocked me and thought about rolling up, but then decided I wasn't much of a threat and continued his wander. Squeeeeeeeeeee and a half!
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Last night, as we were heading to Thirsk, Deano and I spotted a kestrel.
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Hector the cat has just been chased back into the house by Mrs Blackbird. It happens about three times a day.
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Saw a bat tonight over our garden. I was a bit concerned that they haven't done very well this year.
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A red kite from here (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=555646&Y=197007&A=Y&Z=115). I was watching it for about 5 or 10 minutes as it wheeled above the fields to the south of the road. It's only the second I've seen in Essex. The previous was a juvenile viewed briefly near Pattiswick whilst out riding with Auntie Helen of this parish.
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Yesterday - a dead fox :(
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In Kensington Gardens, rather a lot of these:
(http://sergeantpluck.smugmug.com/photos/i-t2KjDdq/0/L/i-t2KjDdq-L.jpg)
They are pretty feisty - quite able and willing to take a few feathers out of a harmless passing pigeon, I noted today. I’ve no doubt that one could kill a pigeon if it felt like it.
Potential food supply spotted:
(http://sergeantpluck.smugmug.com/photos/i-Nj8zQb8/0/L/i-Nj8zQb8-L.jpg)
Almonds went down very well - their technique was to take two at a time, eat one, bury the other, and come back for more:
(http://sergeantpluck.smugmug.com/photos/i-8GDr7np/0/L/i-8GDr7np-L.jpg)
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Adder! First time I've seen one. Just by the side of a cycle path going out of Brighton. Brilliant.
Later on in the ride… Roe deer jumped out in front of me, running ahead, jumping occasionally, looking back at me. Offroad near Staplefield.
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Yesterday afternoon, whilst descending a hill in towards Hambleden, a brace of birds crossed the road ahead of me causing me to break hevily and swear vociferously. They looked like a Mr and Mrs Guinae Fowl (sp?) but I can' be sure.
The lead bird was very drab whereas the male following had grey flecks on it's flank, blue in the tail and face area (I think as I was in Ohmyfuckinggiddyaunt) mode at the time. The male also had a crest that looked like a single strand that curved back and formed a loop (but bear in mind my state of mind when making these observations).
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Mother and 2 very young deer, at a distance of about 5m, standing at the edge of the woods on the ride in this morning.
The little ones were about the size of a small dog.
They froze and looked at me, but ran off before I could get the camera out.
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I thought this chap was a victim of the traffic at first but he was just sunning himself in the road. I relocated him to the verge and I hope he didn't go back to the road. Seen after a very pleasant lunch with Mr and Mrs Wow at the Shipwright's Arms near Faversham.
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/nicknacknick/snake.jpg)
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A fox, making off with what looked like an ex-pigeon (wood) on the other bank of the canal. It was good enough after stashing the loot to wait while I fettled camera settings and then to pose for a photo.
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8012/7577294274_70d4e1311c_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/7577294274/)
Fox (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/7577294274/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
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Very small frogs, crossing a path in the grounds of Reading University, heading away from the lake.
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I thought this chap was a victim of the traffic at first but he was just sunning himself in the road. I relocated him to the verge and I hope he didn't go back to the road. Seen after a very pleasant lunch with Mr and Mrs Wow at the Shipwright's Arms near Faversham.
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/nicknacknick/snake.jpg)
NN, that's an adder, isn't it? How did you pick it up and was there much resentment?
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NN, that's an adder, isn't it? How did you pick it up and was there much resentment?
It's a grass snake and it didn't seem to mind much.
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Great picture nicknack.
I have never seen one in the wild, expect those squashed by cars (the same can be said of red squirrels sadly).
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Yesterday, a rather beautiful bullfinch in the rowan tree, pecking at the berries which are just turning yellowy-orange.
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NN, that's an adder, isn't it? How did you pick it up and was there much resentment?
It's a grass snake and it didn't seem to mind much.
Oops!
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A common toad, in my back yard. Could do with a few more, to control the mollusc population.
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I saw a red squirrel while out riding my mtb in Blairadam Forest today! :)
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Yesterday - 13 seals at Bridge of Don, a trio of kestrels, a fawn quite unconcerned by us on the road near Newmachar, loadsa buzzards & yellowhammers. An unidentified mustelid was spotted, but I didn't see it.
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As I was going out this morning a window cleaner asked me to let him into our back green so he could clean the windows of the flats up the side road. As I was opening the door he pointed out that wandering around the green (which isn't, it's just tarmac with nothing green at all) was a hedgehog! God knows how it got there, it must have fallen in because there are quite high walls on all sides, and god knows how long the poor thing had been there. As I opened the door it came towards us and didn't seem scared at all, so he scooped it into his bucket and I took it for a little walk up the lane to the banking at the back and let it out. It didn't seem to want to leave me so I poked it to make it scurry into the undergrowth. I don't think it was very bright.
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I'm rescuing animals left right and centre today. I've just been out to top up the bird feeders in the car park. Last time I topped them up I had to remove a snail which was clinging to the inside of the lid. I put it into the undergrowth. Today I've removed two from inside the lid. Are they hiding from the birds inside the bird feeder? I salute their audacity.
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I'm rescuing animals left right and centre today. I've just been out to top up the bird feeders in the car park. Last time I topped them up I had to remove a snail which was clinging to the inside of the lid. I put it into the undergrowth. Today I've removed two from inside the lid. Are they hiding from the birds inside the bird feeder? I salute their audacity.
Ah yes, the Peregrin Took gambit ;D:
Pippin: The closer we are to danger, the farther we are from harm. It's the last thing he'll expect.
;D
Merry: Are you mad? We will be caught for sure.
Pippin: Not this time.
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Flying ants!
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I'm rescuing animals left right and centre today. I've just been out to top up the bird feeders in the car park. Last time I topped them up I had to remove a snail which was clinging to the inside of the lid. I put it into the undergrowth. Today I've removed two from inside the lid. Are they hiding from the birds inside the bird feeder? I salute their audacity.
Slugs and snails should be killed. They are the bane of every gardener's life. I hunt them at night, I dream up different ways to trap and kill them. I discuss this with others and together we try to out-wit them. So far our brain capacity has been out-matched by theirs, there's millions of them.
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Not so much an issue in an office car park in the middle of an industrial estate.
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Not today, but on Saturday:
Cycling round a local loop, near Auchleven, past fields of cerial crops which have grown to a height of 2 to 3 feet.
The wind was sending waves through the field.
As I cycled past, I disturbed a tiny fawn, which had been completely hidden in the crops.
It leapt up in a great bound to see where it could go, and ran off in giant leaps up into the air in order to see where it was going.
After a few leaps, it stopped, and once again was totally invisible in the field.
R
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Just seen a cuckoo perched in the garden. Not something you see every day !
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(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/wobblyjohn/25072012065.jpg)(Sorry for the crap phone pic.)
Not entirely wild - seen on my ride today a few miles North of Sandringham.
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Fairly certain I heard a yellowhammer on my extended commute home.
I did see a rat. Thought it was a piece of mud in the road, or possibly road kill squirrel or similar. When I got to within a foot or two, it moved!
Never been that close to a wild one before.
S
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On this morning's walk we had a very good view of a green woodpecker, which shot out o the bushes to our left and was probably about 4 feet in front of us at the time. There were also some reasonably sized fish sploshing around near the edge of the park lake, and I suspect that they were tench. This is good because I haven't seen ay tench in the lake for a while. Some years ago it was reputed to hold tench of British Record proportions. We also saw our resident moorhen chicks amongst the great reedmace.
Before I went away last weekend the mother moorhen was sitting on the 4 chicks on a nest in the middle of the (very slow moving) stream. When I came back she was on a nest about a metre away. Jan told me in the intervening period that she saw a duck on the original nest and no moorhens, and that the nest had sunk. I can only imagine that the moorhens had build another nest pretty quickly for the youngsters - unless they somehow resurrected the old one.
I have observed what seems to me to be some pretty surprising behaviour amongst moorhens - including what I take to be older siblings (spring brood) helping with the upbringing of younger ones. I was about to say that I had never read any material suggesting that this happens, but then I found this page (http://www.moorhen.me.uk/moorhen0.htm). So adolescent moorhens babysit for their younger brothers & sisters. They have just gone to the top of my list of my favourite British bird! :D
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A partridge, several red grouse & a small-scuttly-rodent-type-thing.
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At dusk this evening we were treated to one of the bats doing the routine aerobatics in the garden. After about a minute however, this turned into Top Gun dogfight mode as a largeish bird started chasing it around the sky. I suddenly realised I must be watching a Sparrowhawk trying to chase the bat down. They stayed in sight for about 15 seconds, doing loops and switchbacks before dissapearing from view. About 20 seconds later, the probable Sparrowhawk shot past the patio doors. I hope it didn't get the bat. Spectacular!
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On Saturday somewhere round Thame I saw a stoat hopping up and down under a gate. I wasn't sure at the time if it was a stoat or a weasel but it had a black tip to its tail and I've checked that means it was a stoat.
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@Fuzzy. Cool! We have loads of bats and the occasional visiting sparrow hawk, but I've never seen that.
Must have been pretty spectacular.
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It was very tense!
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On Saturday somewhere round Thame I saw a stoat hopping up and down under a gate. I wasn't sure at the time if it was a stoat or a weasel but it had a black tip to its tail and I've checked that means it was a stoat.
It was weasely identified.
</oldjoke>
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My first urban fox!
:)
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/ado15/IMG_0749.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/ado15/IMG_0750.jpg)
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A deer of some sort standing in the road. It ran off when it saw me.
Lots of squashed slugs and snails on the cycle path (must have been a snail party last night with all the rain) - and also the biggest (alive) slugs I have ever seen - some absolute beasts, about mouse-size - that seem to be eating the dead ones :sick: pretty gross.
Is there a size limit on slugs? They are huge this year!
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I should point out that those deer are not in Richmond Park, where I've seen them before, but in Bushy Park, over to the East, next to what I think is called King's Field.
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The sparrowhawk is back. It sat in the silver birch at upstairs window height, until it realised all of us were looking at it.
On Wenlock Edge this week we saw exotica including marsh tits, a jay (yay!), three great spotted woodpeckers together and something that may have been a siskin. And oodles of mewing buzzards.
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I saw a lizard in my back garden last night. Surprised me, that.
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I saw a lizard in my back garden last night. Surprised me, that.
See? David Icke was right.
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A deer of some sort standing in the road. It ran off when it saw me.
Lots of squashed slugs and snails on the cycle path (must have been a snail party last night with all the rain) - and also the biggest (alive) slugs I have ever seen - some absolute beasts, about mouse-size - that seem to be eating the dead ones :sick: pretty gross.
Is there a size limit on slugs? They are huge this year!
Apparently the smell of a squashed slug, eg on a road, will attract other slugs to eat it. Then they get squashed which attracts still more of them. Watch out for slug slicks ! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18685229
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(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/seal.jpg)
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^^^
now you're showing off;most folk just have koi carp in their garden pool
;D
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^^^
now you're showing off;most folk just have koi carp in their garden pool
;D
He doesn't any more.
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Any idea what this flower is? At first, I saw the stem, and thought it was a mushroom, but, crouching down to take a photo, I was surprised to see what appears to be a bell-shaped dark flower.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/ado15/IMG_1472.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/ado15/IMG_1474.jpg)
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Saw this little fella last night in my garden, cute, huh?
(http://i45.tinypic.com/2isbhoh.jpg)
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Not today, last week. A 2m long python. In a shopping centre car park in north Queensland. Locals wrangled it into a bag and took it away.
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Yesterday, a couple of red kites between Beech Hill & Theale. I'd not seen any south of the Kennet before, though I don't ride very much/often in that part of the world.
Purely anecdotal evidence, but it seems to suggest that the birds introduced at Stokenchurch are gradually spreading further afield.
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On Saturday somewhere round Thame I saw a stoat hopping up and down under a gate. I wasn't sure at the time if it was a stoat or a weasel but it had a black tip to its tail and I've checked that means it was a stoat.
We've had this before.
But there's always someone who hasn't heard it.
One's weasily distinguishable
but the other's stoatally different.
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I was rather surprised to see a brace of Peacock standing on the edge of the A31 yesterday evening.
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Clarion that could be a type of ink cap toadstool, but I could be wrong,
I did see one of these today
(http://i587.photobucket.com/albums/ss319/MB1_63/animals/th_a693d725.jpg) (http://s587.photobucket.com/albums/ss319/MB1_63/animals/?action=view¤t=a693d725.jpg)
which amazingly turns in to one of these
(http://i587.photobucket.com/albums/ss319/MB1_63/animals/th_7599f9a3.jpg) (http://s587.photobucket.com/albums/ss319/MB1_63/animals/?action=view¤t=7599f9a3.jpg)
which is an Elephant Hawk Moth
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Some ducky things with little black chicks. Thought they were coot chicks at first but the adult definitely wasn't. Bloody annoying things all dived underwater as soon as saw me and then went and hid in the reeds. I took a couple of crappy pictures and hope to go back for some better ones sometime soon. Anyone any idea what they might be?
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/nicknacknick/duck1.jpg)
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/nicknacknick/duck2.jpg)
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Ah! Cheers, thank you! :thumbsup:
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Lifted carpet on top of compost heap this evening, threw in veggie peelings, then noticed a small grass snake curled up on the pile of grass cuttings I'd put i yesterday. It lifted its head and I replaced the carpet very gently and gave up the idea of stirring some dried weeds into the grass.
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Yesterday,as I progressed very,very slowly up Basfordbridge Lane I saw a conker shell :o I initially considered that I was mistaken given that it is too early in the year for such to be possible.However,a second & longer look confirmed my first thought to be accurrate.(sp)
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Found this on a walk.
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/butterfly_2012.jpg)
and lots of these
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/spider_2012.jpg)
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It's beautiful, Jaded; I expect you know it's a magpie moth?
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actually it was yesterday, I was in the car and had just gone over the mountain road when I pulled up at the T junction and there was the biggest white rabbit sat on the verge munching on the grass, straight away I thought of Jefferson Airplane :)
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It's beautiful, Jaded; I expect you know it's a magpie moth?
Ah, thank you :)
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Seen in the last week, on holiday in Dumfries & Galloway again. Red squirrels, ospreys, and best of all a wonderful half hour sat on a cliff path watching an otter catching fish in the sea below us :thumbsup:
(On the path between Rascarrel and Balcary Bay)
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Seen on the cliffs past Horton (on the way to Oxwich Bay) in The Gower on Saturday. A Chough. Someone said they're quite rare now. Orange legs and beak. Odd cove.
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I did see one of these today
(http://i587.photobucket.com/albums/ss319/MB1_63/animals/th_a693d725.jpg) (http://s587.photobucket.com/albums/ss319/MB1_63/animals/?action=view¤t=a693d725.jpg)
Great! Thanks, I am already itching just looking at that picture* :(
*Not you fault, I know, but I have such a strong reaction to hairy caterpillars in general and moth ones especially that I only have to see a picture of one and the itchy eyes start!
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James has been hedge cutting today and came across this chap and another of his friends.
He was about the size of my index finger.
(http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx30/Auntie_Helen/Caterpillar3.jpg)
(http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx30/Auntie_Helen/Caterpillar2.jpg)
(http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx30/Auntie_Helen/Caterpillar1.jpg)
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^^^ That's a Privet Hawkmoth caterpillar.
Found a trio of Grey Dagger moth (http://www.uksafari.com/greydagger2.htm) caterpillars on the rose bush in the back yard, which make a change from all the furry caterpillars of the Tiger and Ermine moth I've seen this summer. The prize for the wierdest-looking caterpillar I have ever seen in my back yard goes to a Rusty Tussock Moth* (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Orgyia_antiqua_20050816_365_part.jpg) caterpillar I found on the rose in 2007.
Handy link: http://www.ukleps.org/morphology.html
* otherwise known as the Vapourer Moth.
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ENOUGH, already, with the moth caterpillar piccies :(
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Thanks Spesh.
Sorry, Tiermat, but here's another one I found on the bedroom carpet just now. It's a hairy one too!
(http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx30/Auntie_Helen/Hairycaterpillar1.jpg)
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Fantastic! That must be a Rusty Tussock, as per Spesh above.
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Come on now, that last one was made from pipe cleaners and bits of old wool! No way that's real!!!
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OK having read Spesh's link, I go further - there's no way ANY of this is real!
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How to wind up an ID advocate - show them a picture of a Rusty Tussock caterpillar and ask what kind of drugs $DEITY was on when they designed that... :demon:
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I was impressed the dog didn't try to eat the Rusty Tussock caterpillar (I admit I hadn't had a chance to look at Spesh's links before posting the pic so it was rather serendipitous).
Does the dog have an innate wariness of very hairy caterpillars? Can they be poisonous?
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Thay are usually perceived as not very tasty (due to the hairs which get stuck in the throat and usually carry nasty stuff to irritate the biter). the red colouring is usually a give away, there is a certain amount of Nature that tells animals not to go eating red things, nor bright coloured things, or things covered in spiky looking hairs or, er, spikes....
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The spikes thing doesn't work with Poppy as she is always fascinated by hedgehogs...
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How to wind up an ID advocate - show them a picture of a Rusty Tussock caterpillar and ask what kind of drugs $DEITY was on when they designed that... :demon:
Or any of them, really. A creature that looks variously like a leaf, a twig, a toothbrush, and has a body part called an 'anal clasper', which then sheds it's skin to reveal a chrysallis inside which is a completely different creature? With wings?
TheDesigner had LOTS of fun with those.
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Do frogs spawn twice in a season? Just saw some very ickle frogs in the garden that look too small to have been born in spring.
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I was tidying up some bags of fermenting garden waste and disturbed this fine specimen:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8296/7896245982_78b346bac1_z.jpg)
I almost managed to get the 'tongue shot' as some critter became an afternoon snack.
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Some of you may know that the natural habitat of "the Wobbly" (me) is riding across the Fens, after dark, on a fixie. Running 120psi tyres, I can hear the transmission noise over the road noise when I honk - otherwise it's just the wind in my ears.
At this time of year, this habitat overlaps with that of the Barn Owl. I often see more owls than cars. They are inquisitive creatures, and will fly along beside me or play in the bike's light beam. Some will just sit on fence posts and swivel their head as I go past.
On the bike, I travel at the speed they fly at. I make the small amount of noise that they are accustomed to listening for to hunt. The lights obviously facinate them.
On the way home from the pub tonight (6 miles) I nearly rode into the ditch because I was watching for the barn owl that was shadowing me. :facepalm:
It has just occured to me that I sometimes have more in common wih these incredible animals than to other road users. :D
Thansk for listening. :-*
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Some of you may know that the natural habitat of "the Wobbly" (me) is riding across the Fens, after dark, on a fixie. Running 120psi tyres, I can hear the transmission noise over the road noise when I honk - otherwise it's just the wind in my ears.
At this time of year, this habitat overlaps with that of the Barn Owl. I often see more owls than cars. They are inquisitive creatures, and will fly along beside me or play in the bike's light beam. Some will just sit on fence posts and swivel their head as I go past.
On the bike, I travel at the speed they fly at. I make the small amount of noise that they are accustomed to listening for to hunt. The lights obviously facinate them.
On the way home from the pub tonight (6 miles) I nearly rode into the ditch because I was watching for the barn owl that was shadowing me. :facepalm:
It has just occured to me that I sometimes have more in common wih these incredible animals than to other road users. :D
Thansk for listening. :-*
Woo Hoo !
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Do frogs spawn twice in a season? Just saw some very ickle frogs in the garden that look too small to have been born in spring.
They can, but it's more likely reasons are a)- the froglets are from an overgrown/stagnant pond where lower sunlight and warmth levels inhibit the rate of metamorphosis, causing late development (sometimes over a year late). Or b)- many (if not all) batches of spawn develop as two discrete growth patterns. that is, half a batch of spawn will develop much slower and later than the other half even though all the spawn hatches at the same time. Reasons for this are unknown, but it is a well observed phenomenon.
Or c)- they are from the spring and are just a bit small, or even possibly d)- they are toadlets, there seems to be a lot of little toads around here at the mo. If you say they are frogs though that's good enough for me. ;D Hope this helps.
Thanks! I favour option a) although d) is also possible.
I was tidying up some bags of fermenting garden waste and disturbed this fine specimen:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8296/7896245982_78b346bac1_z.jpg)
A fine fellow indeed.
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I rescued a snail today. It was inching its way up the road, on the tarmac pavement, very liable to either be accidentally stomped on or starve. After some jiggling (of the snail, not me) it went back into its shell and I removed it to a place of safety ie lobbed it over a wall into a garden.
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I nearly got T boned by a black squirrel today. very fluffy critter. Mad as a box of frogs.
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Among the abundant roadkill seen on the Alan Furley Memorial 150K on Saturday was a buzzard, & either another buzzard or a kite (zoomed past rather fast & didn't get a good look).
Also saw live examples of both.
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More Very Fluffy Caterpillars....not sure what they are. About one and a half inches long, dark brown thick fluffy hair, a white line down each side but underneath the hair, a sort of orange-ish face and a great turn of speed. They have been seen on cabbage, blackberry and courgette plants and seem to come out at night. Any ideas?
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Could be garden tiger moths, though I think they have white dots, rather than lines; it could be a speed-blur!
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Just been watching dolphins in the harbour - they were really close in & quite lively :thumbsup:
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Well yesterday, but a group of seals (what is the collective noun for seals?) Frolicking in a bay on the south east of Harris.
Then a bird of prey (eagle or buzzard) being mobbed by gulls, the acrobatics were spectacular.
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Well yesterday, but a group of seals (what is the collective noun for seals?) Frolicking in a bay on the south east of Harris.
...
I think it's a colony or a herd.
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Well yesterday, but a group of seals (what is the collective noun for seals?) Frolicking in a bay on the south east of Harris.
...
I think it's a colony or a herd.
Or perhaps a pod.
I suspect that they were the same lot that we saw in June. Were they near Fleoideabagh?
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Well yesterday, but a group of seals (what is the collective noun for seals?) Frolicking in a bay on the south east of Harris.
...
I think it's a colony or a herd.
Or perhaps a pod.
Group is fine (as understood by everybody), though I might use "bunch", depending on context ;)
(Colony implies breeding activity; pod I think is specific to cetaceans and not pinnipeds; herd sounds right if you insist on a special collective noun - but IMO "group" is perfectly appropriate).
</pedant> maybe ...
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Evidence of mole activity today spotted whilst walking across a field. A small patch of ground moving up and down.
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Last night, in the pouring rain, nearly squashed a toad - or maybe a frog. I didn't get a good enough look to be sure, but I think probably toad. It hopped just as i swerved to miss it, & I thought for a moment it was going into my rear wheel, but the bloke behind me saw it hop into the undergrowth,
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Yesterday, in Fulham, a ferret on a lead. I asked the owner about it - she had found him in her home country (Poland) 5 years ago and kept him. OK to walk on the lead for short distances. He looked quite well behaved, while she sat and had a coffee. She recommended that I didn't try and stroke him though.
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Yesterday, not 1, not 2, but 3 red sqrls! :)
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And a slack adder:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8451/7993103351_8d44e153c5_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/7993103351/)
IMG_0860 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/7993103351/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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I saw an earwig yesterday. It must be the first one I have seen in at least a decade.
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A sparrow hawk, high over head in Reigate while we waited for the Tour of Britain to do their parade thing. According to my mate Frank, it was the flap flap glide that gave it away. That and being big and raptor shaped.
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Burchetts Green, Berkshire. A dead deer by the side of the road last night. It looked as if it had been dragged off the road, presumably by whoever had hit it. Fresh: it wasn't there when we passed by less than four hours earlier.
Gone by this afternoon. Venison, anyone?
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I saw an earwig yesterday. It must be the first one I have seen in at least a decade.
There are places without earwigs? !!!!
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A couple of skeins of geese heading south yesterday evening.
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Not today, but recently, in the outlaws' garden:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/ado15/IMG_1702_zps00554c47.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/ado15/IMG_1705_zps64f625c8.jpg)
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It's a comma, clarion, after the mark on the underwing. (I expect you know that; if so, sorry!)
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Sorry, yes, I should have said. It's quite a pretty one, don't you think?
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It certainly is. We usualy get one or two passing through our garden but I haven't seen one this year. Poor year for insects generally in the North-West, I think.
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Just been watching dolphins in the harbour - they were really close in & quite lively :thumbsup:
They were back again this afternoon.
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Last night, whilst fettling in the shed, I heard the sounds of avian distress. Thinking one of the cats was taunting the local bird population I went to intervene. The noise was from next door so I peered through the undergrowth between us to find, about a yard away, a Blackbird pinned to the deck by a Sparrowhawk. Said Blackbird was struggling for all it was worth which caused a bit of a comedy moment when the Sparrowhawk tried to flee with its dinner on seeing me. It could only get to the other side of the garden where it decided to settle and finish the job.
I grabbed my camera but their was too much extanious shit between us so I couldn't get a photo. I went next door and, as I approached the door to ask if it was OK to get some images, the Sparrowhawk looked up from feasting, saw me and decided to take its by now inanimate dinner elsewhere.
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It did better than the one in our garden last summer.
Our mog saw the sparrow hawk with its pigeon lunch and though aged still shot down the length of the garden. The Sparrow hawk chose to surrender its lunch rather than become lunch.
The mog was most pleased with this delivery service of an extra meal.
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A very unseasonable dead badger on the road into work.
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We had a WOL accompany us for a mile or two back from the pubbe :D
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WOL?
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wol.
File under Strigidae
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(http://www.returntothehundredacrewood.co.uk/cms/ckfinder/userfiles/images/2000/Proj-Honey/char_owl.jpg)
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L, I've finally got around to reading the Pooh books after having them quoted at my by wife and daughter for years. They are absolutely marvellous and the drawings are perfect. The ending of the House At Pooh Corner is so sad (for me) in that it presages Christopher being sent to boarding school, where he had a hard time because of the books. I'll have to put that out of my mind when I re-read them, which will be often!
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As well as having one follow us, we heard one twitting with no twoo in reply in a filed as we approached Thrintoft.
Just as I was getting other people to listen for it, a cow moo'd, spoiling it somewhat (and making it funny as people thought I meant the cow was an owl....)
Perfect night last night for avian escort.
I had a fleeting glance of a bat earlier in the ride.
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P, I wonder if it's regional? I see owls commonly on rides all over The North but the experiences of them flying along with me (there have been a few) have all been in the lower Swaledale area. Maybe it's the same wol each time!
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I saw an incredibly ickle bunnywabbit on the road today, if he keeps running out in front of cars that way, he'll end up getting hit by someone!
A rat ran out in front of my car in broad daylight. Big bugger, thought it was a cat at first! No wonder my horse stuff keeps getting broken into, I bet they can break into cars if they want to! :o
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wol.
File under Strigidae
Tytonidae, more likely
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A very unseasonable dead badger on the road into work.
Saw a fresh one of them yesterday.
And today, Mrs B spotted a crow wrestling to pull a pear off a tree. It eventually succeeded, & flew off with its prize. She was impressed. We also saw a rat in the grounds of Reading university which wasn't at all bothered by us watching it from a few feet away.
Innumerable squirrels fussing around on the ground, some apparently burying things.
An owl flew low over us on the Reading CTC WER 10 days ago.
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Over Rochdale, lenticular clouds.
Also saw some late swallows. Anyone else got them this far north?
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Yesterday on our epic 200k:
Early-morning twilight through Glen Isla revealed many Buzzards, a Kestrel, some furtive deer, and a Red Squirrel.
Nothing much during the day, as the wildlife hides from the fierce mid-day sun.
Evening twilight through Glenshee there was a large herd of deer down off the hills, an indicator of the approach of winter.
The stags were a little further up the glen, strutting about and bellowing.
Kind of like getting a skinfull in before going to chase the herd of girls lower down the glen, in the hope of a Sneaky Rut.
Got some good views of them against the sky, with their antlers on show.
In the dark along Glen Isla, an owl ( a barn owl most likely , according to our Wildlife Correspondant ) swooped across the road in front of us, caught in the bike lights.
And a bat at some point.
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Actually spotted yesterday squirrels in priory park while we were on route to southend for a ride along the seafront to shoebury east beach. Bike Southend were doing something for youngsters in the park so we enquired about getting our new bikes postcoded so thats all sorted now
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Also saw some late swallows. Anyone else got them this far north?
I saw some in Aberdeenshire last weekend, but I don't remember seeing any yesterday.
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Tons of
Swifts swishing and swooping House Martins hovering and a-hoovering up lots of insects in the glorious sunshine on Saturday.
And a Stoat on Sunday. Or it might have been a Weasel.
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Are you sure they were swifts and not swallows/house martins, Riggersers?
Swifts tend to head south about a month earlier than the others. http://www.southendrspb.co.uk/sight99/sept12.htm shows that there were only 6 sighings of swifts by Southend RSPB members in the whole of September. Last year, the last recorded sighing of a swift was on 18th September. http://www.southendrspb.co.uk/sight99/migration.htm
I saw quite a few house martins yesterday, and there were probably some swallows amongst them, but I wasn't so sure of the swallows.
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They'd have been House Martins I reckon then, if that's the case!
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Here are some swifts behaving typically.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd3NlfbA7yQ
And swallows/house martins.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-c5252RAVs
Curiously, swifts are not related to the martins/swallows, but an entirely separate species.
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Yesterday I removed a ladybird from Mrs P's face. It was green rather than red (the ladybird, that is). Does that mean it wasn't ripe?
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Saw a small slow worm on NCN 8 between Bangor and Caernafon, about 1/4 second before I ran it over. It lay still for a few seconds, then slithered off apparently unscathed with full flexibility and tongue flicking the air. Much relief on my part (and presumably that of the
snake legless lizard).
(edited for zoological correctness)
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On Venetian Nights 200: 5 separate jays. Appropriately, ride is organised by JayP. of this parish.
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Two very bold rats on the grass verge just outside our village today at 3:30pm . You normally only see rats at dusk or in the dark.
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Mrs B & I saw a rat in the grounds of Reading University recently in broad daylight. It was pretty relaxed about our presence until we stood & stared at it from less than two metres away. It got a bit uncomfortable with this after a while & sauntered off into cover.
Today, just a green woodpecker & a couple of muntjacs, looking like an adult female & a youngster. And, of course, the usual magpies, pigeons, assorted ducks, geese, swans, grebes, etc.
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No house martins and no swallows.
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While driving to the yard this morning, I
hit was hit by a ninja squirrel! The darn thing jumped/fell out of the tree just as I was driving under it and landed on my bonnet. As I was doing around 45mph (it's a 60 zone) at the time, I didn't have much time to react, but it was definitely still alive when it bounced back off. I didn't see any extra squirrelly bodies when I drove back the same way a few hours later, so fingers crossed!
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It's still clinging to the underside of your car, biding its time... ;D
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Neighbour's kitten, desperate to sneak into our house while I was signing for a parcel. He was thwarted by the size of the gaps in the picket fence, which have inexplicably shrunk over the last few weeks. :D
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Horrendous when that happens, isn't it?
My first dog (a dachshund) couldn't understand how the gap under my parents' bed suddenly shrunk and she couldn't get under it...as she discovered when she thwocked into the side chasing a ball ::-)
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In the park today, Jan noticed honey bees. They are clearly nesting in an old bungalow style building which seems not to be used any more, although the last I knew it was kitted out as offices. The had found their way into the brickwork but there was no sign of them inside the building. The wall they were entering through has built in stationery cupboards inside it. I wonder if they have made a nest in the cupboard, or within the brickwork. If it's the latter , they won't be removed without demolishing the wall.
There were quite a few of them and they were carrying plenty of pale yellow/white pollen. I suspect that they are harvesting a crop from ivy, which comes into flower at this time of year.
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i am playing with a new camera :)
(http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k411/cycleman108/010-5.jpg)
on the jubilee river slough .
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There's a medium-sized wolf spider on the wall near the clock. Mrs Z is out. I think I'll leave it there and see how long it takes her to freak out when she comes back.
Personally, I like wolf spiders, the bigger the better. We had one as a pet in secondary school; a sort of science project where we grew one as big as possible in a sweet jar by feeding it on live daddy-longlegses. When it got to tarantula diameter we released it back into the wild, where it is presumably still eating the local cat population.
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Riding home today I realised there was no point ducking if I thought a bat was about to hit my head. They are far more agile.
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In our kitchen, one of these -
(http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/phpBB/gallery/images/upload/f70d9f0ea5b677b5f141deb07dcd161d.jpg)
Confused by the light. I caught it in a mug & released it outside. I hope it has time to fly to somewhere it can survive the winter.
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Beautiful picture! (Yours?) I wonder if it had decided to hibernate with you. When we lived in an old farmhouse in Cumberland, loads of butterflies hooked themselves up in the landing for the winter.
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Saw a rabbit this morning by the Bridgewater Canal, right close to Castlefield. There's very little burrow-worthy grass around there :-\
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The picture is on the web. Follow the link for more.
It may have been looking for a spot to hibernate. I hope it finds one.
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Late autumn is a good time for red admirals. I've often seen them in November in our local park, apparently gorging themselves on the nectar from ivy flowers. Presumably they are storing fat (do insects have fat?) for hibernation.
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Yes, insects have fat.
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Neighbour's kitten, desperate to sneak into our house while I was signing for a parcel. He was thwarted by the size of the gaps in the picket fence, which have inexplicably shrunk over the last few weeks. :D
This reminds me of the moment 'Google' (my Cocakpoo) was found flailing around uselessly with his head end in the kitchen and his arse in the garden at 3am. He had been happily using the cat flap to get in and out for >12 months when one night it just didn't work for him any more ;D
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Quite a few butterflies today in a disused railway cutting, including a red admiral. The local expert (Warden) said that they were feeding on the fallen apples, presumed to have grown from cores thrown out of carriages in the pre-Beeching days.
It seems to fit that they're all fuelling up for the winter.
Meanwhile at lunchtime, I had a lovely little green baby butterfly crawling up my trouser leg. It happily transferred onto the handle of a spoon, but, alas, fell off during my geriatric attempts to rise and take it to show the experts for identification.
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Forgot to mention:
close encounter with small, young-looking (probably this year's crop) muntjac on Wednesday night. It was rooting around at the side of the road. I ended up standing watching it, swivelling the bars to keep it lit, while it gradually sauntered off into the undergrowth, after crossing the road.
Other people on the ride commented on its lack of fear. When I told Mrs B, she said it sounds thick.
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Five herons flying over the city in a goose-like formation.
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Over 100 barnacle geese, quite a few greater spotted woodpeckers, a buzzard and four swallows.
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A haul to gulp at, Peter, but I think I'd still make my pint last longer than four swallows.
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If I didn't know better I'd say I almost ran over a polecat this evening. I'm fairly sure we don't get them round here so I guess it was a ferret. Certainly wasn't a mink (which we do get here).
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Ring ousel, a pair of hobbies and a load of other stuff.
We were at Minsmere.
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Something vaguely feline in it's movement but too small to be a kitteh ran accross the road from a hedgerow into undergrowth ahead of me in the gloom this morning.
Mustelid?
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A friend saw a 'bunch'* of Redwings in her garden yesterday, which perhaps portends a cold winter given their early appearance in Brighton.
*my collective term. Fact.
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Managed to get this quick shot earlier - phone camera and through a double glazed window. This fox often wobbles along the back wall. The local cats do a sort of pretend chase, it's more following than chasing to be honest, and as can be seem the fox is not at all bothered. There is a less brave cat about 2 metres behind the one in the pic:
(http://sergeantpluck.smugmug.com/photos/i-GRHDw8T/0/X2/i-GRHDw8T-X2.jpg)
Link to larger version:
http://sergeantpluck.smugmug.com/photos/i-GRHDw8T/0/X3/i-GRHDw8T-X3.jpg
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Just found this when reviewing photos. This eel was left behind in a farmyard when the floodwaters of the River Swale receded. I managed to scoop it up in a bucket and get it back into flowing water. Never seen one alive up until then.
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8196/8094590945_3aea4f2535.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/16109958@N08/8094590945/)
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Last night on the way home I found a road kill sloworm :-\
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Hunners o' geese.
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Magpie repeatedly picking up cat poop from our lawn and flying off with it: it cleared the pile up nicely.
But why??? ???
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Disturbed a kestrel which had pounced on something in the verge between Easton Grey and Pinkney.
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we saw a very athletic badger prancing across the path we were on the other night - not one of the usual lumbering heavy-looking beasts, but a lithe and agile version
location approx 50.641732, -2.344809
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A newt on our garden path. It was brown with a lovely pink chin.
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Magpie repeatedly picking up cat poop from our lawn and flying off with it: it cleared the pile up nicely.
But why??? ???
Probably to drop it through the letter box of someone it doesn't like.
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A wren climbing on a bush with bright orange berries in the garden, early this morning.
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A wren climbing on a bush with bright orange berries in the garden, early this morning.
Painted a perfect Autumn picture for us there Cudzo:)
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Thanks. I wish I knew the name of the bush!
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Bright orange berries? Does it have HUGE thorns (some upto 6" long)? If so it's Pyrocanthus. Great for stopping burglars but bugger all use for anything else....
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Magpie repeatedly picking up cat poop from our lawn and flying off with it: it cleared the pile up nicely.
But why??? ???
That sounds strange , though I have seen Jackdaws picking the best bits out of dog turds.
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Ten gazillion BFO spiders in my house. The size of horses some of 'em. And there's one busy abseiling down the full height of this room, then climbing back up again, then coming back down. It knows when I'm watching it because it stops in its tracks till I stop looking. This thing has INTELLIGENCE.
It seems a shame to hoover them up.
No it doesn't.
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Shirley you just need a bigger spider??
Not today, but last week (Mull): lots of eagles (golden and white-tailed); peregrine; merlin; hen harrier; great nothern diver; whooper swan; otter ...
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Just seen thousands of starlings coming down to roost on the reed beds at Snape Maltings.
Before that , eight Snow Bunting on the beach at Minsmere , and a couple of Swallows ! flying over the beach.
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Just been watching two pairs of magpies having a really vicious set-to.
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Seventy or so geese in V formation flying over the house this morning.
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A barn owl fluttering silently across the lane ahead of me at dusk.
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Not today, but recently: a long-tailed tit in a kitchen. I already knew they were small things, but when one of these things is only a foot away, you wonder how they survive the winter. As soon as I got a window slightly open, it shot out at considerable speed.
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Well done on getting it out safely. Birds can panic in confined spaces, and injure themselves.
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Waxwings. About 40 behind Lidl on Dalry Rd.
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Not today, but recently: a long-tailed tit in a kitchen. I already knew they were small things, but when one of these things is only a foot away, you wonder how they survive the winter. As soon as I got a window slightly open, it shot out at considerable speed.
Long tailed tits are scarcely any heavier that goldcrests, Britain's smallest bird. Their long tails give the impression of making them seem bigger. They can often be seen with goldcrests in flocks. Their feeding habits are very similar - constantly searching in crevices in bark for tiny insects, spiders etc.
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An unusually large numer of jays in Hockley Woods this morning.
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Long tailed tits are scarcely any heavier that goldcrests, Britain's smallest bird. Their long tails give the impression of making them seem bigger. They can often be seen with goldcrests in flocks. Their feeding habits are very similar - constantly searching in crevices in bark for tiny insects, spiders etc.
Indeed - we once had an invasion of LTTs on a hydrangea just outside our french windows. There were about a dozen of the little blighters hopping around on a very small shrub, clearly having a feeding frenzy. After they'd gone, I went to investigate what they'd been up to, and found that we had a scale insect infestation. I invited the LTTs to return whenever they felt like it but I've not seen them there again.
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Yesterday, actually. A very grey looking fox sat in the car park at work. I noticed it was rather pink in places, and, when it noticed me and looked up, I could see that it had been, literally, licking its wounds. Seems to have been in a very serious fight.
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Couple of bullfinches & a possible fieldfare. Ubiquitous buzzards.
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Today, lots of jays - about half a dozen at various points on my two-hour ride. And a good look at a buzzard - I have caught a couple of glimpses of them over the last year or so here in Kent but this is the first opportunity that I have had to actually pull over to the side of the road and watch one.
And a strange thing - in a field a couple of miles up the road from me two or three dead sheep. Definitely dead as the magpies were having a good go at the corpses. I didn't go into the field to investigate but I don't think I have seen such a thing before. We have had a lot of wind and rain over the last couple of days, but sheep are generally pretty hardy aren't they? Were they wussy Southern sheep? Were they struck by lightning? (Not that I have noticed any recently). Dogs? Those pesky pumas? The Essex Lion? Any ideas?
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A diver (Great Northern we think) in the harbour :thumbsup:
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On Thursday, I was in a meeting near Old Kent Road. Through the window, I thought I saw an owl. Then it took off, and flew away, and I could clearly see it's strigiforme form. Most unexpected. I notice that I wrote the word 'owl' in the margin of my notes, so I can time it to about 1330.
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On Thursday, I was in a meeting near Old Kent Road. Through the window, I thought I saw an owl. Then it took off, and flew away, and I could clearly see it's strigiforme form. Most unexpected. I notice that I wrote the word 'owl' in the margin of my notes, so I can time it to about 1330.
Owls are SO fabby. We have been seeing a barn owl quite regularly patrolling the margins of our wood during the daytime for the last few weeks. Saw it again yesterday. Such a wonderful bird.
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On Thursday, I was in a meeting near Old Kent Road. Through the window, I thought I saw an owl. Then it took off, and flew away, and I could clearly see it's strigiforme form. Most unexpected. I notice that I wrote the word 'owl' in the margin of my notes, so I can time it to about 1330.
Possibly a little owl? (http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/l/littleowl/index.aspx)
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A diver (Great Northern we think) in the harbour :thumbsup:
Great Northern? (http://arthur-ransome.org/Members/geraint/the-books/copy12_of_synopsis-template)
8)
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For the second time this week, a flock of long-tailed tits which also contained some goldcrests. LTTs are noisy buggers - easy to hear, harder to see.
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For the second time this week, a flock of long-tailed tits which also contained some goldcrests. LTTs are noisy buggers - easy to hear, harder to see.
Got some on my bush (outside the window at work)
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Saw this killing machine in the garden today.
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8203/8223649001_464143cf0d_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumixm43/8223649001/)
Sparrowhawk (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumixm43/8223649001/) by DJB (Thanks for your comments!) (http://www.flickr.com/people/lumixm43/), on Flickr
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By Morecambe Bay, Whooper swans, several.
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For the second time this week, a flock of long-tailed tits which also contained some goldcrests. LTTs are noisy buggers - easy to hear, harder to see.
Got some on my bush (outside the window at work)
Boabacca has tits in her bush. :D
We saw some more this morning in Priory Park. Good view of a couple of goldcrests.
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Very unusual this far East: from my armchair, passing over the flat and being mobbed by jackdaws, I saw a common buzzard.
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Very unusual this far East: from my armchair, passing over the flat and being mobbed by jackdaws, I saw a common buzzard.
The first time I saw a buzzard in Essex must have been about 10 years ago. Since then, I've seen them increasingly frequently. One took up residence in Paglesham (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=592557&Y=193055&A=Y&Z=120) about 8 years ago and spent the winter there: a couple of times when we took the )then juvenile and quite defiant) dog along the sea wall it was quite a battle to stop him crunching on the decaying corpses of the wading birds which I assumed were the work of the buzzard.
In July, whilst I was on the BHF London to Southend ride, I spent about 10 minutes near Navestock Side (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=555951&Y=196922&A=Y&Z=120) watching a red kite.
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Saw this killing machine in the garden today.
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8203/8223649001_464143cf0d_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumixm43/8223649001/)
Sparrowhawk (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumixm43/8223649001/) by DJB (Thanks for your comments!) (http://www.flickr.com/people/lumixm43/), on Flickr
Cracking photo bumper :thumbsup:
I can almost hear the prey (Starling?) crying out.
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A stoat in Aberdeen :thumbsup:
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Saw this killing machine in the garden today.
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8203/8223649001_464143cf0d_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumixm43/8223649001/)
Sparrowhawk (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumixm43/8223649001/) by DJB (Thanks for your comments!) (http://www.flickr.com/people/lumixm43/), on Flickr
Cracking photo bumper :thumbsup:
I can almost hear the prey (Starling?) crying out.
Thank you.
The Starling was screaming!
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(http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae7/fboab/2012-12-01143759.jpg)
Dogfish at Southwold.
Still, he could have ended up like this:
(http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae7/fboab/2012-12-01151140.jpg)
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Sparrowhawk perched on wires. I pointed it out to Mrs B, & it took offence at being pointed at & flew to a nearby tree.
Usual horde of kites, especially at Nuffield.
Mrs B spotted a herd of animals in a field: fallow deer! At least 20 of 'em. I've seen herds of them before round here, but not often. We stopped to look, & talked about them. There was pricking up of ears & movement to the far edge of the field, where they stopped.
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A big cock pheasant on our roof.
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Yesterday actually , but I live life at a gentle pace these days , I saw what looked like a Woodcock flying over my garden. Most unusual , but it had the right shape , size , long beak. Was flying fast and dropped like a stone into the garden next door. Before I could get a better look it was back up in the air and flying back from whence it had come.
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I get visits from a badger and a fox almost every night (not together, mind).
I put food on my patio and they come and gobble it up. Very interesting to watch (I have pictures somewhere).
The badger's favourite is peanut butter and honey sarnies :thumbsup:. But he eats pretty much everything we give him.
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I saw two buzzards today. Both near Horsham, but in different woods. One rose up from the roadside as I approached, and spread its wings beautifully.
There was a pretty jay as well, near Loxford. And a whole hedgeful of chaffinches chattering.
There was one bird I wasn't sure of - a fat thing, with a ruddy breast, which seemed to rattle as it flapped.
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Bullfinch?
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Today, kestrels, a sparrowhawk, green woodpeckers, phesants, partridge and when I stopped to unwrap a sweet in the wilds between High Halden and Bethersden, I spotted through the hedge a pair of black swans that were a little put out by my presence although not particularly wary of me. They were by a large pond and I assume were ornamental fowl from the nearby farmhouse. But I have never seen them outside large collections or zoos before.
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We were entertained by a Kestrel near Grafham Water today. It very much wanted to land on something, but was being blown about all over the place by the gusty wind.
Two failures to land on telegraph poles (we thought that was quite ambitious, given the conditions) and a possible failed attempt at landing in a tree.
I lost sight of it, having to concentrate on the riding, but boab says it went off into a wood - probably to try and find some shelter and a smoother landing.
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A barn owl in some trees just east of Grittleton yesterday at dusk.
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Bullfinch?
I should have said - it was about game bird sized.
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Couldn't go out on Bike today, cough cough (man Flu of course)
Saw my lovely Granddaughter instead, does that count?
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Bullfinch?
I should have said - it was about game bird sized.
Partridge?
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First time I've seen waxwings in the garden. (Cheshire/Derbyshire borders, yesterday)
(http://www.aukadia.net/pix/waxwings1.jpg)
11 of them hung around for about 3 hours, refuelling on an unloved rowan tree, before heading off.
The resident blackbird was pleased to see them go.
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There was one bird I wasn't sure of - a fat thing, with a ruddy breast, which seemed to rattle as it flapped.
(http://www.english-country-garden.com/a/i/birds/red-legged-partridge-2.jpg)
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I saw two buzzards today. Both near Horsham, but in different woods. One rose up from the roadside as I approached, and spread its wings beautifully.
There was a pretty jay as well, near Loxford. And a whole hedgeful of chaffinches chattering.
There was one bird I wasn't sure of - a fat thing, with a ruddy breast, which seemed to rattle as it flapped.
That's a Robin with a chest cold. Not uncommon this time of year, so don't worry.
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Thanks. It was probably a partridge, though whether Keith or Danny I couldn't deduce.
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Thanks. It was probably a partridge, though whether Keith or Danny I couldn't deduce.
Sounds more like an Alan to me.....
fuzzy dons his coat and makes a hasty exit, stage left.
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There was one bird I wasn't sure of - a fat thing, with a ruddy breast, which seemed to rattle as it flapped.
Fieldfare (fluffed up)?
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There was one bird I wasn't sure of - a fat thing, with a ruddy breast, which seemed to rattle as it flapped.
(http://www.english-country-garden.com/a/i/birds/red-legged-partridge-2.jpg)
That's a red-legged (french) partridge.
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There was one bird I wasn't sure of - a fat thing, with a ruddy breast, which seemed to rattle as it flapped.
(http://www.english-country-garden.com/a/i/birds/red-legged-partridge-2.jpg)
That's a red-legged (french) partridge.
That's the one gamekeepers are stocking their woods/fields with these days. Well, not that one but that breed/variety.
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There was one bird I wasn't sure of - a fat thing, with a ruddy breast, which seemed to rattle as it flapped.
(http://www.english-country-garden.com/a/i/birds/red-legged-partridge-2.jpg)
That's a red-legged (french) partridge.
Alectoris rufa, not to be confused with perdix perdix, which might be viewed in pyrus communis a dozen or so times towards the end of the year?
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I don't know since Alectoris rufa has been in the UK since the 17th century so the song could refer to either. Not that either of them are likely to be seen in a pyrus communis even during the festive season as they are both ground roosting birds.
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Long-tailed duck and a common scoter at the lake in Gunners Park, Shoebury.
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Quote from: fboab on Yesterday at 06:57:14 PM (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=128.msg1244170#msg1244170)Red Squirrel crossing the road in front of me & Mrs Ernst Pottering for Tea. She also saw a stoat but I was only half way up the hill so missed it.
Red Squirrel. That's only the second time in my life.
http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/what-we-do/scotlands-red-squirrels/squirrel-sightings/ (http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/what-we-do/scotlands-red-squirrels/squirrel-sightings/)
Duly reported.
Now. That one, was the second in my life, and since then, I've seen another two! The second was on the Isle of Wight... Today's was just down the road from the ancestral homestead.
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I spotted it too (kinda hard to miss as it was on the fence right beside the road), but only the second I've seen this year. Also, only the second I've seen ever.
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Yesterday, a buzzard alighted in a meadow between Billericay and Shenfield (I was on the traynne). I heard another buzzard later on, but I didn't see it.
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Yesterday morning, by the M40 somewhere Oakley, completely ignoring the traffic - a few grazing roe deer.
This morning:
1) a queue of traffic at least a mile long waiting to get into Bicester Village. :facepalm:
2. a large flock of kites over a house at Stokenchurch. Someone must be feeding them.
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Today, a goldcrest (juvenile) in our garden. Beautiful little bird, difficult to recognise without the characteristic crest marking, except that it was small...so pleased to see it. We don't get them at the woods as we don't have any conifers, but there are quite a lot of leylandii around here, and they seem to like them.
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A group of waxwings in a tree near home.
Spotted by following the direction pointed to by the birdwatchers' scopes and cameras.
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That was how I spotted the long-tailed duck the other day. A chap with whom I used to work is a member of the Southend Ornithologiacl Grou and he was there, so I knew it was something unusual.
I generally ask spotting scope wielders what they are watching. That was also how we saw the otters on Benbecula in June.
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Several birds of prey on this morning's run. Kestrels dipping around in the gusty conditions as they took off across the fields from the trees lining the road as I passed, and what appears to have been a peregrine falcon if I have been able to memorise the siting accurately. Just as I drew up outside the garage at the end of the ride a large bird of prey passed overhead, flying downwind very high going like the clappers with wingtips turned up. I assume that this was a buzzard; as it passed over it emitted a high pitched cry that I took to be the avian equivalent of wheeeeee!!!
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Lots of fieldfares out today.
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At BiL's: siskin, gsw & a flock of long tailed tits.
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8214/8333736286_bc09f7a1cd_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/8333736286/)
IMG_1124 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/8333736286/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8355/8332673653_cda7426a1d_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/8332673653/)
IMG_1125 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/8332673653/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8223/8333724566_4ee30a9573_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/8333724566/)
IMG_1113 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/8333724566/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
No squirrels yet.
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Barn owl x2, hares and some reed buntings
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Swans on a 'lake' in a field.
I remember reading (a long time ago) a short story about a swan who was stuck, as they can't take off except on water, and it takes a fair stretch- 200 feet, maybe? My memory is rubbish, but I was reminded when I saw this pair today, and worried for them.
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It appears that the Stokenchurch Red Kite breeding programme has spread it's wings as far as Newbury :thumbsup:
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They are now regularly seen in Sunningdale now as well. It shouldn't take them long to reach the north downs in surrey now. :thumbsup:
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I saw a brace at close quarters this morning near Mortimer, south of Reading.
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Meanwhile, buzzards seem to be flourishing in Essex. We saw three in quick succession, the last of them from close range as it was perched in a tree. It flew off as we approached, but only as far as another tree, where it remained as we went past.
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They are now regularly seen in Sunningdale now as well. It shouldn't take them long to reach the north downs in surrey now. :thumbsup:
They appear to have got further than that (http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/wildlife/f/901/t/54173.aspx) already
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I spent a very happy 10 minutes watching a kite in Essex in July. I was on the London-Southend bike ride at the time.
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They are now regularly seen in Sunningdale now as well. It shouldn't take them long to reach the north downs in surrey now. :thumbsup:
They appear to have got further than that (http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/wildlife/f/901/t/54173.aspx) already
The thing is they are now getting common enough in S'dale that they hardly warrent a mention. Yet 20 years ago when on a school residential trip to mid wales one of the minibusses was stopped at the side of the road so that this rare bird could be pointed out to the bunch of year 7s in the back.
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Swans on a 'lake' in a field.
I remember reading (a long time ago) a short story about a swan who was stuck, as they can't take off except on water, and it takes a fair stretch- 200 feet, maybe? My memory is rubbish, but I was reminded when I saw this pair today, and worried for them.
There are hundreds of pairs of them on the Somerset levels in fields of varying flooded-ness (more so this year than ever before probably) and they seem to do fine there (not withstanding idiots shooting them like happened one year) despite not having long landing strips of water for take off normally. I suspect they will be fine!
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Dead fox :(
http://flic.kr/p/dHQbuT
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Also loads of geese, some buzzards and (quite rare these days) a kestrel.
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Heard but not seen, a tawny owl, or quite possibly more than one.
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Forgot about the baker's dozen of seals lounging at Bridge of Don.
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Swans on a 'lake' in a field.
I remember reading (a long time ago) a short story about a swan who was stuck, as they can't take off except on water, and it takes a fair stretch- 200 feet, maybe? My memory is rubbish, but I was reminded when I saw this pair today, and worried for them.
Can swans take off from land?
Yes, but they need at least 30 yards to become airborne and the same again to reach a safe height to clear surrounding obstructions such as houses.
So, in such circumstances, they should be fine.
Your memory about distance sounds about right, that reference is suggesting a clear 180 feet to fully take off (so 200 feet is within reasonable error bounds ie 10%).
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It appears that the Stokenchurch Red Kite breeding programme has spread it's wings as far as Newbury :thumbsup:
They are certainly commonplace around Overton and Whitchurch, which is not that far away. We went to the Hawk conservancy place outside Andover in September, and the resident black kites doing a display for the visitors were being hassled by native red kites, several of them at a time.
I notice they didn't harass the bald eagle when he was flying around, though ;D
This was during the visit when I got smacked on the head by a vulture... a most disconcerting experience!
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When we were there the local buzzards chased the bald eagle off and somewhat delayed its display. The only problem with red kites is that they tend to displace the buzzards and I like buzzards.
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Just had my first ever sighting of Waxwings. They have been at South Ealing station for best part of a week. I counted eight but there are reputed to be ten.
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A male hen harrier, Wallasea Island causeway near Lion Wharf, and a green woodpecker near the Shepherd & Dog pub, Ballards Gore.
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Today, the first red squirrel I have ever seen outside of a forest park. It was a huge one as well. And a bit further up the track a dead raptor, possibly a buzzard.
..d
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Vectra in the middle of a farmers field but as much as I looked at the skid marks I couldn't work out how it managed it
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Jay, several Green Woodpeckers and a large unidentified falcon, perhaps that which I took for a Peregrine Falcon the other week.
And a pair of muddied, sodden trainers left neatly by the side of the road. Presumably forgotten after sitting on the car boot sill and changing into driving shoes.
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A green and yellow budgie dead in the road - looked fresh - poor little thing.
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A buzzard, a couple of kestrels and, on my brother's bird feeder, a flock of redpoll and goldfinches.
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We had ~30 goldfinches this morning.
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Yesterday and today, a field full of fieldfare :D I heard an owl in the middle of the night on a trip to the loo block, but I didn't see it.
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I saw an owl on Friday night, heading to the campsite :smug:
We also heard a woodpecker in the trees close by the tent.
And saw a pair of swans flying over very low in close formation, checking out the fishing lake (I think). I couldn't say if the two we saw later swimming on the water were the same ones.
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I saw an owl on Friday night, heading to the campsite :smug:
We also heard a woodpecker in the trees close by the tent.
And saw a pair of swans flying over very low in close formation, checking out the fishing lake (I think). I couldn't say if the two we saw later swimming on the water were the same ones.
Swans flying is proof of the beautiful, unlikely absurdity of life itself I always think. You can't see them and not watch.
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Vectra in the middle of a farmers field but as much as I looked at the skid marks I couldn't work out how it managed it
Driving by the seat of his pants? :demon:
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A forlorn blackbird trying to dig up something edible from the frozen ground.
I put some sunflower seeds down, in the hope he'd find them.
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Good man. We put out oily bread, too, in this weather. It should be ok until they are breeding. Don't want them stuffing their chicks with it!
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Mr Blackbird came back with Mrs Blackbird, & they guzzled the lot!
I put out some more. I have a bird feeder, but it's no good for blackbirds.
Oily bread sounds like a good idea. Calorie rich. I have a stale bread roll with sunflower seeds. Break it up? How oily?
[Edit]Just remembered that I have some lard. That won't run out of the bread.
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We dice some cheap bread and sprinkle sunflower oil over it and stir it up. We make a bowl of it and put it out two or three times a day. I should imagine you could just dice the lard, too but don't put it where you might walk!
Peter
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They like apples & pears too. Cut them in half & place flesh side up on the ground.
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They currently have most of a nectarine. Mrs B threw it out when she found it was going mouldy where bruised.
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And we put some old salami pizza out at night. Usually it's gone by morning to a fox, cats, birds and slugs, but not this time. Perhaps they only like pepperoni.
In the actually seen news - a bumble bee, crawling groggily across the pavement of a busy road. What could have woken it up at this time of year, in these temperatures?
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The scent of salami pizza?
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They currently have most of a nectarine. Mrs B threw it out when she found it was going mouldy where bruised.
Do they eat citrus, then?
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Citrus? Not that I know of, but I'm pretty sure they eat plums & cherries, so should like nectarines.
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Citrus? Not that I know of, but I'm pretty sure they eat plums & cherries, so should like nectarines.
I read nectarine, my brain pictured satsuma. WTF, brain ???
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Citrus? Not that I know of, but I'm pretty sure they eat plums & cherries, so should like nectarines.
I read nectarine, my brain pictured satsuma. WTF, brain ???
Seasons?
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Went outside to uncover the fat-soaked bread I put down yesterday, & disturbed a blackbird with its feathers fluffed up, which had found it (or remembered its location) despite the covering of snow.
Given the choice of fat-soaked bread & nectarine, they prefer fat-soaked bread. At least, when it's freezing out.
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I have a very sweet little robin that comes every day. I've put out fatballs from the pound shop, and melted the ice in the birdbath.
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I saw an owl on Friday night, heading to the campsite :smug:
That'll be Mrs T's owl, coming to see you :) We've not seen it in a while, so it must have been heading South!
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Maybe ;)
I was very lucky to spot it. I had a headtorch on to read the map, and caught a movement in my peripheral vision. I swung my head round, and spotlit the owl, swooping silently along. Amazing.
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The pizza-eating fox has just been round for its supper.
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Fieldfares and redwings in the garden mixing it with the blackbirds.
Also hares in the local fields
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Not actually seen, but Mrs B & I heard this noise this morning, from woods near Mapledurham, repeated quite a few times.
http://sounds.bl.uk/Environment/British-wildlife-recordings/022M-W1CDR0001444-1700V0 (http://sounds.bl.uk/Environment/British-wildlife-recordings/022M-W1CDR0001444-1700V0)
It sounded close. There were several deer tracks (but I thought of smaller deer) heading in that direction.
I've seen fallow deer not far (as in a mile or so away) from there.
[Edit]Mrs B was skeptical of my explanation of the noise, until I played the recording linked to. Definitely the same.
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Mid afternoon yesterday (Sunday). Solitary redwing in the back garden.
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Deer tracks in our garden yesterday.
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Lots of Brambling on the feeders today along with a few Reed Buntings.
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Bumper, where are you - Scotland?
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Bumper, where are you - Scotland?
I wish!
Staffordshire.
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Thanks - maybe there are some here in Lancashire, then. I'll keep my eyes peeled!
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Hopefully you will!
They are still here in a large mixed flock. My garden has been a feed station for them for years now. There's a large nature reserve about 100 yards from my house that has some nice rarities that frequent, I also think its a stop off for flocks on their way to Cannock Chase. If the weather continues like it is today (snowing again!) I will pop over onto the reserve tomorrow with the bins and camera because I won't be able to work!!
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A treecreeper on the tree in front of our kitchen window. Have seen all sorts of birds on this little tree before including a long eared owl but that's the first treecreepr.
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Down at the Creek country park.
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/nicknacknick/shrew_zpsafd356b0.jpg)
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/nicknacknick/fox_zpsfd535d91.jpg)
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A greenfinch singing loudly at the top of a tree in a neighbour's garden.
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What is that corpse, Nicknack? It's not your common-or-garden rattus norvegicus, is it?
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No. I should have put something in the pic to give an idea of scale. It's a shrew.
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Ta. I thought it looked rat-size but shrew-like. I was struggling to find something that fitted.
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rattus norvegicus are keeping well in this weather, I keep seeing them scurrying around near the pigs. Inevitable I suppose, with the food waste.
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I had a very good view of a greater spotted woodpecker yesterday, trying to chisel noisily into the wood of a false acacia. When they are drumming the remind me of limpets clinging to rock. It's the way they spread their wings.
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ducks a swan ,a green woodpecker, 2 jays and a red kite as i rode a short section of ncn61 jubilee river slough :)
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Ducks on a frozen pond just as u turn into Blackmore before the tearooms
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Waxwings (http://flic.kr/s/aHsjDLK6Rf) :thumbsup:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8467/8420000642_219d5a8e38_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/8420000642/)
023 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/8420000642/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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And what we think was a snipe in a ginger cat's mouth (it got away :thumbsup:) .
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Waxwings (http://flic.kr/s/aHsjDLK6Rf) :thumbsup:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8467/8420000642_219d5a8e38_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/8420000642/)
023 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/8420000642/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Brilliant aren't they!
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Thursday night, something called an Owl Hawk. It had a white face, black "side burns". Hawk like wings but short neck, flying at low level across a field. I phoned the BBC about it and we tried to work out where I'd seen it by using BING maps.
Ah. Did I mention this all took place in a dream?
Then on Saturday, a rhinoceros. Closer inspection through dirty glasses revealed it to be two sheep standing near each other.
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Yesterday, in the dunes between Seahouses and Bamburgh, I saw a puffin. I got wildly excited about it, till I realised that the Farne Islands, just out to sea, are thronged with them.
But then I decided to get excited about it anyway. I haven't seen one for many years.
Not far away from there, there was a kestrel hovering over the side of the road, unconcerned by the approaching cyclists. Unfortunately, a car scared it off.
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Walking through Mayow Park in SE26 on Saturday, carrying a 5lb chicken, some very tasty sausages, a pound of minced beef, two bottles of shampoo, two bottles of red wine, a bottle of gin, two bottles of tonic, two bottles of handwash, some double cream, some bananas, some coffee, a jar of local honey, some St Agur and some stinky Brie, I spied a pair of mistle thrushes, a single song thrush, a solitary fieldfare and a flock of redwings. And I heard a GSW drumming.
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Sat eating lunch, we saw a couple of long-tailed tits land on the bush just outside. There are very few small birds in and around our garden, and birdfood can often remain unclaimed, so this pair was a joy to see. :)
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Yesterday, in the dunes between Seahouses and Bamburgh, I saw a puffin. I got wildly excited about it, till I realised that the Farne Islands, just out to sea, are thronged with them.
But then I decided to get excited about it anyway. I haven't seen one for many years.
Get excited again. It should've been in Morocco at this time of year. Lazy puffin.
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Oh dear. That probably means it was a poorly one which had been unable to migrate :(
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Yesterday, in the dunes between Seahouses and Bamburgh, I saw a puffin. I got wildly excited about it, till I realised that the Farne Islands, just out to sea, are thronged with them.
But then I decided to get excited about it anyway. I haven't seen one for many years.
Get excited again. It should've been in Morocco at this time of year. Lazy puffin.
I've never sen a puffin and I want to.
Who's going to take my puffing cherry? :P
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A dead rat. Very wet, drowned-looking (but not near water) on the allotment. Council workmen had been round earlier slashing the hedge (& littering my plot, the messy bastards - Ginster's wrappings as well as privet trimmings), but I can't work out any connection.
Fox turds on a vegetable bed.
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Hopefully I will get the chance to play with one of these http://www.bushnell.com/all-products/trail-cameras/trophy-cam/trophy-cam-hd-brown when the students have finished with them.. I have some cunning plans
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At the weekend, whilst in Chathill for the camping weekend, I sawed a Barn Owl.
Yesterday and today, be virtue of the factI took the riverside route to the office rather than the boring street route, I saw a swan (both days) on the River Aire in central Leeds.
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Sanderlings and turnstones on Westcliff sea front, as well as loads of gulls.
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Big fox meandering through the garden as I had my breakfast. It must be the chickens - this one was hyoooge - and looking very red as it ambled up over the wall.
In a week or so I'll get the gamecam and be able to get some decent pics. Maybe.
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Some dolphins in the harbour this morning. A seal yesterday.
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The greater spotted woodpeckers have been active lately. I saw a pair cavorting around in some trees a couple of days ago and one was drumming assiduously this morning.
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The greater spotted woodpeckers have been active lately. I saw a pair cavorting around in some trees a couple of days ago and one was drumming assiduously this morning.
One likes to hammer away on the BT pole outside our house. It sometimes visits our bird feeders as well. I have never seen a green woodpecker though.
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The greater spotted woodpeckers have been active lately. I saw a pair cavorting around in some trees a couple of days ago and one was drumming assiduously this morning.
One likes to hammer away on the BT pole outside our house. It sometimes visits our bird feeders as well. I have never seen a green woodpecker though.
We get a green woodpecker on our lawn quite frequently.
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Whilst waiting for a couple of trains to pass at the Mitcham Eastfields level crossing (https://maps.google.co.uk/?ll=51.407622,-0.154265&spn=0.000572,0.001177&t=m&z=19&layer=c&cbll=51.407656,-0.154822&panoid=HJnZ-j4_raO2AAM3pq6_ew&cbp=12,120.55,,0,11.94), a very cheeky member of the rattus genus, came out from under the barrier and wandered my way, apparently in search of some particularly appealing scrap, which he (or she) grabbed, and then legged it back into the growth near the line, as a train trundled through. It seemed to be the train that caused it to scarper, it didn't seem to be particularly worried about me, even though I was only three or four feet away.
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A black squirrel, just outside Byercycles. I didn't know such things existed (black squirrels that is. I've been to Byercycles before).
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A black squirrel, just outside Byercycles. I didn't know such things existed (black squirrels that is. I've been to Byercycles before).
I didn't know they existed over here. I've seen them in the USA (there's quite a lot in Washington DC)
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Two Kestrels - one in a field (on the ground possibly eating prey?) and one fabulous encounter where the kestrel flew along the road about 10 yards in front of me for a good 30 seconds or so - brilliant!
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A black squirrel, just outside Byercycles. I didn't know such things existed (black squirrels that is. I've been to Byercycles before).
I didn't know they existed over here. I've seen them in the USA (there's quite a lot in Washington DC)
They are just a variant of grey squirrels, not a separate species.
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We get a green woodpecker on our lawn quite frequently.
I think that's what this is. Haven't seen one before spotting this in my garden today
(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj624/markwilson9000/DSC4378.jpg)
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<last night>
A fox standing in the middle of the road, which didn't seem to be aware of what was going on around it. I eventually had to shout at it (from about 15' away), or I'd have ridden right into it.
nice green woodpecker pic btw
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On Thursday: lone dolphin in the harbour, 3 seals in R. Don.
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Today: a couple of big skeins of geese, skylarks larking in the sky, yellowhammers asking for bread sans cheese, GSWs drumming, 4 white swans flying in formation across a snowy field honking, red breasted merganser (I think), loadsa buzzards, lambs!
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11 seals and a deer.
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Among others, a buzzard hunting for worms. A red sqrl, sadly it had joined the choir invisible :'(
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a heron and 2 parrots :o just off ncn61 near slough cricket club.
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A red sqrl, sadly it had joined the choir invisible :'(
Pic:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8377/8483428658_633960d10d_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/8483428658/)
IMG_1255 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/8483428658/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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A dipper, in Waskerley Beck.
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Crime scene in our garden:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8375/8483424486_059c0d3e60_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/8483424486/)
IMG_1251 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/8483424486/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Crime? Critters gotta eat!
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Crime? Critters gotta eat!
I think next doors' cat (assumption) is pretty well fed!
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Crime? Critters gotta eat!
I think next doors' cat (assumption) is pretty well fed!
Do cats pluck like that? My first reaction was "sparrowhawk".
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Tentsmuir, Saturday: common scoter, lots of eider, long-tailed ducks, grey seals and a small flock of snow buntings.
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Crime? Critters gotta eat!
I think next doors' cat (assumption) is pretty well fed!
Do cats pluck like that? My first reaction was "sparrowhawk".
There was a sparrowhawk about last year, I don't know if its still around. I've only seen it once & that was a few months ago.
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Crime? Critters gotta eat!
I think next doors' cat (assumption) is pretty well fed!
Do cats pluck like that? My first reaction was "sparrowhawk".
There was a sparrowhawk about last year, I don't know if its still around. I've only seen it once & that was a few months ago.
Sprawks can keep a very low profile: http://edinburghhawkwatch.org.uk/sparrowhawk
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A wren, darting about by the Kennet. The usual kites, two kestrels, lots of jackdaws, robins . . .
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A badger, on last night's Reading CTC ride.
Imagine the scene: eleven cyclists cruising along a rural road, they come across a badger crossing it. Brock stops, glares at them for a moment, then slowly, reluctantly, turns round & trudges back into the undergrowth. One could almost hear it thinking 'bloody cyclists'.
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50 + Waxwing , Victoria Road , Surbiton.
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This afternoon cycling near Biddenden a buzzard flew across the road in front of me. This is the first positive sighting of one that I have had in this area although I have seen large raptor-like shapes in the distance, and widespread panic of smaller birds on several occasions in the last couple of years. These birds certainly seem to have made quite a comeback in recent years; I remember perhaps 20 years ago there being some buzzard conservancy programme being run in Cornwall near where my brother lives, and they were an unusual sight even there. They seem much more common now.
And later in the ride a large falcon. Unable to positively indentify it, but perhaps a peregrine.
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Granny Annie's friendly 'dalmatian' blackbird. More white than black, but a bit flighty and scarpered before I could get a snap.
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Evidence of global warming ?
Gorse bush in flower on the Shropshire Union canal side.
Bonkers !
p.s I don't think it's been much mre than 4 degrees all week !
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But gorse flowers pretty much year round (depending on the species): http://www.plantlife.org.uk/wild_plants/plant_species/gorse/
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2 deer. 1st ran across the road in front of me, 2nd ran onto the road, did a comedy skid & ran back.
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But gorse flowers pretty much year round (depending on the species): http://www.plantlife.org.uk/wild_plants/plant_species/gorse/
Kissing's in season when the furze is in flower. :thumbsup:
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A great profusion of pied wagtails (100+) this afternoon in the shopping centre car parks (Cribbs Causeway, N Bristol), busily exploring the gaps between the block paviors. Seen them often in twos & threes, but never before in such abundance.
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a couple of buzzards in windsor park this afternoon :)
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Finally after many years, the word about the avian catering chez Ham (Fill yer beak, any day of the week) has been passed onto a flock of long tailed tits.
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A huge rat (of a size that is a tale for which the world is almost not ready) sauntering across the depot walkway earlier on.
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Either you or the rat are a long way from home, WW ;)
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Sure it wasn't a loose capybara?
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I saw a hooded crow today.
No, really. It was wearing a grey tabard and everyfink.
Or at least some sort of NE hybrid.
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There is a zone where hoodies and carrion crows hybridise; Aberdeen would probably be towards the southeastern edge. There are simlar zones in Germany/Denmark and northern Italy.
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A small mustelid. I'm claiming it as a weasel 'cos it was tiny & I didn't see a black tip to its tail*. It scuttled across the road in front of me then turned round and ran back.
*Don't even think about it Wowbagger :demon: :)
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Buzzards :)
Kestrel :D
Red kite :D :thumbsup: 8)
First time I've seen a red kite on South Deeside.
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First time I've seen a red kite on South Deeside.[/color]
Ah, they are not so uncommon there.
I do like the acrobatics of the kites.
As you probably know, there's a nesting site out near us, on the North of the Dee, just outside Peterculter.
They come out to play fairly often here.
We've had them swooping about over the house a few times, and a couple of years ago they were having a major battle with local crows at the football pitch whilst Junior 2 was playing a game. No-one was watching the football, as the airborne action was spectacular. The kites were swooping down to near-ground level over the football pitch.
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On my way to the start of the Kennet Valley 200 yesterday morning, just as it was getting light, an owl about 70 metres ahead of me, flying above the roadside ditch. I got a bit closer to it over the next 200 m or so, then he was attacked by a magpie, shortly joined by a second. After a lengthy episode of avian animosity, the owl darted across the road and took refuge in a hole in the bottom of the hedge, followed by the magpies, which both stood guard in front of the hole as if waiting for the owl to emerge. As I got nearer, however, they sensed my presence and flew off across the field, pursued by the owl.
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Coming home from a gig last night, about 11.30, a barn owl perched on a post by the side of the road.
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Turnstones. Loads of 'em. On the wharf at Whitstable. I do love their backs in flight. :)
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From the train, a small group of wigeon in a wet field between Markinch and Ladybank.
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I came very close to squishing an urban fox last night, whilst going down Rectory Lane (https://maps.google.co.uk/?ll=51.424915,-0.155815&spn=0.004308,0.011362&t=m&z=17) towards Amen Corner in Tooting.
To be fair, I only just saw him or her. It ran out from behind some cars, saw me at the last moment, and beat a hasty retreat, but came extremely close to be jammed under my front wheel.
Rectory Lane is one of the few roads where I can easily beat a car, because it's a moderate downhill with a fair number of speed bumps, and a 20mph speed limit (for motor vehicles). With no cars in site (other than parked ones) I was going at a moderate pace, and Vince is also quite quiet, so the fox probably didn't hear me coming.
Whilst I see a lot of foxes on my commute, that's the closest I've been to one recently. I can live without that sort of proximity however!
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From the train, a small group of wigeon in a wet field between Markinch and Ladybank.
Small flock of wigeon
In a wet field between Markinch
And Ladybank
Well, almost haiku'd
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A dead fallow deer by the side of the road last night. Looked fresh, but we couldn't fit it on our bikes. Spring antlers, stubby & soft looking.
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An frog in secondary position on the ascent of Quarry Wood Road this morning. Sadly, said frog was doing dead fly impression, baring it's spotted underbelly. No sign of damage, just complete inactivity :(
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A total of six dead badgers on a ride through the Cheshire lanes yesterday, it was only a 30 miler. All but one of the dead looked very recent.
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From the train, a small group of wigeon in a wet field between Markinch and Ladybank.
Small flock of wigeon
In a wet field between Markinch
And Ladybank
Well, almost haiku'd
That's pretty good RJ. How about:-
In a flooded field
'Twixt Markinch and Ladybank
Small flock of widgeon
'Twixt is a bit twee but it gives the "correct" syllable pattern, though I'd be inclined to write "between" anyway, as the 17 thing doesn't strictly translate to syllables in English. Do you like Basho?
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A small mustelid. I'm claiming it as a weasel 'cos it was tiny & I didn't see a black tip to its tail*. It scuttled across the road in front of me then turned round and ran back.
*Don't even think about it Wowbagger :demon: :)
O:-)
That's me not even thinking about it.
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On my neighbours fence
This misty late winter's day
Sat a collared dove
Not rare in the greater scheme of things, but it's the first one I've seen in four years here.
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The haiku works - but one collared dove in four years? Should have gone to Specsavers!
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Wood pigeons abound
Though not its smaller cousin
Round these Warwick parts
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:)
Doves and pigeons both
The tree opposite our house
High rise apartments!
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You wait four years for a haiku
then three come along at once
Typic
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I see why the magpies are interested in an old nest (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=29530.msg1431867#msg1431867). They're recycling the material for a new nest in another nearby tree.
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Spring magpies building
Environmental corvids
Recycling old nest
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An frog in secondary position on the ascent of Quarry Wood Road this morning. Sadly, said frog was doing dead fly impression, baring it's spotted underbelly. No sign of damage, just complete inactivity :(
I forgot to mention that on Wednesday night numerous frogs were crossing the toad. Or something like that. And at least two defunct amphibians were adorning the roads of central Berkshire when we cycled past.
Today, a kingfisher, flying above the waters of the collection of office buildings known as Green Park, by junction 11 of the M4. Also, a greater spotted woodpecker, at the same time & a little higher. While I saw & pointed at the kingfisher, Mrs B saw & called out to me about the woodpecker.
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TGL & I saw a woodpecker in the cemetery in Carshalton yesterday when we were out and about with our cameras. It took a long time to find it, high in the tree above us, but it moved round the trunk, then flew off, when we could see the colours very clearly.
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I heard a woodpecker very clearly as I stopped to post a letter on my Friday commute. The sound was coming from a clump of trees next to the railway that runs from Honor Oak to Brockley. Last summer we had one that regularly brought its fledgling to our garden, deposited it safely on a high branch in the old cherry tree and fed it from the fat feeder that hangs there. I wonder how it finds its new neighbours, a large flock of green parakeets which has lately taken up residence in the same clump of trees. Noisy and rowdy bunch, they are.
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I forgot to mention this when it happened last week.
Somewhere between Watton & Norwich, as I was comming round a bend with a car close behind, I spotted, on the opposite lane of the road, what I first took to be a Muntjac deer, then I thought "no, it's a dog...
...hold on, what sort of dog has ears like that?" :o
It was actulally the biggest damned HARE I have ever seen (and I've seen alot having lived in the fens for 40 years)
It held a good primary position lolloping along in the opposite lane, unperturbed by me and the supprised car driver behind me, passing within 4 ft of it.
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Which in turn reminds me, spotted lolloping along a field alongside the railway line as I took the train to Audley End on Friday afternoon, a very long-legged hare. They are weird animals - we used to see them close up on the farm where my sis- and bro-in-law lived near Watlington and it always surprised us how tall they were.
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I see why the magpies are interested in an old nest (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=29530.msg1431867#msg1431867). They're recycling the material for a new nest in another nearby tree.
A pair of crows were taking an interest in the new nest. They looked like they were trying to take material or destroy it. The magpies were not happy!
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Which in turn reminds me, spotted lolloping along a field alongside the railway line as I took the train to Audley End on Friday afternoon, a very long-legged hare. They are weird animals - we used to see them close up on the farm where my sis- and bro-in-law lived near Watlington and it always surprised us how tall they were.
I just adore hares, they are quite the most lovely and aristocratic of animals. As for a shortage of collared doves, or as they are called in our house hold "cut heres" with reference to the cutting line marked on their annoying necks, bring it on! I hate the bloody things, and their fat friends too. they just barge and crowd out the "real" birds. Loutish things...
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Collared doves nesting
In tall trees somewhere nearby
Frequent visitors
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Yesterday: a deer (fallow I think) bounding across the Railway Path in a cutting. And on top of the Mendips, three dead badgers within abut two hundred yards of each other, looking rather neat; was it just coincidence that one of them was outside a cottage next to a tree in the garden from which a dead crow was hanging by a string?
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Out-of-place moorhens
Strimmer evictees from the
Business park ponds ...
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Actually from Sunday's Audax ride in The Dales:-
Park Rash climb begins
Wise old woodpecker yaffles
No laughing matter
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(Can't do pomes) :-\
We regularly have a yaffle feeding on the lawns around the office. I disturbed him as I arrived yesterday morning and he treated me to the sight of him flying across the grass then perching on the trunk of a tree. Nice way to start the day.
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Finally found one.
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8510/8571726459_02741e56d1_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/8571726459/)
Foxed again! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/8571726459/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
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This morning: 3 deer in the garden.
They seem to apperar here from time to time, but I'm not sure how they get here from the woodlands. We're all fenced in. They run away through a gap in the fence to the neighbour's garden ( the fence stops at a wooded area creating a porous border), so there must be a way in there.
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Just had a lone Goldfinch in a bush near the back doors collecting nesting material , lovely sight. They are not uncommon around here but are normally only seen , and heard , up in the trees.
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2 kites hovering effortlessly on the ridge at the top of Crook's Peak in Somerset. They were only 20 feet away from us so we had a good view.
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They are quite stunning to watch in action, up close and personal aren't they?
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They are quite stunning to watch in action, up close and personal aren't they?
Yes ;D
Simon wished he had taken his Canon EOS up there, I didn't think I could capture them with a phone camera very well.
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A sparrowhawk flew across the road in front of me between two suburban gardens. I stopped to have a look and it flew back past me , so close I could have touched it. It then wandered around on the ground , presumably looking for worms or some other ground based prey.
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This morning I spent some time watching a nuthatch in some beech trees by the Bath Yh. I was quite pleased because it was its call that first drew my attention to it and I thought to myself "that sounds like a nuthatch!". I haven't seen all that many nuthatches before.
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Herd of wowdeer buzzing the FNRttC peleton. Pretty spectacular.
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A fox ran across the road in front of us on the way to Northallerton then ran alongside in the adjacent field before stopping & watching us go by. A few seconds later a barn owl flew across our path.
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A fox ran across the road in front of us on the way to Northallerton then ran alongside in the adjacent field before stopping & watching us go by. A few seconds later a barn owl flew across our path.
Are you sure you weren't being treated to an impromptu roadside performance of the Gruffalo ?
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Usual Berkshire & North Hampshire wildlife today (pheasants, rabbits, kites, etc).
But yesterday morning, when nobody else was around, Mrs B & I found where our allotment fox lives. There's an overgrown corner, not part of any plot, where people dump stuff they don't want to try composting, such as branches & perennial weed roots. It's covered in very high brambles. Mrs B was poking around, & found a shed! Covered in ivy, wooden with a corrugated asbestos roof, leaning at an angle, & just where the council map of the site shows a small building.
We hacked through vegetation & a wall of dumped branches & peered in through a missing window (the intact one was too dirty) - to see signs of recent animal activity, including a very well-used burrow about the right size for a fox!
We're wondering if there are cubs in there.
We re-blocked the path we'd cut, & left the fox or foxes in peace.
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A fox ran across the road in front of us on the way to Northallerton then ran alongside in the adjacent field before stopping & watching us go by. A few seconds later a barn owl flew across our path.
Are you sure you weren't being treated to an impromptu roadside performance of the Gruffalo ?
??? I recall nothing of such wildlifery frolics. Was I asleep at the time?
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A fox ran across the road in front of us on the way to Northallerton then ran alongside in the adjacent field before stopping & watching us go by. A few seconds later a barn owl flew across our path.
Are you sure you weren't being treated to an impromptu roadside performance of the Gruffalo ?
??? I recall nothing of such wildlifery frolics. Was I asleep at the time?
One of us was :P Are you going to tell me that animal hallucinations are normal on an Easter Arrow?
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A fox ran across the road in front of us on the way to Northallerton then ran alongside in the adjacent field before stopping & watching us go by. A few seconds later a barn owl flew across our path.
Are you sure you weren't being treated to an impromptu roadside performance of the Gruffalo ?
??? I recall nothing of such wildlifery frolics. Was I asleep at the time?
One of us was :P Are you going to tell me that animal hallucinations are normal on an Easter Arrow?
Pingu - You were not having animal hallucinations - I saw the fox and the owl as well :thumbsup:
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One of us was :P Are you going to tell me that animal hallucinations are normal on an Easter Arrow?
I have it on good authority that a dragon used to live in a tree by the Shap road. Didn't you see it?
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Three linnets, looking quite pink-breasted. A few weeks ago they were brown except for their red caps.
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wind chill :o :)
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Two male blackcaps in our garden today.
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I've just checked the Southend RSPB website. No-one reported seeing a swallow at all in March. The "Latest sightings" and "Migration reports" pages have been in operation since 2003 and this is the first year since then that no swallow reports have been made in March.
The only summer visitors reported so far are a Sandwich Tern on 10th March and a black redstart on 15th March.
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From the cafe at the Cotswold Water Park, we watched a whole load of birds perched on rushes queueing for a feeder, planted in the water just away from the edge. There were several kinds of tits, including great, coal, long-tailed and blue, and a female reed warbler. We didn't know this last until we went to the toilets, and passed a wallchart showing common birds. Pretty little thing, isn't it?
There were some canny ducks swimming around below the feeder catching everything dropped onto the water by the birds pecking above.
In Ross, we saw buzzards and kites among others. Lovely.
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Not today but last week, what I am sure was a Grey Shrike, ground hopping on the grass of the big island at the bottom of Marlow Hill, High Wycombe, opposite Wycombe Abbey Girls School.
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A pair of Buzzards soaring over the village. Makes a nice change from the Red Kites that have become a frequent sight.
Then driving back down the A322 this evening a deer eating the grass on the verge of a 70mph DC. Cue deceleration, cover brakes, edge right in the lane etc. but it stayed put.
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Stood underneath a conker tree full of parakeets (50?) eating the blossom buds. So no conkers this year.
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And no candles either. Sad.
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Was struggling to keep up with the brisk Reading CTC ride last night (maybe my cold was dragging me down - same pace as 2 weeks ago, when I was fine), so said my goodbyes & ploughed a lonely but shorter & gentler furrow to the pub.
One advantage of cycling alone at night is the wildlife one catches in the lights. The fox was no big deal. The three fallow deer hinds were better, especially as they stood on the verge looking at me until I was very close indeed, presumably not quite sure what the quiet thing behind the approaching bright light was. But the other beastie - well, I was puzzled. It looked damned like a polecat, but I wasn't aware they'd spread this far. I remember when the nearest were along the Welsh border. Just in case, I looked up the distribution, & was surprised to find that there are quite a few of 'em in Berkshire & Oxfordshire nowadays. So it probably was may well have been a polecat. :thumbsup:
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I've just checked the Southend RSPB website. No-one reported seeing a swallow at all in March. The "Latest sightings" and "Migration reports" pages have been in operation since 2003 and this is the first year since then that no swallow reports have been made in March.
The only summer visitors reported so far are a Sandwich Tern on 10th March and a black redstart on 15th March.
They have now.
http://www.southendrspb.co.uk/sightings.htm refers.
Wednesday 3rd April
Laindon 16:35
Swallow dead in West Mayne road. Web Author.
:(
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I saw a hooded crow today.
No, really. It was wearing a grey tabard and everyfink.
Or at least some sort of NE hybrid.
I saw one during the week in Torry.
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First skylark of the year, when I was riding down to Northallerton on Thursday.
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Lovely little Blackcap flitting through the bamboo outside my window at work. Nice.
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Goldcrests on the windowsill outside the kitchen at work. Very distracting when I was trying to chair a difficult meeting, but they are oh so beautiful! The male had an orange mohican.
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Goldcrests on the windowsill outside the kitchen at work. Very distracting when I was trying to chair a difficult meeting, but they are oh so beautiful! The male had an orange mohican.
Oh you lucky thing!
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Yes. I thought so. :)
EDIT: Butterfly thinks they may have been Firecrests. She may be right.
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Ooh, forgot. Saw a Brimstone on Sunday in Purley. Probably tucked up out the wet today.
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Yes. I thought so. :)
EDIT: Butterfly thinks they may have been Firecrests. She may be right.
Firecrests are really bright and black-and-white-stripy-faced. Goldcrests's eyes (and mohicans) stand out becasue the rest of the head is quite plain. Firecrests are also pretty scarce in GB&I ...
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(http://www.markhancoxbirdphotography.co.uk/filestore/latest/goldcrest_woods_1_.jpg)
Goldcrest
(http://williamjswhite.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/bp_firecrest_17_180308_450.jpg)
Firecrest
The chief difference is the white eyestripe, apparently.
I don't think I've ever seen a firecrest.
A few years ago, shortly after I bought my digital SLR camera, I was wandering around Priory Park looking for stuff to photograph. I could hear a very high-pitched commotion going on in a holly bush so crept up to see what it was.
It was two male goldcrests fighting. It all ended when one shot out of the bush and disappeared. The other followed, stopped on a branch about 4' from me, erected his crest for about a second, and was gone. I was far too slow to get a photograph.
(http://peter.chesspod.com/gallery/d/171-2/DSC_0149.jpg)
There's one I took of a very miserable-looking goldcrest from April 2005.
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Grim no more:
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/Riggers_1956/Smiley-goldcrest_zps1b0c7f33.jpg)
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Riggerers, you disappoint me! Where's the pipe?
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Reserved for a special occasion.
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I just took Morphy for his bedtime constitutional.
On the way home I saw a fox go through this gate
http://goo.gl/maps/w1z01
which was also our chosen route.
Once round the far side of the church, I caught a brief glimpse of a pair of foxes cavorting in the planet-slaying floodlights that the C of E likes to use for night-time illumination of the church, just in case God can't find his way home on a Friday night. Almost immediately after the foxes disappeared, a badger entered the church yard by this gate.
http://goo.gl/maps/N5wgE
Morphy and I stood stock still, quite close to the church buildings, and meles meles, being unaware of our existence, bumbled towards us and didn't notice us until he was about four feet form Morphy's nose. The badger stopped and just looked at us for about 5 seconds. Morphy, interested, stood and wagged. Then the badger decided that we weren't really the sort of company he was after, turned away and disappeared somewhere off to our left.
Morphy's reaction was interesting. I'm pretty sure that, had it been a fox that close, he would have gone ballistic. I'm convinced that foxes deliberately wind dogs up. Badgers are far less provocative.
For my part, it's the closest I've been to a badger since one knocked me off my bike.
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Bizarrely, a DEER wandering inquisitively around Piper's Way in Swindon (http://goo.gl/maps/Bpd2x) (having a good nose around Intel's offices).
Despite his lack of concern at the traffic, he was somewhat reluctant to be approached by a fat brightly-dressed cyclist and I was able to shepherd him softly to the back of Intel's car park and back through the hole in the fence he'd come from.
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Flying over SE23 (near catford) this morning, a buzzard. Sparrowhawks and kestrels are usual, peregrines occasionally, but never seen a buzzard round here before.
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I almost headbutted one of the gold/firecrests earlier. I was walking round the outside of the building, and one tried to sit tight on a branch which crossed the path at my forehead level. It must have been about five inches away when it took off at high speed away.
I spent some time staking out the kitchen window, but they didn't make themselves apparent (even before I'd gone round & disturbed them).
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A swallow! 1.05pm, Gravel Road, Nayland.
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Also swallow x2 near Ely, as well as an insomniac bat :)
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Two swallows! A few miles apart, SW of Reading, between 3 & 4 pm.
A muntjac casually strolling across the road near Hamstead Marshall (SW of Newbury).
Numerous cock pheasants, including one which couldn't decide how to get off the road.
Also -
Roadkill: badger, frog & nestling (blackbird?).
Carcass of a calf, in a field. Mostly eaten. Hide left on the head & feet. Perhaps born in the worst of the March weather & didn't survive. Cows & larger (well, they lived & grew) calves in the field.
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A heron. A buzzard. Signs of two separate (widely separated)
badgerauks spadgerorcs Accipiter nisus. And, most surprising of all, a bumble bee.
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We saw loadsa herons on the Port Navigation yesterday. Also a wooderypeckery drumming & getting a reply. And a sparrowhawk.
Just remembered: a pair of goosanders in Aberdeen harbour during the week.
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There was a coot standing in the middle of the road at Carshalton Ponds this morning. Paid no attention to my passing by. I hope the self-preservation instinct kicked in before a car got there.
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I saw the local Dipper yesterday and a big plump of frogspawn, which was a nice start to the day.
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A stiff badger, a fairly fresh-looking dead hare, & a partridge scuttling into the hedgerow as I cycled past.
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A buzzard, a kestrel and another hawk - I think it was a sparrowhawk - as well as a little black rabbit and a hare. Unusually spotiferous day!
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a deer on ncn5 just north of reading last night :)
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Goldfinches x 2, on the niger seed feeder thing. At last they've got the message.
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Huge humble bee on the floor at work. I took some photos.
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A couple of days ago, a seagull flying off with what appeared to be a nest in its beak, while chased/mobbed by a smaller bird - presumably the (ex-)owner of the nest.
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Typical Aberdeenshire wildlife:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8398/8685581647_574e004a8b_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/8685581647/)
IMG_1420 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/8685581647/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8260/8686697626_16c9bb4b99_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/8686697626/)
IMG_1422 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/8686697626/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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A Swallow. Just the one, which doesn't make a summer. This is a shame because my boiler has just packed up.
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The usual LBJ birdy things. I took the microphone for a walk. Haven't yet worked out how to get a decent level out of it into the recorder so I still have too much background hiss.
https://soundcloud.com/david-martin-113/miley-birdsong1
https://soundcloud.com/david-martin-113/miley-birdsong2
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The usual LBJ birdy things. I took the microphone for a walk. Haven't yet worked out how to get a decent level out of it into the recorder so I still have too much background hiss.
https://soundcloud.com/david-martin-113/miley-birdsong1
https://soundcloud.com/david-martin-113/miley-birdsong2
Both robins, by the sound of it.
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On the way to 11ses this morning we saw a small white pony and trap. The small white pony was shedding hair in a snowstorm of flying folicleness! :o
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There is rather a lot more than just robins there. I hadn't actually seen the robins, saw wrens ('ack ack ack ack'), blue tits, collared doves, a tern ('pepp peep peep') and blackbirds. And probably plenty of others that were heard but not seen. A wagtail or two as well.
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The quick & the dead -
Flattened fauna: a polecat, near Mapledurham. This is my second recent polecat sighting round here, the other one being alive, at night.
Alive: some kites low & close, a sparrowhawk dashing overhead, a huge crow - or was it a raven wandering out of its normal range? Young rabbits, & a lot of rabbit holes which have obviously had recent digging.
Oh, & water beetles & mosquito larvae in the new pond. Fished out the latter.
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Larks, lambs, swallows, loadsa eiders, shelduck, curlew, trio of bananananana harbour seals, a pair of sandwich terns catching small silvery fish, a kestrel and an osprey :thumbsup:
All at Sands of Forvie (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/sets/72157633355086557/) :)
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Nice naked-eye view of a singing blackcap, just off Minto St, on the way to school with FirstBorn this morning. We agreed it was a "complicated" song ...
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A sparrowhawk hen picking feathers off the pigeon it had recently killed in my parents' back garden.
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Need an ID book for Larva:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8403/8696935538_cb69d194fb_z.jpg)
???
Found this evening.
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saw both daffodils and bluebells whilst out riding today :)
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Three herons.
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Need an ID book for Larva:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8403/8696935538_cb69d194fb_z.jpg)
???
Found this evening.
Anywhere near a forest, Brian? I think that's a pine sawfly.
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Sparrowhawk circling over the railway line between Forest Hill and Honor Oak Park this morning.
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Bats last night! Lots 'n lots of 'em.
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Bats last night! Lots 'n lots of 'em.
Used the bat detector for the first time this year last night. Got a couple of chirps but didn't see any bats.
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The dolphins were putting on show at the harbour entrance this morning. Right on cue: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-22365407
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Last week, Saturday in fact, we saw a Neegle. We also saw what looked like either a Buzzard or a Vulture whilst waiting for the taxi to whisk us off to the next town. I shouted at it to "Bugger off, we are not dead, yet"
A bit closer to home, Bertie the bat has returned. We see him around dusk flying around the back garden.
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We got our first back garden bat action of the year last night too :thumbsup:
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Cuckoos are finally back. Late this year.
Still no swifts. They'll be late also.
First Red Kite out and about too.
Saw a Black Woodpecker the other day too.
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I don't think red kites are a sign of spring. They remain around in abundance all year round by us.
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True I guess. Rarely see them in winter, but they're obviously about. Now the sun has come out, I guess there's a lot more dinner, so get to see them on the wing.
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Ooh - a couple of partridges between Dunkeld & Amulree.
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Another partridge, some hares, a wheatear, some goslings anna red sqrl :thumbsup:
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Some deer and a heron. (http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8131/8707251893_6506fc8487_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/8707251893/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/8707251893/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
I wasn't expecting the heron but obviously the drainage ditches are deep enough.
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A swift.
I was sitting on the beach at Sandown late on Sunday afternoon, probably the least appealing part of the Isle of Wight (possibly even worse than the car park round the back of matalan in Newport) and was watching a pair of common terns working the surf line when I spotted this little chap fluttering ashore from the south.
I wonder if this was its first glimpse of Britan after thousands of miles, and whether it was tempted to turn around and head back south.
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Swifts are finally here. Arrived on the 5th, set up home in the rafters right near the bedroom window again on the 6th. Noisy as heck this morning.
About the latest I've seen (well heard) them arrive. Usually is in the last week of April, but I guess it depends on the weather systems.
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Seen yesterday. Orange Tip (1).
House Martin or Swallow (1).
Swifts (0). If I were them I'd be staying in France. This weather is ridiculous.
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A bat kept me company late last night as I sped south on the B2036 near Gatwick. It was presumably hunting, as it flew along the line of the roadside hedge. Lighting glare from the airport gave me enough to see it by.
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Seen/heard on our recent mini-tour of the Netherlands (Thurs-Sun)
nightingales - lots in the dunes between the Hook of Holland and The Hague
five European white storks, three of them flying, one sitting on a nest and one strolling through a meadow. An amazing sight.
two herons eating curry
two cuckoos
edible frogs
several types of duck and geese, the latter with many goslings. The biggest brood seemed to have about 15 youngsters in it.
The normal sort of stuff (chaffinches, chiff-chaffs, sparrows, swallows, house martins, swifts)
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First swifts of the year up here.
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One I forgot from Holland: a lesser spotted woodpecker. It was in flight, I saw enough of it to see the pied markings and the up-and-down flight pattern, and it was considerably smaller than the GSWs I see regularly around Southend.
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A wolf spider sitting on a wall. Perhaps it was lying in wait for the ants which were crawling over the cornflowers. (ahh, summer!)
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(Y'day, but ...) - osprey, capercaillie, crested tit, house martin
EDIT: ... and red squirrel.
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A bat kept me company late last night as I sped south on the B2036 near Gatwick. It was presumably hunting, as it flew along the line of the roadside hedge. Lighting glare from the airport gave me enough to see it by.
Wednesday, oddly, I went up into London and came back via Gatwick train station. There were groups of house martins and swifts moving North over the city, and a few singleton swallows. I walked back up that road (Balcombe Road, B2036) and as I came under the motorway spur flyover a bat flew at speed the other way.
I have a picture of a lesser spotted woodpecker from Hungary, but the last week or so it has been GSWs drumming each morning. I have had a couple of good views of them.
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My bike is right outside the window, I can see it from my desk (where I am, as you can tell, hard at work ;)). A blue tit has just landed on the rack. :thumbsup:
Yesterday - a large spider with puce cephalothorax and legs and shiny grey abdomen, in our hall. I don't remember seeing one like that before - I thought it was worth looking at so called Mrs Cudzo to have a look, but she wasn't impressed! Later, and far away, heard but did not see a cuckoo.
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Swifts are finally here. Arrived on the 5th, set up home in the rafters right near the bedroom window again on the 6th. Noisy as heck this morning.
About the latest I've seen (well heard) them arrive. Usually is in the last week of April, but I guess it depends on the weather systems.
... and now in Embra. I might have missed them a bit earlier, but not by much, I reckon, as it's such a late year.
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Heard the first cuckoo of the year & I think we saw one too.
Saw a few deer about as well.
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Reported by Mrs B, seen on her run today, to her horror - a magpie robbing a blackbird's nest of its chicks, fighting off the hen blackbird's attempts to save them.
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Our magpies have been spending a lot of time chasing off the pigeons recently ???
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Not seen but heard, a barn owl making a right old screechy racket on our roof five minutes ago.
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On this mornings ride to work, as I rode along Winter Hill, a Red Kite took off from a field to my right, crossing the road. As it hit the ridge lift provided by the hill it just hung there over the road, tracking along the ridge no more than a few feet over my head. Marvelous sight.
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Mrs P
Rescued a bee
She fed it honey
Before setting it free:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7288/8846201408_2f37607901_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/8846201408/)
Rescued bee (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/8846201408/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Large red damselfly:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3758/8845911877_228547607c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26008756@N08/8845911877/)
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Spotted a pair of bats, could hardly hear them on the bat detector.
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Yesterday Jan and I heard our first BRITISH cuckoo of the year, on Two Tree Island.
This afternoon, when out on a tandem ride, we stopped to look at a rather pretty irrigation reservoir we know. Last week when we were there we saw a clutch of goslings.
Today there was nothing special to begin with but then I saw what I thought was a fin come out of the water from a dark clump of submerged weed growing very close to the bank. However, closer inspection showed that it wasn't a clump of weed at all but a tightly packed shoal of perch. It was impossible to count them but I would guess that there were over 100 of them. I didn't see any that were more than about 6" long and they were so tightly packed that I reckon an 18" diameter landing net, accurately thrown, would have caught the lot of them. I wondered if they had found something edible (perch like all kinds of revolting things) but they gradually moved along the bank until they were right in front of us. I don't know if I made a sudden movement to frighten them, but almost as one they disappeared into the deeper water.
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Yesterday on the Snow Roads audax, a lizard :thumbsup: I've hardly ever seen one up here.
Also, a deer tried to take Feanor out on the descent from the Maiden Stone to the A96.
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Redshank with chick at WWT London. There had supposedly been three chicks earlier in the day but I could only spot one.
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I saw a newt up the lotment on saturday which I didn't get a photo of. There's no standing water there but it's damp in areas, with plenty of hiding places, there was one knocking around a couple of years ago down the other end. I don't know how far they travel for scran. It wasn't a fancy one.
I found these too and haven't a clue what they are. 20p piece for scale. They were on a well manured bed and I picked them up thinking they were rubbish but it did feel like they'd "grown" there. Any ideas please?
(http://i40.tinypic.com/6ztsti.jpg)
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Yesterday Jan and I heard our first BRITISH cuckoo of the year, on Two Tree Island.
I heard (frequently) and saw one in the Lakes, just over a week ago. It's the second time I've managed to locate one by careful stalking!
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Errrrmmmm...over last few days.
Red kite.
Little green bee-eaters.
Blue-cheeked bee-eaters.
White-eyed gulls.
Sooty gull
white-cheeked terns
lesser crested terns
brown booby
booted eagle
red kite
western reef heron
glossy ibis (flock)
laughing turtle dove
indian house crows
hooded crows
ospreys
curlew
blue-spotted sting rays, lion (scorpion) fish, enter long list of fishy stuff.
Guess where I was?
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I guess you weren't in Kansas anymore Toto- sorry- Steph?
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Red Sea....
Oh, and lossa dophlins an' squidfish
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Not seen, but smelled......wild garlic! Nom!
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Some deers
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/deer_2.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/deer_3.jpg)
and a Skylark nest.
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/skylark_nest.jpg)
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I haven't seen a skylark's nest for ages, not since I got a sickle to the grass path alongside my allotment... :(
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Think I heard a parakeet in the car park at work, but it was right inside a bushy tree, so hard to say. I ducked my head under, and I think I saw the tail, but hard to say in the gloom.
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We heard quite a few somethings that sounded like parakeets when we were in the Netherlands. Eventually we saw a pair and that confirmed it.
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Seven lovely fluffy little cygnets in Gosport this morning. Now I know where they live, I'll be looking in on them regularly to see how they grow, hoping that all 7 survive the evil wier thingy. Mum and dad are keeping a very close watch on them.
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To add to the reed warblers that Wow identified for us on the Whitstable ride this weekend, he also made us stop to listen to a nightingale, a bird that I have only ever heard in this country while on a friday night ride to the coast (the other was at West Chiltington).
Also a vole or similar popped out onto the path into the pool of light case by my front light, and popped back again. V round and fuzzy.
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A red squirrel at a feeder by a house between Ballater & Balmoral yesterday.
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A cuckoo flew right over my head, cuckooing loudly.
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Got a close up of our local buzzard today as I rode alongside Huntley Woods.
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I haven't seen a skylark's nest for ages, not since I got a sickle to the grass path alongside my allotment... :(
Two years ago, on the Crinkly night ride at York, we had the surreal mixture of ecstatic skylark above us while bats were still swooping past.
Wows, we seem to have a penchant for night-time birding. Remember the Cetti's out near Rainham on an FNRttC?
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Over the last couple of days I have seen:
5 swans
numerous moor hens
6 ducks of various types (including an Aylesbury!)
Geese
Wood pigeons
anna a rat the size of a Yorkshire Terrier!
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What I am sure was a Golden Pheasant did the spooked birdy dash out of the bushes in front of me this morning.
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Almost a week ago now, but 2 honey buzzards heading north along the coast towards Denmark.
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Some lively dolphin action this evening: synchronised jumping, fish throwing & bow wave riding :thumbsup:
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Some Red Sea fishy stuff. Crap throwaway camera.
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/025_25.jpg) (http://s954.photobucket.com/user/cyclisttony/media/025_25.jpg.html)
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/021_21.jpg) (http://s954.photobucket.com/user/cyclisttony/media/021_21.jpg.html)
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/008_8.jpg) (http://s954.photobucket.com/user/cyclisttony/media/008_8.jpg.html)
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/002_2.jpg) (http://s954.photobucket.com/user/cyclisttony/media/002_2.jpg.html)
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/012_12.jpg) (http://s954.photobucket.com/user/cyclisttony/media/012_12.jpg.html)
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On this mornings ride to work I disturbed a Green Woodpecker which was ground feeding in the hedgerow adjacent to the Winter Hill road. It launched itself into the and flew off with the Green Woodpecker equivalant of "Oh Bugger Oh Bugger Oh Bugger!"
A short while later as I rode throught he meadows between Cookham and Maidenhead, I looked to my left and, no more than a yard away was a Buzzard perched on a fence post looking straight at me.
One of us was thinking "Christ on a bike, that was close!". The other was thinking "Are you eyeballing me son? Youe bettah stop eyeballing me or I'm gonna rip your eyes out and skullf***k you to death!"
I think the Buzzard had a bit of attitude ;D
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On the way home last night I saw more swans and three ickle cygnets.
Aren't they really cute?
Also saw hundreds of rabbits.
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Yesterday - a dead rat, in our garden tool store. I should check the trap in there more often. I realised it was there because of the smell. Had to leave the door propped open all day, & take out the deckchair, to air.
Well, at least the trap works. Next step is to close off the bottom of the compost bin. It's open to the ground, so worms can get in to finish off the compost, but now I have some 13mm galvanised wire mesh, which should keep rats out without obstructing worms.
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On my ride yesterday I saw an hare! I've not seen one for many years. It lazily crossed the road in front of me.
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What part of the world are you in? I sometimes see 'em on rides, especially when we wander into northern parts of Hampshire, but also in the open parts of Oxfordshire.
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On my ride yesterday I saw an hare! I've not seen one for many years. It lazily crossed the road in front of me.
Brown or blue?
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A pair of swans on the Regent Canal, elegantly entwining their necks. Looked like a wonderful expression of love (for those wishing to anthropomorphise).
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What part of the world are you in? I sometimes see 'em on rides, especially when we wander into northern parts of Hampshire, but also in the open parts of Oxfordshire.
Deepest Gloucestershire.
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Goose's that are looses!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4hMp9hiFF7Y/UbRl3VxdIFI/AAAAAAAAHuw/APURxgQQKe4/s640/p6090570.jpg)
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Seen today, Eh?
How about "Not seen today?" One of Mrs Ham's shoes left by open back door, nicked by a freakin' fox cub. Know it had to be that as one of Miss Ham's trainers was deposited at the end of the garden, suitably gnawed.
Grrr
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Rookfest. Whilst out this afternoon I cycled past a field near Bethersden that contained literally hundreds of rooks, spread out fairly evenly across the field. I supposed that there was a mass hatching of insects or somethng like that and that the rooks were feeding, but there didn't seem to be a similar number on the adjoining fields. I cannot remember seeing this before and thought it rather odd.
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I watched swallows skim the tops of a field of grain while waiting for the Clarion to regroup outside Chichester. Amazing how low they fly.
Unidentified tern over the canal basin.
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Bonxie attack!
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-RzKoTbN6lQ0/UbYN2xRTDTI/AAAAAAAAHE8/sIZXBqw2VGY/s640/DSC00827.jpg)
Great Skua on Conachair, St Kilda, 5 June
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I watched swallows skim the tops of a field of grain while waiting for the Clarion to regroup outside Chichester. Amazing how low they fly.
Unidentified tern over the canal basin.
There's something special about swallows flying low, usually over pastures in HoE, that I find irresistible. It's partly about seeing them from above, lighting the subtle steel-blue upper plumage. It's also partly about a flight pattern that allows me to follow the birds with binoculars despite a narrow field of view.
But... how the hell do they manage to fly that low, and hunt for the insects they feed on, who presumably are quite clever at not being eaten alive, while making it all look so effortless?
So far this year, I've hardly seen any swallows hunting low over the fields. Is that a local aberration?
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On Tuesday we saw a Jay and a Magpie sitting next to each other companionably on a garden wall near Wallington. :)
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Scarlet Tiger moth this evening about 5pm. Who knew we had such stunning things here in dull old Blighty?
Somone else's picture. (http://entomacrographic.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/scarlet_tiger.jpg)
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Last night, on the way from work, I saw:
7 swans
3 cygnets
5 ducks
3 moorhens
and a heron!
On the way in this morning I saw
4 swans
no cygnets (didn't pass their hangout)
6 ducks
and a heron, again, probably the same one, but in a different place.
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At long long last … Swifts. Only half a dozen, but they finally made it.
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On my ride yesterday I saw an hare! I've not seen one for many years. It lazily crossed the road in front of me.
They're common as muck, here. Rarely did I commute without seeing one. Now I'm in Town I don't. Just rabbits.
Rookfest. Whilst out this afternoon I cycled past a field near Bethersden that contained literally hundreds of rooks, spread out fairly evenly across the field. I supposed that there was a mass hatching of insects or somethng like that and that the rooks were feeding, but there didn't seem to be a similar number on the adjoining fields. I cannot remember seeing this before and thought it rather odd.
They're hunting for leatherjackets (http://www.research.plymouth.ac.uk/terg/docs/Leatherjacket%20Advice%20Final.pdf). Daddylonglegs larvae. Usually crows, rather than rooks, though.
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An Arctic tern - in the wilds of Chiswick Business Park. It flew quite slowly up and down the lake, hovering beautifully at one stage.
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Bonxie attack!
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-RzKoTbN6lQ0/UbYN2xRTDTI/AAAAAAAAHE8/sIZXBqw2VGY/s640/DSC00827.jpg)
Great Skua on Conachair, St Kilda, 5 June
Great photo. They are pretty terrifying up there (been onto the islands twice and been 'attacked' both times).
Fabulous!
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Heard a chiffchaff
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At long long last … Swifts. Only half a dozen, but they finally made it.
They'd arrived here by last night. I dined outside ;D and was rewarded with the sight & sound of a dozen or more, flying high, screaming, and clearly happy(relieved?) to get a square meal.
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We have damselflies.
I had a double-take when crossing the Blythe after lunch and had to return to confirm that daisies don't grow in the middle of a river. At that point a banded demoiselle fluttered past, followed by another before there was time to take a proper look at the flowers.
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A multitude of rabbits in Richmond Park. They are all over the park in reality but I see them most often either early or late, especially on the track near Petersham Gate.
I was through there just after 4.20 am this morning and they were all over the place - one small one attempted suicide* under my front wheel but I managed to stop in time as I didn't have Kathy in tow to skin it for me.
*I'm not sure exactly what sort of Elil bicycles are classified as.
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Never seen or heard so many wrens. Flocks of fledglings buzzing around like slightly oversized bees.
Here is one that stayes still enough long enough and close enough for me to catch it with a 70mm lens.
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3743/9096604230_e5f5d67ab1_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/9096604230/)
DSC_2117 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/9096604230/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
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Today I saw a magpie. Not very unusual, but this one had such iridescence that it appeared to be blue and white rather than black. I haven't seen one like that before.
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Today I saw a magpie. Not very unusual, but this one had such iridescence that it appeared to be blue and white rather than black. I haven't seen one like that before.
The iridescence varies quite a bit but depends to an extent on the angle of light but mainly the feathers themselves; as I understand it it's the structure of the feathers which creates the effect so may be altered by grooming.
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At Ham Dip this morning, a tiny, very new looking Roe Deer fawn with its mum.
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A burst of alarmed bird noise then a pigeon flew at high speed across in front of me from behind a wall on my right. As it did so, it shed a lot of feathers - into the talons of a sparrowhawk. They disappeared behind a hedge and it seems the pigeon escaped, as a few seconds later the sparrowhawk reappeared, sitting on top of a stump in the hedge before flying away empty-clawed.
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A tawny owl on my doorstep. Opened the front door this morning to this fellow. He wouldnt fly away. Put a box over him and a screen to give some shade, and SSPCA came out to collect. The lady said no visible injuries, and no tell tale imprints on the windows. Dont know why he was there, though there was a
shitload murder of crows going mad on my roof too, so hope he was happier under the box.
Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/24775321@N02/)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3730/9123851405_231dc4b1f9_c.jpg)
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We have damselflies. ...
And I have a baby one in my pond. Seen this afternoon. Plenty of smaller invertebrates for it to feed on.
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Got to the holiday home and found this delightful sight awaiting us in the covered area just outside our back window.
(http://images.yudu.com/item_files/1001808/Swallow.jpg)
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A tawny owl on my doorstep. Opened the front door this morning to this fellow. He wouldnt fly away. Put a box over him and a screen to give some shade, and SSPCA came out to collect. The lady said no visible injuries, and no tell tale imprints on the windows. Dont know why he was there, though there was a shitload murder of crows going mad on my roof too, so hope he was happier under the box.
Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/24775321@N02/)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3730/9123851405_231dc4b1f9_c.jpg)
Awwh!
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A mink ran out in front of me today carrying a still wriggling stoat!
Mink are lovely to look at, shame they get a bad press. It's not their fault they were all released when the local mink farm was stormed by knobs with bolt cutters.
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A mink ran out in front of me today carrying a still wriggling stoat!
Mink are lovely to look at, shame they get a bad press. It's not their fault they were all released when the local mink farm was stormed by knobs with bolt cutters.
Quite. And now the water vole is on the verge of extinction as a result of those hungry minks. Oh the irony.
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Irony is exactly right. Another do good human intervention that fooked things up. I remember people hunting the mink when they were released and then showing photos of rows of them shot.
They didn't get many, they're everywhere around here. I once watched one fishing like an otter, it caught a fish too! It's a great shame they're such perfect killing machines.
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Lots of gorgeous blue dragonflies on the Mole under Downside Road Bridge.
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Yesterday I saw some wagtails by the Wandle in Wandsworth. Are they grey or yellow ones?
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Yesterday I saw some wagtails by the Wandle in Wandsworth. Are they grey or yellow ones?
Almost certainly "grey" (though they have some very bright yellow bits). Yellow wagtails are not common, and I think of them more as birds of wet meadows than riversides
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Yesterday I saw some wagtails by the Wandle in Wandsworth. Are they grey or yellow ones?
Almost certainly "grey" (though they have some very bright yellow bits). Yellow wagtails are not common, and I think of them more as birds of wet meadows than riversides
Thank you :).
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Saw a barn owl at the end of my street when I returned from my ride last night/this morning :D
I've been spotting them in the fields getting closer to where I live but they've finally made it here. I'm hoping to spot it hunting in the field across from me, the camera is ready!
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Not wild, but country.
Mrs B & I saw a dead cow next to the Devil's Highway on Sunday morning. It was under a tree in a field next to the track. Fairly fresh. Probably died the night before, or earlier that morning. No external signs. Told a local passer-by, who had an idea who owned that field & said he'd pass the word on.
Looked heavily pregnant. Mrs B wondered if it might have gone into labour & had fatal complications.
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Yesterday, a pair of buzzards wheeling around above Sutton Hall Farm (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=589132&Y=189195&A=Y&Z=120).
That is the closest to Southend I have ever seen a pair, whom I presume to have a nest somewhere. It wasn't more than about 15 years ago that I first saw a buzzard in Essex, and now I see them regularly throughout the county.
Toady I saw a sparrow hawk near Great Wakering.
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Two news ones to tick off in my eye-spy book of Nature.
An egret
2 red squggles.
The usual suspects were there, too
Swans
Ducks
moor hens (some of these might be cheating as we have a couple of pairs that live on the lake at work)
runny babbits
Didn't see any swans today, but did see a load of swan feathers in their usual grooming site.
Daisy, marigold et al gave me the evil eye as I rode through thier field too, then they obviously decided I was no threat and went on eating their grass.
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Where did you see red squirrels?
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In the bath: a giant spider. It's too early for those horrible things, surely? Mr M got it in a glass and threw it outside, nearly threw it AT someone walking past, they would not have been happy to have that horrible scuttling thing land on them!!
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On my ride today I saw a snake :o
OK so it was a slow worm, but I hate snakes I really do.
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Riding back from T*sco's I heard a Cetti's near the river...now, there's a first!
May head over to Barnes reserve tomorrow.
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Riding back from T*sco's I heard a Cetti's near the river...now, there's a first!
I was disappointed that the round on "Only Connect" this week that featured vocalisations of bird calls (A little bit of bread and no cheese), didn't include the Certti's Warbler.
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Riding back from T*sco's I heard a Cetti's near the river...now, there's a first!
May head over to Barnes reserve tomorrow.
Wish I'd seen this so we'd known you were going. I'm sure our Little Duck would have loved seeing the feathered ones.
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Had this wee cheeky chappie in my moth trap this morning:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/BrianInnes/Moths/BlackWhiteMicro_IMG_0150.jpg)
??? ??? what it is.....
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Had a fledgling sparrow perch on my hip for about 30 seconds whilst watching the dog bouncing around in the garden. I think it didn't realise I was a person, perhaps thought I was a tree. It was amazing to see it so close-up though. I was worried it was going to fly into the house through the open door behind me but fortunately it decided I was a better perch.
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In amongst the vine that forms roof of our gazeebo at this time of year is this fledgling
http://www.flickr.com/photos/67610004@N03/9263645780/
ETA is that a chick flick?
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An otter. Feeding just off the coast. Pretty much the first time I wasn't out with my camera looking for them ;D
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First time I have seen long tailed tits.
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3795/9284454074_bd1ae0d6c3_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/9284454074/)
IMG_0093 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/9284454074/) by davidmamartin (http://www.flickr.com/people/davidmam/), on Flickr
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Not today, but 2 weekends ago, baby sqrls :)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7402/9284207290_4f7b7e5b31_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/9284207290/)
IMG_0383 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/9284207290/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3779/9281422811_09b0666ed6_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/9281422811/)
IMG_0404 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/9281422811/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(taken through a window, so not the worlds best...)
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(taken through a window, so not the worlds best...)
LOL!
Er, yes - they're crap. :facepalm:
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Saw a hare last night.
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Found a really small hedgehog rummaging around the base of drainpipe on the driveway. It's the size of an apple!
It's now eating a large portion of dog food making chomp, chomp noises :)
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Pictures?
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It was pitch black so I didn't take any. I was going to pick it up and take some but my wife gave me orders to leave it alone :blush:
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A couple of the cycle campers with us last weekend at Watlington had hedgehog incursions (one had his bread raided), but, despite being in the corner of the field where we previously saw one there, we didn't spot one at all. :(
We heard owls, but didn't see any.
But we did see quite a few bats. Some rather big ones, which were impressive.
And the odd red kite or two.
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A couple of the cycle campers with us last weekend at Watlington had hedgehog incursions (one had his bread raided), but, despite being in the corner of the field where we previously saw one there, we didn't spot one at all. :(
We heard owls, but didn't see any.
But we did see quite a few bats. Some rather big ones, which were impressive.
And the odd red kite or two.
Only or two? ;)
I had to slow down for a deer thsi mornig- female roe I think. Standing in the middle of the road giving me the eye as I rode between Cookham Dean and Pinkneys Green. She bounded off into the undergrowth once she had decided I wasn't worth the attention. A very nice and calming sight at that time of the morning.
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Or hundreds, aksh.
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A mother duck with a week-or-so-old duckling murder a much smaller duckling which had become separated from its brood.
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Just saw a hedgehog in the garden. Only the second one I've seen since we've been living here.
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Had this wee cheeky chappie in my moth trap this morning:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/BrianInnes/Moths/BlackWhiteMicro_IMG_0150.jpg)
??? ??? what it is.....
the closest I can get is a Fairy Moth or Long Horned Moth, try adela septentrionella thing is I don't think they're generally found in the UK :) might be wrong on that one though
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A Notter.
As seen on the Notter thread.
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2 wrens, a grey wagtail and lots of lovely butterflies on the wandle trail today :D
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I forgot to post about the wowbadger I encountered on Thursday night.
It didn't actually try to knock me off, but instead ran alongside for maybe 20 metres, wiggling its arse provocatively, before diving for a gap in the undergrowth.
Cheeky fucker.
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I forgot to post about the wowbadger I encountered on Thursday night.
It didn't actually try to knock me off, but instead ran alongside for maybe 20 metres, wiggling its arse provocatively,
Emulating the strange two wheeled beast ............ ;D
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Two foxes bathing in the Wandle.
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A pair of herons flew over our street this morning.
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buzzards ,2 of ,over slough this morning :)
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Come, friendly buzzards!
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Come, friendly buzzards, and shit on Slough!
It isn't fit for red kites now,
There isn't kebab to graze a crow.
Swarm over, Bird!
But spare the chimneys of Didcot
The steam they smoked but now do not;
It's not their fault they are not bright,
They've tasted shite.
Come, friendly buzzards and nest in Slough
To get it ready for the plough.
The audaxers are coming now;
Their farts exhale.
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A scorpion.
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audexers ins slough :o. they should have gone LEFT @ T :D ;D.
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a jay near saville gardens windsor park yesterday
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A tawny owl, I think, a few curlews and four or more squashed toads.
And a Copper Dragon.
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Another death in the garden:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7454/9392493107_70f14dcc1f_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/9392493107/)
IMG_1747 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/9392493107/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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A mink ran out in front of me today carrying a still wriggling stoat!
Mink are lovely to look at, shame they get a bad press. It's not their fault they were all released when the local mink farm was stormed by knobs with bolt cutters.
Quite. And now the water vole is on the verge of extinction as a result of those hungry minks. Oh the irony.
Some good news about mink. Apparently, if otters manage to re-establish themselves somewhere, the mink seem to disappear. It's though the otters are just better predators and the mink just can't compete, not that the otters are actually attacking them.
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A mink ran out in front of me today carrying a still wriggling stoat!
Mink are lovely to look at, shame they get a bad press. It's not their fault they were all released when the local mink farm was stormed by knobs with bolt cutters.
Quite. And now the water vole is on the verge of extinction as a result of those hungry minks. Oh the irony.
Some good news about mink. Apparently, if otters manage to re-establish themselves somewhere, the mink seem to disappear. It's though the otters are just better predators and the mink just can't compete, not that the otters are actually attacking them.
Sadly, it's not quite as benign as that. Otters displace mink, which move away from the waterways and easy fishing. That's good news for water voles. However the furriners will happily survive on flesh other than fish (or water voles) e.g. chicken, so the problem hasn't gone away. I don't think anyone has yet researched whether any more of our native species away from the waterways is likely to suffer from mink predation, but it seems unlikely that there will no causalties.
It should be blindingly obvious that the loveliness of mink is the reason they were farmed for their fur. It's a great pity that the animal rights campaigners couldn't see through their fluffy illusions into the real wild world that they were unwittingly wrecking.
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Another scorpion. This time in one of the bathrooms. Caught and released into the f ielectribe next door. I have Ben elected the official scorpion rangler for the holiday it seems. Never new they had them in France before this holiday.
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Not seen but heard. A wolf howling. All the village dogs went bananas. I didn't know there were wolves this side of the Rhone but it seems their are.
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Rescued a sheep. It had got its head stuck through a fence & I managed to free it.
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Another death in the garden:
And another:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3707/9435774019_850a6ab4fd.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/9435774019/)
IMG_1757 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/9435774019/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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BN: dead cat & a small dead badger :(
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3772/9435763425_4463eb3e83_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/9435763425/)
IMG_1774 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/9435763425/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
GN: Mrs P saw a live stoat :thumbsup:
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Another scorpion. This time in one of the bathrooms. Caught and released into the f ielectribe next door. I have Ben elected the official scorpion rangler for the holiday it seems. Never new they had them in France before this holiday.
I first saw a scorpion when I was 14 & on a PGL Adventure Holiday in southern France. One of our lot caught one & imprisoned it in a small box until he'd shown it to everyone.
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We saw about 10 in the house over the two weeks we were there. I caught any I saw in a glass and then released them in the field next door. My BiL squished any he saw.
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I found a couple hiding under rocks in South Africa. I snaffled them up along with various other critters (millipedes, chuffing big and bitey ants, caterpillars etc) and released them in the Meerkat pen.
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There seem to be a lot of bumblebees around, though observations are mostly in gardens or parkland. I don't think there have ever been less than three species, though the big ones with a white backside seem to be predominant.
Wasps are starting to become a nuisance, which doesn't normally happen until September. It's very difficult to explain to my womenfolk that wasps aren't very agile creatures (I can catch one in cupped hands and throw it on to the ground before it can recover its ability to fly away). Sadly, it's taken me most of half a century to realise that stamping on the poor bugger is an unneccessary killing :-[.
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That's progress, Nick! Do you know the glass and postcard routine? You can safely and humanely catch and release most mini-beasts using this method: glass over beast, slide postcard under glass, taking care not to trap any legs, feelers and so on.
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Not seen today or, for that matter, for several days now: Housemartins, Swallows, Swifts.
Where have they gone to!!!!!!!!!
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south................,maybe ;)
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Seems a bit bloody early to me. :(
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Riggers, they are all in CAmbridgeshire, dive bombing me as I ride back to the digs...
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Well, I don't know what's going on. I can tell you there are none in Brighton, Newhaven, Seaford, Alfriston, Wilmington, Arlington, Glynde, Lewes, Ditchling, Hassocks, Hurstpierpoint. I've never noticed their absence so early in August before.
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Relieved to see plenty of hirondelles on a ride through Westmorland and Yorkshire this weekend. Also thrilled to see a RED squirrel near Crosby Garrett (Appleby way)! It ran along the road in front of me for about 100 yards.
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Swifts apparently do leave in August. I had noticed they weren't here anymore and so Googled...
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Lots of martins and not-spits in New Forest over the last few days, as well as tawny oqls too wet to woo on Saturday night.
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Swifts heard on my way home yesterday evening, here in Embra.
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Swifts apparently do leave in August. I had noticed they weren't here anymore and so Googled...
Mrs B commented on their absence from here today. Summer's dying . . .
We saw a nowl on our Wednesday ride. It flew along the road ahead of us for a little way, rather low. Nice.
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Coming round a corner at the top of a steep rise, sound of hooves from over a gate on my right, and there was a huge, very wooly black llama - it looked like a GM poodle or somesuch. Nearly sh@t myself.
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Someone near Reading farms 'em.
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During the Mildenhall weekend: a muntjac, running across the road in front of us; several buzzards; and a mink as roadkill.
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Forgot about this one. At the top of the Kitzsteinhorn in Austria, a flock of at least 10 eagles. Two of them swooped very low - they are very much like giant buzzards.
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A fluffy black cat.
Not unusual to see a cat. Even this one, which we have seen many times before, though we don't know to whom it belongs.
The unusual thing was that I saw it as a furry black face peered round the door into our bedroom.
It soon took flight, and was sat on the step next time I saw it, though I had checked the upstairs rooms before going down to the kitchen.
Cheeky thing.
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A BLACK SQRL!!
Srsly, in Canada they have black sqrls. What is this, Mirkwood?
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A fluffy black cat.
Not unusual to see a cat. Even this one, which we have seen many times before, though we don't know to whom it belongs.
The unusual thing was that I saw it as a furry black face peered round the door into our bedroom.
It soon took flight, and was sat on the step next time I saw it, though I had checked the upstairs rooms before going down to the kitchen.
Cheeky thing.
Just wait till Nye is crawling / toddling, it will then make itself very scarce. There is a good chance that my nephews first work will be cat as he chases them round the room.
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Yesterday:
A toad, on the allotment. I'm hoping for toadspawn in our pond next year.
Today:
A couple of buzzards, & an assortment of flattened fauna, in various states from fresh & hardly flattened at all (a young muntjac) to very flattened indeed (pigeons, an unidentifiable small rodent, & a badger so flat & dried out it had stopped stinking).
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A BLACK SQRL!!
Srsly, in Canada they have black sqrls. What is this, Mirkwood?
The red sqls are black in various parts of Europe.
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They have reds and greys as well :)
I saw what looked like three white herons in the Humber today. I watched them for ages. So beautiful.
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Did I mention a female muntjac, last seen flying over my bike on Saturday morning? Well, one of those.
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This week first ever sighting of spotted flycatcher in the woods. Also seen a woodcock - typical! I've been trying to survey them all summer with no success. Two sightings this year, February and this week, outside of the official survey period. Also lots of little froggies.
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Allotment amphibian, seen a couple of hours ago. Mrs B was very pleased that she'd gone to the allotment with me.
(http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq48/Bledlow/Gardening/IMG023-01.jpg)
(http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq48/Bledlow/Gardening/IMG022-01.jpg)
Crappy phone pictures, unfortunately. It looked rather big.
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There are black sqrls in North Cambridge, outside our office. They look a bit...ratty, as they don't have a fluffy tail!
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They'll be black grey sqls rather than black red sqls :)
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There are black sqrls in North Cambridge, outside our office. They look a bit...ratty, as they don't have a fluffy tail!
They would no doubt be related to the black ones that inhabit Girton College's grounds.
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They'll be black grey sqls rather than black red sqls :)
I didn't know there were black red ones as well.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanism
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They'll be black grey sqls rather than black red sqls :)
And the laydees will be Ms Sqls ....
IGMC
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Cormorants. Gulls. Sparrows. The yellowest finches I've ever seen. A raccoon. And lots of turkey vultures.
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No bears? we want photos of baars
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Storks in a field in Germany.
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That's nothing! This morning, some miles from anywhere really but between Bethersden and High Halden in Kent, a peacock. Or as I said to myself as I stood the Royal on its nose and went back for another look a f***ing peacock; positively identified as I watched it scuttle through a hedge ...a cock I think but missing a good deal of its tail - do they shed them periodically?
It could have been a huge mutant pheasant I suppose ...I say that because a couple of months ago, as this morning, I caught sight of something out of the corner of my eye bustling away through the hedge and my first thought was: pangolin! But then I got a grip and realised it was probably a hen pheasant ...but now I'm not so sure.
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14 seals, buzzards, llamas, alpacas & a fox :thumbsup: I hardly ever see foxes.
Anna nother dead badger :'(
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7339/9740963461_94871c630f_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/9740963461/)
cgcdhidj.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/9740963461/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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A couple of new ones today (for me), due to taking a different route into work.
a brace lot of partridges, flying out of the undergrowth as I approached
a raptor, of some description, not a Red Kite, it was bigger, and mean looking, flew out from between some trees and shadowed me for a 100 meters or so then disappeared into a field.
Mrs tiggywinkle, a live one this time (I have seen 3 dead ones over the last few weeks)
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Hundreds of dead and dying wasps in our meeting room. No evidence of a nest being built, or how they got in, and we haven't used any waspkiller, as they are just dying anyway.
Curious.
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A couple of new ones today (for me), due to taking a different route into work.
a brace lot of partridges, flying out of the undergrowth as I approached
a raptor, of some description, not a Red Kite, it was bigger, and mean looking, flew out from between some trees and shadowed me for a 100 meters or so then disappeared into a field.
Mrs tiggywinkle, a live one this time (I have seen 3 dead ones over the last few weeks)
Bigger than a Red Kite? AFAIK that means an eagle, which seems unlikely. A Goshawk is about the same size. Could that be it?
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Could have been, my usual way of identifying Goshawks* wasn't any use yesterday.
*They are one of the few raptors, that I know of, that have grey underwing and chest feathers. Obviously as the bird had it's back to me I couldn't see those!**
** My other mehtod is to see what it is eating, if it is one of the neighbourhood cats, it's a Goshawk...
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A stoat, running round in circles like a mad thing in the middle of the road :)
A (red, the one true) sqrl. It ran off the road and then leapt athletically into a tree :)
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Kingfisher in Morden Hall Park! Saw it and heard it calling.
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Several skeins of geese yesterday & today.
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Over the weekend, at Kingston near Lewes, we saw a great many swifts, donkeys, pot-bellied pigs, goats, alpacas (it is a sort of wildlife farm), a hole we think was badger-sized (though no badgers), and (my highlight) a weasel.
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Are you certain they were swifts? They usually migrate in August. Swallows hang around for a lot longer - we saw lots yesterday.
I noticed yesterday when I was looking at the Southend RSPB website that last year one of the main contributors saw a swallow on the sea front at Canvey on 27th November. I recall making a note of a pair of house martins on Westcliff sea front on 20th November 1976, which was a glorious warm day when the temperature was only a little short of 20°C. I have never seen swallows or martins later than early October in other years.
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We had that debate, and had a good look at tails. There were some martins, but definitely swifts.
To be fair, we were all but as far South as it's possible to get in the South East.
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He's mistaking Swallows for Swifts Baggers. Fool!
We saw lots of House Martins and Swallows at the weekend in Surrey. Must surely be the last knockings now.
No Swifts to report.
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As I went to the supermarket at lunchtime I saw a bird I hadn't seen before.
Roughly about the same size as a pigeon (probably a bit smaller), all a sort of mid-brown (maybe even described as beige) colur, with a blue flash on the wing.
Any ideas?
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As I went to the supermarket at lunchtime I saw a bird I hadn't seen before.
Roughly about the same size as a pigeon (probably a bit smaller), all a sort of mid-brown (maybe even described as beige) colur, with a blue flash on the wing.
Any ideas?
Jay?
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He's mistaking Swallows for Swifts Baggers. Fool!
We saw lots of House Martins and Swallows at the weekend in Surrey. Must surely be the last knockings now.
No Swifts to report.
Definitely not swallows. The tails weren't long enough.
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Mine were definitely Swallows.
Yours might have been bats!
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As I went to the supermarket at lunchtime I saw a bird I hadn't seen before.
Roughly about the same size as a pigeon (probably a bit smaller), all a sort of mid-brown (maybe even described as beige) colur, with a blue flash on the wing.
Any ideas?
Jay?
<sfx: typing>
Oooo, yes, that's the one, oddly enough, in forty*coughcough* years I have never seen one before!
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As I went to the supermarket at lunchtime I saw a bird I hadn't seen before.
Roughly about the same size as a pigeon (probably a bit smaller), all a sort of mid-brown (maybe even described as beige) colur, with a blue flash on the wing.
Any ideas?
Jay?
<sfx: typing>
Oooo, yes, that's the one, oddly enough, in forty*coughcough* years I have never seen one before!
They are funny birds, quite reclusive for being members of the crow family but rather pretty all the same. They are quite common though. ;)
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Interesting but dead animals
Badgers, two, on the A64. Biggish ones, too.
Rather rarer, a very large weasel. So large I wondered if it was a small stoat at first.
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From another thread-
An hygienic Robin-
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/mattlangridge/DSC03943.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/mattlangridge/media/DSC03943.jpg.html)
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/mattlangridge/DSC03946.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/mattlangridge/media/DSC03946.jpg.html)
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/mattlangridge/DSC03947.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/mattlangridge/media/DSC03947.jpg.html)
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/mattlangridge/DSC03948.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/mattlangridge/media/DSC03948.jpg.html)
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/mattlangridge/DSC03951.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/mattlangridge/media/DSC03951.jpg.html)
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Interesting but dead animals
Badgers, two, on the A64. Biggish ones, too.
Rather rarer, a very large weasel. So large I wondered if it was a small stoat at first.
There is a dead badger, nicely bloated, on the A14 eastbound sliproad from the Milton roundabout.
I am waiting to see what happens, if a car clips it or it just goes off by itself...
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Yesterday . . .
A toad, on the allotment. This is not the same as any previously seen amphibians. It was definitely a toad (fat & warty), & smaller & much darker than the last seen one. It was at the other end of the plot from the pond, where the other one was.
I moved an old carpet tile sitting beside the compost bin, & my foot was descending on what looked like a lump of earth under it when the lump moved. I hope I didn't injure it. It looked pretty sprightly as it wriggled through the planks of the bin & hid in the compost, so perhaps not. I'll have to be careful digging out the compost when the time comes. Best leave it to spring, when toad hibernation is over.
On our ride last night:
a hare or very large rabbit, hopping along the road ahead of us at the limit of our lights
an owl (looked quite big: pale coloured) flying low overhead
bats
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Over the last four days...
One Egyptian vulture
100+ eagles (short-toed, booted and Bonelli's)
One honey bizzard
One peregrine
Four Sardinian warblers
multiple spotless starlings
Lotsa yellow-legged gulls.
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A heron, on the Tees at Whorlton.
Also two different packs of alpaca, an emu, roe deer, and a sad-looking donkey (is there any other kind?). Sadly the Bactrian camels at Mainsgill Farm weren't around today.
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An enormous flock of brent geese, presumably just arrived from Siberia, on the mud flats and in the air around Two Tree Island and Old Leigh. They probably numbered into the thousands.
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An 'ermit crab. Actually several, but this one made it's way in front of my lens.
hermit crab (http://youtu.be/cA-eDkFcN8g)
And some more crabs:
Another hermit crab (http://youtu.be/F6AuPyda78Y)
more crabs (http://youtu.be/oynWfkZ48tc)
Edit: Wonder why the links aren't working? They don't like query strings in them. Use URL shorteners
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Today as I was locking my bike up I looked up and saw an edgy urban peregrine over my place of work. So often I glance up and see tiny things (birds, satellites, balloons etc) in a way that makes me wonder what made me look up at precisely that moment, but I guess there are often interesting things in the sky so it doesn't really matter when I look up.
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Still seeing (actually on Sunday) … Swallows. Hurrah!
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Yet Another Allotment Anuran.
I disturbed a very small toad while digging up potatoes. That's one large frog, one good-sized toad & one dinky little toad seen on our allotment in just over a month.
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A sizeable flock of swallows and house martins over Keyhaven at about 10am
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A snake crossing our path - not sure if it was a grass snake or adder but it was quite big.
We just wanted to make sure the dog didn't spot it (she didn't).
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Another dead badger :(
Fotie:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3808/10119991684_90297322f6_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/10119991684/)
IMG_2379 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/10119991684/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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A snake crossing our path - not sure if it was a grass snake or adder but it was quite big.
We just wanted to make sure the dog didn't spot it (she didn't).
Grass snakes usually grow to a larger size than do adders. Very late in the year though - climate change and warm Octobers!
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Over the last four days...
One Egyptian vulture
100+ eagles (short-toed, booted and Bonelli's)
One honey bizzard
One peregrine
Four Sardinian warblers
multiple spotless starlings
Lotsa yellow-legged gulls.
Spain?
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Last night between Buttercrambe and Malton a barn owl and then a couple of lurchers stood in the road by themselves. Bad news for wildlife (and anyone who crosses them) if the lurcher men are out.
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Friday night, about 9:30, a badger - live and not ambushing cyclists, on the railway path.
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Yesterday:
* 5 deer crossing the road near my parents' house (seen quite a few this trip)
* geese, in formation, flying south for the winter
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Dolphins and a seal right outside the office today.
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I heard it before I seen it - like a pair of squeaky old bellows. A swan, flying over my house. Beautiful, like something you've dreamed, because something so strange, so impractical, but alive, couldn't possibly be real, could it?
It must have been made up. Maybe we're all living in a Monty Python cartoon.
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There's a big pond full of 'em just across the road from my office. Magnificent in flight, and quite characterful creatures. I do have rather a lot of swan pictures taken since I've been working there....
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Two pods of dolphins.
Here's one.
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/dolphins_2013-10-21_2.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/dolphins_2013-10-21_1.jpg)
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I think they could be porpoise.
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I was thinking that they looked more like harbour porpoises.
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As I started out up the street this morning, our local heron flapped lazily across the morning sky.
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A Peacock flutterby frantically trying to get out of a sash window through the glass, presumably having come in through the open section.
I opened the window fully & gently helped it out. I hope there's still food for it out there, so it's not wasting body fat flying around in the sun instead of hibernating.
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A mink (I think) or maybe black stoat. It began to cross the road and then thought better of it. Also a young cock pheasant did a roadrunner impression in front of me for about a hundred yards before managing to fly off sideways ???
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A hawk of some sort right in the city centre. A little bigger than a kestrel but not hovering. Definitely not a buzzard and even more definitely not (Little Cudzo's suggestion, to the confusion of his friend who hadn't heard of it as a bird) a kite. I know there are some peregrines nesting in the Avon Gorge a couple of miles away, perhaps it was one of them? But checking photos suggests probably a sparrowhawk, its wings were rounded not pointed.
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Urban sparrowhawks are fairly common. They have been blamed for the decline in the sparrow population (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1269580/Soaring-sparrowhawk-population-leads-shock-decline-humble-sparrow.html), long discussion here (http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=169572)
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Yesterday, in Southsea, a peregrine battling against the breeze. And a nice big rat running along the street - possible on its way to the Great South Run, lured by the smell of powerade.
Today, in Kings Cross station, a beautiful Harris Hawk perching on someone's gauntlet.
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Seen today , but not by me.
There are reports of up to 17000 wood pigeon flying around London. Regular spotters have reported these birds over Regents Park , Richmond Park and London Wetlands.
I assume these reports to be true , and it's not just make up a silly story about wood pigeons day.
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Loadsa buzzards, one being mobbed by corvids. Loadsa fungi. Yet another dead badger :( (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/10625984246/)
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A barn owl, whilst driving from Ashton-under-Lyne to Skipton.
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Did you come through Milnrow - or use the M60?
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M60, but I get my kicks on the M66.
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;D
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From yesterday, a brambling on the norfolk nips
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An animal with a white scut of a tail was trotting along the other side of the nearside hedge on the way home. 'Twas too big for a rabbit, & definitely not a brown hare. It eventually decided to dive through the hedge & cross the road: muntjac deer.
It was less than 5 miles from my only previous sighting.
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Well, they've got short legs....
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Some buzzards, a couple of kestrels :thumbsup: , geese.
All the fields we passed today were covered in gossamer, I've never seen so much.
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Much sealage at Newburgh, at the mouth of the river Ythan.
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2876/10784439905_daf992d0d8_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/10784439905/)
IMG_20131109_104340 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/10784439905/) by Ron Lowe (http://www.flickr.com/people/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
I estimated about 350 individuals on the far beach, with several others in the water, popping up close to me and looking quizzically at me and having a sniff before popping back down under the surface.
Also several Herons and other birdage.
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(http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/VinceHall/CyclingStuff/2013-11-11171341_zps6a1eab26.jpg)
A margarine of storks
Crappy phone picture, but there are about 20 storks just down the road from home
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I love your collective term for storks. They are bloody enormous, aren't they? i'd almost dismissed storks as being something in childrens fairy tale books until I saw some in northern Spain. I was dumbstruck that they really do build damn great nests on people's chimney stacks!
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Aren't they a bit lost? They should be back in Africa by now!
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I was out with the Colchester CTC Sunday ride. Not really sure where I was as I was just following all the others. Somewhere in Essex is about as much as I can narrow it down. At one point I saw the guy next to me do a double take as we passed a field. I took a look and sure enough the field was full of llamas. I wasn't expecting that.
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Possibly alpacas - if you were in Ardleigh/Dedham there are three herds of them that I know of, one belonging to my friend.
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ok, I felt I was a bit pathetic not knowing where I was so I've looked on the map and it was somewhere near Goldhanger, Maldon way.
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A trio of jays. Not sure I've seen more than one at a time before.
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(http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/VinceHall/CyclingStuff/2013-11-11171341_zps6a1eab26.jpg)
A margarine of storks
Crappy phone picture, but there are about 20 storks just down the road from home
Hard to tell from that distance, but are they not little egrets?
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Egrets do not have the black on their wings.
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I concur, having chased a strange pure white heron up the garden away from the pond, and then looked in my bird book... I also have a morning challenge here at work, catch the elusive egret (with my camera) on its visits to the swan pond.
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A shot fox.
Mrs B & I were passing a field which several kites were fussing about in. She wanted to see what they were interested in. No crop to trample, so we wandered over. The carcass of a large bird, with patches of feathers scattered across a wide area - & about 50 metres away from the main piece of the carcass, a dead fox. Looked fresh, but rigor mortis had set in. A hole, from which it had bled onto the ground, suggesting it had died where it lay, on the lower side. May have been a smaller hole in the opposite side. Didn't get a chance to part the fur & confirm it before we were interrupted. Entry & exit wounds? Have to be a small-calibre weapon.
While we were looking, a Land Rover drove up. It had come from some distance away, apparently from farm buildings about a km away. Drove straight across the field to us, & the driver told us (fairly politely) that there was no footpath in this field. I said we'd been curious about the kites, & saw there was no crop so thought we'd do no harm. He said it was about pheasants, not just crops, & I said OK, we're just going. As soon as we were on our way, he drove off back the way he'd come. Odd-looking fellow. Expressionless face, dead-looking eyes. Gave Mrs B the creeps.
We were wondering about scenarios. A carcass of a large bird in a field, with a shot fox nearby - bait? Someone watching & waiting, last night? What could it have been shot with?
Carcass next to Mrs B. Any ideas what it was?
(http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq48/Bledlow/IMG027-01.jpg)
(http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq48/Bledlow/IMG028-01.jpg)
(http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq48/Bledlow/IMG029-01.jpg)
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Any banjo players nearby ? I'd be careful if I were you
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Where did all the kestrels come from? Six today, three of them hovering overhead as I rode past.
And four moles, dead in the road :(
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@ Bledlow,
I wonder if the bird is a buzzard (or kite) it doesn't look like a pheasant, to me. Wonder if the remains of the buzzard were used as bait to catch a fox, which was then shot by dead-eye Dick (head)?
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2 young foxes playing on the road early on, at about 6:30.
On the ride, several buzzards and a couple of roadkill deer :-(
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Fox caught eating pheasant. Fox shot for its audacity. Land rover dispatched to clear up resulting mess.
No biggy, really, in the scheme of things.
Pheasant? Not unless there's a new, all-grey species in this country.
And the Land Rover didn't do any clearing up. It was dispatched to see what we were up to. Left everything else as it was.
@ Bledlow,
I wonder if the bird is a buzzard (or kite) it doesn't look like a pheasant, to me. Wonder if the remains of the buzzard were used as bait to catch a fox, which was then shot by dead-eye Dick (head)?
This is what we wondered.
It'd be legal to shoot it there, I think.
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If it's all grey, it's probably not a buzzard. A pretty unnerving experience for you.
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The wing looks like some kind of hawk so presumably a kite. Whether the kite, if that's what it was, was to catch the fox or the fox to catch the kite, or what, I don't know.
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The wild things are back at Seething Wells , Surbiton. Today I saw Little Grebe , Pochard , Lapwing , Gadwall along with many of the things you would expect so see in Winter.
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Tree rat (boo), several buzzards, a dead badger (even more boo) anna red kite.
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Tree rat (boo), several buzzards, a dead badger (even more boo) anna red kite.
And a deer.
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A whole load of scrappy grouse up on the Pennines.
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Two jays - separately - while out riding with Mrs B.
Yesterday, a dead badger.
Wednesday, a muntjac strolling along the verge as I cycled through Stoke Row. It unhurriedly toddled through a gap in the hedge as I came alongside it. Didn't seem too bothered by all the bike lights (there were nine bikes behind me).
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The same dead badger as yesterday, buzzards, llamas, 3 deer.
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Buzzard very low (probably just taken off) as I was on my lunchtime run. They're pretty common round here, but a close look is always nice.
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In response to Bledlow's post about foxes, dead birds and creepy Land Rover drivers, that wing does not, in my view, belong to either a buzzard or a kite.
(http://www.charliesbirdblog.com/~charlie/buzzardoctober/buzzard06.jpg)
(http://www.ncps.org.uk/pages/Members/MembersComp/pics/as-Wild-Red-Kite-Eating-On-Wing.jpg)
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uKD9ldfGamY/UJ6aPS7-GHI/AAAAAAAAExg/cef9kmpN2hs/s400/Grey+Heron+4.JPG)
It might be a grey heron.
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Thanks for that. Could be, could be. The Thames isn't very far away, & the size & deep breastbone of the carcass are, I think, consistent with a heron. As are, of course, all the grey feathers.
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I would consider reporting that. The guy who didn't want you on his land was talking bollocks about pheasants and if he is prepared to shoot a heron (protected) then he would almost certainly take a potshot at a red kite or a buzzard.
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My mate Col and his Harris Hawk, Freya, who terrorises the pigeons and seagulls at our workplace. Apologies for the crap photo:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7414/11196758773_0bea0e44b1_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30024450@N04/11196758773/)
She's a beaut, and Col's inordinately proud of her. He also does beekeeping.
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The very tall spire of our local church
(http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/__data/assets/image/0007/305098/christ-church-1850-01-350.jpg)
was lit up be the rising sun this morning and on one of the pinnacles on the side, keeping an eye on what was passing by below, was a plump peregrine.
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I took a camera with me on the commute this morning in case I met the peregrine again. Alas no interesting birds. Just James Arthur by the Millennium Bridge.
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Seals & teals
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5487/11497631095_4434ef068a_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/11497631095/)
IMG_0697 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/11497631095/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7376/11497422556_4d39d55dba_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/11497422556/)
IMG_0711 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/11497422556/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Is this a turnstone?
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7324/11497730706_cf80f47dba_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/11497730706/)
IMG_2574 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/11497730706/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Is this a turnstone?
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7324/11497730706_cf80f47dba_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/11497730706/)
IMG_2574 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/11497730706/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Yes, although I've never seen on grass before - amongst spilled chips on Cleethorpes prom yes, but never that far from the sea
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Thanks CS :thumbsup: This was on a grass embankment next to the beach in Aberdeen, so very close to the sea. It was in a small mixed flock of turnstones & redshanks.
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Out early this morning: an egret; which seemed a little incongruous in the frozen, flooded fields of the Kentish Weald.
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A pair of dabchicks dabbling in a gulley at Gunner's Park, Shoebury.
I didn't see, but heard, a songthrush in North Shoebury.
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A water boatman swimming under ice.
Tiny red crab apples (some decorative variety) being eaten by a couple of blackbirds.
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What are suspected to be Turnstones and definitely Oyster Catchers. And some hairy coos.
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Friday, we saw a Barn Owl. First we've seen for quite a while.
I'd heard the Barn Owl population had taken a dive last year, but hadn't appreciated quite how badly until I read this: http://www.barnowltrust.org.uk/infopage.html?Id=150#cat2013
:(
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Out early this morning: an egret; which seemed a little incongruous in the frozen, flooded fields of the Kentish Weald.
A little egret I presume? They are almost commonplace round here, as they nest in Langstone harbour, and one of them visits the swans in Gosport at precisely 0724 most days. The last one I saw in my garden, I still chased off, the fish thieving bastard!
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I heard a blackbird singing shortly after sunset today.
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Saturday, I stuck my head out of the back door of son & D-i-L's house in very urban Northampton & heard the chirrups of a substantial flock of sparrows, plus a few whistles from starlings. They're both species that quit our bit of Solihull before we arrived a couple of decades ago :( .
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A snow goose at wicken fen
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A pied wagtail in the car park at work, hopping up onto the roof.
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A ring necked parakeet in Millfields Park, Hackney. That's the furthest NE in London I've ever seen one. Previous closest sighting to here was in Hampstead Heath. This probably means they have, or are about to, colonise the Lea Valley and work their way up into Essex.
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A ring necked parakeet in Millfields Park, Hackney. That's the furthest NE in London I've ever seen one. Previous closest sighting to here was in Hampstead Heath. This probably means they have, or are about to, colonise the Lea Valley and work their way up into Essex.
I have occasionally seen them in Southend, but not for a year or two.
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Red kite between Balcombe and Cuckfield this morning. Not seen one that far south and east before.
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Day before yesterday a green woodpecker breaking cover along the jubilee river ncn61 .later on a spotted woodpecker was spotted near moss end ,Bracknell way. I am not sure weather it was a greater or lesser spotted woodpecker but it was smaller than the green one .and a pair of jays near Winkfield :)
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A lone redwing sat on a berried bush in the garden for about 10-15 minutes yesterday, before flying off. About 30 minutes later a small flock turned up. Was the first one a scout?
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Day before yesterday a green woodpecker breaking cover along the jubilee river ncn61 .later on a spotted woodpecker was spotted near moss end ,Bracknell way. I am not sure weather it was a greater or lesser spotted woodpecker but it was smaller than the green one .and a pair of jays near Winkfield :)
Almost certainly a greater spotted. Lessers are very rare, live in the tops of trees and are about the size of a sparrow. The leader of our local RSPB group, who has been seriously birdwatching for at least 30 years, has never seen one despite trying, going to places where they are know to live and so on.
Not that there's anything wrong with a great spotted--I think they're wonderful birds to watch.
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Nice to know :). Made my day to spot it !.
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A pied wagtail in the car park at work, hopping up onto the roof.
Seen again today in the car park. :)
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Tha needs to get to Hebden Brig, lad. Earlier this week we spotted a flock of twenty or thirty birds flitting in and out of the tendrils of the creeper that cloaks the mill in the centre (no Innovations - do you know it?). It was dusk but after a while I was able to ascertain that they were all wagtails of one kind or another. Never seen anything like it, though I believe there is at least one huge roost in a city, maybe London.
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Do I know Innovations? It was one of TGL's favourite cafes when he were little (possibly due to the proximity of the toy shop. ;) ).
Wildlife is a bit rare and precious in the middle of the Great Wen.
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A pied wagtail in the car park at work, hopping up onto the roof.
Seen again today in the car park. :)
Quite a few inhabit Uxbridge High Street and surroundings.
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Do I know Innovations? It was one of TGL's favourite cafes when he were little (possibly due to the proximity of the toy shop. ;) ).
Wildlife is a bit rare and precious in the middle of the Great Wen.
Lots of sympathy - I'll think of you when I sit down to my buttered teacake!
Peter
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(https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1553192_10152160020893399_316647675_o.jpg)
A group of Deer crossing The Woodchurch to Betersden Road this afternoon, seen one or two before but not this many.
Don't know what brand they are.
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Almost certainly fallow deer. They vary a lot in colour. I've seen a pure white one (a "white hart") in Essex before now. A couple of years ago Jane and I stopped to watch a herd of well over 100 charging around in a field to our right. They were a bit like wildebeest in the Serengeti.
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Not seen today, but caught on the trailcam: siskins - a first for our garden.
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3818/12011487125_4ffe052717_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/12011487125/)
Siskin on mealworm feeder (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/12011487125/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3831/12011485015_1fcf59865e_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/12011485015/)
Pair of siskins on nijer (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/12011485015/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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OK, those pics are a bit dark, but those two are goldfinches in my book.
Edit: just had another look and another couple of birds have flown into the photos. ::-)
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4 barn owls yesterday. One in the morning, and 3 separate sightings along the Waveney valley lanes as dusk was falling.
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3 Redwing in my garden raiding one of the berry bushes that still has fruit!
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Jack Snipe and Bittern at the London Wetlands Centre. Absolutely unbelievable sighting of the Bittern which seemed to be posing for the crowd , and the cameras , watching from the WWT hide.
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A flock of what looked like massive thrush sized robins but with a more russet than red tone to their fronts. Eating the seeds from the bulrushes at the lakeside.
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Redwings? (http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/r/redwing/index.aspx)
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That was my first thought, but no.
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Found it. American robins. Rather pretty in a subjugated Colonial way.
Sorry, should've said I was in Canada.
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;D
I have to admit I did briefly think American robin, but they are of course pretty rare on this side of the pond.
Not unknown, but...
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Dead Chibbin on the lawn- by the way it had been plucked and eaten looks like a sparrerhawk did for it. Left it on the lawn for the local carrion lovers but will get rid of whatever is left tonight.
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A small flock of reed buntings on the garden feeders. As a special bonus, a single Brambling. These only come into the garden here when times are hard.
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On the last 3 bike commutes (Fri, Sat, Tues) I spotted a Little Egret at the same point on ride. :D
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Snow buntings.
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A hen pheasant in our front garden.
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Woke up to roe deer in the garden the other morning.
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Grey heron. Popped over the hedge and then flew along at eye level for a while, about 20 yards in front of me, till it made it over the opposite hedge. 8)
Why do they always make me think of pterodactyls? ???
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Loads of alpine choughs.
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Loads of alpine choughs.
Wossat?
Snowboarders mooching around with the waist-band of their snow-pants halfway down their arse?
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Seen last night …
A Herring Gull …
In our front room downstairs. Came down the chimney. Standing on the floor bold as brass, giving me the eye when I got in at 7pm. With much flapping around the room, I managed to throw a cloth over it, and escort it from the premises.
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Did it leave you something to remember it by, as they are famous for doing?
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Yesterday: a weasel with a small something in its mouth. It ran along the side of the road in the same direction that I was cycling and eventually made a dive for cover, dropping its prey, which appeared to be dead already. I was sporting and didn't eat the mouse/vole/shrew that the weasel had caught.
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Buzzard going over my flat.
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On the street near Elephant and Castle, I saw a cord-like item. Going a bit further, there was another, this time with a bit of fluffy white fur, making it quite clear that these were the sole remains of two rats who had met an unpleasant end.
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Did it leave you something to remember it by, as they are famous for doing?
Yes, quite a bit. The cheeky monkey.
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Buzzard going over my flat.
Next time, don't leave the door open.
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Dolphins leaping at the entrance to the harbour today.
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Buzzard going over my flat.
Next time, don't leave the door open.
Or the dead JWs on the steps....
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Pied wagtail in the car park at work. I think this is the third time I've mentioned it, but the wagtail is just such a beautiful bird that I've always loved, and it brings me delight to see them.
I recall that there was a pair nesting in the ventilation bricks at my school, above the window of the classroom where I was supposed to be learning English but instead spent my time watching them swooping out and back.
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Motacilla alba yarelli was one of two birds that were held out as uniquely British species (the other being Lagopus lagopus scotica, the red grouse)
Oddly, the one bird that is now seen as uniquely British is Loxia scotica, the Scottish crossbill, the only vertebrate unique to the British Isles. And it doesn't pay tuition fees...
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SQUIRREL!
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Red Kite above the A303 just east of Stonehenge. We've been told they've made it that far south and west and have friends who've seen them, but a first for us. :thumbsup:
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A new species of roadkill: common bream.
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Two buzzards which looked as if they were quarrelling, over Woodcote, NW of Reading. I don't remember seeing buzzards round there before. They're usually south of the M4, SW of Reading.
I've heard concern expressed that they may be losing out to kites, but this is an intrusion by buzzards into kite territory.
Lots of birdsong, woodpeckers hammering away, etc. Small birds dashing around. Crocuses, snowdrops en masse, catkins - spring is busting out all over.
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What's Woodcote like, that buzzards would quarrel over it?
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Well, there's a rather nice flint-walled cottage very close to where the buzzards were, on a gentle south-facing slope, big garden, good views . . . . ;D
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A few days ago, not close enough to see if it was a bee or wasp but close enough that it was one of them stingy things.
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And now at home - a wasp crawled out of the kitchen cupboard and tried to escape through the window. I tried to persuade it to got back to sleep, but it was rather keen to go out and I did warn it that there is a good chance for a cold snap before spring.
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A newt in our garden pond. Turned up in the net as I was cleaning out excess vegetation ready for the spring. Never knowingly seen a newt before. Set it back to swimming around.
Led to predictable sign language through the window to try to explain to Mrs CET what I had seen. :thumbsup:
Do newts and frogs get on or do they compete?
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Vast amounts of wildlife in the tiny pond on our allotment. Hordes of snails, & more various arthropods than you can shake a stick at.
Not long ago the pond seemed fauna-free.
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Do newts and frogs get on or do they compete?
In our pond at least they definitely do compete. Or rather, about nowish for the next few weeks we can expect much frog-on-frog action leading to a pond full of frogspawn. The newts then move in and slowly munch their way though the pre-made jelly snacks. So we are left with a colony of 20+ Alpine newts with bright orange undersides that seem to be doing much better than the native frogs.
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Heard, my back garden, 0725 today. Drumming great spotted woodpecker.
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Yesterday: seals basking, skylarks singing, GSW drumming, first lambs of the year, a buzzard swooping down quickly & coming up with an unidentified something in its talons.
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Tuesday, a muntjac grazing. On the verge of the M11.
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Yesterday, on one of my lilac crocuses, a honey bee.
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Tuesday, a muntjac grazing. On the verge of the M11.
On Wednesday night one stood at the side of a country lane in S. Oxfordshire & watched 17 cyclists pass by. I was maybe 2 metres from it as I cycled past.
Most of the 17 didn't see it. Dull brown thing against a dull brown hedge, at night.
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I'm almost certain I saw a marsh harrier yesterday, just North of Alnmouth. It's a fair way out of its range though.
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On Friday, I saw a fox in the car park at work, and got a few photos before it slunk off. I haven't had a chance to edit them yet.
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Last night as I tootled along Lonesome Lane, beloved of the FNRTTC, I was accompanied by a bat for a hundred metres or so. Don't know what sort other than being quite big and bat like.
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A newt in our garden pond. Turned up in the net as I was cleaning out excess vegetation ready for the spring. Never knowingly seen a newt before. Set it back to swimming around.
Led to predictable sign language through the window to try to explain to Mrs CET what I had seen. :thumbsup:
Do newts and frogs get on or do they compete?
Every year my brother squanders his retirement goes looking for frogspawn to put in his home-made tadpole rearers. Many of the tadpoles end up in his own garden pond.
He has on many occasions seen newts eating the frog tadpoles so last year he decided to reduce the number of newts in his pond by netting them. It's quite easy as he just waited and every time a newt came up for air he netted it and put it in a bucket ready for transportation to a pond half a mile or so away.
I can't remember how many newts he caught but it was into the hundreds. I'll ask him how many it was.
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Do newts and frogs get on or do they compete?
AIUI newts are happy to eat tadpoles, though presumably not newt tadpoles :-\. I wouldn't describe that as "getting on" with frogs, at least, not outside the food and drink part of yacf ;).
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Yesterday, 3 badger carcases on the main road between Warwick & Brum. The carcases are common enough, but up till now they've always been dumped on the verge. 2 had no signs of blood (presumably not roadkill), though 1 was being recycled by a couple of ravens, at least, I think both of them were involved. I sincerely hope it wasn't full of poisons, since most of the carcase was still there today, but the ravens weren't.
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A bunch of Belted Galloways grazing the slopes of Box Hill as I made my way back from the Hilly 50. Very lovely they looked too.
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Last week, a jay. Needed a longer lens:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7293/12909694565_0e633aaaa9_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/12909694565/)
IMG_2749 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/12909694565/) by The Pingus (http://www.flickr.com/people/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Buzzards, a jay, skylarks, heard yellowhammers, a lone lapwing doing its bonkers flight over a field & a kestrel hovering over another field.
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Visitor, Sunday afternoon:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/99498418@N05/13062133995/
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"Our" GS woodpecker was an occasional visitor to our bird feeder, particularly during those recent hard winter periods. Then he moved about a mile down the hill. We could still hear him, but no longer saw him.
Anyway, yesterday, he paid us a courtesy visit. :D
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Coming in from the back garden today I noticed a small black bag on the floor, as I bent over to pick it up it hopped off!
It was a magpie looking worse for wear. One of the only days this year I've left the doors open, guess where it went. Straight in through the door, through the kitchen, through the hallway, up the open stairs and into my bedroom where the dog was lying.
After wrestling the dog away from it I tried catching it, it was having none of it. It hopped down the stairway, through the hallway, through the kitchen and out of the back door :D
Last week I heard a racket by the garage doors and went to inspect. It was a pair of magpies attacking a smaller one, it was pretty savage. I shooed the pair away and the injured one flapped over into next doors garden. It must be the same one.
And for my good deeds what do I get?
A MASSIVE MAGPIE SHIT ON THE BEDROOM FLOOR!!
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Yesterday but please forgive me that, we had a Red Kite circling over Raynes Park. Its the first one I have seen in London personally- all rather exciting to see one back in the city!
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Also yesterday and sticking with the birds of prey - a peregrine falcon over Clifton Down. They nest in the Gorge but they're not a common sight, though apparently increasing in numbers.
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Mustelid themed for me. After helping a neighbour rescue a lost ferret last week (as I had cycling gloves on I was chosen to pick it up, afterwards she told me she didn't think the gloves would have given any protection) I saw a stoat this morning.
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Rather sad sight this morning in Borough. It was a dead bird on the pavement. It had speckled brown plumage, and a long, thin beak. Looked like a snipe (but I'm no expert). No idea what it was doing on an urban street.
No signs of cause of death, and no blood.
:(
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The local mute swans playing their usual tricks on me. I have an ongoing mission to get good photos of them in flight, they have an ongoing joke in that they try to avoid this ever happening. This morning my attention was diverted by a bit of heritage I was not aware of in Gosport, so I looked down at the sign, only to catch the sound of huge wingbeats just over my head, whipped round quickly and fired off a few frames, but the first and potentially best one missed the left wingtip, so detailed feathers in action, but not all of them. Gits! I've only got until July, when my contract finishes here, to nail my swans in flight ambitions. I'll get you yet, you beautiful feathered friends!
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Rather sad sight this morning in Borough. It was a dead bird on the pavement. It had speckled brown plumage, and a long, thin beak. Looked like a snipe (but I'm no expert). No idea what it was doing on an urban street.
No signs of cause of death, and no blood.
:(
Further thought after consulting RSPB website: Maybe this was a woodcock, destined for a table, but as yet unplucked? I don't know of any game merchants near there (Long Lane), though there's almost certainly at least one in Borough Market up the road a space.
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A kestrel hovering just along the shore from work.
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Knee deep in the stream through the meadows twixt Maidenhead and Cookham, an Egret. Not sure if great or not. Looked the size of your standard Heron. It looked to have fluffy bits on it's head.
I then spied a domestic kitty in the road, poised at the edge, staring intently at the side of the road. As I got closer I could see that it was at the entrance to an undergrowth 'tunnel' waiting for dinner. The cat didn't hear me until I was right beside it at which point, I must have inadvertantly triggerd it's coiled spring cos it leaped into the air then ran away ;D
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Unknown suspected raptor over a field near Ipswich. Bigger than a kestrel, and lacking the pointy wings of same (and it didn't hover). Didn't see it for long, suspicion of dark grey colour to top of wings. Any ideas oh wise ones?
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Sparrowhawk?
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Grass snake, basking on the path to Tesco, when Mrs B & I were walking back after an outing to replenish the fridge after our absence. It was taking advantage of some slightly warmed-up tarmac.
It slithered off into the leaf litter when we got close.
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Knee deep in the stream through the meadows twixt Maidenhead and Cookham, an Egret. Not sure if great or not. Looked the size of your standard Heron. It looked to have fluffy bits on it's head.
Great whites are a little bigger than a heron, but not much. But they are still (as far as I know) fairly rare in this country. A little would be more likely. And the little has the more distinctive crest.
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Yesterday (while I was standing in the office car park in a rather under-dressed state (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=80983.0)), a sparrow hawk flying over. I think it amused my colleagues that I stopped in mid-converstaion to point it out. ;D
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Sparrowhawk?
Don't think so. Sparrowhawks are more in the "tabby cat" colour scheme end of things. This was a bit battleship grey.
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Unknown suspected raptor over a field near Ipswich. Bigger than a kestrel, and lacking the pointy wings of same (and it didn't hover). Didn't see it for long, suspicion of dark grey colour to top of wings. Any ideas oh wise ones?
Sounds like a Goshawk to me.
How do I know?
One escaped a couple of years ago and was taking cats in our area. It spent a happy half hour sunning itself on our decking one day.
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Backtracking a bit, following a spot of web based research: Goshawk seems unlikely, as according to the RSPB website, they don't really get that far east. Leastways, there's a hole in the distribution map over the Ipswich area.
But what I didn't realise until 10 minutes ago was that male Sparrowhawks(1) are grey, not tabby like the female. Add to that the "being seen over a field" bit, I'd say it was a male Sparrowhawk.
(1) Is it just me that mentally appends "Family Centre" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clare_in_the_Community) to the word Sparrowhawk?
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On the riverside walk outside the Tate Modern this morning, a proper grown up frog. A few passers by did nice double-takes when they spotted it.
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A dead mustelid on the side of the road between Edingale and Lullington (near Tamworth). It looked far chunkier than a weasel or stoat but not badger-sized or badger-coloured. Could it have been a ferret ?
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Otter?
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Otters are gurt big buggers. More likely a ferret/polecat or a mink, I'd guess.
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Not today but caught sight of a deer yesterday on my way home after the club run. I already knew there were deer in some of the
greener less concreted bits of Swindon, but they usually1 keep away from people so I don't spot them very often.
(1. Except for one, who I found wandering along a fairly busy road. He'd managed to find his way from his bit of forest into the car park of an office block, and from there onto the road. Thankfully I wasn't in a rush, and could stop to shoo him back through the gap in the fence.)
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Otters are gurt big buggers. More likely a ferret/polecat or a mink, I'd guess.
An otter is between stoat and badger size though, which was the OP's window.
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Otters are gurt big buggers. More likely a ferret/polecat or a mink, I'd guess.
An otter is between stoat and badger size though, which was the OP's window.
The other one to consider is the American Mink that has escaped from fur farms.
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Otters are gurt big buggers. More likely a ferret/polecat or a mink, I'd guess.
An otter is between stoat and badger size though, which was the OP's window.
The other one to consider is the American Mink that has escaped from fur farms.
Euphemism of the year :(?
Mink are depressingly common & about the right size. They are a lot bolder than otters. The ones I've seen were untroubled by humans.
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English longhorn cattle, sometime yesterday, but I'm blessed if I can remember where. I do like a good cow.
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Otters are gurt big buggers. More likely a ferret/polecat or a mink, I'd guess.
An otter is between stoat and badger size though, which was the OP's window.
The other one to consider is the American Mink that has escaped from fur farms.
Euphemism of the year :(?
Mink are depressingly common & about the right size. They are a lot bolder than otters. The ones I've seen were untroubled by humans.
Are mink always black?
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Otters are gurt big buggers. More likely a ferret/polecat or a mink, I'd guess.
An otter is between stoat and badger size though, which was the OP's window.
The other one to consider is the American Mink that has escaped from fur farms.
Euphemism of the year :(?
Mink are depressingly common & about the right size. They are a lot bolder than otters. The ones I've seen were untroubled by humans.
Are mink always black?
I suspect there's an allusion there which has passed me by, but I haven't seen a black one. Mrs N. advises that mink coats used to come in a wide range of shades, which were presumably the result of selective breeding.
The site of JonBuoy's wee beastie is interesting. It's not very far from the Mease, which I'd guess to be otter territory, since the Tame has otters. However, & ICBW, I don't think ottters travel that far from water. Meanwhile, otters displace mink from the waterways, but the latter move onto the surrounding land. If the animal were roadkill, then mink would seem more likely.
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Rabbity things.
First a white rabbit, which was close to a ginger rabbit. Later on I saw a hare which is more unusual.
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Red Kite near Fleet services on the M3. They'm definitely spreading.
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Saw a red kite soaring over the m4 between junctions 14 and 13 on Monday.
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A green woodpecker near Chertsey lock :)
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Otters are gurt big buggers. More likely a ferret/polecat or a mink, I'd guess.
An otter is between stoat and badger size though, which was the OP's window.
The other one to consider is the American Mink that has escaped from fur farms.
Euphemism of the year :(?
Mink are depressingly common & about the right size. They are a lot bolder than otters. The ones I've seen were untroubled by humans.
Are mink always black?
I suspect there's an allusion there which has passed me by, but I haven't seen a black one. Mrs N. advises that mink coats used to come in a wide range of shades, which were presumably the result of selective breeding.
The site of JonBuoy's wee beastie is interesting. It's not very far from the Mease, which I'd guess to be otter territory, since the Tame has otters. However, & ICBW, I don't think ottters travel that far from water. Meanwhile, otters displace mink from the waterways, but the latter move onto the surrounding land. If the animal were roadkill, then mink would seem more likely.
I originally thought that the otter suggestion was ridiculous due to the location but CN's comment prompted a bit of Googling which turn up this: http://www.cliftoncampville.com/mease.html (http://www.cliftoncampville.com/mease.html) Not so ridiculous after all as Googlemaps shows that there is even a tributary of the Mease running from where the corpse was found. In reality I suspect that it is merely a big ditch.
I popped back to the scene of the crime on Tuesday evening to get a photo but by then the poor thing was looking very much the worse for wear. Having refreshed my memory of the beast I am now pretty sure that it was indeed a mink. Thanks for the education!
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A kestrel, hovering over the waste ground at the back of our office. A crow chased it off.
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Otters are gurt big buggers. More likely a ferret/polecat or a mink, I'd guess.
An otter is between stoat and badger size though, which was the OP's window.
The other one to consider is the American Mink that has escaped from fur farms.
Euphemism of the year :(?
Mink are depressingly common & about the right size. They are a lot bolder than otters. The ones I've seen were untroubled by humans.
Are mink always black?
I suspect there's an allusion there which has passed me by, but I haven't seen a black one. Mrs N. advises that mink coats used to come in a wide range of shades, which were presumably the result of selective breeding.
The site of JonBuoy's wee beastie is interesting. It's not very far from the Mease, which I'd guess to be otter territory, since the Tame has otters. However, & ICBW, I don't think ottters travel that far from water. Meanwhile, otters displace mink from the waterways, but the latter move onto the surrounding land. If the animal were roadkill, then mink would seem more likely.
I originally thought that the otter suggestion was ridiculous due to the location but CN's comment prompted a bit of Googling which turn up this: http://www.cliftoncampville.com/mease.html (http://www.cliftoncampville.com/mease.html) Not so ridiculous after all as Googlemaps shows that there is even a tributary of the Mease running from where the corpse was found. In reality I suspect that it is merely a big ditch.
I popped back to the scene of the crime on Tuesday evening to get a photo but by then the poor thing was looking very much the worse for wear. Having refreshed my memory of the beast I am now pretty sure that it was indeed a mink. Thanks for the education!
Thanks for that link. I learnt a lot from it. I had no idea that the Mease is a SSSI, nor that it has a population of white-clawed crayfish :).
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Red Kite near Fleet services on the M3. They'm definitely spreading.
More precisely they are being spread.
There has been a protected breeding program, over the last X years, in North Wales. The area they use has now become over crowded so the young, after fledging, are being distributed around the country to re-populate areas where they were once common.
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Red Kite near Fleet services on the M3. They'm definitely spreading.
More precisely they are being spread.
There has been a protected breeding program, over the last X years, in North Wales. The area they use has now become over crowded so the young, after fledging, are being distributed around the country to re-populate areas where they were once common.
There is a protected breeding programme a bit closer- Stokenchurch (Junction 5 of the M40). Their birds are spreading without help I think.
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Meanwhile, there's slaughter up here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-26784573 :demon:
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Really close to a sql today, shame we only had Mrs P's phone to take pics with:
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7191/13494070824_eaa5a46c1a_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/myqD8w)
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7153/13494059394_64e09a1408_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/myqzJs)
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3728/13494084264_c5270be633.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/myqH8f)
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7136/13493677785_c4930ed03b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/myoChZ)
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I awoke yerterday at about 2am thinking we were being burgled by someone who didn't care how much noise they made. Eventuually I worked out what was going on: there was an attempted burglary going on, but it was a fox trying to raid our food waste bin. I couldn't see him from the bedroom window so I crept downstairs, grabbing a Hope Vision 1 on the way, reached the back door and then shone the light through the glass. There was the culprit, about 18 inches away, looking confused and dazzled by the light. I would imagine that foxes become so accustomed to automatic security lights coming on that they get blasé about them, so it was a few seconds before he leapt over the 8' wall between our garden and our neighbours'.
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Red Kite near Fleet services on the M3. They'm definitely spreading.
More precisely they are being spread.
There has been a protected breeding program, over the last X years, in North Wales. The area they use has now become over crowded so the young, after fledging, are being distributed around the country to re-populate areas where they were once common.
There is a protected breeding programme a bit closer- Stokenchurch (Junction 5 of the M40). Their birds are spreading without help I think.
Yeah. For example, rooting around behind fast food shops in Reading. If I doze in my back garden, I'm bound to see one checking me out if I open my eyes & look up.
A single kite isn't anything anyone comments on round here now, unless it's doing something unusual. Mrs B commented on a crowd of them yesterday - because it was a crowd. The two jays that flew across the road in front of us, though - that was worth pointing out. As was the unusually large & sleek fox running through the grounds of some flats near us yesterday afternoon.
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In contrast to Bledlow's fox, the one I saw this morning - 9am so well past fox bedtime - was very mangy. Does mange interfere with their diurnal rhythms or something? Never normally see one so late in the day.
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Some of the local foxes are mangy.
I see foxes at almost any hour of the day or night.
Some foxes, like cats, seem to enjoy basking in the midday sun on the centre of my lawn.
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Not seen but heard- woodpecker pecking.
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Sat in my armchair this afternoon, and a shadow passed over me. I looked up to see a heron in flight. Then I spotted something else, gliding East at some height. Buzzards are becoming more and more common here, so I pointed the binoculars I keep on my windowsill...
Osprey. Magic!
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mallard, in the road. Two oncoming cars jinked round it, however the truck caused it to panic into flight.
Unfortunately it was facing into the road and therefore tried to fly across the path of the lorry. Last I saw was the bird tumbling into the verge on my side of the road just before I got there.
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Female black redstart in the garden. Had to look it up. I don't think I've seen one before.
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Ooh! Listen for the song. Nothing amazing, but in the middle it stops dead while some bacon is fried.
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Heard but did not see, because it was a little bit misty and overcast, skylarks singing over the fields above Dyrham yesterday afternoon (before it started raining, obvs). The sound that makes me think of summer - but it isn't yet!
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Nearly got taken out by a mountain hare on the descent of BH1 last night. Heard an owl in Durris (dunno what kind - it screeched then went oo-oo?).
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Badger in our garden :thumbsup: :D
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7377/13799038785_644f02b3c5.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/n2nFtP)
EK005112 (https://flic.kr/p/n2nFtP) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/people/36539950@N00/), on Flickr
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Badger in our garden :thumbsup: :D
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7377/13799038785_644f02b3c5.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/n2nFtP)
EK005112 (https://flic.kr/p/n2nFtP) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/people/36539950@N00/), on Flickr
You are so lucky Pingu, I would love to have a visiting badger in my garden ;D
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A lost frog. It was hiding behind the plant pots by our front door, in a wilderness of paved & gravelled front gardens in a street of terrace houses. Damned if I know how it got there. We took it to a better place, i.e. our allotment, to enjoy the pond, abundant cover, & plethora of edible invertebrata.
I opened the container in which we'd carried it & handed it to Mrs B to release it. She said "How should I release it?" - just as, with perfect timing, it took matters into its own claws & leapt out, straight into the pond. :thumbsup:
PS. I understand that moving amphibians is illegal in general, though allowed to rescue 'em, e.g. from being run over. Considering that I was in the process of destroying its hiding place when I found it, I think I rescued it by moving it.
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Swallow in Burnsall, Wharfedale. It nearly put my eye out, the wonderful thing!
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Swallow in Burnsall, Wharfedale. It nearly put my eye out, the wonderful thing!
POTD!
:D :D :D
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I'd have forgiven it - my eyes are not as good as they used to be, anyway!
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A spider catching, wrapping and hauling away a woodlouse - all in our living room! (Mrs Cudzo pls not to read this.) It was fascinating and although the actual ambush was incredibly quick - the spider dropped down on the woodlouse from above and paralysed (it was not killed, cos it managed to unroll itself later) it - the process of wrapping it up and hauling it away to the web was fairly lengthy, with many runs up and down the ascending line to the web.
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T'other night as I cycled by the edge of Redhill Common, houses and Thee Pubbe on one side, common on the other, I rounded a corner to see a Badger ambling in the road. I'm not sure which of us was the most surprised. Badger turned round and ambled back up the bank onto the common.
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Another frog in our front garden. It was hiding behind plant pot no. 3. The previous one was behind pots 1 & 2. Definitely a different frog. A bit smaller.
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A hare running across a field.
Then a reddish coloured squirrel but I believe the red squirrels in this part of Germany aren't like the English red squirrels.
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Cute coot in the Bois de Boulogne (Paris), Sunday
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-VJUq8HeVx4E/U07m8T6dW2I/AAAAAAAAHRk/D0G0Namg6_w/s640/DSC01727.jpg)
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Three bikes leaning against each other in the garden-let. A robin hops onto the saddle of Little Cudzo's, then onto my top tube, then onto Mrs Cudzo's handlebars. Then flies off to the drainpipe.
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Glaring & threatening postures by two robins on the allotment.
Oh, & a frog in the pond.
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Buzzard being mobbed by a pair of crows and a yellowhammer (both pics heavily cropped):
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2915/13967492023_fbbe155bc9.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/nhg3KZ)
IMG_0801 (https://flic.kr/p/nhg3KZ) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/people/36539950@N00/), on Flickr
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7258/13967544233_07b3ab5dd1.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/nhgjha)
IMG_0807 (https://flic.kr/p/nhgjha) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/people/36539950@N00/), on Flickr
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Great Bustards on Salisbury Plain, courtesy of The Great Bustard Group (http://greatbustard.org/). And Stone Curlews taaw.
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I'd have forgiven it - my eyes are not as good as they used to be, anyway!
Are you familiar with Eric Hoskings? He was the first person, or so I understand, to make a living entirely from wildlife photography. One of his books was called "An eye for a bird" on account of the fact that shortly after taking one of the photographs in the book, the subject, a female tawny owl with chicks, attacked him and tore his eye out.
Today's treat was a conversation with a cuckoo, which I attempted to photograph.
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These chaps are usually a bit too active to photograph, but I found them having a reflective pause.
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2898/13975368434_0cea19d185.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/nhXq9b)
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..and lots of finching going on
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2935/13971725652_872a35f46f.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/nhCKgA)
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Lots of the horse chestnuts have spikes already. None actually in flower yet. And the beeches with their new leaves, so bright green against the silvery grey bark - one of the most beautiful colour combinations.
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We were at Kew Gardens over the weekend Cudzo, the horse chestnuts are in their full flowering glory there, it was raining so it smelled heavenly, and the spring leaves - I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.
It's why I painted my old sitting room silver and lime, to try and capture some of the beauty of spring in a wood. I don't think it worked though.
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It's all glam rock in Ruthie's sitting room. :thumbsup:
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An upset Heron on the canal tow path north of Gnosall..... why was it upset? Well I think it wanted to have a quiet sit down and a piece of cake....or whatever resting Herons eat.... but I wanted to use the side of the canal he was resting on. Thus, I would get within 20 yards of him* causing him to fly 100 yards down the path... only for me to catch him up after he had landed causing him to fly off again.
And repeat until I turned off the canal a couple of miles later. By then, the bird was quite unimpressed with me and had taken to crowing at me loudly each time he flew off.
* May have been a female bird. I have no idea: I am crap at sexing birds.
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You do know why the term "bird brain" was coined, don't you? The concept of flying round to be behind you on your current path is beyond their reasoning power.
I was upset recently by our in-house wildlife bloke telling me that swans are thick. I struggle with this as I think they are wonderful, but it seems evident they are not bright...
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Whilst sitting in the lounge this evening, I spied movement outside. On closer inspection I discovered that we has Battage again :thumbsup:
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Squirrel with a hot dog bun in Oaks Park (there are no hot dog stalls for miles around):
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5138/13981720456_abe502f8e9.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/nivYnN)P4244424 (https://flic.kr/p/nivYnN) by TJ Clarion (https://www.flickr.com/people/93751227@N04/), on Flickr
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Bold robin on a bin in Oaks Park:
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7071/14001635992_492a93550e.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/nkh3z7)P4244411 (https://flic.kr/p/nkh3z7) by TJ Clarion (https://www.flickr.com/people/93751227@N04/), on Flickr
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Squirrel with a hot dog bun in Oaks Park (there are no hot dog stalls for miles around):
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5138/13981720456_abe502f8e9.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/nivYnN)P4244424 (https://flic.kr/p/nivYnN) by TJ Clarion (https://www.flickr.com/people/93751227@N04/), on Flickr
Excuse me sir, but you appear to have mis-identified the species. That appears not to be a squiggle, wot is red, but a bastard invading American tree rat, wot is vermin.
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Not today, but at Easter, some English longhorn cattle.
Like this:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OOkRkdZVE6A/U1WV_CxFf9I/AAAAAAAAFQE/2CpeT622-_o/s800/IMGP3276.JPG)
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The good thing about dreich days is that you can take pics of gulls without them being all washed out.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/14033108892_4232e73968_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/no4mnj)
IMG_3048 (https://flic.kr/p/no4mnj) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/people/36539950@N00/), on Flickr
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5187/14033123532_abd353e8a1_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/no4qHJ)IMG_3043 (https://flic.kr/p/no4qHJ) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/people/36539950@N00/), on Flickr
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We were at Kew Gardens over the weekend Cudzo, the horse chestnuts are in their full flowering glory there, it was raining so it smelled heavenly, and the spring leaves - I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.
It's why I painted my old sitting room silver and lime, to try and capture some of the beauty of spring in a wood. I don't think it worked though.
I noticed this weekend that the horse chestnuts are flowering in Wiltshire but still only 'green spikey' in Bristol.
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In Market Deeping on Saturday, a very fine heron fishing not 10 feet from the road.
This morning a big male? stoat. So big that I wanted him to be a polecat, but he was definitely a stoat. He trotted hopped cantered across the road in front of me.
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A herring gull with rear half of a small mammal (mouse?) dangling from its bill.
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Today there were some Good Things in the park.
There was a blackcap singing away throatily, and I got to see him as well. There were several goldfinches and a few long-tailed tits. I saw a robin equipped with a beak-full of worms heading for a nest, and where I always look for tadpoles but never see any (I have seen frogspawn in that patch every year for many) there were instead some tench. They were sploshing around in shallow water for the purposes of procreation, I think. I've not seen them do that before. Last year, Mrs. Wow and I turned up at the park when the carp were mating and that was spectacular to behold: >20lb fish hammering into the reed beds causes a pretty impressive commotion. The tench were quite small (all less than 1lb) and the water was murky, so it took me a while to identify the species.
For some reason there has been a flood. It hasn't rained, but it appeared that the spring that feeds the park lakes (they date back to the Romans) was flowing faster than usual and the wetland area had overflowed onto what is normally just grass. I think someone must have blocked the stream for this to have happened.
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A pair of Little Egrets in a flood pond on the meadow between Cookham and Maidenhead, followed by a Heron, poised to strike, in the next flood pond along the road.
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A pair of Little Egrets in a flood pond on the meadow between Cookham and Maidenhead, followed by a Heron, poised to strike, in the next flood pond along the road.
Those bloody herons, holding the country to ransom. I bet they didn't even hold a ballot.
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A pair of ladybirds shagging on my rose bush.
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A long tailed duck in the harbour outside work this morning.
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Pot the frog.
That is, the frog MRs B has named Pot. It lives on our allotment.
[Edit]
Pot was loitering in the allotment pond on May 4th - & our neighbours found a toad on their part of the plot, & the French couple on the next plot found a very small frog hanging around their compost bin. Good to see that there are still anurans out there. Our allotments must be a good habitat.
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A red squirrel on the edge of Hamsterley Forest :D
And, closer to Darlo, a couple of crows teaming up on a kestrel to send it packing.
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Recently...
From the train on Thursday. Red kite just south of Salfords.
In Ockley church yard, on Friday. Hard the high-pitched see-see-see and stuck my head into the foliage of a yew. Not only did I see the goldcrest, but it was happily hopping around within three feet of my face. No camera, swear swear.
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Seen as we walked accross a bridge by the bay in Hilo, Hawaii, this morning-
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/mattlangridge/DSC04067.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/mattlangridge/media/DSC04067.jpg.html)
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Sorry, Fuzzy, I can't see what that is.
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Pretty much central in the image is a turtle :thumbsup:
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Ah! I could see the shell and thought "That looks like a turtle!" but there was a lot of other stuff around the periphery and I thought it could have been an octopus. Just put it down to an addled brain combined with failing eyesight!
My "seen today" was an excellent view of a sparrowhawk having a drink in the stream. At first I couldn't make out what sort of bird it was because I could only see its back, but once it noticed me there it hopped onto a rock for a few seconds. It has never struck me before how yellow are a sparrowhawk's legs. After that it flew into a tree and I lost sight of it.
I don't know whether it was because of the overnight rain, but there seemed to be a lot less duckweed in the stream than normal, so I had a good look for tadpoles, since there was lots of frogspawn there in March. I didn't see any, but I saw plenty of sticklebacks. I'm pretty sure that these were 10-spined. My recollection of the 3-spined variety from my youth was that the males were often brightly-coloured, like kingfishers, with a pink/orange underside and bright blue above.
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Two cock pheasants fighting, and a jay seeing off a magpie. The magpie thought he'd gone far enough, and settled down, so the jay came back for second helpings and made REALLY sure!
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Moorhen chicks:
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2896/13982838999_aa16d79e58_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/niBGT2)
IMG_3199 (https://flic.kr/p/niBGT2) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/people/36539950@N00/), on Flickr
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Two swallows, welcome to summer!
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We've had swifts screaming overhead for a while now.
Saw a swarm of bees yesterday, on the allotment. One bloke left, having a problem with bee stings & anaphylactc shock. Someone else went to phone a person who would be interested in catching the swarm.
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Swifts and dolphins.
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My landlord is a beekeeper (honey is available - 'cept I don't like it). Today whilst I was out on walkies some of his bees swarmed to a tree across the road
(https://scontent-a-fra.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/t1.0-9/q73/s480x480/10277765_10152029292856786_7923614536504022082_n.jpg)
Somehow the top swarm looks like the playboy bunny logo!
On the walk I watched this hare run across a field, then stop and clean his face (between the bars of the gate)
(https://scontent-a-fra.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/10322624_10152029295926786_4749365008561254857_n.jpg)
And then he headed off.
(https://scontent-a-fra.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/10359516_10152029295861786_4326940042005644268_n.jpg)
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Bitterns! :D
And more importantly we heard them booming. We've seen them before but never at the right time of year for the song.
It really is like someone blowing across the top of a really big milk bottle, maybe a demijohn.
(We were at the Ham Wall RSPB and Shapwick Heath Natural England* nature reserves on the Somerset levels.
Saw lots of other good stuff as well, but that was the prize.
*: or is it English Nature this week?
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Dolphins (or Porpoises) and Pelicans in the entrance to San Francisco Bay as SWMBO and I walked across Golde Gate Bridge
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A male Blackcap flew into my front wheel and was half shredded as a result :'( despite being a wimp about such things I did manage to put the poor blighter out of its pain. I do notice a disproportionate number of dead Blackcaps by the sides of roads.
On a more positive note, I also saw my first Hobby for 2 years later in the ride, some fine views as it circled trees and the river close-by
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A bunny.
The nice thing about my quiet Shimano freewheel is not scaring off the wildlife from half a mile away. Which was kinda the point, really.
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In SW Scotland: a stoat, a red kite, 'wild' goats and a PINE MARTEN. The first time I've seen a pine marten in Scotland and in broad freakin' daylight :D
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Pot the frog now has a companion (named Notpot), & a small toad has also moved in. Our allotment pond & its environs are now home to three anurans. Mrs B likes to sit & watch them sometimes, e.g. early this evening. But they don't do much, apart from eating the odd insect.
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A Kingfisher flying up the River Lea in the Olympic Park. The place is looking really good at the moment with meadow flowers everywhere. I don't know if there were ever Kingfishers at Stratford before the Olympic redevelopment, but it feels like they've done a really good job with the riverside environment.
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A male Blackcap flew into my front wheel and was half shredded as a result :'( despite being a wimp about such things I did manage to put the poor blighter out of its pain. I do notice a disproportionate number of dead Blackcaps by the sides of roads.
On a more positive note, I also saw my first Hobby for 2 years later in the ride, some fine views as it circled trees and the river close-by
A male chaffinch once did that into my brother's front wheel. he had an idea that it was attacking his spoke reflectors. Did you have reflectors fitted perchance?
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In SW Scotland: a stoat, a red kite, 'wild' goats and a PINE MARTEN. The first time I've seen a pine marten in Scotland and in broad freakin' daylight :D
Ooh, that is a good'un! I have seen one in the Picos de Europa in Spain, we were just having our evening constitutional walk up from our holiday apartment, and Mrs W said "what that in the road behind us?" and lo and behold, a pine marten standing up on his back legs, effectively saying "Hey, look, I'm a pine marten, wanna take a picture?"
We spent this weekend at Fawley Hill, the McAlpine's place near Henley on Thames. it was nice to see the cuddly alpacas, and see the camels and tapirs, but after the event had a flying display by a spitfire, we were all treated to a far better display by a pair of red kites, who were not exactly shy, and were swooping down and grabbing things off the ground. Sadly I was travelling as light as possible, photographically, and only had my 17-70 lens. I hasten to add that the red kites were not staged, they were just the local bird population. We do see them near home, but they aren't usually as brazen as these were.
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Female Mallard with 13 young at Teddington Lock.
Female Mandarin with 3 young in Isabella Plantation, Richmond Park.
Female Egyptian Goose with 7 young in Isabella Plantation.
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Two kestrels, kestrelling about outside the office.
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One crow, eating a crisp.
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Lots of baby bunnies. Soooo cute.
Yellowhammers. Finches. Pigeons. Crows. Gulls.
Bugloss. That pink stuff I can never remember the name of. Rosebay willowherb. Mallow. Loads of umbellifers - including some hogweed. Elderflowers. Horse chestnuts in glorious flower, both red and white. Bluebells. Ragwort. Campion. Buttercups. Red clover.
Gorgeous English spring evening.
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I'm pretty sure there's a nightingale in a tree in front of the Country Girl.
For a week or so I've been thinking, "Blimey, that blackbird is being pretty tunefull"
I had my suspicions, but only tonight checked the song on the RSPB site.
Wow! I do think it may be.
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I'm pretty sure there's a nightingale in a tree in front of the Country Girl.
For a week or so I've been thinking, "Blimey, that blackbird is being pretty tunefull"
I had my suspicions, but only tonight checked the song on the RSPB site.
Wow! I do think it may be.
That's pretty remarkable if it is, Basil. They don't normally venture north of the Home Counties in the UK, although there were quite a few in Denmark, and loads in the dunes between the Hook of Holland and The Hague when we were there last year.. Could be climate change I suppose.
Any chance of a recording?
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Unfortunately, I don't know how to do a sound recording on a nexus. I did make a video of a paving slab last week with said bird as the soundtrack, but found that the resulting file was too big to email to my Photobucket account.
I deleted the file some days ago as I thought I was just being silly and it was probably just an exuberant blackbird. But now I'm not so sure.
I could be making a fool of my self, I'm not sure. Nightingales do get as far northwest as Warwickshire, Worcestershire probably not. South urban Brum, well, I agree, it would be remarkable.
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*Embarrassed*
It's a blackbird.
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Blackbirds are good mimics. Maybe it's mimicking a nightingale.
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A couple of times this year I have heard song thrushes to which I have had to listen very carefully before I was sure they weren't nightingales. I haven't heard a nightingale this year.
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Two swallows, welcome to summer!
Had one get into our house the other day, could hear a commotion upstairs. As I went upstairs our cat was coming down, running scared.
Left a couple of windows open and it got out OK.
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2 Damsel flies in our garden :)
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Blackbirds are good mimics. Maybe it's mimicking a nightingale.
There's one in the next street which does riffs on snatches of Eleanor Rigby.
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The Sunday Post ( ::-)) did an article many years ago about people thinking their trimphones were ringing but it was blackbirds doing impressions.
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Blackbirds are good mimics. Maybe it's mimicking a nightingale.
There's one in the next street which does riffs on snatches of Eleanor Rigby.
Singing in the dead of night?
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Nope, broad daylight.
It's a blackbird, not a nightingale.
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A buzzard catching what looked like a crow. Rather surprised me (I guess the crow was more surprised).
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Yesterday: a great northern diver and an otter.
The day before: a pair of corncrakes.
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Great northern diver?
(http://www.arthur-ransome.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/AR-009-238x300.jpg)
"I was wrong," said Captain Flintbagger.
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A family of wrens , presumably newly fledged , enjoying the hospitality offered by my back garden.
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A white-tailed eagle being mobbed by a buzzard and a hooded crow. Later, two white-tailed eagles, one of which I believe I had already seen. An otter basking and feeding amongst the sea weed. Some tadpoles in a pool precariously close to the high tide mark.
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I was pottering about the allotment doing some weeding yesterday (about my limit at the moment), & didn't leave until almost 6 pm.
Allotment fox came out just as I was gathering my things to go. Saw me, checked - then stood & watched & waited until I went. Looks alert, well-fed & sleek.
We've known for a long time it's there, but not seen it before.
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(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/goat_1.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/goat_2.jpg)
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Goats!
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Hidey goats!
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Seen and (eventually) heard.
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2920/14323809064_4f3515a292_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/nPKgpf)bat14 (https://flic.kr/p/nPKgpf) by davidmamartin (https://www.flickr.com/people/62034421@N00/), on Flickr
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5520/14137835349_16c59c1306_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/nxj6TT)bat14a (https://flic.kr/p/nxj6TT) by davidmamartin (https://www.flickr.com/people/62034421@N00/), on Flickr
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And the sound.. https://soundcloud.com/david-martin-113/soprano-pipistrelles?fb_action_ids=10152559270045039&fb_action_types=soundcloud%3Apublish
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Bats in our garden last night, which was nice.
And, down in Sussex, a pair of pied wagtails flying in their distinctive swoopy style directly down the road ahead of the CTC group.
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Blimey!
All my life I've seen thrushes in the garden(s) and I assumed that that was it.
Just now, I looked out of my kitchen window and saw two thrush like birds the size of small chickens on the lawn. (OK, bit of an exaggeration).
I was amazed and called to Mrs. B to look out of the window.
"Oh yeah", she said, "Mistle Thrushes"
Gosh, aren't they big? And how come I've never seen one before?
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Dolphins again today.
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Blimey!
All my life I've seen thrushes in the garden(s) and I assumed that that was it.
Just now, I looked out of my kitchen window and saw two thrush like birds the size of small chickens on the lawn. (OK, bit of an exaggeration).
I was amazed and called to Mrs. B to look out of the window.
"Oh yeah", she said, "Mistle Thrushes"
Gosh, aren't they big? And how come I've never seen one before?
Perhaps you have seen them and have been misled into thinking that they were something else.
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Blimey!
All my life I've seen thrushes in the garden(s) and I assumed that that was it.
Just now, I looked out of my kitchen window and saw two thrush like birds the size of small chickens on the lawn. (OK, bit of an exaggeration).
I was amazed and called to Mrs. B to look out of the window.
"Oh yeah", she said, "Mistle Thrushes"
Gosh, aren't they big? And how come I've never seen one before?
Perhaps you have seen them and have been misled into thinking that they were something else.
What? Like:
"These song thrushes are small. These mistle thrushes are far away."?
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Mis[t]led.
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Blimey!
All my life I've seen thrushes in the garden(s) and I assumed that that was it.
Just now, I looked out of my kitchen window and saw two thrush like birds the size of small chickens on the lawn. (OK, bit of an exaggeration).
I was amazed and called to Mrs. B to look out of the window.
"Oh yeah", she said, "Mistle Thrushes"
Gosh, aren't they big? And how come I've never seen one before?
Perhaps you have seen them and have been misled into thinking that they were something else.
No. I didn't think they were Nightingales. :-[ Thankyouverymuch.
;D
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A kestrel hunting at work.
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Red Kites on Saturday, over Brockham. Not seen them down that way before.
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Blimey!
All my life I've seen thrushes in the garden(s) and I assumed that that was it.
Just now, I looked out of my kitchen window and saw two thrush like birds the size of small chickens on the lawn. (OK, bit of an exaggeration).
I was amazed and called to Mrs. B to look out of the window.
"Oh yeah", she said, "Mistle Thrushes"
Gosh, aren't they big? And how come I've never seen one before?
We've had a storm cock singing from the top of the highest tree in central Solihull for a couple of years (shared use path on the NW edge of Solihull School grounds FWIW), though not this year AFAIK. I don't think I've seen one at ground level in the couple of decades that we've lived hereabouts.
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Dead shrew - it was tiny!
(http://www.auntiehelen.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Dead-shrew-1024x991.jpg)
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Blackbirds are nesting in the shrubby cover on neighbour's side of the fence. Neighbours are extending house & the area is a building site. The fence has been demolished up to a metre or 2 from the nest. But Mrs blackbird was still sitting on the nest this afternoon, presumably brooding eggs, despite the disturbances from the building work. A minor disruption to things on our side of the boundary (I'll skip the details, but good neighbours is a shared value) had led to the first time I've ever seen a bird sitting on its nest at close range, albeit with such good cover that it took several minutes to see her.
This morning I had seen a cock blackbird fly into the area of the nest through the gap that used to be fenced. After a minute or 2 he emerged, and was promptly chased off by another cock bird which I presume is the owner of the territory & nest.
Looks as though the hen is keen on a bit of genetic diversity in her second brood :o.
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Red Kites on Saturday, over Brockham. Not seen them down that way before.
...and a red kite here in the fens on Sunday. It was raiding a nest/fledglings in a field of wheat - the hen pheasant was trying to defend her brood/eggs. (I couldn't see exactly what was going on at ground level in the 18" high wheat)
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Bought the cheap £7.50 Argos bat detector and took it for a walk..https://soundcloud.com/david-martin-113/bats-at-observatory recording is via the phone so a bit ropey. Seems to work well and possibly a few species there.
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Another hare, this one very close. He peered at me and Poppy as we wandered past.
(https://scontent-a-fra.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/t1.0-9/10415674_10152063919051786_984381989241851727_n.jpg)
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And the sound.. https://soundcloud.com/david-martin-113/soprano-pipistrelles?fb_action_ids=10152559270045039&fb_action_types=soundcloud%3Apublish
Thank you, we enjoyed listening to that. What are the noises that sound like something splashing into water?
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hummingbird hawk-moth, normally don't see them until september
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A Ruby-tailed wasp (http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/species/ruby-tailed-wasp) crawling around on the shed. Never seen one before - they're amazingly brightly coloured, almost tropical!
More images: here (http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Chrysis+ignita&FORM=HDRSC2)
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Two toads on the allotment, under a plant pot which hadn't been moved for a while.
One was a diddy little thing, absolutely tiny. The other one was small, but possible adult.
I carefully replaced the pot, after Mrs B had had a look.
That makes at least four resident amphibians. The two frogs are always in or near the pond when spotted. There may be a third toad. Opinions differ. Is the very small toad seen a few times by the pond the same as the one spotted today at the other end of the plot, or not?
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On Saturday: A brand new foal, could only have been a few minutes old.
Still all wet, laying on the ground trying to work out how to work it's legs.
Mother horse prodding it with her nose and licking it.
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Some disagreement in the office today about whether the kestrel is a red kite or a kestrel. I think it's too small to be a red kite, it's the wrong colour, and I'm not sure they live in Niddrie.
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Size, shape of tail, flight patterns, wing shape - all visibly different.
Kite = forked tail
Kestrel = fan shaped tail (when spread)
Kite
(http://www.cardigan-bay.com/images/red-kites-janet-baxter.jpg)
Kestrel hovering (which kites can't do)
(http://barnowlbox.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/kestrel.jpg)
Kestrel
(http://www.hawar-islands.com/blog/media/blogs/all/30nov07/kestrel.jpg)
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Dolphins just outside the harbour this morning.
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If kites definitely can't hover, it's a kestrel, or a kite fitted with hovering equipment.
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A kestrel hovering is unmistakable. The head stays still, steady as a rock, while the wings flap away like mad & the tail constantly twitches. No other bird does anything like it, AFAIK.
Kites can hang in the air, given the right conditions, but they're not really hovering. They're gliding at the same speed as the wind, but in the opposite direction. Like a glider hanging in an updraught - indeed, kites do exactly the same. Almost still in the air, just little flicks & twists of wings & tail to maintain position. A kestrel hovering looks positively manic in comparison.
There's a video of a kestrel hovering here -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Common_Kestrel#p010v3zt (http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Common_Kestrel#p010v3zt)
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Two larks ascending , in Bushy Park.
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A kestrel hovering is unmistakable. The head stays still, steady as a rock, while the wings flap away like mad & the tail constantly twitches. No other bird does anything like it, AFAIK.
Hence their occasional alternative name of windjammer.
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Two larks ascending , in Bushy Park.
Vaughan-Vaughan-Williams-Williams?
There were many large carp near the surface of the lake in Priory Park this morning. Two people I spoke to, both from the angling fraternity, thought they were preparing to spawn. I think it was last year that Mrs. Wow and I witnessed this spectacle - and spectacular it was! I thought it was a bit earlier in the year than this, and of course the season opens on Sunday so the place will be crawling with anglers.
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Out on a mission of mercy this evening in the car, I spied an owl (largish) pop up from the verge and fly off.
A couple of miles later another owl (smallish) popped up from another verge and hid round the back of a telegraph pole.
On my return 10 minutes later I spied what I guess was the same smallish owl on a different telegraph pole, a bit further along the same road.
Then a few hundred yards after that a deer skittered out of the undergrowth in front of me.
It's a jungle out there.
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Strictly speaking, the evening of the day before yesterday.
Tiny froglets crossing the road by the university lake. We stopped & helped some reach the nice damp hedge bottom on the other side, next to our allotment site. There were quite a few tiny froglet-sized & shaped smears on the road. :(
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An urban hedgehog on Saturday evening. Quite amusing to watch it run in a sort of unguided manner.
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I was accosted by this little critter on the cycle path this morning.
(http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/VinceHall/CyclingStuff/2014-06-21101829_zpsded2ca62.jpg)
He was quite aggressive, clicking his pincers at me.
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Brown hare.
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Hares in a field near Harefield.
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A black-backed gull (it had a black back, I'm not sure of the species) injured at the side of the A38. Its white head, tail and wingtips, separated by the black body, formed effective disruptive camouflage, so at first I took it for litter - in fact, it looked like a large nappy dropped at the side of the road! But as I went past it, it stretched out its head and wings, startled. I presume it had been hit by a car - it wasn't eating anything, it did look a bit as if it was in a nesting position but I'm sure it wouldn't have a nest there!
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Well yesterday - two Red Kites roosting in the black polar about 50m away from the end of our garden. They were with 3 of 4 others looking for food in the field just cut for silage. Plus a couple of Mullaine moth caterpillars.
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A pigeon. Just your common or garden feral pigeon - the commentable thing is that it flew into our kitchen window, with a loud bang!
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A mining bee.
It's making a home in the rear door deadbolt hole :facepalm:
Not catastrophic but it's doing it on the inside of the door, what a tit! It pops out of the hole with rubbish, flies about trying to get out of the conservatory, finds the doorway then dumps it's mess and flies back in.
Good luck with that tonight when the door is locked ;D
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Several bats visible in the street lights as we were walking home from the pub last night.
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Dead deer, dead siskin, dead red squirrel today :-[
Also a red squirrel ran under our car on the North Deeside Road ::-) Luckily, it didn't get squished, I don't know how as it went between the front wheels.
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A small male sparrowhawk has just hit a pigeon on the feeders. The pigeon is twice the size of the hawk.
Feathers everywhere, flying rat has escaped.
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A barn owl seeing a magpie off down the lane, or at least I assume that is what was going on. It was all very smooth and quiet, with the owl tracking the magpie, a few feet behind and a couple of metres to one side for about 150 metres.
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A cow in the harbour this morning. Makes a change from dolphins or seals.
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3874/14529135686_c432bcc5b0_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/o8TBRq)
IMG_3479 (https://flic.kr/p/o8TBRq) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr
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Not a happy ending for the cow :-[
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-28105954
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Scarlet tiger.
(http://butterfly-conservation.org/scaleImage.ashx?MaxSize=625&file=/files/scarlet_tiger_2068_chris_manley_high_res-web.jpg)
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A pair of leverets in the field behind our house, plus a couple of green woodpeckers flying over.
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Given that I spent about 5 hours cycling in rural Essex and Suffolk today, I saw very little of interest. There was a male kestrel at one point and he looks in good nick, but that was about it.
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A bumper weekend for wildlife in our garden. Friday evening, for the first time in the 14 years we've live there, we saw a hedgehog. Adult, and probably not too well as it didn't run away :-[, but nonetheless a first. Also loads of ringlets and meadow browns. A couple of freshly minted commas. And finally what looks like peacock butterfly larvae on the tips of three or four nettles in the large patch in the field just over the back fence.
(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k87/rafletcher/IMG_0622.jpg) (http://s86.photobucket.com/user/rafletcher/media/IMG_0622.jpg.html)
(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k87/rafletcher/IMG_0621.jpg) (http://s86.photobucket.com/user/rafletcher/media/IMG_0621.jpg.html)
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A very, very small frog hopping about in my kabu (japanese turnips). I think it was a tadpole a few months ago.
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I saw a wren at lunch time. Hopped across the carpark access road and under a bush.
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And I forgot to mention - a Signal crayfish - small, maybe 5cm long, lacking one claw and in the middle of the road! We postulated that it had been dropped by some bird (heron, or tern) as it was nowhere near a stream. A canal yes (the Aylesbury arm of the Grand Union), but a very sluggish and green canal, not their habitat at all.
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It's an uprising. The world is being taken over by tarmac loving crayfish!
https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=128.msg1703430#msg1703430
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Seen Saturday: Yellow Hammer
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/y/yellowhammer/index.aspx
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This morning, some weird behaviour by the roach in the park lake. There are thousands of them, mostly between 3 and 6 inches long, and small groups of them seemed to go into seance mode: they suspended themselves in the water, head down, for several seconds before righting themselves and doing it again. I mentioned it to my brother, who is a veteran of the dangle, and he couldn't account for it. It was very different from their behaviour when the water is short of oxygen, which I am pretty sure it isn't as there was a heavy thundertorm last night.
But I think Mrs. Wow has it: she thinks the fish are reducing their surface area exposed to direct sunlight, which is very bright and hot today. Interestingly, the monster carp that were lurking below the surface did not change their normal behaviour, which is to drift around just below the surface, occasionally breaking it with their dorsal fins.
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There's a rat in me kitchen. Well, OK, garden. Lt. Col. Larrington (retd.)'s garden, in truth.
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A lot of house martins zooming around Rhossile a few days ago. A pair of 'em had chicks in a nest under the eaves of the pub, & we had a good view of the chicks as they came to the hole to be fed.
A conversation with allotment fox this evening. A bit one sided, as he's taciturn, but he stayed around for it.
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The hedgehog is still about, seen a couple of times after dark this week
(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k87/rafletcher/IMG_0656.jpg) (http://s86.photobucket.com/user/rafletcher/media/IMG_0656.jpg.html)
And we had a pair of greenfinches plus chicks - this one sat on the fence for 20 minutes whilst dealing with a sunflower heart.
(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k87/rafletcher/IMG_06501.jpg) (http://s86.photobucket.com/user/rafletcher/media/IMG_06501.jpg.html)
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Four toads on the allotment. Two miniatures, two grown.
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A hare, lolloping along a lane near Grittleton. I would have won the race, of course, obviously, stands to reason, but it jumped through a hedge into a field.
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This visitor to the 371km control on the National 400 didn't want his card stamping...
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/t1.0-9/10525617_10152522455576839_7681582387556591484_n.jpg)
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A kestrel near work :thumbsup:
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A beautiful, large, green dragonfly. Which flew right into the revolving spokes of my front wheel. :'(
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A red kite this morning and a siege, or even sedge, of herons standing in a field. There were four of them, anyway.
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Dragonfly on my run at lunchtime. Very close.
And swallows on telegraph wires. Don't go. Not yet!
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It's raining so hard in Brum that everyone is making for higher ground.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/Bloke_on_a_bike/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20140802_115650_zps094e6ec8.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Bloke_on_a_bike/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20140802_115650_zps094e6ec8.jpg.html)
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Yesterday evening a Green Woodpecker - been hearing them for ages, but only spotted one from the back bedroom window last evening as it headed for the woods.
And on Saturday, a raptor which had an unusual flight pattern - gliding and then what I think is "stooping" - folding the wigs back and heading earthwards. Did this three times on the trot without as far as we could see actually getting to earth. Research suggests it may be the offspring of a pair of Peregrine Falcons that have nested on Aylesbury's council offices for the past 3 or so years. A first for me.
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Seals, kestrels & buzzards.
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Given the nature of today's weather it might be thought entirely normal to see a frog. A brown one about the size of the top joint of my thumb. However, it appeared to be sheltering from the rain halfway down an indoor flight of steps leading to a school gymnasium ???
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Given the nature of today's weather it might be thought entirely normal to see a frog. A brown one about the size of the top joint of my thumb. However, it appeared to be sheltering from the rain halfway down an indoor flight of steps leading to a school gymnasium ???
Probably came from the lost property box...
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I was just putting my key in the door after a bit of shopping today when I heard a whistling noise. Then I heard it again. I thought it was kids across the road. On the third time of hearing it I looked up and right overhead was a sparrowhawk doing tis stuff.
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Toads, toads, toads. And maybe a frog. On the allotment. If we look in the right places, we can pretty easily tally double figures. All sizes, though numbers diminish with size.
Several of them (including one impressively big fat toad) have found a formic food dispenser under a plastic sheet put down for weed clearance, & just sit beside it all day.
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4 blinking baby foxes in the back garden. Two had the temerity to be sitting on our garden table. Needless to say … I chased them off!
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Driving down the M26 to pick up the M20 at about 2.45pm this afternoon.
Heading south 2 Lancasters with what looked like a Spitfire astern but much higher.
Incredible sight but couldn't take a picture, driving damn!! and eating a sandwich, texting, talking on the phone.......
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Driving down the M26 to pick up the M20 at about 2.45pm this afternoon.
Heading south 2 Lancasters with what looked like a Spitfire astern but much higher.
Incredible sight but couldn't take a picture, driving damn!! and eating a sandwich, texting, talking on the phone.......
They're currently at Biggin Hill and flying at Eastbourne, but I don't think Lancs qualify as animals, wild or otherwise :P
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A kingfisher flying along a backwater of the Thames near bray :)
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Klaus my German cycling companion got within a whisker of running over a Bisamratte. It looked like a beaver to me but the tail was wrong - a huge rodenty thing with a dead animal in its mouth. Reference to the dictionary tells me that Bisamratte is a muskrat.
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Driving down the M26 to pick up the M20 at about 2.45pm this afternoon.
Heading south 2 Lancasters with what looked like a Spitfire astern but much higher.
Incredible sight but couldn't take a picture, driving damn!! and eating a sandwich, texting, talking on the phone.......
They're currently at Biggin Hill and flying at Eastbourne, but I don't think Lancs qualify as animals, wild or otherwise :P
Ooops
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Walked out of the flat this morning & saw a heron on the ground. Sheltering against the wall of a neighbors house. There was a lot of seagull activity overhead and they were coming in at 3 ft off the ground to dive bomb the poor thing.
I was late for work so had to dash. Asked the caretaker to keep an eye on it, but other than trying to catch it & release away from the flats (seagull colony on the roof ::-) ) I'm unsure what else could be done.
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A heron near Cambridge this morning :)
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A Banded Demoiselle. We don't usually get many dragonflies, but we've had quite a few this year. This was a first though.
(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k87/rafletcher/BandedDemoiselle.jpg) (http://s86.photobucket.com/user/rafletcher/media/BandedDemoiselle.jpg.html)
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About 9 pm last night, a bloody enormous toad at the side of the road. It retreated into undergrowth when we stopped to look at it. Two metres further on, there was another, smaller, one.
This was on the upper, unpaved, section of Bulmershe Road, Reading.
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When Dez and I were out driving on Wednesday we saw a little owl.
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Lots of ground squirls or similar rodentiform critters, and a pair of rather magnificent deer at the top of the La Poudre Pass. Alas they did a runner before I could get the camera out of its case (it was raining).
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Rabbitses lolloping around the hotel car park, something I'd only previously seen in Scunthorpe.
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Three buzzards at Flambirds, Stow Maries.
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Rabbitses lolloping around the hotel car park, something I'd only previously seen in Scunthorpe.
Partner & I went to Heriot-Watt University for a weekend bunfight and the campus was covered with bunnies.
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bunnyfight?
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Some Marmottes. A distant Chamois. Some unidentified Big Raptors (one was a buzzard I think, but the wings on the other weren't buzzard shaped).
Been to the Alps, innit.
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(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3853/14838425718_4ba29bc91d_c.jpg)
Mummy Majestic Møøse and Junior having lunch, Rocky Mountain National Park
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Some Marmottes. A distant Chamois. Some unidentified Big Raptors (one was a buzzard I think, but the wings on the other weren't buzzard shaped).
Been to the Alps, innit.
So, Big Raptors, badly photographed are below:
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-fI_Fb5w9mc0/U_uvHaFrfAI/AAAAAAAAGO8/Fx2YhMcw23s/s800/IMGP4948.JPG)
I think this first one is a buzzard.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-BRREn6FxriI/U_uux0zv7fI/AAAAAAAAGO0/D69yA70ST7g/s800/IMGP4964.JPG)
While I think the second isn't. Wing shape is different (or are they just held differently?). It's about the same size as the first, and seen only a few seconds apart, in the Alps near Morzine, about 1800m up. Can anyone shed any light?
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Drove back from The Gower last night, and climbing a hill with steep banks and hedges, being mesmerized by ten bats swooping and flapping like bits of wind-blown plastic in the headlights.
"Please don't go into the headlights" I was murmuring.
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(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3907/14861710029_99ff3827fd_c.jpg)
I for one welcome...
Shame he's only 2/3 the length of my hand, otherwise he'd be Master of the Universe by now.
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(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5571/14871964528_575d5a3900_c.jpg)
These two chancers might look as though they're just perching innocently on the Mudstang, but they're actually robbing my rucksack on the front passenger seat. They'd already got one of the compartments open and had extracted the bag in which my headphones and iPod cable live, and were making a good fist beak of opening another. Cheeky fuckers...
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Was their call: "Car, car!" rather than "Caw, caw!"?
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Swallows flitting around at near ground level as it was so damp, actually rode through a flock of them. All twittering away. Reckon they are getting ready to leave, yesterday I saw some lined up on a telegraph wire.
Where did they do this lining-up-to-go-to-Africa thing before we invented the telephone??
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A spider, species unknown, on the bathroom floor. Dead. At first I thought it was just a sloughed skin, but when I picked it up it was definitely a whole, dead, spider body. I mention this because although we have a house full of spiders (rather them than flies!) I don't remember seeing a dead one before. I guess they get cannibalised or something?
Swallows flitting around at near ground level as it was so damp, actually rode through a flock of them. All twittering away. Reckon they are getting ready to leave, yesterday I saw some lined up on a telegraph wire.
Where did they do this lining-up-to-go-to-Africa thing before we invented the telephone??
They were the telephone! Didn't you read Dr Doolittle when you were small? :D
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Not strictly speaking today, but this is one of several encounters I had in Lapland this summer
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h323/nocensure/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-07/IMG_1354_zpsbpkjphv3.jpg) (http://s1104.photobucket.com/user/nocensure/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-07/IMG_1354_zpsbpkjphv3.jpg.html)
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Actually it was on Wednesday....
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/996154_10152591865141839_8434939999949488977_n.jpg?oh=2b88c3d8ce4a7f8c235f43b9afc1fe61&oe=546956E5&__gda__=1417032591_0072cf49c621da9e5c6bd564185dd3e1)
SmallestCub's foot (size c13) for scale!
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10628415_10152591864941839_1461251386717531971_n.jpg?oh=c9eaaace6cc50115a15a5e94324de505&oe=547E8475&__gda__=1415241059_5b11f2fa4993d3cf438ce8b98f5d1ac8)
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(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5593/14880769029_fc8d4c516e_c.jpg)
OK, this one's cheating...
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Swallows flitting around at near ground level as it was so damp, actually rode through a flock of them. All twittering away. Reckon they are getting ready to leave, yesterday I saw some lined up on a telegraph wire.
Where did they do this lining-up-to-go-to-Africa thing before we invented the telephone??
Trees?
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(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3922/15054584946_23d08efecb_c.jpg)
Duck. Lake Havasu, Arizona. I iz jealous.
Also a small lizard has just scampered past my toes ??? I'm inside...
Edit: He's back...
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3892/14891214669_cd08593881_c.jpg)
He changed his mind about going behind the bedside table and is now under the bed...
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(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3842/15151470875_04c8590b29_c.jpg)
Some kind of ground squirl, I suppose. Lassen Volcanic National Park, California
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Some Marmottes. A distant Chamois. Some unidentified Big Raptors (one was a buzzard I think, but the wings on the other weren't buzzard shaped).
Been to the Alps, innit.
So, Big Raptors, badly photographed are below:
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-fI_Fb5w9mc0/U_uvHaFrfAI/AAAAAAAAGO8/Fx2YhMcw23s/s800/IMGP4948.JPG)
I think this first one is a buzzard.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-BRREn6FxriI/U_uux0zv7fI/AAAAAAAAGO0/D69yA70ST7g/s800/IMGP4964.JPG)
While I think the second isn't. Wing shape is different (or are they just held differently?). It's about the same size as the first, and seen only a few seconds apart, in the Alps near Morzine, about 1800m up. Can anyone shed any light?
My guess is golden eagle. Steph would know better.
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Something light brown and furry on the road. It popped a head up and I saw it was a baby rabbit. Then it started moving. 'Sfunny, I thought, it's not hopping. For a moment I thought it was a mechanical toy that had got wrapped up in something. It seemed to be dragging its back legs. That's an odd leg, more like a tail.
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A small hedgehog licking dog wee off a telegraph pole :sick:
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(http://jakal.sp.ph.ic.ac.uk/~timo/xanthus/Random/Mouse20140906.jpg)
Caught be Zev yesterday, and let lose in the bedroom in the early hours. I managed to evict it at around 4am. Kai caught something very similar (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=128.msg1095422#msg1095422) a few years ago, so it's obviously common around here.
Both of them were very small mice, this one had a body which was at most 3cm long, although with surprisingly large ears for its size. It wasn't that bright, and only managed to evade capture because I either had nothing around to trap it with, or it wasn't on a flat enough surface to entirely cover, so managed to scamper free. It was only exceeded in stupidity by Zev, who failed to find it, and got bored to the extent that she went to sleep, leaving me to capture it!
It's been previously suggested that it's a wood mouse, which seems plausible, in comparison to the pictures in the Wikipedia article.
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Does this count?
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3871/14983901559_6f9fb46c05_c.jpg)
Does it remind anyone else of Michael Gove, or is it just me?
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Does this count?
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3871/14983901559_6f9fb46c05_c.jpg)
(https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRzg1BE7kJXN5GKub1QUe0KO9LyNC74Kz4RaYhOvCfl3uDnEUxEeg)
separated at birth
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I thought we saw one of those "Spanish" (are they Spanish?) giant slugs yesterday morning. It was huge, almost snake like.
But a little googling tells me that they grow up to 130mm. Well this was definately bigger. 140mm(?)
Also it was black, not the correct colour, it would seem. Are British slugs responinding in the giantism stakes?
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(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3922/15066081937_4777e61e1d_o.jpg)
Wild turkey at Navajo Lake in the mountains behind Cedar City, Utah.
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I think I saw a very confused mole.
Black and pointed at both ends. I couldn't see its feet as they were moving so quickly as it ran back and forth trying to find its way off the road.
(Another motorist had stopped to try and assist it away from the road)
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(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3922/15066081937_4777e61e1d_o.jpg)
Wild turkey at Navajo Lake in the mountains behind Cedar City, Utah.
I've seen plenty of Wild Turkey in my time but never a bottle shaped like that! ;)
My spotting: deer. Again. Seen a few every day since I arrived at my parents' place last Wednesday. Any one day I probably see more deer thsn dogs and cats combined. And this is suburbia!
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The first wasp of the year: where have they all been this summer?
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I've seen plenty of Wild Turkey in my time but never a bottle shaped like that! ;)
I did note elsewhere that this was the nearest to a shot of Wild Turkey I'm going to get on this trip ;D
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A kingfisher at Allington lock, on the Medway. I think it was the most brightly-coloured I have ever seen.
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Actually seen last week, but never mind. Leopard Slugs doing that disgusting 'thing' that slugs get up to. Not sure what's going on with that blue gunk they're spewing out!! Yuk!
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/Riggers_1956/LeopardSlugs_zps341eb95f.jpg) (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/Riggers_1956/media/LeopardSlugs_zps341eb95f.jpg.html)
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A humming bird hawk moth on the flours in our front garden today. I've seen these many times in the south of France but this is the first time I have seen one in North Yorkshire !
(http://butterfly-conservation.org/scaleImage.ashx?MaxSize=625&file=/files/humming-bird_hawk-moth_1984_dave_green-web.jpg)
Not my picture btw.
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Actually seen last week, but never mind. Leopard Slugs doing that disgusting 'thing' that slugs get up to. Not sure what's going on with that blue gunk they're spewing out!! Yuk!
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/Riggers_1956/LeopardSlugs_zps341eb95f.jpg) (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/Riggers_1956/media/LeopardSlugs_zps341eb95f.jpg.html)
The blue bits are their penises!
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Then it's gay Leopard Slugs in Brighton fighting with their winkies.
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Hermaphrodites....
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Both gay and straight.
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Near Kent, TX, this lunchtime: my first example of Puma concolor, known variously as the cougar, mountain lion or (in these parts) panther. Sadly it was the roadkill version :(
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Yesterday: a kestrel mobbing a buzzard.
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I think I saw a hen harrier crossing the field in front of our house yesterday. If it was it was the first one I have seen. Too big to be a kestrel and not the right shape for a buzzard.
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Two magpies teasing a young herring gull on the lawn behind work. It was really quite amusing. They were creeping up behind it, and trying to grab its tail. When the gull turned to chase one magpie off, the other took its opportunity.
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Whilst checking the school mains water meter, a nest of about a dozen slow worms of various sizes :thumbsup:
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Not quite today - it was last week - but we have taken the list of dragonfly and damselfly species seen at our woods this year to 17, with a first ever sighting of a ruddy darter dragonfly. Pretty impressive, since it is only 20 acres in size. List is:
Dragonflies: hairy dragonfly, emperor, southern hawker, migrant hawker, common darter, ruddy darter, four spotted chaser, broad bodied chaser, black tailed skimmer, brown hawker
Damselflies: azure, common blue, large red, banded demoiselle, emerald, red eyed, blue tailed.
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On Friday, three red kites over the A1 somewhere near Wansford.
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Loadsa buzzards, a big gang of riotous rooks and 2 red sqrls \o/
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A pair of grey wagtails on our shed roof this morning.
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A Pied Woodpecker, sadly laying dead in the road :'(
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A flounder that looked like it had been eaten by an otter.
Ananananenomeorthree
Many hermit crabs
Some small fish, rocklings.
A heron.
Winkles and whelks
Yes it was the rock pool field trip.
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A Saturday night badger. Alive!
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On Friday, three red kites over the A1 somewhere near Wansford.
Seems likely that they came from the colony established at Top Lodge a few years ago. There's an RSPB centre there that had a video camera aimed at a nest when we last visited 5 years ago. Good news that there were 3 of them.
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Riding home from Viersen in the dark I saw what looked like a pine marten whizz across the road in front of me.
I messaged a German chum to ask if they were around in this part of Germany. "Marder [marten] - we have a lot of them, damaging cars (cables and hoses)."
A couple of days ago I saw another Nutria. Boy, those things are huuuuuuge!!
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I had to google nutria. I have only ever known them by the name coypu. Not that I've ever seen one, but I think they used to be present in the Fens years ago. I don't know if they still are.
Edit:
In the United Kingdom, coypus were introduced to East Anglia, for fur, in 1929; many escaped and damaged the drainage works, and a concerted programme by MAFF eradicated them by 1989.[26] However, in 2012, a 'giant rat' was killed in County Durham, with authorities suspecting the animal was, in fact, a coypu.[27]
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coypu
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Near miss with a frog on the Thames towpath ca 9pm last night. I think it was dazzled by my lights & didn't know where to hop. Luckily those dazzling lights enabled me to see & avoid it.
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Murderous crows.
On a local ride today, I heard a great commotion of crows crawing out. A large throng of 8 or so, on the grass verge up ahead. As I approached, they did not fly off.
There was what looked like a fight to the death going on in the middle of the commotion, between 2 of them.
One was on it's back, the other stood on top of it pinning it down. Both were pecking at each other violently.
The other 6 or so were gathered round, seemingly egging them on, like kids in a playground.
The spectators were hopping from one foot to the other, flapping their wings and making a great noise.
I passed within a foot of them, slowing down a bit to see what was going on.
They either didn't see me or just didn't care.
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Seen yesterday in the lovely sunshine on top of The Downs near Alfriston: Housemartins. Still whizzing around. Bet they're not today!
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Actually seen today (for once!): House Martins skimming along the grass at Shoreham Airport this morning. They're still hanging on!
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A kingfisher, in our local park! I have seen them there on the odd occasions previously, but not for quite a few years.
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Yesterday: Deer
stampeding majestically across the horizon grazing at speed conveniently close to the fence at Ashton Court.
(click to embiggen)
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5615/15495670671_85a62fef0a_z.jpg) (https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5615/15495670671_17b3113552_o.jpg)
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3952/15312141378_1245914fc8_z.jpg) (https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3952/15312141378_6b1bfb2313_o.jpg)
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2946/15495659691_2fa2c2c7fd_z.jpg) (https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2946/15495659691_2fa2c2c7fd_o.jpg)
Observation: young deer have very fluffy bottoms.
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three buzzards in line astern over Windsor park :)
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Spent 5 minutes watching a buzzard hunting at near Nigg lighthouse until it got bugged by a gull and flew off.
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A very pale buzzard, poorly photographed:
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3938/15318121637_b167627188_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/pkBnTt)
IMG_4118 (https://flic.kr/p/pkBnTt) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/people/36539950@N00/), on Flickr
Plus: eight seals, loadsa other buzzards, some llamas and a group of swans in the middle of a field, miles away from any water:
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3931/15317973870_ef19ecff9a_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/pkABXL)
IMG_4117 (https://flic.kr/p/pkABXL) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/people/36539950@N00/), on Flickr
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Yesterday - crayfish, in the Misbourne at Amersham. I managed to get photos of a couple of 'em.
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Not seen by me, but my rather excited daughter phoned to say that her next door neighbour had been tidying up the garden and when she shifted some flower pots there were some very interesting objects, obviously eggs, translucent, about a centimetre across and with embryos wriggling around inside them.
A little google-related research indicated that they were the eggs of the slow worm.
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Out of our kitchen window at 8.50am this morning..... Pixie was most interested.
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2947/15325527119_e4cb42a916.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/pmgkhc)DSC_0354 (https://flic.kr/p/pmgkhc) by essexian (https://www.flickr.com/people/26068282@N07/), on Flickr
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Oh, wow! Beautiful!
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A buzzard in the city.
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Two badgers, and a fox. All up for a chase on the cycle track.
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Four wild boar (cinghiale) trotting along a road near my sister's house in Tuscany on Saturday evening. The hunting season has just started over there and the locals seem to shoot anything that moves so I reckon that these were pretty lucky to still be around this close to 'civilisation'. A car coming the other way had boxed them in so I got out of the car to get some photo's. They were rubbish but at least they were vaguely identifiable to prove I wasn't imagining it. At this point they started trotting towards me and I had visions of being trampled as they were fairly chunky looking beasts. I panicked and leapt back into the car which caused much amusement as they dived off into the undergrowth.
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Snails. Snails up trees. Tree snails? No, snaily snails. Up quite high too, in the elm behind our back wall.
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About 50 Geese going west to Limfjord for the winter, not a good sign as it's getting colder by the day.
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(This week so far)
Golden eagle, sea eagle, pale-bellied brent goose, Aurora borealis :smug:
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Kingfisher hovering, then diving, catching a fish and taking it back to the bank to eat it.
Cormorant swimming under water catching fish with a little egret chasing after it and snapping at things the cormorant was disturbing.
We were in a hide above the river so had good views down onto all this activity.
(And there were some of the best ice creams in the world on the way home :thumbsup:)
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A big fox, last night.
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friday afternoon, Buzzard soaring over the field of pheasants beside the railway in wokingham.
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Spotted a baby woolly mammoth yesterday:
(http://www.pbase.com/johnewing/image/157893137.jpg)
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Two foxes on the way home this morning. It's been quite some time since I've seen any around here.
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Slavonian grebe in Aberdeen harbour right now.
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Good view of a green woodpecker in the park this morning.
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Dolphin in the harbour today.
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Wife saw a Kingfisher in Bude canal last week.
I didn't. :(
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My cycle ride in the dark to Süchteln last night afforded me a barn owl, deer, bat and what looked like a stork or heron (flying in the dark? Beside the river Niers)
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My cycle ride in the dark to Süchteln last night afforded me a barn owl, deer, bat and what looked like a stork or heron (flying in the dark? Beside the river Niers)
More likely heron as storks (a) have become quite rare in Germany and (b) should be in/well on their way to Africa by now ...
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Yesterday afternoon, whilst doing traffic control at pick up time, I watched a Red Kite (A) flying over the school, with another (B) in close proximity. A circled for a little while, gaining altitude then seemed to drop something. This separated and was revealed to be two feathers which started to drift as they descended. A then dove onto one of the feathers and plucked it from the sky in its talons and started to play with it like a cat plays with a mouse. The other feather continued to drift. Suddenly B dropped from the sky and caught this feather and swooped back up to altitude. A and B then started to chase each other round the sky trying to grab each others feather.
Great fun to watch ;D
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Slavonian grebe in Aberdeen harbour right now.
Git.... ;D
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Spotted a baby woolly mammoth yesterday:
(http://www.pbase.com/johnewing/image/157893137.jpg)
All keen mammoth spotters need up to date informaiton on the various British herds' migration patterns: http://www.jasperfforde.com/thursdaynext/mammoth.html But I suppose this cute baby was from a continental herd - which ones pass through your home in the Alsace each year?
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Seen yesterday, and rescued from the road:
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/Riggers_1956/Slowworm1_zpsc78797b1.jpg) (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/Riggers_1956/media/Slowworm1_zpsc78797b1.jpg.html)
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/Riggers_1956/Slowworm2_zpsc6821736.jpg) (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/Riggers_1956/media/Slowworm2_zpsc6821736.jpg.html)
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Slow-worms in November? Confusing.
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I know. Was very very sluggish (or rather 'slowish'), and I should have spent some time warming the little chap up, but escorted him/her across the road to safety. Mild weather. Maybe thought it was time (or still time) to be up and about!
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Frog in the fog, early this morning. Weasel this afternoon. Rats in the fog this evening.
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Yesterday: a munkjack(?), a lizard (type to be confirmed) and lots of squirrels, dogs and horses - no surprise in Epping Forest.
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Out on the Royal this morning I saw a pure white squirrel, presumably albino, which ran across the road in front of me. It was off into the trees before I could get a phone pic.
Earlier, half a dozen White Egrets and an off-white llama.
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Yesterday: a munkjack(?), a lizard (type to be confirmed) and lots of squirrels, dogs and horses - no surprise in Epping Forest.
You're the second forummer to see a reptile in the UK in November - Riggers saw his slow wormers last weekers. Incrediblers.
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Last week when riding with Tiermat we noticed a tree that had cawing noises coming from it but we couldn't see any crows. Until they all flew out from a hole in the tree trunk. It was cool :smug:
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Frog in a set of undercroft garages in deepest New River Estate.
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A skein of six geese flying right overhead, honking as they went. Unexpected in central Bristle (I mean, you'd expect a hedgehog, wouldn't you?)
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A large raptor near Paglesham, but it didn't seem the right shape, nor have the correct flight pattern, for a buzzard. We felt that it was probably a marsh harrier.
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A Great Egret on the far side of a lake, too far away to get a pic of. We usually see these in November & February as they pass through. There's one that sometimes lingers a few days, fishing in the stream that flows through the village.
The missus saw a red kite this morning.
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Driving down to Lawnswood on Friday, at least a dozen kites.
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I stopped to watch a group of four red kites soaring a hill just to the west of Uppingham yesterday afternoon. There wasn't a great deal of wind and it looked like they were working hard to stay airborne. They seemed determined not to flap as that is cheating. I love the way the tail does its swivelly thing.
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Somebody's idea of a weekend's fun:
(http://www.pbase.com/image/158388525.jpg)
Sorry for the blur: it was 3°C, I had thick cycling gloves on over frozen fingers, and the lights had just changed.
Otherwise, this is as close to a wild boar as I want to get.
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Where is this, and can I buy sausages??
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A f***ing mozzie in my bathroom in the wee small hours this morning.
DO THEY KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME OUT HERE?
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Where is this, and can I buy sausages??
Dunno about you, but I certainly can. My chum Thierry does excellent wild boar salami.
As to where it is, the clue is in the number plate.
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A male Cardinalis cardinalis in the tree outside the study window.
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A greater spotted woodpecker in Priory Park. I heard a lot of long-tailed tits as well, but it was too cold to stop to watch them.
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Friday 2:00pm, pleasant sunny afternoon, a fox ambled up our suburban street. The bins had been collected in the morning - maybe he was making his/her way home after a useful morning's tearing bin bags up...
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Sunday: a fleeting glimpse of a sparrohawk in Churchill Gardens. A little later, I spotted a greater spotted woodpecker whilst driving along at 50mph. All I could see was the silhouette and flight pattern, only later a bit of piebaldiness. I reckon it was in my field of view for less than a second.
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A nocturnal song thrush that thinks it's spring. The last time I recall a December song thrush was 10 years ago, over Christmas. It was very frosty and for a few nights it sang on the corner of Priory Park at about 1 am. I remember this very well as it was only a few days after my mother's funeral.
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Last night, at ten. Foot of the stairs to my front door. Two deer.
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While making lunch, a fox in next door's garden.
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A nocturnal song thrush that thinks it's spring. The last time I recall a December song thrush was 10 years ago, over Christmas. It was very frosty and for a few nights it sang on the corner of Priory Park at about 1 am. I remember this very well as it was only a few days after my mother's funeral.
I'm not sure about their current habits. However, one of the memorable parts of my ride to join Frenchie's (acf) Christmas ride in Dec 2006 was the song thrushes singing well before dawn, but a little later than the robins.
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Wren, goosander, goldeneye, teal, treecreeper and lots of robins.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7526/16077073396_e3b6a97d89_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/quFcNC)
IMG_4523 (https://flic.kr/p/quFcNC) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/people/36539950@N00/), on Flickr
That's the treecreeper.
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Pied wagtail in the back garden. Not particularly unusual, in fact fairly common round here and we often get them across the road at the front, but almost never at the back. This was the first one we've seen in 2014.
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Quite a few birds today whilst walking, although nothing out of the ordinary. In order of noteworthyness:-
2 kestrels. I referred to them as a "pair" but with hindsight I think they were in conflict rather than harmony
1 green woodpecker
13 swans flying in an echelon, numerous other swans on the ground
numerous waders, including curlews and redshank
1 little egret
1 heron
1 greenfinch
loads of gulls, pigeons and other "boring stuff"
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Not seen but heard: some variety of critter, beastie or varmint has taken up residence almost directly above my bed at Fort Larrington, where it exhibits scratching behaviour at all hours of the morning. Most likely suspect is a tree rat as there are plenty round here and tree rats in general have form for this kind of behaviour.
If it's a Mogwai I'm going home.
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For the first time in 15 years, we saw a bullfinch in our garden on the feeders. A lovely sight.
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About a dozen seals lounging about at Seal Sands.
Also, while I was riding along, I saw a kestrel out of the corner of my eye come a-swooping down, all purposeful death aimed at some squeaky thing in the central reservation. But it made a slight miscalculation, face planted into the turf and flapped back up, looking distinctly woozy.
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Massive buzzard yesterday at the edge of the woods. It alighted on a branch and watched me, looming huge. As soon as I wrestled my phone out of my jacket pocket to take a pic it decided to head off.
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A couple of weeks ago as I was riding along that rural paradise the river Wandle (entirely within greater London) I saw a Kingfisher :thumbsup: This excitement has encouraged me to detour that way a few times in the hopes of seeing it again. Yesterday we saw a pied wagtail and a grey wagtail and an egret, today we saw the egret again and a goldcrest! It gets better and better. To complete the set, we saw a yellow wagtail in malham when we were there last week.
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(http://i1154.photobucket.com/albums/p534/pompeybiker/Where%20The%20Wild%20Things%20Are/Fox020a.jpg) (http://s1154.photobucket.com/user/pompeybiker/media/Where%20The%20Wild%20Things%20Are/Fox020a.jpg.html)
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Morphy doesn't like going for walks on cold wet days, but some time late into the morning there is a tipping point at which the need is greater than the desire for warmth.
Anyway, today we delayed until about 2.30 and, fortunately, a break in the rain. The park was all but deserted other than a lovely young family in which dad was playing sploshy football with his daughter, about 5 years old I reckon. General hilarity ensued when Morphy nicked the tennis ball they had been playing with. We retrieved it and returned it to them.
A few minutes later we saw a green woodpecker alight on a sycamore trunk only to be followed within seconds by a greater spotted woodpecker, which mobbed it, and the green woodpecker flew away. I have never before seen both species at the same time, and certainly not interacting. It seems to me that, for a big bird, the green woodpecker is a bit of a wuss.
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Out on a walk today. A lamb. In a field!
After 50 years of Archers listening, even I know that lambing begins at Christmas, but that is indoor lambing. I've never seen one in a field this early before.
It didn't have a ewe in attendance, and all the ewes anywhere near it appeared to be pregnant (I'm not an expert) and were ignoring it.
I fear that all was not well.
Not one of our neighbouring farm's fields, so I mentioned it to couple outside the next cottage we passed, in case it was information that needed to be passed on locally.
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(http://i1154.photobucket.com/albums/p534/pompeybiker/Where%20The%20Wild%20Things%20Are/Fox020a.jpg) (http://s1154.photobucket.com/user/pompeybiker/media/Where%20The%20Wild%20Things%20Are/Fox020a.jpg.html)
Nice photo! Is that through the window of your hice?
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(http://i1154.photobucket.com/albums/p534/pompeybiker/Where%20The%20Wild%20Things%20Are/Fox020a.jpg) (http://s1154.photobucket.com/user/pompeybiker/media/Where%20The%20Wild%20Things%20Are/Fox020a.jpg.html)
Nice photo! Is that through the window of your hice?
'Hice' suggests you might be royalty :P
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You might think that, but we couldn't possibly comment... ;) ;D
Joking apart, that photo was indeed taken through the landing window - the next one I took, Foxy had his forepaws up on the window ledge.
Usually when I hear noises coming from the lean-to roof area, it's one of the cats from next door on the other side of the house, chasing leaves or flies, so you can imagine my surprise when I spotted this magnificent (and chilled-out) specimen of foxiness sitting on next-door's middle bedroom window ledge. I was expecting him to have gone by the time I had dug out my camera, but I spent the next half hour taking pictures through the landing and bedroom windows - after a few minutes of he and one of the aforementioned cats pretending to ignore each other, he then curled up in the corner on next-door's lean-to roof and settled down for a snooze, not leaving until some time between 8 and 9pm.
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Dippers and dolphins.
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I have had a lone Song Thrush in my garden for the last two days. It's the first I've seen in the garden for about 15 years and the first I've seen in my neighbourhood for about 10 years.
Pity the resident Blackbirds keep chasing it away.
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I mentioned three weeks ago (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=128.msg1783501#msg1783501) the Nocturnal Songthrush of Maidstone. We heard it again yesterday, although during the day. I was returning from taking Martha to school and there it was, somewhere behind some houses near Maidstone West station. Very spring-like.
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Out on a walk today. A lamb. In a field!
After 50 years of Archers listening, even I know that lambing begins at Christmas, but that is indoor lambing. I've never seen one in a field this early before.
It didn't have a ewe in attendance, and all the ewes anywhere near it appeared to be pregnant (I'm not an expert) and were ignoring it.
I fear that all was not well.
Not one of our neighbouring farm's fields, so I mentioned it to couple outside the next cottage we passed, in case it was information that needed to be passed on locally.
They might lamb indoors and then put them out. That's what they do here. Lambing started in the last week of December; lambs born indoors, put out 2 days after. Wouldn't be in a field with pregnant ewes though :-\ but they do quite often wander.
Lots of tiny baby lambs in the fields here. Super cute.
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Aberdeen's harlequin duck: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-30683149
And loadsa buzzards.
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Yesterday morning, just south of junction 11 of the M4:
a kite & a buzzard circling over the same spot, before flying away from each other & circling over separate fields.
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Nice collection of Blackbirds, Song Thrushes and Fieldfares feeding in a field this a.m. until my faithful canine companion came blundering along to see what I was gawping at. ::-)
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Magnificent and very red fox in our back garden at midday today.
Explored all the garden's corners, then climbed atop neighbour's shed to enjoy enhanced views of Sprawling Suburbia.
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A deer in our back garden, sadly referred to in my post on "what are you doing right now". Poor deer.
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Hibernating bats - 2 daubentons, 2 brown long-eared.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7305/15792261193_4a9d0905f0_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/q4vt4p)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/q4vt4p) by davidmamartin (https://www.flickr.com/people/62034421@N00/), on Flickr
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Too icy to cycle today, so got a lift in to Bangor from my other half. Driving through Menai Bridge:
Me: Squiggle. Mind the squiggle!
Him: (slows down; squirrel boings across road) wiwar goch
Me: Red squiggle!
Haven't seen a live red squirrel in a long time.
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Sparrowhawk busily shredding & eating an unidentified small bird on the fence at the bottom of the garden - urban Bristol, < 2miles from the city centre. One of the joys of working from home :)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-7FKtLiuF0g4/VNIvqn2tapI/AAAAAAAAHqU/67vxOXKlW_M/s800/sh2.jpg)
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Too icy to cycle today, so got a lift in to Bangor from my other half. Driving through Menai Bridge:
Me: Squiggle. Mind the squiggle!
Him: (slows down; squirrel boings across road) wiwar goch
Me: Red squiggle!
Haven't seen a live red squirrel in a long time.
At last, someone else who calls them squiggles. My niece renamed them when she was very small and they have been squiggles for us ever since!
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Too icy to cycle today, so got a lift in to Bangor from my other half. Driving through Menai Bridge:
Me: Squiggle. Mind the squiggle!
Him: (slows down; squirrel boings across road) wiwar goch
Me: Red squiggle!
Haven't seen a live red squirrel in a long time.
At last, someone else who calls them squiggles. My niece renamed them when she was very small and they have been squiggles for us ever since!
An old Estonian of my aquaintence called them "shkrewells". As in "I've had the shkrewells in my pigeons and they are dead"
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Saw 2 blue tits locked in mortal combat on a local lane this morning, my front wheel was only a couple of feet away before they noticed, mind you I was going uphill so they were in no real danger. There was 3rd blue tit close by getting very agitated along the lines of "Leave it Wayne 'es not wurf it!!!"
10 mins later had dismount and try and usher 20 or so ewes & lambs back into their field. The joys of rural Pembrokeshire, if its not livestock on the road its spillage from slurry tanker pipes :facepalm:
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Recent visits to the park have included sighting of 3 egrets (too few to mention?) and, yesterday, a kingfisher, zooming along the stream, a couple of feet above the water level.
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Too icy to cycle today, so got a lift in to Bangor from my other half. Driving through Menai Bridge:
Me: Squiggle. Mind the squiggle!
Him: (slows down; squirrel boings across road) wiwar goch
Me: Red squiggle!
Haven't seen a live red squirrel in a long time.
At last, someone else who calls them squiggles. My niece renamed them when she was very small and they have been squiggles for us ever since!
Squiggles here, too!
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Quite a few deer, buzzards, jays.
First blaireau mort of the year :(
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7351/15844472884_497768f18c_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/q984LY)
IMG_4809 (https://flic.kr/p/q984LY) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/people/36539950@N00/), on Flickr
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So Louis Blaireau was the first badger to fly across the channel.
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Just noticed that almost exactly two years ago to the day I saw a dead badger at exactly the same spot as I saw one yesterday :demon:
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It's the Ghost of Badgers Past!
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A hare running past on walk near Swyncombe in the Chilterns today.
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<check shiny head>
Could have been one of mine
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red kite soaring over the house, they are spreading out nicely from the Stokern Church release area.
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2 live badgers, on the road back from Winchester last night. They were both (separately) scurrying to safety, so they should still be alive. This may not be a rare event, but in all my 62 and a bit years I have never seen a live badger before, so I was very pleased. Sick and tired of seeing splatted ones...
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Otter in the harbour just now :thumbsup: That's the first time I've seen it :D
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^ Top Trumps!
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Snowdrops & skylarks :thumbsup: Another dead badger :(
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Wheeling my bike across the bridge at Teddington Lock I heard some thrashing about in the water. To my delight, when I glanced down, I saw the Great Crested Grebe 'penguin dance'.
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Wheeling my bike across the bridge at Teddington Lock I heard some thrashing about in the water. To my delight, when I glanced down, I saw the Great Crested Grebe 'penguin dance'.
Well, it is Pingu's birthday :)
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Wheeling my bike across the bridge at Teddington Lock I heard some thrashing about in the water. To my delight, when I glanced down, I saw the Great Crested Grebe 'penguin dance'.
Well, it is Pingu's birthday :)
;)
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Snowdrops & skylarks :thumbsup: Another dead badger :(
Yes, I found another dead Badger at the roadside on my 50k loop yesterday.
I'd say I see a dead badger on >50% of my rides.
I've never seen a live badger.
It got me thinking ( the way these things do when you are cycling alone ).
I was thinking about the statistics: the relationship between the number of dead species spotted by the roadside versus the live spotted number of that species, and how that relates to the population of the species.
It's probably quite a complex relationship; variables will include nocturnal / not nocturnal, shyness, etc etc.
But anecdotally, I see *some* dead rabbits / hodgehegs / muselids / sqrls.
But I also see a fair amount of live ones too.
I'm thinking of a regression line between the dead-count and live-count of these I have seen.
It will vary according to the variables I mentioned.
But Badgers seem to be serious outliers in my dataset.
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Badgers is of course nocturnal.
We have lots round here but I see maybe one or two live ones a year.
Roadkill--plenty
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Back in my Audaxing days my ride reports always included a dead badger count. I think my record was four on a 200.
PeterM sotp is entirely responsible for this unhealthy obsession.
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I've never seen a live badger.
That's what I said a couple of hours before a badger attack on a FNRttS...
(The novelty roadkill count is an important part of ride reports.)
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Hunners o' geese, skylarks, ubiquitous buzzards, couple of kestrels and a couple of red kites :thumbsup:
No new dead badgers to report.
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I do sometimes wonder if they have come a cropper at the hands of Farmer Giles and his Shuvvel of Spang, and then tossed onto the roadside to make it look like roadkill.
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Me too.
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Riding with mcshroom last week we came across seven little dead moles at the side of the road :(
Tiny little flexible noses, amazingly engineered little feet, and the softest black jackets in the world.
No way that was accidental.
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Cows can jump.
Not very well, but they can have a fair go at it.
On today's ride, I managed to startle a small herd of cows in a fenced-off area outside their byre.
Spooked, they turned and ran back inside as I passed.
Except one, who ran in the wrong direction, and was confronted with a fence.
Just a normal farm fence, nothing fancy.
It launched itself in the manner of a racehorse, front legs clearing the fence well. Insufficient thrust meant it's belly failed to fully clear the fence, and it came down hard demolishing that section of fence. One hind leg cleared the wreckage, but the other became briefly entangled. However, it's forward momentum dragged it free and it came to an undignified stop a few metres into the next field.
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I do sometimes wonder if they have come a cropper at the hands of Farmer Giles and his Shuvvel of Spang, and then tossed onto the roadside to make it look like roadkill.
Very common rumour in these parts...
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Riding with mcshroom last week we came across seven little dead moles at the side of the road :(
Tiny little flexible noses, amazingly engineered little feet, and the softest black jackets in the world.
No way that was accidental.
I've seen the same kind of mass slaughter:
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2906/13912618608_5cb0a161d3_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/ncpNNC)
IMG_3071 (https://flic.kr/p/ncpNNC) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/people/36539950@N00/), on Flickr
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A pheasant. In Mordor.
In Modor Central to be more precise. Platform 10.
Well, on the rails at platform 10.
And extremely dead.
Carried in by a train after a strike somewhere more rural?
Probably.
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Well it might have just wandered in and been choked by the diseasel fumes...
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Worryingly, that's what nearly happened to my 90 y.o. mum, who I'd spent lunch time ferrying from the Lichfield train to the
Reading Leamington/bus/Reading train.
Does the re-furb not include crap air extraction, ffs?
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An Urban Badger, trundling up Wallwood Road E11 like an animated hearthrug before turning right into a front garden. Only my third live badger since records began.
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I saw a skylark today near Hurst this morning. Singing it,s little heart out as it ascended towards the heavens :thumbsup:.
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A pheasant. In Mordor.
In Modor Central to be more precise. Platform 10.
Well, on the rails at platform 10.
And extremely dead.
Carried in by a train after a strike somewhere more rural?
Probably.
Or dropped by an Uruk-hai after a day's shooting?
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This morning: a stoat. It had not mounted a woodpecker. Also, a dunnock singing away as though spring were coming, and my first skylark of the year. Plus, a large number of assorted wading birds and ducks, the most easily identifiable being a little egret, some curlews, oystercatchers and redshank.
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I saw a skylark today near Hurst this morning. Singing it,s little heart out as it ascended towards the heavens :thumbsup:.
I was equally pleased to hear my first skylark of 2015 last Friday morning, one field uphill from Alvecote Woods (the reserve that docsquid & Steve are managing so successfully).
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A huge bushy orange fox darted across my path on the old railway line between Darlo and Stockton last night. Quite a few suicide bunnies, too.
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After 50 years of never seeing a live badger, I can now report one sighting.
Driving Junior # 2 to kickball training last night on some narrow country roads on account of some local road closures, we did spy one badger crossing the road in front of us, and climbing over the small wall into the field at the other side of the road. :)
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:)
PS: Git!
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The resident hare in the field behind our house, hunkered down and enjoying the sun. And (a benefit of the bird feeders) a sparrowhawk.
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Lots of wagtails around recently.
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Two (only slightly) unusual spots today.
A pair of Common Terns on the rocks at Llangrannog. That would be unremarkable in Scotland or the East of England, but pretty unusual in West Wales.
Then, on arrival back at the house, a large Buzzard hovering over the field. Buzzards used to be much more common around here, but the Red Kites are now so successful and numerous that they are becoming a rare spot.
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Beside the pond on our allotment, a dead toad. From the modest degree of drying out, I think it died last night. It looks as if it was killed by a fox or cat, which then found it inedible. Looks like one bite, & dropped before the teeth had gone in far - but still enough to kill.
A pity, but at least the location suggests that we have a chance of spawn this spring. The anurans are up & about now the weather's warmed up, & they'll like today's touch of rain.
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The weather is warming up, my bees are flying.
Both hives were very busy today.
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Any idea what this is?
(http://sergeantpluck.smugmug.com/photos/i-9JcDdtW/0/L/i-9JcDdtW-L.jpg)
(http://sergeantpluck.smugmug.com/photos/i-hmB4WVx/0/L/i-hmB4WVx-L.jpg)
Some type of fungus? Obligatory gentle finger poke revealed that it was spongy, yielding, with a thin outer coat. Insect nest? The tree is dead.
Tremendous amounts of fungus and mould of all sorts in Richmond Park since autumn, including lots of one that is new to me, King Alfred’s cakes.
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Some very cool birds swooping around and making very high-pitched noises.
My German companion identified them as lapwings or peewits.
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(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Deer_Deer.jpg)
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Lovely photo, Jaded.
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On Thursday, as I was taking a minibus out to run some teaching assistants through MiDAS, we were approaching a railway bridge over the road (brick built tunnel type). As we set off from the lights, a Red Kite swooped down in front of us, grabbed a road kill pigeon then flew along in front of us, through the tunnel and out the other side :thumbsup:
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Rattus norvegicus, the first I've ever seen in London, even after living here for fifteen years or so. I've seen smaller mice in the Underground, and very occasionally travelling to and from some of the bins in the larger public areas at work (but only very late at night, when there are few people around), but this is the first time I've seen a full sized rat wandering along the street. He (or she) got within about 10 feet of me before realising that I was there and turning tail and running for the gutter, where I lost sight of its destination.
Of course the oft quoted "never more than 6 foot from a rat" figure is statistical nonsense (see this informative BBC article (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20716625)), but I'm still surprised I've never seen one before, even as a remnant of one of the cats foraging escapades.
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Poor old swan at side of a busy main road into town with police escort. It had flown into the side of the Oxford to Cambridge X5 bus, on a bridge over the Ouse, presumably whilst landing or taking off. It was very bad tempered and hopefully, just dazed.
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Rattus norvegicus, the first I've ever seen in London, even after living here for fifteen years or so. I've seen smaller mice in the Underground, and very occasionally travelling to and from some of the bins in the larger public areas at work (but only very late at night, when there are few people around), but this is the first time I've seen a full sized rat wandering along the street. He (or she) got within about 10 feet of me before realising that I was there and turning tail and running for the gutter, where I lost sight of its destination.
Of course the oft quoted "never more than 6 foot from a rat" figure is statistical nonsense (see this informative BBC article (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20716625)), but I'm still surprised I've never seen one before, even as a remnant of one of the cats foraging escapades.
My son once opened a draw in the small kitchen behind the box office at Ally Pally to be greeted by an enormous rat.
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If the rats are still running away from the humans, we've nothing to fear. Yet.
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Not actually today, but since my last YACF post I've seen the following in the wild, in their native habitat:
Cyprinus carpio - yer standard koi.
Mauremys japonica - basking in the sun on banks, swimming, heads poking out of mud in shallow water so noses could reach the surface.
Mustela itatsi - Mrs B was thrilled, this being a rare sight, only a few hundred metres from her mother's house, on the banks of a small river running through a built-up area. BIG weasel!
Sturnus cineraceus - White-cheeked starling
Motacilla alba lugens - a different wagtail
Egretta garzetta - Little egret
Anas poecilorhyncha zonorhyncha - quacking away & looking to be fed.
An unidentified skate or ray, seen in shallow water from a sea wall.
And not in its native habitat, being on the wrong continent, but in the wild -
Trachemys scripta elegans Murrican turtles, pets let loose when they get too big or kids tire of them - & they breed.
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Something I haven't seen for a while: a pair of grey squirrels.
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I'm at Lanerchindda Farm, near Llandovery. Their bird feeder attracts various finches, tits and other birds.
The rats, and grey squirrels also seem to be enjoying themselves!
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A swallow and a tree with a honey bees' nest in it.
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Possibly swallows, or maybe swifts? I am no expert..
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t51/asorim1/P1050833_zpshiezgww0.jpg)
(Not sure why there's a smudge - the lens looks clean but the camera does have a hard life.)
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Them are swallows.
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Wheatear, I think.
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This weekend saw the first bat outing in the airspace over our garden :thumbsup:
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Well yesterday a hare in the back field - seems they're being a bit more circumspect now. And this morning, a mallard sitting in the back field (no water nearby), 4 pheasants (a cock and three hens) and, for the last couple of mornings a greater spotted woodpecker who seems to have taken to using the fat block hanging on our pergola for breakfast.
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A couple of days ago.
A Snake... in the garden!
(http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/VinceHall/CyclingStuff/20150408_115124_zpssgs7hsuu.jpg)
An ickle cute one
(http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/VinceHall/CyclingStuff/20150408_115140_zpsefrq6g5z.jpg)
I'm assuming it is some sort of anaconda slow worm.
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Looks like a slow worm to me, therefore a lizard and not a snake.
Compare & contrast the biggest I have ever seen:-
(http://peter.chesspod.com/gallery/d/7791-2/DSC05269.JPG)
Seen in South Woodham Ferrers, Essex almost 5 years ago. Extra points for identifying the hand.
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Geese but what type I do not know :)
(http://i1333.photobucket.com/albums/w626/cycleman1081/HP/Pictures/IMG_0536_zpsac9zylcy.jpg) (http://s1333.photobucket.com/user/cycleman1081/media/HP/Pictures/IMG_0536_zpsac9zylcy.jpg.html)
(http://i1333.photobucket.com/albums/w626/cycleman1081/HP/Pictures/IMG_0535_zpsfgvlku3n.jpg) (http://s1333.photobucket.com/user/cycleman1081/media/HP/Pictures/IMG_0535_zpsfgvlku3n.jpg.html)
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I think that's an Egyptian goose.
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It's summer! 8)
Saw two swallows yesterday.
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A water vole swimming in the canal as I was cycling along the towpath.
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I had a brief natter in the park with a binoculared woman who told me that yesterday she heard a cuckoo on Two Tree Island.
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Looks like a slow worm to me, therefore a lizard and not a snake.
Compare & contrast the biggest I have ever seen:-
(http://peter.chesspod.com/gallery/d/7791-2/DSC05269.JPG)
Seen in South Woodham Ferrers, Essex almost 5 years ago. Extra points for identifying the hand.
its a very graceful and elegant hand, and I must therefore conclude, probably not yours, Wow.... ;D
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Knowing how many rides you have shared, I would suggest Auntie Helen is the owner of said (graceful and elegant) hand.
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Indeed it is me.
I was sitting on the trike at the time so didn't even have to get up...
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Iceland gull in the harbour now.
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And now there are dolphins.
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Thanks wowbagger :). Even the wildlife in slough is multi cultural :D
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Yesterday I saw 6 buzzards at the same time, indulging in aerobatics over rural Kent. I've never seen so many before.
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A very interesting walk round Two Tree Island this morning. The intention was to hear/see a cuckoo, but that didn't happen. There were a few avocets and assorted ducks at the scrape, and lots of whitethroats. We heard three or four Cetti's warblers, and saw one of them fleetingly, but the pièce de résistance was an adder, wriggling across the path in front of us. It's years since I have seen one. This was quite a small one and in perfect condition. I don't think it was more than about 15 inches long. Fortunately the dog didn't see it.
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Yesterday and the day before, several storks flying around and one nesting. In Rheinland-Pfalz.
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Not today, but on a recent Audax in western Sweden........Cranes (the bird) loads of em.
Mightily impressive.
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This morning, in the field behind the house as I was checking for the presence of hares (we saw 4 yesterday around 6pm) I saw a fox, probably also looking for the hares - or rather any leverets. Bold as brass in the middle of the field, which is a first in 15 years of living here.
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And my first hare of the year, on Sunday morning, a huge buck lolloping through the woods towards the stream at the campsite. Beautiful thing.
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Just now in the field behind our house, a Muntjac doe.... And its diminutive kid!! The kid is a first for us, and it was just visible above the growing grass. Really must get my camera sorted and "at the ready" for such occasions.
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Red kite, swallows, partridges.
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Red kite, swallows, partridges.
Showing the importance of punctuation. ;)
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Very good, Andrij. Have one of these: (http://www.777icons.com/libs/mm/gold_star_sh-icon.gif)
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A propos of Andrij's remark, I once had a class of children including a Vanessa Fry, a Russell May and a Howard Slowley. There was unrestricted mirth when I created the obvious sentence on the blackboard. Punctuation is very important in that as well, as is spelling.
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Marine woodlice. Or at least, somethings looking very similar to woodlice in a rockpool on the beach at Clevedon. Can woodlice actually live in salt water?
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Ligia oceanica, the sea slater.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligia_oceanica
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A skylark, so I was reliably informed, sitting on a hedge rather than larking in the sky, although we saw the latter too. And we heard a cuckoo.
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A jay in the next street. Again.
I've never seen it in this street.
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A pile of wood on Thursday evening's MTB ride:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8850/17452547171_ed0ab1366c_z.jpg)
Closer inspection revealed this:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8758/17450230012_f8cac01546_z.jpg)
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Red kite, swallows, partridges.
Have you been to see your local Harlequin duck yet?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KgSkbnFx3o
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Red kite, swallows, partridges.
Have you been to see your local Harlequin duck yet?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KgSkbnFx3o
https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=128.msg1794036#msg1794036 :)
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A couple of swifts this morning :thumbsup:
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I saw my first swifts of the year on Saturday evening. Maybe they were on their way to see you, Pingu? :D
A few minutes ago, in the town centre, a swarm of bees all over someone's BSO. I have some photographs which I will endeavour to upload.
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When I arrived home this evening I found a dead blackcap where we park our car. I'm sure it wasn't there when I went out earlier. I expect it was hit by a passing vehicle.
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Spotted a sparrowhawk, devouring the last of something feathered it had killed in my garden. It scarpered before I could lay hands on a camera. Inspection of the few remains was inconclusive.
Later, on The World at One, a racing pigeon enthusiast was protesting that the efficacy of raptor conservation efforts bodes ill for pigeons and those that breed them. He was specifically Not a Fan of sparrowhawks.
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I heard that too, and thought it worthy of a thread of its own before I saw the above post.
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From an email from my cousin this morning:
The house martins are busy building nests around the Bothy. This morning we sat and watched them. It is busier than an airport. More birds than I’ve seen for a few years. Love to hear them. Dippers around, too and rabbits running around over the burn. Quite a few adders have been seen locally.
and
No evidence of mice under sink.
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Seen standing in the way and being generally Elklike 4 Elk, Sweden. Very big.
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A pine marten hopped down on to the road in front of me, game me a look then back into the woods. First one I've ever seen. :thumbsup:
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We surprised a stoat crossing the road. It was carrying a baby rabbit as big as itself and gave us an indignant squeak before dropping the bunny and running into the hedge.
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A pine marten hopped down on to the road in front of me, game me a look then back into the woods. First one I've ever seen. :thumbsup:
Like :thumbsup: Where?
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Just north of the campsies, on the road from fintry to killearn. It fair made my run.
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There is a massive preponderance of mallard drakes at the park at the moment. Yesterday we counted 22 males to 3 females. Not surprisingly, there has been a dearth of duckings. Yesterday's were the first we have seen this year, which is remarkably late. There were 6 then. There were only 2 of those left this morning.
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There is a massive preponderance of mallard drakes at the park at the moment. Yesterday we counted 22 males to 3 females. Not surprisingly, there has been a dearth of duckings. Yesterday's were the first we have seen this year, which is remarkably late. There were 6 then. There were only 2 of those left this morning.
Mrs T and myself went for a walk up at Sheepwash Reservoir a couple of weeks ago. Of the ducks there appeared to be 1 female and 3 males, BUT 15 chicks! Either the other mummies had buggered off, died, or were hiding.
The geese, however were the other way around, lots of females, hardly any males (maybe they were at the pub) and a low ratio of females to goslings.
A rather over enthusiastic Dalmation got a little close to the geese and goslings. I am betting that it doesn't do that again!
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Heard not seen. Cuckoo. At Sandwich. First cuckoo we've heard in some 5 or 6 years.
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There is a massive preponderance of mallard drakes at the park at the moment. Yesterday we counted 22 males to 3 females. Not surprisingly, there has been a dearth of duckings. Yesterday's were the first we have seen this year, which is remarkably late. There were 6 then. There were only 2 of those left this morning.
Mrs T and myself went for a walk up at Sheepwash Reservoir a couple of weeks ago. Of the ducks there appeared to be 1 female and 3 males, BUT 15 chicks! Either the other mummies had buggered off, died, or were hiding.
I've seen several ducks with a dozen or more chicks. There was one on the Kennet in Reading which raised very large broods for a few years in a row in the late 1980s, & one near Burghfield which did the same around 2003-2007.
The first of those always had two drakes in tow in the breeding season, which may have helped. I think the Burghfield one did the same.
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I love these :thumbsup:
(https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7759/17782253939_5cb2e81149_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/t6mGza)
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A pheasant, crossing the road.
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Housemartins building a nest under our eaves after a couple of years without any.
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Norman Cook and Paul Heaton?
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Possibly swallows, or maybe swifts? I am no expert..
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t51/asorim1/P1050833_zpshiezgww0.jpg)
(Not sure why there's a smudge - the lens looks clean but the camera does have a hard life.)
It looks like dust on your sensor.
Will only show up when there is an expanse of plain (like sky) and a relatively small aperture.
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Richmond Park, female Mandarin with 14 or more young. No adult male to be seen. Several other pairs in other places with no young.
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I've been reminded of the weasel that ran across the road in front of us somewhere on top of the Mendips. Yellow-brown with a fat tail held out straight behind it. That was about a month ago.
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Stoat! :)
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House sparrows and blackbirds both with young that are big enough to leave the nest but still to be fed by the parent. :D
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Must be the house prices!
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10 toads on the allotment today! Our next door neighbours, who we share it with, say they're growing toads - their most successful crop. ;D
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Soaring over Balcombe Road, Horley, now. Red kite.
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A wild rabbit kitten with myxomatosis near B&Q's. :(
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Must be the house prices!
;D
Today it was about 15 Starlings, mix of adult and young. They stopped to enjoy a bath as well.
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Terns on the Thames at Teddington
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A green woodpecker in the Harris Garden at Reading University. Flying from tree to tree, with spells on the ground.
There was also a bird box with the entrance chewed out to make it more squirrel-friendly. Nice to see our little grey friends (?) are so enterprising.
Toads a-plenty on the allotment, as usual, & allotment fox is definitely looking much fitter & healthier than two weeks ago. That injured leg (or foot) is bothering it less, & it's lost the half-starved & knackered look, which I presume was a result of the injury. Quite perky now.
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A first for me: green lizard roadkill, some 2000 feet up a French mountain. A day or two previously I saw the squashed corpse of the biggest grass snake I have ever seen. It must have been about four feet long.
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Saw a Little Owl, sitting on a tree stump at dusk, in Richmond Park yesterday.
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A Magpie, flying off with a Slow Worm in its beak.
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A peregrine falcon over the Avon between Create and Gaol Ferry Bridge. It was mobbed by a crow and flew away.
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Red Kites. The silage in the field opposite our house was being collected this morning - cut yesterday, and atypically for around here, picked up in bulk by trailers. As the "scuffles" put the cut grass into rows the kites appeared. At one time we could see at least 15 quartering the field. And after the machinery was gone, I counted 13 at rest on the ground, very unusual.
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I have seen that whilst out and about before. Between Watlington and Chinnor especially.
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A sparrowhawk, elegantly taking a LBJ from a field beside the A167 yesterday.
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LBJ? Little brown jug? ???
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LBJ? Little brown jug? ???
Lyndon Bains Johnson, 36th President of the United States.
Or could be "Little brown job"
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Rather a good morning wandering around Rainham Marshes. There was lots of wildlife on display and I lost count of the different species seen. The best spot was a bearded tit. We saw quite a few of these, and our attention was drawn to their possible presence by a couple of blokes with massively expensive-looking cameras equipped with the most prodigious of lenses. As we approached, I asked them "Presumably there's something particularly noteworthy round here?" and the two guy turned to me and said "Bearded tit, but we've waiting here for ages without anything happening." I pointed beyond them to the area at which their cameras were directed and said "Isn't that one there now?" as what was very obviously a bearded tit was displaying itself beautifully on the reeds a few yards away. They turned and dashed for their cameras as a machine-gun salvo of shutter snaps went off in glorious stereo. We saw quite a few over the next few minutes, but sadly the only photo I managed was this one, a juvenile, grubbing around the reedbed:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/501/18414961408_b3a90ae5fd_z.jpg)
They are very striking birds, almost budgerigar-like in a lovely golden colour.
A few more photos of other stuff:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8860/17982048113_bd343931a0_z.jpg)
Whitethroat
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/347/17982039863_bbb7892bdf_z.jpg)
Marsh frogs
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8831/18604886701_845bbf4207_z.jpg)
Heron
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8888/18415034978_17d4c1d222_z.jpg)
2.5 egrets
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8894/17980170564_a71f31cc4a_z.jpg)
Juvenile moorhen
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/431/17982229083_db6c8262ea_z.jpg)
Reed warbler
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Water vole crossing the slough canal arm towpath :)
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And the hares seem to like the fresh new shoots after the silage cut - three on the field this morning.
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Sunday/Monday: quite a few deer, kestrel, partridges, buzzards, unidentified small mammal (mouse, vole), suicidal stoat, suicidal mountain hare, two dead badgers.
ETA: forgot about the cuckoo heard on the Slug Road. It's been a while since I've heard one.
Today: a wren singing on top of traffic lights, ducklings in the harbour, quite a few swifts out in the evening.
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Swifts, screaming overhead this very moment as I'm sitting out here in my back yard. And in a minute there'll be lots of bats. Considering I live smack in the middle of a fair sized town, I think that's rather lovely :D
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Just been out with the bat detector and found nothing :(
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Road kill fox cub this morning :(
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Some hares yesterday.
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This weekend: brown hare, ubiquitous buzzards, seals, kestrel and a red sqrl :thumbsup:
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Two wols, a barn and a tauny. This is cheating cos they were on wolists' gauntleted hands at a show. Nevertheless, it was interesting to learn some things about them (they can't go longer than four days without food, not due to hunger, but thirst – they get most of their liquid from the mice etc they eat; they don't like to hunt in strong wind, cos then they can't hear their prey, nor rain, cos their feathers are not waterproof – they can become hypothermic) and see their ears.
Also had a good sniff of a bumblebees' hive: something sweet, honey-ish (they don't make honey but they do collect pollen and nectar) mixed with ear wax and creosote.
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A Barn Owl in the garden
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/monstadog/IMG_0172.jpg)
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Lovely photo, that. :thumbsup:
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Two buzzards circling around each other at Dunsden, just north-east of Reading.
I remember when that would have been a marvel, though not as big a marvel as seeing red kites over Reading, as I usually do a few times a day.
-
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5509/18840123545_82769a17de_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/uGQymi)
IMG_2546 (2) (https://flic.kr/p/uGQymi) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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A jackdaw bouncing up and down on our phone line then trying to get into the bird table to get at the flapjack crumbs.
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mother Wren with fledgling
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/monstadog/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0886.jpg)
and again, on the fence
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/monstadog/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0884.jpg)
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Blackbirds, Rubins, a Treecreeper, a Jay and bunnies through the clouds of midges near Snowdonia.
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A Barn Owl in the garden
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/monstadog/IMG_0172.jpg)
Lucky devil! That's a cracking shot :thumbsup:
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mother Wren with fledgling
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/monstadog/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0886.jpg)
and again, on the fence
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/monstadog/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0884.jpg)
Meta-squeeeeeee!
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mother Wren with fledgling
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/monstadog/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0886.jpg)
and again, on the fence
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/monstadog/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0884.jpg)
Meta-squeeeeeee!
Nano- squeeeeeee! Shirley?
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Heh, Squeeeely squeeeeely, I've never seen a baby wren before :)
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Red kite near Torphins.
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Peregrine Falcon divebombing a couple of Ravens off the coast. WHOOSH! down he flew, and the Ravens would twist round with claws uppermost. The Peregrine chased them off his/her patch. Felt quite privileged. He/she then floated over top into the wind. Beautiful.
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A heron flying on Sunday. Very impressive silhouette, a bit like a stork but smaller (obvs) and somehow more purposeful – all pointed wings and beak.
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On last night's ride, a dozen herons over the 45kms we rode, endless hares, some ostriches and a mystery bird that my companion got very excited about. It was disappearing into a lake but my dictionary app didn't have a translation of the name.
Just looked it up - Haubentaucher is Great Crested Grebe.
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Oyster catchers spooked at 22:30
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/oyster.jpg)
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A juvenile goldfinch pecking at weeds growing in the pavement.
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A juvenile goldfinch pecking at weeds growing in the pavement.
First parsed as "goldfish". I was somewhat confused.
I blame the Canadians (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-33254630)
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That reminds me of a conversation Mrs. Wow had with the mother of a boy who joined my older daughter's class around the age of 10. They were Chinese and arrived here with hardly any English. The boy immediately showed talent at chess and we gave him lifts from time to time. Jan was invited into their house on one occasion and saw a bird in a cage.
"Is it a finch?" enquired my wife.
The lady of the house looked as her as though she was mad.
"No. Is bird," came the reply.
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Buzzard being mobbed by kestrel, seen from train just after Rugby station.
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A buzzerd flying over my house in Slough :)
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A really good view of a red kite near Drumoak and a bat in our garden at last :thumbsup:
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A sparrow. I thought for a split second someone had thrown a stone at our kitchen window! But it was a sparrow flying into it. It's still conscious but hasn't moved for several minutes, just sitting in the garden. I can see it blinking and moving its tail a little. Hopefully it will recover and fly away (maybe even before one of the neighbourhood cats finds it). But maybe it's got an internal injury and will bleed to death in the garden. Ah, it's moving its head all round now, so seems to be on the mend.
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It's flown away now.
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The local skunk momma with her 3 kits. (I had to google what baby skunks are called!). I thought she had moved away, but evidently not, so I have to remain vigilant when walking Hana in our neighbourhood.
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One of these?
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.simplybirdsandmoths.co.uk/sbam/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Ghost-Moth51.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.simplybirdsandmoths.co.uk/sbam/index.php/0014-ghost-moth/&h=506&w=675&tbnid=b2QZXR5FNvJfjM:&zoom=1&tbnh=150&tbnw=200&usg=__YhpbNZN6l_3rpggXLw4Hkx_-GF8=&docid=DHQAygCNbmBjUM&itg=1
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My parents cat as it was my turn to feed her today while they have been away. Boy has she become a lap cat and very demanding for attention in her old age...
Also two red kites circling low over the village in Windsor Great Park, not quite low enough to make me duck but less than 10m.
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A stork sitting on a nest.
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A really lovely scene on the pond at Barling today.
A nest full of moorhen chicks that were so small I think they can only have hatched within the past few hours. There were four in the nest but one had found its way out and was swimming around, being supervised by a parent. Eventually that chick clambered back into the nest, but on its way a sizeable carp got a bit too close and the moorhen parent pecked on its snout and it turned tail and swam away.
Of course, I hadn't taken my camera.
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A whole family of Goldfinches, in our garden, last night. They were right royally feasting on the cornflower seedheads.
What a gorgeous sight they are.
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Yesterday a couple of young magpies shouting abuse at an innocent collared dove.
Dove: Oh, do be quiet, you little oiks!
Magpies: Your mum!
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Still enjoying the flock of seagulls choral society on the roof of the hospital building across from my ward (yes I am still stuck in hospital ::-) ).
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Still enjoying the flock of seagulls choral society on the roof of the hospital building across from my ward (yes I am still stuck in hospital ::-) ).
Makes sense. University exam season is over, so there's no point in doing it on their roof...
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;D
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An unidentified bird this morning- white or pale yellow head and neck with a speckled black or very dark body. About the size of a blackbird or woodpecker. The very brief glimpse I got as it flew across the road suggested a slight down curve to the beak......
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The local skunk momma with her 3 kits. (I had to google what baby skunks are called!). I thought she had moved away, but evidently not, so I have to remain vigilant when walking Hana in our neighbourhood.
And judging by the odour wafting through our windows right now, someone else found that skunk family too!.
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An unidentified bird this morning- white or pale yellow head and neck with a speckled black or very dark body. About the size of a blackbird or woodpecker. The very brief glimpse I got as it flew across the road suggested a slight down curve to the beak......
Try this:
http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdidentifier/
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Thanks tiermat. Had a quick look and nothing jumps out. The closest in shape is juvenile cuckoo but the colouring was all wrong.
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Is it possible it was a thrush, and the light was catching it funny?
Where is it you live, Fuzzers?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varied_thrush
http://www.ozanimals.com/wildlife/Bird/Thrushes.html
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I live in Marlow (Bucks) and was en route to Maidenhead.
The colour distribution was very much like a white or pale yellow cowl with the same colour peppering of very dark plumage on the body.
As well as the perceived slight down curve on the beak, the tail looked to be quite short though not stubby.
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Allotment fox tried to beg food from me today. I didn't have any.
Well, that's what you get for feeding it while it was injured. Now it expects it.
Looks as if the injured leg (back right) is permanently damaged (I suspect muscles shortened when it was keeping it off the ground - anyone know a fox physio?), so it walks with a limp & runs 3-legged, but no sign of it being painful now.
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Nice one Bledlow. It might not be around but for you :)
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Cockchafer infestation.
3 in the bathroom, two in the bedroom, one killing itself in the kitchen, a whole squadron just outside the windows.
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Oh, that's what they're called. Who'd have thunk such an annoying insect would have such a NSFW name?
Barakta and I have a deal: She evicts the spiders and anything buzzy with 400kΩ written on it, and I have to deal with stray woodlice and crawly beetles, including these fuckers. (We take turns with slugs.)
Ghostbusting them with the hoover *and then immediately emptying the bag* is the only way to be sure. Unless you've got a Dyson, in which case you're going to be ♫ Human slaves, in an insect nation... ♫
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I think I had one of those inside my shorts towards the end of last week's Dunwich Dynamo.
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Makes a change from earwigs...
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Nice one Bledlow. It might not be around but for you :)
Mrs B insisted. But I wasn't hard to persuade.
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A sparrowhawk flew over us as we were walking into tow.
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Tuesday morning climbing out of Hutton-Le-Hole towards Rosedale I disturbed an Owl out of the heather on the moor, I suspect it was a Barn Owl.
Wednesday morning I disturbed a raptor of some sort (eagle) from the hedge row and it flew low across the field causing every other bird on the ground to take flight.
Thursday some ground nesting bird with chick ran out of the road south of Osmotherly.
Then this morning a Hare ran across the camp site as I stuck my tent.
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...a raptor of some sort (eagle)...
More likely to be a buzzard?
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...a raptor of some sort (eagle)...
More likely to be a buzzard?
Quite possibly as I only saw it from behind and level so not the tail / wing silhouette that I could identify a Buzzard from. My main guess would be sparrow hawk though because all the pidgeons / black birds took to flight as it went their way. I saw other buzzards later in the trip and am used to distinguishing them from the shite hawks in Berks.
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Yesterday: buzzards, bullfinches, kestrels, deer and a red kite.
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An all black bunny frolicking on the verge with it's more conventionally coloured cousins. That's the second time I have see it in two weeks. I wonder how common black wild rabbits are ?
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I've seen them quite often up here. I've got a vague memory of being told that they are the offspring of domestic/wild rabbit interaction.
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Saw a black bunrab on the verge at the end of the road leading to Fort Larrington, but that was last year and the area is popular with both rural and suburban foxes so he's probably been et by now.
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Saw a black bunrab on the verge at the end of the road leading to Fort Larrington, but that was last year and the area is popular with both rural and suburban foxes so he's probably been et by now.
Exit pursued by bear?
a while back in Mrs Ham's school, there was much consternation when a rat was spied. The Site Supervisor sprung into action and caught the little bugger underneath a bucket, called the rodent disposal operative and that was that. He did apparently say the blighter didn't do as much in the running department as might have been expected.
It was only the next day when a neighbour put up a sign saying "pet rat missing, answers to the name of Tommy".....
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Can anyone ID this wee beastie?
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3775/19650719588_4400aef6a0_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/vWt5j9)
IMG_2682 (https://flic.kr/p/vWt5j9) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Facebook offered pinion streaked snout.
Calling BrianI to the mercury vapour courtesy phone.
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About 01:30 this morning, a large fox having a noisy altercation with a bush ???
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Just now, 7(!) hares in the back field, all in a group :D
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(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/319/19328058264_4e0794a9cd_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/vrXmkS)
IMG_5191 (https://flic.kr/p/vrXmkS) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Rescued from the resident frog-botherers (although they were very wary of it).
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/474/19943093232_a8f878fbc4_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/woiyP3)
IMG_5186 (https://flic.kr/p/woiyP3) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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An elephant from the bus window.
A monitor lizard marching through town.
Monkeys doing their monkey thing.
Fruit bats going to sleep.
Gekos stuck on the walls.
A frog in the bath room (that was removed for me by someone else).
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Just now, 7(!) hares in the back field, all in a group :D
Sounds like a wig.
Quite a lot of stuff in Scotland. Red squirrel, weasel, numerous bull finches, no eagles, but today what I think were two female hen harriers doing some aerobatics.
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An elephant from the bus window.
A monitor lizard marching through town.
Monkeys doing their monkey thing.
Fruit bats going to sleep.
Gekos stuck on the walls.
A frog in the bath room (that was removed for me by someone else).
That doesn't sound like Didcot.
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The first Jersey Tiger Moth of the year, fluttering up in front of me as I wheeled my bike down the alley at the side of our house. Such a bold flash of colour.
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Yesterday when I got home, a wren vociferously (good grief they can put out a lot of noise for a small bird!) defending it's territory from our cat. Earlier, apparently, there had been 4 fledglings with it in the tree. Strangely, given that the wren is Britain's most populous (garden) bird, it was ringed.
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While bike fettling outside yesterday, I heard a buzzing and looked up. There was a wasp in a spiders' web, being "seen to" by the spider. Within half a minute it'd gone from frantic buzzing to still.
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Couple of stoats today - including the same one twice, as it took the short cut across the field and crossed my path twice.
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A cat crossing the road - using the pedestrian crossing. No, the crossing was not the shortest distance between two points.
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While out walking our mutt, I often see: A man who walking his dog, by kicking a ball where he wants the dog to go. Followed by his cat about 5m behind them. When his partner walks with them, yet another cat about 3m behind the first cat. Both cats waits at junctions and waits behind, when dog is doing its business or the owner is too busy on the phone to cross the road safely. It's a jolly sight :)
Which reminds me of our old cat used to come on evening walks with us with I was a wee nipper.
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Ah, while we're on the subject, a BloodyCyclist attempting to trackstand, facing the wrong way in the bus lane here:
https://goo.gl/maps/m6nVX
As I got closer in my unwanted game of Chicken, I noticed a dog (one of those ugly ones that are so popular with people who shouldn't be allowed dogs) wandering in the road in front of him. As I got even closer, I realised the dog wasn't even on a lead.
Being no fan of uncontrolled ugly dogs or their owners I slowed down, and watched him herd the dog - via the medium of tactical bike positioning and loud swearing - through the traffic and onto the side road on the right. At one point as I got closer the dog clocked my unusual bike and looked like it was going to turn and launch a barking attack (as dogs tend to do) from the path of an oncoming car. Fortunately the owner delivered some more, even louder, swearing, and the dog obeyed.
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Not today, but last week and on the subject: out on a ride I was nearly up-ended by a chicken playing chicken.
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Sadly while out walking the mutt, I often see two staffies. Walked by people who like to shout at, hit or even throw things at their dogs to "get them in line". I just hope the day they blow, I'm far away and so are others.
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Many bats - some soprano, some common pipistrelles. I even have a video. https://youtu.be/BPsbjzAXYkg
And then we stopped to see the persuades but that is a different thread.
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A kingfisher in the park this morning. That's the second one I've seen, or more likely the second time I've seen that one, this summer. I haven't kept an accurate record, but I doubt if, in the 11 years that we have been taking Morphy to the park most mornings, I have seen kingfishers more than about 10 times there.
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A brown long eared bat (maybe two). The first was in the ranger centre in Templeton Woods.
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/658/20479531649_4ee916f0ab_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/xcGXgg)Brown long eared bat at the Templeton visitor centre (https://flic.kr/p/xcGXgg) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
Then when heading home through the park a bat that could well have been a brown long eared - bigger than a pipistrelle and flying with flappy wings rather than the frenetic beat of the pipistrelle. And it was not picked up on the detector. I was impressed by how quiet the BLE are.
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A sparrowhawk in a tree outside our window in central Vienna.
Another sparrowhawk above the meadow in Poland (this time a rural setting!) being mobbed by a flock of daring swallows. I presume they counted on out-nimbling it. It did make a grab for one, but unsuccessfully. Unless it was a different type of hawk, but it didn't look like a buzzard, which is the only other type out there.
Also a huge flock of starlings (well, quite small by starling standards – and they don't murmur, it's a large volume of cheeping and wing brushing) eating the pears on the tree. A few storks, the usual deer (internet identifies them as Capreolus capreolus, roe deer) and buzzards, but most surprisingly at least four small, brown frogs in the forest! This was surprising because it was incredibly hot (38C) and dry there. All the leaves are yellow, like late October.
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Forgot to mention: some beautiful fat yellow spiders with black stripes, sitting head-down in their webs on the meadow near the streamWell, more of a drainage ditch than a stream.
Barn owls screeching.
Black woodpecker with red head (ok, I didn't see this, I only heard it, but Little saw it and described it).
I'm envious of spiders. I admire their ability to sit motionless for so long.
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Three rats exiting our compost bin!
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A frog in a bucket.
It was sitting in an inch or so of water, apparently unable to climb (smooth plastic sides) or jump out.
So I tipped it in our pond.
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A huge, graceful, beautiful hare, and a slinky slender fox.
I didn't see the massive fly before it hit the back of my throat. I choked on the thing all the way home.
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I find that having a luxuriant moustache does a great job at keeping unwanted insects from finding their way into my gob.
Which is actually the first two lines of a poem.
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Camera shy.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-x4nPYI9bwdo/Vdlb4ZcpBqI/AAAAAAAAERE/VqzDfU_9GJc/s800-Ic42/DSC_0164.NEF.jpg)
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It's not, it's mooning at you!
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Not all today, but some of the distractions of the last few weeks:
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/564/20709879358_a49e8aaf2b_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/xy4xBu)IMG_6962 (https://flic.kr/p/xy4xBu) by benborp (https://www.flickr.com/photos/67561149@N08/), on Flickr
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5807/20897860935_2f544dd23e_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/xQEZZa)IMG_6933 (https://flic.kr/p/xQEZZa) by benborp (https://www.flickr.com/photos/67561149@N08/), on Flickr
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5621/20905147641_ec8640588a_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/xRjm52)IMG_7003 (https://flic.kr/p/xRjm52) by benborp (https://www.flickr.com/photos/67561149@N08/), on Flickr
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5769/20275285734_ec9e55d86a_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/wTE94Y)IMG_7001 (https://flic.kr/p/wTE94Y) by benborp (https://www.flickr.com/photos/67561149@N08/), on Flickr
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5619/20276881783_5e8e51a8cc_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/wTNjw4)IMG_6994 (https://flic.kr/p/wTNjw4) by benborp (https://www.flickr.com/photos/67561149@N08/), on Flickr
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Is there such a thing in the world as an Albino Buzzard?
Spotted perched onna post, on a back-road North of Ellon ( to the North of Aberdeen ).
It was most certainly a Buzzard; it let me get very close before it flew off.
It's size, shape, wing and tail profile and general behaviour were all 100% Buzzard.
But it was pretty much pure white, with the exception of a few mottled patches of the lightest brown.
<Tappity-tap>
Hmmm, yes, it seems there is such a thing. Odd-looking to say the least.
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A cricket on my doorstep!
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Apodemus sylvatica (yer common or garden Wood mouse AKA field mouse) on the allotment. Mrs B suspects it was after all the ant larvae under a weed-clearing plastic sheet she was checking under for toads.
Also a small frog (I think), instead of the usual toads.
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On my early hours trip around town I spotted 14 :o foxes, and two cats. There is a possibility I may have spotted the same fox twice, but even 13 is still a lot.
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Moved to the country side about 2 and a half years ago and yet to see a fox. I have seen a poop that I pretty sure is a fox as it is not cat or dog. Right outside our SW6 flat we had a fox family that kept us awake at night. And we often saw them out the kitchen window. But up here zip, nada ...
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Urban foxes have learnt that urban humans are not really much of a threat.
Rural foxes on the other hand...
We did see two running down our road a few years ago mind. And we're on the edge of a small village.
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I rescued a small slow worm when I was mowing the lawn. Not seen one that small before (about 10cm) so I assume it's a youngster.
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Actually on Tuesday, but I've lacked Internets.
A BEAR. Not a stuffed one or one carved from wood but a real live actual BEAR, cantering across Highway 37 north of the Nass River bridge. As I was doing roughly 70 mph at the time I was unable to flag him down and ask him to pose for a photo. A bit further up the road a female grizzly has been a regular visitor to the vicinity of another bridge, hence all the damn-fool tourists milling around in the road and parking like fuds until they receive the Sermon On From The Mountie. But she wasn't around when I passed by chiz.
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Crow nomming on a dead rat :P
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Nothing. It was very foggy on our walk this morning.
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A whole family of buzzards soaring together. About six of them.
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A crow eating a rat.
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A crow eating a rat.
again?
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A crow eating a rat.
again?
Oops - forgot that I'd already posted that ::-)
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A heron and a red kite flying in what appeared to be unhurried formation.
A very odd sight indeed. Line astern. Heron at the front.
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several magpies eating a dead fox :sick:
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Yesterday me and mcshroom drank our coffee in the company of a grey seal as we sat on the rocks at Achmelvich.
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Several murders
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Dead stoat (not related to Fuzzy's post, I think).
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Several murders
Re-runs of "Taggart" should be in the "What's worth watching on telly" thread.
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Several murders
Re-runs of "Taggart" should be in the "What's worth watching on telly" thread.
Saw at least one more today.And some squirls.
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An endless supply of ring-necked parakeets (noisy buggers!) throughout our ride this weekend, and a particularly good sighting of a kestrel that flew low overhead in the Hampton Court area.
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A Panda.
Not in the wild, so probably not really suited to this thread.
And not today, but yesterday.
But what the heck.
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A kestrel balancing a little precariously on the washing line.
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On Saturday: muntjac, peacock, red kites, deer, pheasants and a two dimensional badger
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An endless supply of ring-necked parakeets (noisy buggers!) throughout our ride this weekend, and a particularly good sighting of a kestrel that flew low overhead in the Hampton Court area.
Our recent visit to Hampton Court palace included some noisy parakeets. I take it that someone let some escape a while ago?
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On Saturday: muntjac, peacock, red kites, deer, pheasants and a two dimensional badger
Sadly I only ever see two dimensional badgers. One day I'll see a three dimensional one, I hope.
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An endless supply of ring-necked parakeets (noisy buggers!) throughout our ride this weekend, and a particularly good sighting of a kestrel that flew low overhead in the Hampton Court area.
Our recent visit to Hampton Court palace included some noisy parakeets. I take it that someone let some escape a while ago?
My late uncle lived in Thames Sutton, just across the river from Hampton Court. I remember him pointing out the parakeets flying over his garden many years ago. I'm trying to remember how old I would have been at the time but all I can confirm is that they've been around for a minimum of 40 years and maybe 50.
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On Saturday: muntjac, peacock, red kites, deer, pheasants and a two dimensional badger
Sadly I only ever see two dimensional badgers. One day I'll see a three dimensional one, I hope.
Be careful. Badgers have an uncanny ability to cock up their position in the fourth dimension, especially with respect to cyclists.
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Green woodpecker in the garden
(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj624/markwilson9000/Miscellaneous/GreenWoodpecker.jpg) (http://s1271.photobucket.com/user/markwilson9000/media/Miscellaneous/GreenWoodpecker.jpg.html)
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Choughs, a male kestrel and assorted gulls all doing seemingly effortless areal antics over the cliffs at Marloes Sands this lunchtime. Later saw widgeon, teal and Little grebes bobbing about on Marloes Mere, plus my personal fave. 20 Lapwing.
Also sighted an intrepid couple pushing Brommies up the Coast Path from Marloes Sands.
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Not seen, but heard, last night. At least three fallow deer bucks making noises in the woods, presumably aimed at each other & any females in the area. Two on one side of the road I was cycling along, one or two on the other side.
Like the clip here - http://www.naturesoundmap.com/listing/fallow-deer-during-rut (http://www.naturesoundmap.com/listing/fallow-deer-during-rut)
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Yesterday as I was driving my car on the Kempener Außenring I looked out of the window to see a buzzard flying alongside me, perhaps four metres away, pretty much at my head height. It kept pace with me for about 3 seconds. I could see its face really clearly. Wonderful.
Common as mud here, as well as buzzards we see herons regularly and hares all the time. Squirrels are a rarity which get Germans very excited.
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Squirrels are a rarity which get Germans very excited.
They're only trying to pronounce it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejuK8_12Fmg
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Squirrels are a rarity which get Germans very excited.
They're only trying to pronounce it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejuK8_12Fmg
Eichhörnchen - easy peasy :P
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Squirrels are a rarity which get Germans very excited.
Really? Is this recent?
I recall seeing old ladies (one at a time) with carrier bags of squirrel food making 'come here' noises in the Englischer Garten in Munich, & hordes of Sciurus vulgaris descending from the trees & surrounding them, a little sea of fluffy-tailed reddish fur eagerly anticipating the feast to come. But that was 35 years ago, & perhaps purely local.
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Seen yesterday, but server upgrade...
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5814/22064162674_a1ae2d6176_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/zBJARQ)
Roe deer stuck in a gryke II (https://flic.kr/p/zBJARQ)
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/599/22064173034_7a1a2f6127_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/zBJDWs)
Roe deer stuck in a gryke III (https://flic.kr/p/zBJDWs)
A young roe deer, stuck fast having fallen between the limestone pavement clints. I thought it was dead until it coughed politely. It was obviously exhausted, and had probably been there all night. I didn't know if I could get it out without any further damage, or what I'd do with it if I did, so I flagged down a gamekeeper who happened to be passing nearby on a quad bike - he did, on both counts. He pulled it out unceremoniously by its hind legs, declared that nowt seemed to be broken, and we left it hidden in a bush for, hopefully, its mother to return for it.
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It looks a little uncomfortable like that, but at least there was a happy(ish) ending.
I saw an otter last night, never having seen one in the wild before. I stopped on a bridge over the Tawe to take a photo - it was flowing towards a setting sun - when I noticed the little chap frolicking in the river about 60 yards away. It was 5 minutes of sheer delight watching it, though I wish I could have got a little closer.
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Squirrels are a rarity which get Germans very excited.
Really? Is this recent?
I recall seeing old ladies (one at a time) with carrier bags of squirrel food making 'come here' noises in the Englischer Garten in Munich, & hordes of Sciurus vulgaris descending from the trees & surrounding them, a little sea of fluffy-tailed reddish fur eagerly anticipating the feast to come. But that was 35 years ago, & perhaps purely local.
well my bit of Germany is a long way from Munich, but I've only seen a couple of very shy squirrels here whereas the bold and brave UK greys were a surprise to my friends here.
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A Chrysolophus Pictus aka Golden pheasant, never seen one before or known that they exist. I was thinking first that it was one of the hens from the allotments, then what have happened to it as it. As it looked very skinny compared to the chickens, well fed they are by owner and walkers by, on the allotments and also more colourful. Before I could get the camera out, it wandered into the undergrowth where I could see it now and again, but way too dark for a phone camera. It looked healthy, minding its own business didn't care that mutt wanted desperately to get tru' fence to have a closer look.
From wiki
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/Chrysolophus_pictus_walking.JPG/1920px-Chrysolophus_pictus_walking.JPG)
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My grandfather kept a few in an aviary in the back garden.
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slightly wooden but a sort of (very good carvings ) wildlife :thumbsup:
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/633/22876214486_4fb5b8e4ec_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/ARuzz9)20151109_145618 (https://flic.kr/p/ARuzz9) by jamesld8 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/55935603@N05/), on Flickr
and
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/703/22510048299_d830ed1b69_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Ai8T82)20151109_145631 (https://flic.kr/p/Ai8T82) by jamesld8 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/55935603@N05/), on Flickr
fashioned from felled cypressus trees
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That reminds me Tilly flushed a hare on our walk yesterday. The hare shot passed me swiftly followed by a labradoodle at full pelt. Hairs are much faster than labradoodles though Tllly is still convinced she can catch one.
Unfortunately we have had a rash of lurchermen down from Middlesbrough and they have killed a fare few of the local hares, deer and badgers recently :(
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Otter viewed in the harbour from my office window :thumbsup:
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Squirrel with what to my untrained eye was probably at least a broken pelvis, presumably due to being in collision with a motor vehicle. It was dragging itself up the verge mostly by its front legs. :(
In the time it took me to stop, dismount and consider possible courses of action, it managed to crest the verge and with a bit of gravitational assistance, embed itself in an impenetrable hedge. Which is just as well: I'm not fboab, and I'd left my torque wrench at home. I got back on my bike and carried on.
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Squirrel with what to my untrained eye was probably at least a broken pelvis, presumably due to being in collision with a motor vehicle. It was dragging itself up the verge mostly by its front legs. :(
In the time it took me to stop, dismount and consider possible courses of action, it managed to crest the verge and with a bit of gravitational assistance, embed itself in an impenetrable hedge. Which is just as well: I'm not fboab, and I'd left my torque wrench at home. I got back on my bike and carried on.
Ah, that's sad :( Don't suppose the poor little thing will have lasted long.
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Yes, that is upsetting.
We have a very communicative robin living in our its garden. Yesterday, I was sorting out some holed tubes, which entailed taking the top off the water butt to test for bubbles. This meant I had removed the lid, which is concave and fills with water which the birds bathe in. The robin came and instructed me to replace the lid immediately. Today Jean was in the yard when it came and perched on a box very close. The bath was back in operation so it didn't seem to be that. She knew she had only recently filled the feeder, so it was unlikely to be that. By stages the robin led her round the corner of the house so that a squirrel was revealed on the feeder. Amazing bird and a luckier squirrel than Kim's.
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Allotment fox is looking healthy. The huge bald patch of a couple of months ago now has thick fur. Field mice nesting under a plastic sheet put down to suppress weeds.
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3 Redwings and a Blackbird lunching on hawthorn berries opposite our house.
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Just had 16 Red Kite doing circuits above the garden and yesterday, at school, I saw a Kite arguing with a Crow. The Kite kept dropping something from its beak but also kept catching it as it fell.
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A young gull ineffectually rummaging in seaweed, then pestering an adult (presumably mum), who firstly backed off, then gave it a marine snail, followed by something regurgitated, then found some bivalves which she dropped from a height on a concrete slipway & left for the youngster. She didn't check to see if they'd cracked open, but the young one obviously recognised the action & went for 'em.
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Hazelnut, dropped from a great height by birds, on my head.
- Good job it was very light
- Good job it was just a hazelnut and not something from t'other end.
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At 8pm last evening whilst locking the gates to our drive I saw a hedgehog eating the cat food we leave out for the strays which live in our outhouses.
Whilst its not strange to see hogs, normally by now they are away sleeping for the winter: indeed it must be a month since I saw the last one. I wonder why this one was awake?
Anyway, after a good feed and a poo..... why do they always poo right by their food...it headed back off down the garden. If its back tonight, I might start to worry something is wrong with it.
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Yesterday afternoon had a sparrowhawk patrolling the gardens along the terrace looking for tasty morsels on the many feeders in the gardens.
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Whilst its not strange to see hogs, normally by now they are away sleeping for the winter: indeed it must be a month since I saw the last one. I wonder why this one was awake?
Anyway, after a good feed and a poo..... why do they always poo right by their food...
1. Mild weather & plenty around to eat?
2. To deter other hedgehogs. Territory marking.
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Yesterday as I was driving my car on the Kempener Außenring I looked out of the window to see a buzzard flying alongside me, perhaps four metres away, pretty much at my head height. It kept pace with me for about 3 seconds. I could see its face really clearly. Wonderful.
Common as mud here, as well as buzzards we see herons regularly and hares all the time. Squirrels are a rarity which get Germans very excited.
I once almost rode into a ditch as a barn owl kept pace with me for about half a mile and I was mesmerised into forgetting about the left hander rapidly approaching.
Herons and hares also plentiful in the fens; herons can really put the wid up you when out running and they jump out of a bush two yards away :o
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On Saturday I visited Museum Insel Hombroich in Neuss near Düsseldorf. It's an interesting place with lots of modern art exhibition space (which is entirely lost on me) and some nice nature. I and some other visitors were very surprised to see a nutria wandering around snuffling in the grass minding his own business not 1 metre from where we were standing. He was entirely unbothered by us. Seeing a ratty thing that big (cat size) is quite interesting.
On the way back I saw another, equally unafraid of humans. It seems they have no natural predators here in this bit of Germany and so are entirely phlegmatic about other mammals.
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They are distinctively bulky, aren't they?
I saw one on the banks of the Ouse many years ago.
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Deer, buzzards & a red squirrel.
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I've just been watching a male Blackcap in the garden. It's the first one I've ever seen here.
When my wife and I moved here 20 years ago, the garden/street was wildlife wasteland. I'd never lived anywhere that had no birdlife. The RSPB advert is correct, build it and they will come. My garden is now like a little UK wildlife safari. Highlights this year include a barn owl and a short eared owl in the field across from the house, crossbills and Green woodpeckers eating ants off my wall.
The really good bit, others in the street have been watching the birds in my garden and started feeding birds too over the past few months :thumbsup:
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We usually don't feed birds during the summer. There's plenty of sources of wild food for them. Over the last week, or so, I've seen many tits and finches checking out the bird feeders in the garden so we've started the winter feeding. Give it a week or two and they'll be eating more of the household income than we do.
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@ bumper
Lovely success story, bumper! We are urban here, though not far from the moors, and we get most of the commoner tits and finches in our tiny garden. I love it when we hear the "teetle-teetle" of a flock of long-tailed tits coming through. We hear both barn and tawny owls from time to time and I have seen a short-eared one over on the industrial estate. No green woodpecker, though!
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I love it when we hear the "teetle-teetle" of a flock of long-tailed tits coming through.
They'll be in the gardens picking at fat balls and nuts soon enough, once winter actually arrives. It amazes me how things that are so tiny survive a hard winter.
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I love it when we hear the "teetle-teetle" of a flock of long-tailed tits coming through.
They'll be in the gardens picking at fat balls and nuts soon enough, once winter actually arrives. It amazes me how things that are so tiny survive a hard winter.
In the spring of 1963 we found a ltt's nest with babies in it. Amazing. They became exceedingly rare after 30-odd days of unbroken frost.
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Pheasant. Waddling around next to the right hand traffic bollard here (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Odell+Pl,+Birmingham,+West+Midlands+B5+7RG/@52.4555371,-1.9086568,3a,75y,283.47h,83.13t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sCUiiMvt-6GQWayvROyU9Sw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DCUiiMvt-6GQWayvROyU9Sw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D334.72061%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x4870bc40d77dbceb:0xd649ceffac5b176d?hl=en)
The only thing more puzzling than how it got there is how it was still alive. ???
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Pheasant. Waddling around next to the right hand traffic bollard here (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Odell+Pl,+Birmingham,+West+Midlands+B5+7RG/@52.4555371,-1.9086568,3a,75y,283.47h,83.13t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sCUiiMvt-6GQWayvROyU9Sw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DCUiiMvt-6GQWayvROyU9Sw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D334.72061%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x4870bc40d77dbceb:0xd649ceffac5b176d?hl=en)
The only thing more puzzling than how it got there is how it was still alive. ???
The pheasants round here are too stupid to get hit by anything.
On two separate runs this week - Run 1 had pheasants and kestrels, on run 2 I ran into a brown hare (almost literally as I was off road and it was almost dark)
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Red kite :thumbsup:
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Sorry, Pingu: yesterday, dozens of red-kites in the Bramham to Wetherby A1(M) fly-zone but this is topped by:-
Yesteryesterday, a woolly bear (tiger moth) caterpillar trundling across a pavement in Rochdale - two days before Midwinter......
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Yesterday: about 15 guinea fowl which had strayed onto the road between Blandford Forum and Salisbury.
Mrs C was driving so stopped further on than strictly necessary. By the time I'd walked back to them someone, who looked suspiciously like a farmer, in a Land Rover had stopped and herded them back through the hedge and into the field (so no photographs). He told me they were living wild in the field and he couldn't find the gap they kept escaping through. Not the sharpest scythe in the tool shed, then.
Fortunately, no guinea fowl pizza.
Unfortunately, no guinea fowl road kill for Christmas Dinner.
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2 hours in the Fens yesterday and bereft of anything more interesting than a crow or a flock of pigeons.
Best was a gaggle of migratory geese grazing in a field near the Ouse Washes.
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A muntjac dear on my patio this morning eating the Cyclamen from the pots… Grrrrrrrrr
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Sorry, Pingu: yesterday, dozens of red-kites in the Bramham to Wetherby A1(M) fly-zone...
No worries Peter. Up here, seeing dozens of red kites would be major news. It's not been long since they were reintroduced.
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A muntjac dear on my patio this morning eating the Cyclamen from the pots… Grrrrrrrrr
Could be worse. Imagine if it had been a caribou nibbling the croquet hoops.
(Exit, pursued by the Python Police)
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Red kite :thumbsup:
Was it a `real one` ie part indigenous Welsh Kite population, (now numbering probably in excess of 500, sometimes 2-300 at Gilfach, Rhayader feeding site ) ---which is now spreading rapidly across into Herefordshire and Shropshire, or was it an incomer introduced one though???
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https://therspbwebsiteatwww.rspb.org.uk/whatwedo/projects/details/274636-aberdeen-red-kites
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A muntjac dear on my patio this morning eating the Cyclamen from the pots… Grrrrrrrrr
Muntjac are just as edible as other species of deer & they've bcome a pest. Culling has to focus on bucks. The does are usually pregnant, but usually with a fawn, possibly still suckling, in attendance, but in cover.
OTOH invasive species, foreign... cyclamen ;) And yes I do have cyclamen in the back garden & the American tree rats prefer Mr's N's winter pansies :-X .
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https://therspbwebsiteatwww.rspb.org.uk/whatwedo/projects/details/274636-aberdeen-red-kites
:thumbsup:
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Ring necked parakeets. They've been around in N and W London for decades and have gradually been moving east. I've made the odd sighting of them in my bit of East London, but they now feel properly established. Saw the first one in our garden last week and on my walk into work this morning I saw three separate flocks of 20+ birds and heard couple more. They may be a bit of a pest but they are beautiful in flight.
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Ring necked parakeets. They've been around in N and W London for decades and have gradually been moving east. I've made the odd sighting of them in my bit of East London, but they now feel properly established. Saw the first one in our garden last week and on my walk into work this morning I saw three separate flocks of 20+ birds and heard couple more. They may be a bit of a pest but they are beautiful in flight.
There's a flock of green and blue parrots fly around Kirkby Stephen in Cumbria, if your sat outside pubs on the high street you can see them flying around at fairly low level.
Alas, for me nothing more than a pair of herons in a field seen from the Ely to Cambridge train this morning.
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Ring necked parakeets. They've been around in N and W London for decades and have gradually been moving east. I've made the odd sighting of them in my bit of East London, but they now feel properly established. Saw the first one in our garden last week and on my walk into work this morning I saw three separate flocks of 20+ birds and heard couple more. They may be a bit of a pest but they are beautiful in flight.
Bloody things. They tend to make a right racket at sunrise- less of an issue at the moment but a right pain in the summer.
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A crow, having a bath in a puddle in a field.
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Two different woodpecker species in the park this morning. Also, a goldfinch.
In addition, on looking in the pool just where the orange pipe drains water out of the lake, a relatively large fish zoomed past where I normally only see roach. I glimpsed its rear half and some mottling. I suspect some joker has caught a smallish (about 4lb) specimen of esox lucius and taken it out of the main lake and bunged it in the pool.
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on a route around Ludlow / Church Stretton, female sparrowhawk zipping along just above surface road, bullfinches and goldfinches in hedgerows, blackbird singing; back at home a marsh tit on bird feeder and finally whilst checking my mole traps (unsuccessful for several weeks now with Mr super elusive mole) snout of mole excavating around a trap I`d set yesterday :demon: :demon: It is now real mole war.
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A shotgun, a torch and a rotating chair :demon: ;D
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A small black kitten, looking much like Zev did when we caught her, on the road round the corner from here. :(
Presumably some combination of underweight or a very late litter.
They ran down a ginnel before I could get closer.
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A whole gaggle of geese grazing in a field before they toddled off to Welney for the overnighting, plus a few pheasants heard.
No hares, but I suspect I was at the wrong time of day for that route
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A small black kitten, looking much like Zev did when we caught her, on the road round the corner from here. :(
Presumably some combination of underweight or a very late litter.
They ran down a ginnel before I could get closer.
Kim, have you tried enquiring with your local Cats Protection branch to see if they do feral trapping?
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Large flocks fieldfare and redwing in the apple orchards around Eardisland / Broxwood Herefordshire
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A small black kitten, looking much like Zev did when we caught her, on the road round the corner from here. :(
Presumably some combination of underweight or a very late litter.
They ran down a ginnel before I could get closer.
Kim, have you tried enquiring with your local Cats Protection branch to see if they do feral trapping?
Not since Zev, and at the time their line was basically "if you can catch them, we'll pay for neutering", so I'm not optimistic. If I see them again I'll try to use my cat coaxing superpowers, but it's a relatively busy area with motor traffic and random pedestrians making it hard to approach timid cats.
TBH, I suspect the writing's on the wall for the feral cat population of Silly Oak now we have wheeliebins. Scavenging is always limited outside of term time, but if there's a big reduction in vermin I expect the cats will move elsewhere.
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A sparrowhawk in our back garden - we've not put feeders up yet as the weather is so warm there are plenty of bugs about, but our neighbours have.
(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k87/rafletcher/PC240106.jpg) (http://s86.photobucket.com/user/rafletcher/media/PC240106.jpg.html)
Spotted by my wife and snapped through the back bedroom window.
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Nice pic!
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How do you load images? I looked it up and it seems you need your own website? Got a super shot of a barn owl just waiting......
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http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=367.0
C3PO's post - FAQ number 5.
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How do you load images? I looked it up and it seems you need your own website? Got a super shot of a barn owl just waiting......
Upload to photobucket (in my case) and use the "img" share link.
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Nice pic!
Thanks -helped by some first rate Olympus glass!
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And today, across the road on a neighbours roof, a kestrel taking a break in the strong winds.
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A couple of red kites hovering over the A1 whilst I was driving home today, around Peterborough-ish
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And today, across the road on a neighbours roof, a kestrel taking a break in the strong winds.
And again today..
(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k87/rafletcher/PC270108_1.jpg) (http://s86.photobucket.com/user/rafletcher/media/PC270108_1.jpg.html)
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A ginger cat chasing a fox - they crossed the road three times in front of me before the cat let the fox go!
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a seven spot ladybird ;D (and it was alive too ! ) and a lot of something nearly as rare SUNSHINE !!!!!!! I think only third day of sunshine this month :o
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We saw a sparrowhawk with something in it's claws! Unfortunately a magpie came and moved it on before we could get a good look at it.
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We saw a sparrowhawk with something in it's claws! Unfortunately a magpie came and moved it on before we could get a good look at it.
And buzzards, goldeneyes, wren, teal, moorhens, goosander, grey heron, little grebes.
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5 Greyhen (female black grouse) on the trees just over the river from my window.
And a heron. And a moorhen bossing a pheasant.
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My Boxing Day spot was a healthy looking urban fox doing the 100m plus dash the full length of the County Ground pitch, up the terracing behind and away through the fencing helped along by chants of 'Sign him up!".
Turned out to be the highlight of the game for us ::-)
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A mouse trotting the whole length of Bondgate in Darlington on the pavement.
Bondgate is a major throughfare in Darlington town centre.
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The sparrowhawk again, this time actually chasing a sparrow! It missed, but my, it's agile. Plus the usual - collared doves, wood pigeons, cock pheasant, rook, magpie, chaffinches, blue tits and a squirrel.
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A mouse trotting the whole length of Bondgate in Darlington on the pavement.
Bondgate is a major throughfare in Darlington town centre.
Was it
Yes, that's mine, over there. The red one with the white fur trim and the big-buckled belt.
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A mouse trotting the whole length of Bondgate in Darlington on the pavement.
Bondgate is a major throughfare in Darlington town centre.
Was it
Yes, that's mine, over there. The red one with the white fur trim and the big-buckled belt.
No. It was a little mouse with clogs on.
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That's fabulous - now I'm a bit deflated but will still say, "Kingfisher"!
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When I was at college in 'Darlo' I saw a group of hooligans stamping the life out of something and screaming "it's a rat, it's a rat - kill it!"
Err - no. It was a water vole. Fecking idjits.
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They'd have been eejits whatever it was.
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A Barn Own, been a while since I have seen one so close.
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A Treecreeper.
On a tree.
Creeping.
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Three buzzards and, later, two more buzzards. Also, quite a lot of fieldfares.
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A hare, well, haring (sp) across the field opposite this morning. And two red kites in another field, one in a small tree, the othe stood on the ground, this afternoon.
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A buzzard eating its fill of roadkill pheasant, cormorant flying over (nearest coastline 50 miles away), about 100 fieldfares in orchards and a goldcrest in the garden
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A buzzard eating its fill of roadkill pheasant, cormorant flying over (nearest coastline 50 miles away), about 100 fieldfares in orchards and a goldcrest in the garden
Cormorants are quite happy on freshwater, so I wouldn't be too surprised at that. Nice though.
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A buzzard eating its fill of roadkill pheasant, cormorant flying over (nearest coastline 50 miles away), about 100 fieldfares in orchards and a goldcrest in the garden
Cormorants are quite happy on freshwater, so I wouldn't be too surprised at that. Nice though.
they , as with goosanders, seem be on increase locally, up to 5 have been sighted on Llandrindod wells lake in last few months---maybe rough coastal conditions have pushed them in and being opportunistic they recognise the easy pickings on a lake ? The fish eating goosanders, sometimes 20 or so, have also learnt that bread (thrown out for ducks, swans) is quite palatable !
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Otter in the harbour just now :thumbsup:
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Not an unusual spot, but a very friendly (hungry) pair of robins shared a bush and watched me having lunch in the local nature reserve today.
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A song thrush giving it large in the park today. I think the song thrush is my favourite song bird, with the exception of the nightingale, and you don't hear them that often round here, and when you do it's pretty much only in May.
I also like a good look in the various bits of water we pass to see if I can see any fish. In the summer you can usually see quite a lot of the enormous carp that live in the lake but they make themselves scarce in the winter. However, there are some pools below the main lakes which are fed by the lake's overflow pipe (the lakes are fed by a natural spring, which presumably is why the Saxons, and later the Cluniac monks, decided to live there) which are shallower and, at this time of year, crystal clear, unless the ducks have been stirring them up. In the first pool, there is a small shoal of roach, which seem to be growing rapidly. A few months ago the biggest I saw was about 6" long. Now the biggest is getting on or 12" long. They are quite wary and when I get too close they zoom up to the other end of the pool. I'm pretty sure there is a small pike in there as well, but I have only seen this creature twice, both times fleetingly, so I'm not 100% certain it is a pike.
The second pool was duck-infested today so I didn't see anything, but I usually do. There are about half a dozen much larger fish in there, mostly common carp up to about 6lb I would guess, but there is also one koi, which stands out clearly because of its goldfish-like colouring, and I think that there is also at least one large tench.
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I wonder if fish get lonely. Poor old tench, all by himself. Maybe depends on species, some being more social than other.
eta: it seems that, yes, they do get lonely. I'll be ending up vegan at this rate.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/threads/do-fish-get-bored-or-lonely.125870/
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@ Lledr Hall near Betws Y Coed a couple days ago bird feeders were doing good business with blue tits, coal tits, nuthatch right at window, and a great close up view of a Jay which has the wonderfully evocative Welsh name of `Sgrech y coed` ;D
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At a friend's house near the river yesterday, a family of long tailed tits, dippers, a heron, hares, mallards. Great place to live.
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I wonder if fish get lonely. Poor old tench, all by himself. Maybe depends on species, some being more social than other.
eta: it seems that, yes, they do get lonely. I'll be ending up vegan at this rate.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/threads/do-fish-get-bored-or-lonely.125870/
Or, in the 'not news' department, Pet Owners Anthropomorphise Their Animals.
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I wonder if fish get lonely. Poor old tench, all by himself. Maybe depends on species, some being more social than other.
eta: it seems that, yes, they do get lonely. I'll be ending up vegan at this rate.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/threads/do-fish-get-bored-or-lonely.125870/
Or, in the 'not news' department, Pet Owners Anthropomorphise Their Animals.
:D
Salt, vinegar and mushy peas with mine then. Ta!
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No problem.
Supplier of pseudo rational arguments for slack morals since 1982. ;)
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I wonder if fish get lonely. Poor old tench, all by himself. Maybe depends on species, some being more social than other.
eta: it seems that, yes, they do get lonely. I'll be ending up vegan at this rate.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/threads/do-fish-get-bored-or-lonely.125870/
I think that bottom-feeders (fnaar fnaar) of different species often form large shoals and even interbreed! Many moons ago my brother, a couple of pals and I were fishing for eels at Abberton reservoir, a vast stretch of water just south of Colchester. I think it had been a fairly slow day when suddelny, almost simultaneously, we all got bites* and all caught enormous roach, all in excess of the British record, which at the time stood at about 4lb. On closer inspection we concluded that they were roach-bream hybrid, and therefore not eligible for any record, even though they were very remarkable fish. We concluded that, because this only ever occurred once in several years of fishing at Abberton, that it was just pot luck that on that particular day the shoal happened to be in our vicinity, rather than in a different bit of reservoir over a mile away.
*since we were ledgering we actually got runs, but one doesn't say that sort of thing knowingly on this forum
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Three buzzards and, later, two more buzzards. Also, quite a lot of fieldfares.
Definitely Buteo buteo and not lagopus?
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very rare morning, perfect winters day; after overnight fog had cleared leaving trees glistening with white hoar frost ;D ---so beautiful--- and clear blue skies, sunny ---a single song thrush singing away from very topmost of a 60foot high Sitka, as if Spring despite being -6c at time. Lovely to see and hear :thumbsup:
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Three buzzards and, later, two more buzzards. Also, quite a lot of fieldfares.
Definitely Buteo buteo and not lagopus?
I don't think I have ever seen a rough-legged buzzard. If I did, how would I tell the difference?
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Around half a dozen long tailed tits on the bird table and in the shrubs nearby.
They seem to feed later in the day than blue tits and are more gregarious. At first,I thought that they were young wagtails but perusal of my Observers Book of British Birds soon identified them.
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1523/23876909074_927a6eaacd_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/CnVpd7)IMG_0018[1] (https://flic.kr/p/CnVpd7)
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1475/24422729711_e521049d4a_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Dd9SEK)IMG_0019[1] (https://flic.kr/p/Dd9SEK)
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Definitely long-tails. They're not really related to the other tits and almost always appear in small family flocks. Their call is quite distinctive once you get to know it. We had some feeding about six feet from our patio doors the other day. Lovely.
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A friend in the next village to us , about 2 miles away, had also noticed a small group of them. They don't hang around long but because there are several in a group, you can't help but notice them.
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Long-talied tits also have a very repetitive call, of four repetitions of the sam note. It's like the start of the third movement of Beethoven's 5th symphony, only higher-pitched.
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and better!
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I don't think I have ever seen a rough-legged buzzard. If I did, how would I tell the difference?
Assuming it's not sufficiently cooperative as to show off the feathered lower legs, check this video:
http://www.bto.org/about-birds/bird-id/bto-bird-id-winter-buzzards-common-and-rough-legged
If you want to try, apparently there's been one at Frinton-on-Sea today.
Bear in mind that common buzzards are very variable, so you'd want more than one identifying feature.
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A barn owl in the church yard whilst walking the dog this morning. Stopped Tilly in her tracks as she had never seen one before. It settled on a branch and gave us a good once over before flying off into the field next door.
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A hare, lollopping up the mountain while we were on a chairlift in Val d'Isere :)
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A bumblebee buzzing along
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A barn owl in the church yard whilst walking the dog this morning. Stopped Tilly in her tracks as she had never seen one before. It settled on a branch and gave us a good once over before flying off into the field next door.
No meat on you, then!
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A baa lamb.
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On the beach at Mwnt this morning.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/Bloke_on_a_bike/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20160123_125415_zpsfyhjmz0q.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Bloke_on_a_bike/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20160123_125415_zpsfyhjmz0q.jpg.html)
Unfortunately, this tablet is not good for close ups. They look like a whole bunch of earth worms with shell beaks. :o
I'd never seen any before, but it turns out they are Goose or Goose Neck Barnacles.
This is also interesting. I did not know this where the Barnacle Goose got it's name from. The long earth wormy bit supposedly looking like a goose's neck, it was assumed that this was how they were born.
Apologies if I am the only person in the world to have never seen or even heard of them before.
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Red kite - in Essex! :D We watched it for some minutes as it patrolled the Andrewsfield air field.
It is only the third time I have seen one in this fair county.
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On the beach at Mwnt this morning.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/Bloke_on_a_bike/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20160123_125415_zpsfyhjmz0q.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Bloke_on_a_bike/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20160123_125415_zpsfyhjmz0q.jpg.html)
Unfortunately, this tablet is not good for close ups. They look like a whole bunch of earth worms with shell beaks. :o
I'd never seen any before, but it turns out they are Goose or Goose Neck Barnacles.
This is also interesting. I did not know this where the Barnacle Goose got it's name from. The long earth wormy bit supposedly looking like a goose's neck, it was assumed that this was how they were born.
Apologies if I am the only person in the world to have never seen or even heard of them before.
Mmm delicious!
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Delicious? Terrifying!
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Three buzzards and, later, two more buzzards. Also, quite a lot of fieldfares.
Definitely Buteo buteo and not lagopus?
I don't think I have ever seen a rough-legged buzzard. If I did, how would I tell the difference?
Tend to have darker and more distinct "wrist spots" underneath, as well as banded tails (mostly white with one or more dark bands towards the tip). Longer wings, but one behaviour they regularly do is hover. Not quite like a kestrel, but very unlike the common buzzard's soaring glide.
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Red kite - in Essex! :D We watched it for some minutes as it patrolled the Andrewsfield air field.
It is only the third time I have seen one in this fair county.
Had one fly up Balcombe Road past my window the other day! Rather surprised me, I tell you. Anyway, yesterday morning, in my garden, as I returned from night shift, six deer. Roe, I think.
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Yesterday morning on our Sunday walk over Spy Hill me an Tilly saw a group of five buzzards. Quite low over the fields, usually they patrol higher up in the air. We often see this group round the village.
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Otter in the harbour just now :thumbsup:
Two together just now :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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kestrel flying along side; snowdrops, celandines in flower and lambs in field ;D
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A clump of moss, about the size of a fist, doing a tumbleweed impression in the opposite direction to the one that I was barely travelling. There wasn't any other moss around, so it must have covered some distance.
As far as I could determine, it wasn't gathering stones.
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kestrel flying along side; snowdrops, celandines in flower and lambs in field ;D
;D Indeed. One of those "all's well with the world" moments.
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A weasel! In the car park/bike sheds at Southend swimming pool.
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A weasel!
How do you know?
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Female sparrowhawk flying at virtually ground level up country lane ahead of me for 200m, then flock of c 50+ redwing in apple orchards
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Regrettably about to be flock of 50+ - 1 redwings.
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Regrettably about to be flock of 50+ - 1 redwings.
maybe ::-) nature red in tooth and claw stuff though
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Lots of frogs and toads in the local woods tonight, heading for the lakes in the country park. Very early this year. I had to watch where I was riding, more toad than trail!
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Tawny Owl in the back garden. Couldn't get a picture as where it sits is too dark but seen it on the same branch before. Got to within about 15 feet of it and it didn't seem bothered.
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driving up the A10 a few days ago in the early evening, a kestrel sat on a fence post. Owls, mostly barn around here have been thin on the ground this winter, possibly it being so mild that they've not needed to hunt so hard as prey is more available.
Umpteen rabbits and peasants in the fields at the moment. At least they're there rather than under the wheels of the landy.
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driving up the A10 a few days ago in the early evening, a kestrel sat on a fence post. Owls, mostly barn around here have been thin on the ground this winter, possibly it being so mild that they've not needed to hunt so hard as prey is more available.
Umpteen rabbits and peasants in the fields at the moment. At least they're there rather than under the wheels of the landy.
The toffs are a bit harsh in your area then Dave.......
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Green woodpecker yaffling back of home then 30 fieldfare in orchards near Pembridge and a dipper on river at Staunton on Arrow :thumbsup: (seems to breed there as very frequently seen near a bridge, and two years ago heard it singing ;D )
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I have never seen a green woodpecker :(
A greater spotted one is an occasional visitor to our garden though.
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I have never seen a green woodpecker :(
oh !!! sorry hear that, they tend to frequent (perhaps not best word as they`re not common) old pastures with anthills---unlike the great and lesser spotted green woodpeckers get majority food, ants, from the ground. Hope you get to see one, they`re lovely birds
https://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/g/greenwoodpecker/
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I have never seen a green woodpecker :(
A greater spotted one is an occasional visitor to our garden though.
bloody ubiquitous around here, I go out on certain paths for a run and it's like they're hiding the in the trees or something ;D
One harsh winter a few years ago we had one as a frequent visitor to the garden, made a right mess digging for ants in the lawn
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driving up the A10 a few days ago in the early evening, a kestrel sat on a fence post. Owls, mostly barn around here have been thin on the ground this winter, possibly it being so mild that they've not needed to hunt so hard as prey is more available.
Umpteen rabbits and peasants in the fields at the moment. At least they're there rather than under the wheels of the landy.
The toffs are a bit harsh in your area then Dave.......
;D
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Green woodpeckers (sartorially challenged woodpeckers in Shedspeak) are fairly frequent visitors to my suburban garden.
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On Weds eve, whilst driving to Canardly's, a brace of falls deer on the decidedly dodgy roundabout where the A120/M11 meet near Stansted airport.
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Bullfinch and a biggish yellow helicopter landing in field next to lane I was riding on ---think it was an elec board one checking power lines after gales
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Actually seen the day before yesterday.
Three fairly fresh small dogfish, washed up on Brighton beach.
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Magnificent views of a pair red kites circling, drifting and twisting low over the road, playing in the wind and with sun shining highlighting fabulous colours of reds, golds , black and white plumage and wings---all six foot span thereof.
No matter how numerous they are becoming doesn`t distract from these wonderful iconic Welsh birds :thumbsup: they really are magnificent and todays display was a marvellous moment :thumbsup:
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skylark singing ! despite persistent rain....
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Another parakeet fails to figure out the squirrel-proof feeder:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-beOqgM3mQsM/VrdNeXZXK8I/AAAAAAAANAY/6d-1E2NHGig/s576-Ic42/SW5D0010.JPG)
Not happy:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KwSx7AGgtgg/VrdNd-WKwaI/AAAAAAAANAY/5aNYiZGisRU/s800-Ic42/SW5D0009.JPG)
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It's not a happy budgie, is it?
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The sparrowhawk again. sitting in the Paulownia tree (it's actually only around 3m high) about 6m from the back door :thumbsup:
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In the brief slightly sunny early morning (before it started to rain again, Feb rain to date 87 mm ) green woodpecker heard yaffling, raven flying overhead croaking like an old door hinge and a red kite circled over garden coming out of small wood adjacent, a probable nesting site as much red kite activity there last year :thumbsup:
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Bleedin' goldcrest in the garden this morning in among a crowd of tits and other LBJs. A new recording for my little patch of suburban W London.
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Hares "boxing" in the field behind our house. First time we've seen that behaviour.
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White a lot of activity in the roach pool today. Some of the roach in there are pretty impressive in size now - getting on for 1lb in weight.
One of the pike was on the move as well. I think it's the bigger of the two that I have seen, but even then I doubt that it was in excess of 3lb. I didn't think that there would be enough roach in the pool to support two pike, but I think I generally only notice the bigger roach. Today I watched for quite a long time (the dog was getting bored and telling me off) and I saw a fair few smaller ones. Even so, I think that it was in one of Fred Buller's books that he reckoned that pike were comfortable attacking anything up to 1/3 of their own body weight, so all of those roach need to be on the lookout. The pool is mostly shallow - probably only about 8" of water above the dead leaves on the bottom for most of its area - so when the fish are swimming about there is often a lot of surface disturbance.
Edit: http://www.anglerwise.com/2010/05/31/giant-pike-caught-using-a-large-pike-as-bait/ shows an absolutely monstrous fish that attacked a 16" pike. That's probably about 18lb, so almost 1/3 of the weight of the monster.
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Sunday evening, a mouse scuttling across the road caught in my headlight beam and later a small fallow deer jumping palely over the hedge. Bearing in mind that it's the second deer which gets you, I rode warily for the next hundred yards but this seemed to be a lone jumper.
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A greay seal pup and it's mother splashing about together in the harbour this morning. I've never seen a pup in the harbour before.
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Just a flash of a barn owl for me flitting across the path while I was out running last night, also something with vaguely purple highlights in the semi dark, possibly a jay. Don't see many of those round here for some reason
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In the early grey glimmerings of a damp cold dawn @07:00 the vestiges of a dawn chorus and backed by an owl hooting in the wood next door
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Yesterday when I got home - the "killing ground" for the sparrowhwak in the bit of woods at the bottom of our garden. Couldn't positively identify the prey bird (feathers) though, but it was small. Probably a sparrow or dunnock.
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Song Thrush sat totally still in about 3 inches of water in a massive lake of a puddle....it wasn't splashing about like you'd expect if bathing....
It also seemed totally unconcerned that I'd walked to about 8 feet away from it so was a little worried about the little fella....
Of course as soon as I framed it for a picture it flew off....
I guess it was playing Ducks and Drakes
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Looks like a pair of ravens nesting in wood adjacent, a lot of activity, think I can even identify potential nest tree; wonder how they`ll get on with red kite pair in same wood ?
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Quite a few kestrels today, including one hovering over the verge as I rode underneath, spectacular. And the just as I was almost home, a heron stood at the side of the road next to the drainage ditch, beautiful birds.
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And the just as I was almost home, a heron stood at the side of the road next to the drainage ditch, beautiful birds.
Yes, but always strike me as sort of prehistoric looking when in flight.
Anyway, a Great Spotted Woodpecker at our feeder today. She's quite an infrequent visitor and is very timid, so we have to keep very still if she appears.
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And the just as I was almost home, a heron stood at the side of the road next to the drainage ditch, beautiful birds.
Yes, but always strike me as sort of prehistoric looking when in flight.
With a hint of cold war bomber on takeoff.
But the main thing about herons is that they always look like plastic herons until you get close enough to spook them.
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In the field behind our house, all day long, a hare hunkered down it its form.
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A rhino having a poo, and two penguins shagging.
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On a hillside a few hundred yards away as I rode in this morning, I spied two creatures that looked like the bastard offspring of an unholy union between Shergar and many of the 1980's Liverpool football team.
One then looked up towards me and I idebntified them as dark coloured Alpaca ;D
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Mongolia blossom coming out on a tree in Slough ☺
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Mongolia blossom coming out on a tree in Slough ☺
Magnolia blossom emerging here in Outer Londonton.
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three great tits and a sparrow on one of my largest bonsai - the three cherry trees, approx. 1m tall.
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three days ago...... mountain hare in winter white and black grouse, Glen Lochay , Scotland-----and lots of snow too ;D
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A rhino having a poo, and two penguins shagging.
Were they p-p-p-pick-up artists?
Sorry.
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Last night, in the kitchen of the scout hut, three mice snacking on leftover bread. Video was taken, a complaint will be made.
Mice all had their tails intact and seemed to have good sight.
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Last night, in the kitchen of the scout hut, three mice snacking on leftover bread. Video was taken, a complaint will be made.
Mice all had their tails intact and seemed to have good sight.
A complaint? If they don't like the bread they should dine elsewhere.
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:) Vince, I should forget it. Can't you see the headlines "Scouts' survival training leaves them frightened of mice"?
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Pied wagtail roost in Glasgow.
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1494/25148743031_c553a49066_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/EjiT8M)
IMG_6360_01 (https://flic.kr/p/EjiT8M) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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That's lovely! I didn't realise they roosted like this until a couple of years ago when a flock of them flew into a scarlet virginia creeper on the wall of a cafe in Hebden Bridge. An unforgettable sight - and noise!
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+1
I love wagtails, such cheery looking birds. I was disturbed last night around 10:30 by geese honking and flapping in the field across the road.
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:) Vince, I should forget it. Can't you see the headlines "Scouts' survival training leaves them frightened of mice"?
We were considering making snares, because the explorers don't get much real life experience of survival skills. It was vetoed on the 'eat what you catch' rule.
The complaint needs to be made as the other users of the hall are continually leaving it in a shit unhygienic state.
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Blackcap, on feeder in the garden.
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Blackcap, on feeder in the garden.
well seen must be Summer then !!!
out today on a very cold 40 miler; on River Teme near Brampton Shropshire delightful to see pair dippers bobbing to each other in a display and male singing a lovely cheerful song :thumbsup: earlier a flock of about 10 brilliantly yellow male yellowhammers on hedgerows
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Blackcap, on feeder in the garden.
well seen must be Summer then !!!
There are reports of overwintering blackcaps recently. The only time we've seen them in our garden has been in winter.
out today on a very cold 40 miler; on River Teme near Brampton Shropshire delightful to see pair dippers bobbing to each other in a display and male singing a lovely cheerful song :thumbsup: earlier a flock of about 10 brilliantly yellow male yellowhammers on hedgerows
Yellowhammers. Nice. I occasionally hear them round here but never seen one. We did get good views down near the coast in Dorset last summer.
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A pair of grey wagtails in the stream bed. I saw them yesterday as well.
Not seen by me, and not today, but last week there were twitchers in the park hoping to see a firecrest. One chap with a hugely expensive DSLR and long lens showed me a photo he had taken of it. I might be able to tell a firecrest from a goldcrest if they were kind enough to sit side by side on a branch in front of me for a few seconds, but otherwise I doubt it. I just assume that everything I see of that ilk is a goldcrest.
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Wol :D
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1529/24985538469_8879c954ab_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/E4Tq72)
IMG_3699_01 (https://flic.kr/p/E4Tq72) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1651/25327000226_6eb2740ed9_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/EA4uMG)
IMG_3701_01 (https://flic.kr/p/EA4uMG) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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very nice short eared owl (or is it long eared?) great picture :thumbsup:
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A pair of grey wagtails in the stream bed. I saw them yesterday as well.
Not seen by me, and not today, but last week there were twitchers in the park hoping to see a firecrest. One chap with a hugely expensive DSLR and long lens showed me a photo he had taken of it. I might be able to tell a firecrest from a goldcrest if they were kind enough to sit side by side on a branch in front of me for a few seconds, but otherwise I doubt it. I just assume that everything I see of that ilk is a goldcrest.
We had a firecrest living in a little wicker "nestbox" on the front of our house a couple of years ago. I did manage one not very impressive pic of it.
Tiny, tiny little thing.
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Three deer inna a field hard by the Balcombe Road. All of 200m from Steph's gaff.
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Blackcap, on feeder in the garden.
well seen must be Summer then !!!
There are reports of overwintering blackcaps recently. The only time we've seen them in our garden has been in winter.
out today on a very cold 40 miler; on River Teme near Brampton Shropshire delightful to see pair dippers bobbing to each other in a display and male singing a lovely cheerful song :thumbsup: earlier a flock of about 10 brilliantly yellow male yellowhammers on hedgerows
Yellowhammers. Nice. I occasionally hear them round here but never seen one. We did get good views down near the coast in Dorset last summer.
We had an overwintering female blackcap in our garden 3 years ago, so some certainly stay.
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very nice short eared owl (or is it long eared?) great picture :thumbsup:
Ta. SEO, I believe.
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(On second day of Spring ::-) ) Hergest Ridge, Herefordshire c 10 golden plovers blown like leaves on a gale wind during heavy snow storm `twas a tad chilly up there @ 400m asl this morning but quite vitalising :thumbsup:
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Never seen an all white one before:
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1658/25373032291_a1b5859f17_n.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/EE8qvZ)2016-03-03_10-08-22 (https://flic.kr/p/EE8qvZ) by essexian (https://www.flickr.com/photos/26068282@N07/), on Flickr
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1535/25098345379_385fae5e47_n.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/EeRzEK)2016-03-03_10-08-07 (https://flic.kr/p/EeRzEK) by essexian (https://www.flickr.com/photos/26068282@N07/), on Flickr
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That's the one that has to sleep at the bottom of the roost.
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A heron in the field behind our house.
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A pair of greenfinches on our bird feeders. They have been absent from the garden for a couple of years. There was a disease going round which really affected their numbers. So seeing two together is really good news.
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A greater spotted woodpecker. Unusually this one has mastered the art of perching on the squirrel-buster sunflower heart feeder. It used to go on the peanut feeder but I've had to cage that too to stop squirrels wrecking it.
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A panorama of pinnipeds:
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1614/25269216210_522a9351a6_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/EuXkBy)newburgh_seals_01 (https://flic.kr/p/EuXkBy) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Brighter mornings and more birdlife, on bird table as well as chaffinch, blue tit, house sparrow a Great Spotted Woodpecker.
Goldcrest foraging in witch hazel bush and greenfinches calling in garden, several about this year which is nice :thumbsup:
pair of Red kites and a pair of ravens in woodland adjoining garden
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A road kill pheasant. In Bournville. ???
https://twitter.com/BasilW/status/708675893502332929
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A road kill pheasant. In Bournville. ???
https://twitter.com/BasilW/status/708675893502332929
Maybe it was this one? https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=128.msg1957865#msg1957865
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4 buzzards over Maidenhead riverside the till one buzzard off leaving 3 :)
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A road kill pheasant. In Bournville. ???
https://twitter.com/BasilW/status/708675893502332929
Maybe it was this one? https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=128.msg1957865#msg1957865
Do city people keep pet pheasants in their gardens, perhaps?
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Maybe it fell off the front of a wankpanzer?
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Maybe it fell off the front of a wankpanzer?
Ah yes. I remember seeing something similar at Mordor Central. A pheasant lying in the middle of the track at platform 10. We figured that it must have been splatted by a train somewhere between Tamworth and MC, but only fell off when the train came to a halt in Brum.
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Maybe it fell off the front of a wankpanzer?
Ah yes. I remember seeing something similar at Mordor Central. A pheasant lying in the middle of the track at platform 10. We figured that it must have been splatted by a train somewhere between Tamworth and MC, but only fell off when the train came to a halt in Brum.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-35763067
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Blimey. I guess the Aberdeen pheasants :demon: are seriously harder than yer average Brummie pheasant :o.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-35763067
I was on a train (interestingly, between Tamworth and Mordor Central) that had a similar collision with a pigeon. Somehow it managed to hit just the right part of the thingybob to vent the brake circuit, causing full emergency braking to be applied. After a while the driver - having presumably got out to have a look - came back on the PA and announced that he'd managed to extract most of the pigeon and reset the thingybob, and we'd be on our way once the system had managed to build up enough pressure. And there was much rejoicing.
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Two storks wandering around in a field.
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Today must be Spring: larks, yellowhammers, peewings & lapwits, newborn lambs.
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1699/25634476692_5ca6042257_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/F4eoQ5)
IMG_6399_01 (https://flic.kr/p/F4eoQ5) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
And grey wagtails :thumbsup:
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peewings & lapwits.
;D :D
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Maybe it fell off the front of a wankpanzer?
Ah yes. I remember seeing something similar at Mordor Central. A pheasant lying in the middle of the track at platform 10. We figured that it must have been splatted by a train somewhere between Tamworth and MC, but only fell off when the train came to a halt in Brum.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-35763067
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/bird-strike-leaves-huge-dent-in-passenger-jet-as-it-lands-at-heathrow-a3202101.html (http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/bird-strike-leaves-huge-dent-in-passenger-jet-as-it-lands-at-heathrow-a3202101.html)
Probably not a pheasant but southern birds are also well 'ard...
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For most of the morning a male chaffinch was `attacking` itself in its reflection at our kitchen window ; even putting a picture of a cat in the window didn`t stop it; he kept pecking at window, flying up to it and looking at his `challenger` . Seems though now he`s realised what it all was about and gone off with his mate somewhere :thumbsup:
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I forgot to mention the frogs croaking (singing, not dying ::-)) in our neighbour's pond :)
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A moorhen yesterday; notable because while looking at it I rode over a huge hole in the road! :facepalm:
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Cycling along the back alley behind my house this evening, a great big fat handsome frog. He was lovely and shiny. I turned round and went back for a second look and he looked at me kind of impatiently and hopped off on his long long back legs.
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If it was big and fat (and a common frog) he was probably a she.
'Tis the season of frog cuddling at the moment. The ladies look about twice the size of the gentlemen.
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I never realised frogs could ride bicycles. ;D
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I never realised frogs could ride bicycles. ;D
(http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/muppet/images/a/ae/Kermitbike.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130815131135)
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Yes! That was him!
How did you know ???
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Maybe it fell off the front of a wankpanzer?
Ah yes. I remember seeing something similar at Mordor Central. A pheasant lying in the middle of the track at platform 10. We figured that it must have been splatted by a train somewhere between Tamworth and MC, but only fell off when the train came to a halt in Brum.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-35763067
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/bird-strike-leaves-huge-dent-in-passenger-jet-as-it-lands-at-heathrow-a3202101.html (http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/bird-strike-leaves-huge-dent-in-passenger-jet-as-it-lands-at-heathrow-a3202101.html)
Probably not a pheasant but southern birds are also well 'ard...
The bird strikes are escalating in East Angular:
http://www.ely-news.co.uk/Chaos-rail-users-King-s-Cross-King-s-Lynn-line/story-28919601-detail/story.html
(No reports of broken arms.)
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Maybe it fell off the front of a wankpanzer?
Ah yes. I remember seeing something similar at Mordor Central. A pheasant lying in the middle of the track at platform 10. We figured that it must have been splatted by a train somewhere between Tamworth and MC, but only fell off when the train came to a halt in Brum.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-35763067
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/bird-strike-leaves-huge-dent-in-passenger-jet-as-it-lands-at-heathrow-a3202101.html (http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/bird-strike-leaves-huge-dent-in-passenger-jet-as-it-lands-at-heathrow-a3202101.html)
Probably not a pheasant but southern birds are also well 'ard...
The bird strikes are escalating in East Angular:
http://www.ely-news.co.uk/Chaos-rail-users-King-s-Cross-King-s-Lynn-line/story-28919601-detail/story.html
(No reports of broken arms.)
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Has Her Maj been informed of the damage to her property?
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with all this pheasant induced train carnage thanks goodness all our local railways got closed then !! With over 100
peasants pheasants killed on the 50yd stretch of road outside our house this year alone (@ peasant release time sounds of horns and brakes were very commonplace) no train would ever have got beyond Titley Junction
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Weymouth
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/IMG_0486%202.jpg) (http://s954.photobucket.com/user/cyclisttony/media/IMG_0486%202.jpg.html)
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/IMG_0477.jpg) (http://s954.photobucket.com/user/cyclisttony/media/IMG_0477.jpg.html)
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/IMG_0476.jpg) (http://s954.photobucket.com/user/cyclisttony/media/IMG_0476.jpg.html)
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/IMG_0475.jpg) (http://s954.photobucket.com/user/cyclisttony/media/IMG_0475.jpg.html)
Long distance zoom
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/IMG_0467%202.jpg) (http://s954.photobucket.com/user/cyclisttony/media/IMG_0467%202.jpg.html)
Gibraltar
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/IMG_0620.jpg) (http://s954.photobucket.com/user/cyclisttony/media/IMG_0620.jpg.html)
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/IMG_0621.jpg) (http://s954.photobucket.com/user/cyclisttony/media/IMG_0621.jpg.html)
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/IMG_0613.jpg) (http://s954.photobucket.com/user/cyclisttony/media/IMG_0613.jpg.html)
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/IMG_0608.jpg) (http://s954.photobucket.com/user/cyclisttony/media/IMG_0608.jpg.html)
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/IMG_0605.jpg) (http://s954.photobucket.com/user/cyclisttony/media/IMG_0605.jpg.html)
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/IMG_0572.jpg) (http://s954.photobucket.com/user/cyclisttony/media/IMG_0572.jpg.html)
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Weymouth
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae29/cyclisttony/IMG_0486%202.jpg) (http://s954.photobucket.com/user/cyclisttony/media/IMG_0486%202.jpg.html)
Throw rocks at it! Leave no tern unstoned!
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It's a Med gull...
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Gulled me!
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A friend's response to grumpeh munkeh: "It's Ron Perlman!"
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A peacock butterfly investigating my window boxes.
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A road kill pheasant. In Bournville. ???
https://twitter.com/BasilW/status/708675893502332929
Maybe it was this one? https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=128.msg1957865#msg1957865
Do city people keep pet pheasants in their gardens, perhaps?
Two reports of a live pheasant between Raddlebarn Farm Drive and Sparrey Drive this weekend. Not spotted by me. But well after I saw the dead one.
Are they moving into the city via the canal?
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Are they moving into the city via the canal?
They'd have to get past the geese. Although I suppose pheasants do a good line in 'ramming speed'.
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Saw hunners o' geese today and some pheasants, but no carnage.
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Huge spiral of gulls yesterday evening.
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A kite whilst audaxing at the weekend
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A friend's response to grumpeh munkeh: "It's Ron Perlman!"
;D
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Well...seen Saturday while out on my bike....this little fella come and sat 2 feet from my head....
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1647/25637673670_54f462bea9_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/F4vMbo)AdobeLightroom (https://flic.kr/p/F4vMbo) by Mike Clampitt (https://www.flickr.com/photos/67686073@N08/), on Flickr
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and later.....saw this egret (have clearer pictures but like the blurry one!)..... in a flooded field somewhere near Shugborough
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1718/25309526023_b20ad6ade3_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/EyvWjk)IMG_20160320_130717.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/EyvWjk) by Mike Clampitt (https://www.flickr.com/photos/67686073@N08/), on Flickr
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a patchily pied blackbird, had white mottling on head and shoulders. Also 2 grey wagtails and about a hundred fieldfare
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Yesterday, a Cetti's warbler. Often heard but very seldom seen. But we got very good views of this one.
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A mayhem of moorhens on the Medway.
Returning from grandson's play group this morning, we crossed a pedestrian bridge and watched what we assumed to be two pairs squaring up to each other. A fight broke out in which one half of each pair leaned back in the water and scrabbled at each other with their claws. I assumed these to be the males, but part way throught one of the presumed females waded in, her partner backed off, and she seemed to be trying to drown her adversary. Eventually the said adversary beat a retreat and went off to lick his/her wounds.
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Pleasant to see a long tailed tit in Bramley apple tree outside kitchen window; went to fetch camera, it had gone by time got back !!
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Early this morning had enjoyable ten minutes watching a treecreeper creeping all over the big stonewall at back of the garden, obviously forgot it was meant to be creeping around trees not walls !!
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It wasn't a wall creeper then?! ;D
My trip to the park was pretty disappointing. There were lots of wrens singing which was very good, but I didn't hear a chiffchaff, which I thought I might, and the only other bird I heard singing was a blackbird. The water was too turbid for me to be able to see any fish.
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Today; 2 chiffchaffs singing near Bucknell and 1 singing below Ludlow Castle; wonderful warm spring like sunny day too :thumbsup:
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A greater spotted woodpecker, on one of the bird feeders. Unusually, it was perched on the sunflower heart feeder rather than the nut/suet pellet one. The latter extends down, so the tail can be used for bracing as if in a tree, whereas the former just has perching bars.
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Didn't actually see any as I forgot to bring my binocolars but we heard several curlew this morning whilst walking in Farndale. Daffs not really out yet though next weekend should be good.
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Rock Pipet. :D
Hopping around the cliffs on our beach walk today. I had no idea what it was at time and it took me two bird books and half an hour to identify it when we got home.
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A pair of buzzards mating in dead oak tree in field opposite house
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A buzzard, a kestrel, a load more frogspawn, some toadspawn and some croaking frogs (heard). All in or from my brother's garden, where we were sitting outside drinking tea.
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Forgot to mention a red kite on Monday.
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A pair of Lapwings are starting to nest in the field across from the house. The skylark is singing too.
It's been a lovely sound compared to the drilling next door. Summer is on the horizon.
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A Jay near Cookham the this afternoon :)
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Two Ospreys sitting in the top of a tree near Llandildoes.
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Two Ospreys sitting in the top of a tree near Llandildoes.
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: I`d heard last year that Ospreys were around Clwydeog. Well spotted
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They've built platforms to encourage them to nest. Seems to be working.
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These things.
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_3108.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_3100.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_3090.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_3072.jpg)
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These things.
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_3108.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_3100.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_3090.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_3072.jpg)
don`t seem to see anything apart from 4 XXXX !!!
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Is the top one a nutria?
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I'm not sure, I was hoping someone would identify it better than "furry chap"
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These chaps
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_3233.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_3263.jpg)
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(http://s13.postimg.org/5zdgbstg7/20160402_071150.jpg)
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A heron behaving oddly. It approached some people, as if expecting to be fed. It was a very scruffy heron.
A pair of copulating toads.
Both of these were in Oxford, the heron by the canal, & the toads in the Trap Grounds.
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I'm not sure, I was hoping someone would identify it better than "furry chap"
Looks like a water vole to me. Any idea of scale?
And where was the stork?
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Pretty sure, like Wow, that that's a water vole aka "Ratty".
are you in France or Germany? Or maybe Spain?
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I'm in the UK now ;)
But I was in Portugal. The furry chap was about the same size as a coot.
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(http://s13.postimg.org/5zdgbstg7/20160402_071150.jpg)
Sadly not seen yesterday on the Cambrian taking Hafren lane (which btw is really really nice) but saw 50-60 fieldfare
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The bats have returned to Fuzzy airspace :thumbsup:
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Had a dreadful trip to Barnes yesterday (BLOODY railways! Three hours to get there from Gatwick) and both warblers and the greater and lesser screaming infants were out. Why do people take a child in a pram into a "silence please" hide? Why do adults with no fucking interest in birds have to come in to continue their shouted fucking conversations? Anyway...
I managed to spot this year's first record of a ringed plover as it flew in. One happy little vole swimming around, a couple of kingfishers, redshanks, three little egrets and the usual mix of ducks. Some sand martins and swallows as well. Warblers: Cetti's singing everywhere, and one or two were visible. Got very good views of a male blackcap, lots of chiffchaffs (not singing), willow warblers (singing) and garden warblers (seen and heard). I got chatting with a woman who wanted to know how to tell some of the songs apart, and I had just described how to tell garden from blackcap when I heard the song.
"That's a blackcap" I said, and she started to laugh, before showing me her phone, where she had an app... which was playing a blackcap song. Well, I got it right!
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Dead frog in the neighbour's garden.
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1448/26204925646_aff60ac87e_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/FVD6qS)
IMG_6506_01 (https://flic.kr/p/FVD6qS) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Dead frog in the neighbour's garden.
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1448/26204925646_aff60ac87e_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/FVD6qS)
IMG_6506_01 (https://flic.kr/p/FVD6qS) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
yep, that's dead
I saw hundreds, if not thousands of frogs and toads out on the trails last night. The trails were literally moving under tyre. I slowed down to avoid and walked a few sections to stop them ending up like your pic.
This is the second mass spawning I've seen this year.
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It was frog carnage on the road on Saturday in Northumberland and Berwickshire.
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I saw loads of newts in Lincolnshire on the overnight section of our arrow. No one else did - I think I was just being more attentive, and not hallucinating.
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First wild bird egg of the season. It had fallen from a nest in our garden yesterday morning and cracked. Tilly eat it as an extra breakfast treat.
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A swallow and (I think) a pair of house martins. Plenty of chiffchaffs heard.
Also, a herd of fallow deer in a cornfield. I did my poor best to get a photo, but I was trying to zoom in through the hedge (yes, it does conjour up a wonderful image) and the camera wouldn't focus on them. Even though I was about 300 yards away, they were aware of me and wary. When I stopped my bike all but one or two were lying down. Within seconds, they were all standing up. Eventually they were spooked and ran away, towards a road I was about to go down, but I didn't see them again. There were at least 14 in the herd, but I think half a dozen or so had already slipped away before I counted them. I wonder how much damage they do to the crops?
Other stuff: a pair of cock pheasants fighting, a sparrow hawk scattering a flock of pigeons, but it didn't seem to be trying too hard to catch one. A couple of buzzards, a kestrel and a greater spotted woodpecker flying.
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I'm not sure, I was hoping someone would identify it better than "furry chap"
The picture is of a water vole, certainly not of a coypu. Puzzled by scale.
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A grass snake basking on the Thames towpath between Sonning & Reading, about 5 pm today. Mrs B saw it first, & her drawing of my attention to it seemed to be what alerted it to our approach. It hissed as it slithered into the undergrowth. Pissed off that we'd interrupted its sunbathing?
Muntjac hoofprints on a path through Sonning farm (Reading Uni's, permissive footpaths along the farm tracks).
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Two sparrowhawk attacks on the garden feeders in the last 30 minutes.
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Not exactly today but last Saturday about 20 buzzards in field sheep eaten fooder root crops; but today 7 yellowhammers in hedge near Eardisland :thumbsup:
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On my first lunchtime ride for a month (that's what a bad back can do for you!), not seen but heard, loads of chiffchaffs. Seemed to be one in every tree.
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Dolphins in the harbour. I haven't seen them for a few months.
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A robin, a sqrl, a thrush :D , masses of birds singing. It's a dull drizzly morning, but none the worse for that.
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Is that a red sqrl, Ruthie?
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No, it was a grey sqrl.
The Robin was a Red-breast though :)
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Lots of skylarks on our walk yesterday afternoon. This morning it was grey and overcast and all we saw was bunnies.
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On Saturday, a crow pecking at the entrails of a dead badger on the lane from Pipley Bottom to Upton Cheyney. The badger had a definite squashed shape, in contrast to most dead badgers.
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While riding by the Thames this morning a kingfisher the :)
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Half a dead rabbit in Tillys mouth this morning. Mixie is going round again here and there are loads of easily caught ones.
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several swallows now around, twittering away on phone lines across the road :thumbsup:
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Not fauna, unless you count the name! Half a sun dog!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_dog (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_dog)
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A large pheasant, on the deck outside our garden doors. No idea from where it would have escaped given that I live in Lewisham and even getting from the nearest park involves crossing a busy road.
It certainly freaked the cats out ;D
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A lesser spotted woodpecker. First on the peanut feeder, then Dow the garden on the crab apple trunk looking for bugs, and finally on a fat block feeder.
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3 muncjac deer, many bunnies, and a small harem of female pheasants looking after a single male.
I have seen a pair of hare's racing across a field while on my way to morris dancing but that was a week or so back.
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Red-billed chough. Very pleased (chuffed igmc) to get that one, and some reasonable pics of it. Meadow pipit , wheatear and a few other common things.
Sent from my D2403 using Tapatalk
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Two buzzards, circling high above Cemetery Junction. The real one, in Reading.
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Red-billed chough. Very pleased (chuffed igmc) to get that one, and some reasonable pics of it. Meadow pipit , wheatear and a few other common things.
Sent from my D2403 using Tapatalk
Where at, David? I used to love sitting on the cliffs by Stackpole, watching auks and chough.
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A hawk that flew out of a hedge and darted along a ditch in front of us. I thought it was a sparrowhawk, my companion thought it was a hobby. Blue-grey back, very agile, bigger than a kestrel, smaller than a buzzard. It was beautiful to watch its nimble dartiness, whatever it was.
Also lots of bluebells. :D
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Seen: Lapwings dancing.
Heard: a cuckoo and some curlews.
Marvellous.
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Red-billed chough. Very pleased (chuffed igmc) to get that one, and some reasonable pics of it. Meadow pipit , wheatear and a few other common things.
Sent from my D2403 using Tapatalk
Where at, David? I used to love sitting on the cliffs by Stackpole, watching auks and chough.
Cable bay, Colonsay.
And just so you can correct my LBJ identification
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1683/25864535894_de5496bd3a_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Fpyvq3)DSC_4222 (https://flic.kr/p/Fpyvq3) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1478/26196558210_716a4be8e9_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/FUUd5J)DSC_4210 (https://flic.kr/p/FUUd5J) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1524/25864565794_739ce99675_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/FpyEiy)DSC_4178 (https://flic.kr/p/FpyEiy) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1524/26403348731_fdff63cfd2_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Geb4Gx)DSC_4120 (https://flic.kr/p/Geb4Gx) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
I do need a better lens than the 40+ year old Nikkor 500mm mirror lens.
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First sighting of a frog in our little garden pond.
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Saw two swallows today. In German they are Schwalbe, like the tyres ;)
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They do make marathon journeys.
What's German for "I'll get my coat"?
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A red kite about 30' above me at Wilbarston (just west of Corby) working really hard to use an early morning thermal.
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Surrounded by larks singing at one point today :thumbsup:
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And some shags a long way below on the rocks. Judging by the colour of the rocks, that must be a favourite spot.
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1709/25887415383_6d7cfc75f4_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/FrzLFZ)DSC_4030 (https://flic.kr/p/FrzLFZ) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
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A coal tit collecting cat hair.
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I finally spotted swallows today. Three of them.
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Male ring ouzel at my local country park, taking the camera tomorrow!!
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Terns.
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Male ring ouzel at my local country park, taking the camera tomorrow!!
They're cleverer than that, Bumper! Just like the bloody swans who I've been trying to catch in the act of taking off, for a couple of years. They have camera detectors built in...
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Male ring ouzel at my local country park, taking the camera tomorrow!!
They're cleverer than that, Bumper! Just like the bloody swans who I've been trying to catch in the act of taking off, for a couple of years. They have camera detectors built in...
I can dream :P
there's a se owl knocking about too over the local void, bet that doesn't show either. Saw them both today whilst walking the dog.
I may give the camera to the dog ;D
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You will end up with lots of photos of trees and lampposts ;D
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You will end up with lots of photos of trees and lampposts ;D
;D
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This morning I saw a Kestrel hovering over the nature area left after the new estate was built.
It makes a very nice change from the daily sightings of Shite Hawks to use the victorian name for Red kites.
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Swallows!
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Male ring ouzel at my local country park, taking the camera tomorrow!!
They're cleverer than that, Bumper! Just like the bloody swans who I've been trying to catch in the act of taking off, for a couple of years. They have camera detectors built in...
bugger............. no sign of it.
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Lesser spotted woodpecker on the peanut feeder, a male kestrel quartering the neighbouring fields, and a heron perched on the roof of our neighbors shed. The last is fairly unusual, we're about 800m front the canal where we usually see them.
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Male ring ouzel at my local country park, taking the camera tomorrow!!
They're cleverer than that, Bumper! Just like the bloody swans who I've been trying to catch in the act of taking off, for a couple of years. They have camera detectors built in...
Like all diving birds have bino/telescope detectors built in. Just as you get lined up on one, and before you can fine-focus...
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I saw a red squirrel beside the A593 this afternoon. Just north of the little langdale turn it was sat on the d eg y stone wall until I got too close and it went into the tree. Only my second ever spotting, and at least this one was in no danger of me running it over.
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On Saturday at MOSI, Manchester: a kestrel doing a poop then flying off with a prey item in its beak.
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I saw a red squirrel beside the A593 this afternoon. Just north of the little langdale turn it was sat on the d eg y stone wall until I got too close and it went into the tree. Only my second ever spotting, and at least this one was in no danger of me running it over.
I have one in the lab freezer that unfortunately was not able to get away from a car fast enough.
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A blackbird sitting dead still in the middle of the lane I was riding in. It watched me as I went by about 3' away, and didn't budge when a truck went by in the opposite direction. I got off and went back with the idea of at least moving it off the road, but when I reached down for it, it flew away.
I reckon it was either knackered from evading a predator or had been stunned by a collision with a vehicle. Apart from staying still it looked fine, and it flew off sharpish enough.
Later, half-a-dozen starlings in the neighbour's garden. Starlings are very infrequent visitors here - we see a group every four or five years, usually on a brief stop on their way somewhere else. Remembering the teeming thousands we used to get in Norn Iron - and the racket they used to make - it seems funny, now, to be chuffed at seeing a few like this.
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A fox on Sunday. First daytime rural fox I've ever seen, I think. Sarah notp chased it – it got away, but we'll get her a red coat for next time!
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A greenfinch. As a kid we used to have dozens of them in the garden in Sussex, but I've seen very few in recent years here in Bucks.
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A greenfinch. As a kid we used to have dozens of them in the garden in Sussex, but I've seen very few in recent years here in Bucks.
IIRC Greenfinch numbers have declined nationally due to disease http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/gbw/gardens-wildlife/garden-birds/disease/trichomonosis;
however lucky here as we have several around the garden and at least a pair bred last year :thumbsup:
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About 10 years ago I recall taking the dog to the park one January afternoon just around sunset. A huge flock of finches, mostly greenfinches, I think, came and roosted in the tree tops. I did a quick estimate of how many there were, and I reckon it was at least 500. A sparrowhawk was patrolling around and a few of the finches peeled off and saw the sparrowhawk off.
I can't say I have seen many greenfinches recently, nor heard their call (they always remind me of Jeremy Paxman).
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(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1567/26427701960_bdd4377e8f_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/GgjT4N)
Iced alpaca or frosted llama (I don't know which, I'm not a baker)
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On the regular Reading CTC Wednesday evening pub ride, near Wargrave manor: a fox crossing the road, which stopped to stare as we approached. When we got close it decided to resume its previous activity, & trotted off. I was rather surprised at how long it stood watching us ride towards it.
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(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1567/26427701960_bdd4377e8f_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/GgjT4N)
Iced alpaca or frosted llama (I don't know which, I'm not a baker)
Where was that sighting Nuncio?
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nice view of a large Stoat (definitely as black tail tip) in country lane before it dived back into the hedge
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Nothing much of note today other than a cuckoo. I didn't hear one, so it wasn't of note at all, I just saw it as it zoomed past.
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Nothing much of note today other than a cuckoo. I didn't hear one, so it wasn't of note at all, I just saw it as it zoomed past.
I would doubtless have just (pp) noted it as just an unidentified falcon ;) .
Meanwhile, yesterday we saw 3 or 4 swallows flying low over the lake at Packwood House. Were they re-fuelling on a journey to more northern parts?
And today, heard, but not seen, a chiffchaff that had ornamented the usual repeated spiccato two note motif into a two-plus-a-triplet-in-between repetition. I'm used to (and entertained by) great tits doing very creative things with their songs, but have never heard a chiffchaff at it. Is it unusual?
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I have noticed chiffchaffs singing in 6/8 time rather than the more usual 2/4.
I wonder why it is that in some areas willow warblers are to be heard everywhere when in others it is chiffchaffs. A couple of weeks ago, in Cumbria, Mrs. Wow and I heard no chiffchaffs but instead wall-to-wall willow warblers. To the uninitiated:
(http://warehouse1.indicia.org.uk/upload/p15o2off0sgc22ohtecqe19vv2.jpg)
Willow warbler
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Chiffchaff_-_Phylloscopus_collybita.jpg)
Chiffchaff
There is scarcely any difference between them, apart form their song.
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Found along tailed tit nest this morning, 12 inches from the trail I was on!
It was full of chicks, I heard the chirping but none popped through the ball of moss and made an appearance.
This is only the second time in my life I've found one of these, amazing structures.
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A stweasel, running across the road in front of me when I was on m'bike.
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Possibly a marsh harrier. It was close to some wetlands.
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Two hares in separate places, a kestrel flying overhead, and lots of other birds heard but not identified in a wood where the birdsong and bluebells were so beautiful I just had to stop and admire for a couple of minutes, even though it was a steep hill (and I hate stopping on hills!)
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Found this male Blackcap dead in the garden today. They've only been coming into the garden recently, it probably had a nest somewhere :(
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7038/26696060032_0e11fc34a4_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/GF3hz7)
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Oh what a shame :(
I saw a dead hatchling in the road today. I reckon it was probly dropped by a crow or somesuch. Also, a skinned badger.
In better news: a bunny, a wren, lapwings dancing, cowslips, primroses, bluebells. And I heard lots of birds, including a curlew.
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Oh what a shame :(
indeed Ruthie :(
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lots of wagtails, chaffinches and robins in the garden this year.
Also saw my first barn-owl of the year while driving home today.
Plus something big that was not a kite yesterday
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Female Sparrowhawk popped thro` gateway right in front of me and glided / flew 6" above road surface, 10 yd in front of me for a few hundred yards before heading off into a field. Very cunning hunter as kept in shade of hedge along road edge to avoid being seen by LBJs
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This fox popped out in front of me on my way back home tonight. It was fairly dark and I didn't have a chance to get my camera set for any more shots, it zoomed off into the undergrowth.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7690/26752033451_a5105dd5b7_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/GKZaw4)
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First swifts of the year today, screaming above Stanford le Hope.
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A dead fox cub at the side of the road as I rode in this morning.
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Spent a pleasant 10 minutes in the sun watching dolphins and terns and getting buzzed by sand martins :thumbsup:
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Spent a pleasant 10 minutes in the sun watching dolphins and terns and getting buzzed by sand martins :thumbsup:
that sounds absolutely idyllic :thumbsup:, wherebe you located for those joys ??
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Spent a pleasant 10 minutes in the sun watching dolphins and terns and getting buzzed by sand martins :thumbsup:
that sounds absolutely idyllic :thumbsup:, wherebe you located for those joys ??
It was 5 minutes walk from my work in FurryBootToon*.
*Aberdeen
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Sparrow hawk on our fence. Maybe the first time I've seen one actually in our garden; certainly the best view of one.
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Batman - a very bold robin who is quite happy hopping about 6 inches in front of the dog's nose, has for some time been seen flitting in and out of the garage (whose door gapes open somewhat) We finally found out why - he's been 'recycling' an old bike helmet as the basis for a nest.
Spotted today - eggs therein:
(http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt318/porkypete58/IMG_20160506_131325635_zpsnmobysqf.jpg)
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Batman - a very bold robin who is quite happy hopping about 6 inches in front of the dog's nose, has for some time been seen flitting in and out of the garage (whose door gapes open somewhat) We finally found out why - he's been 'recycling' an old bike helmet as the basis for a nest.
Spotted today - eggs therein:
(http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt318/porkypete58/IMG_20160506_131325635_zpsnmobysqf.jpg)
excellent, make sure you remove eggs before donning helmet ;D ;D
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The first swallow of the year, here in south Bucks. Wonderful
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And the first of the wisteria flowers opening. Spring is finally here.
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(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/26263660773_d496067808_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/G1Q8kt)
IMG_4119_01 (https://flic.kr/p/G1Q8kt) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Thursday morning, 0730, as I rode back from work along the Balcombe Road, just by the M23 spur flyover: singing Cetti's warbler!
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A pair of geese followed by their goslings (not hatchlings) walked across the road in front of me this morning at Carron valley. Dont know what kind, but beautiful. Cuckoo calling as I was struggling over north 3rd road.
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Last night, as I went to close the bedroom window at some point in the night, a hare, sat in the middle of the road outside the house. Soon shot off when it heard me.
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Heard and seen every day, a blackbird mimicking a great tit.
If a great tit sounds like a 5 year old girl saying tea-cher, tea-cher, tea-cher. The blackbird is the Barry White equivalent. The little **** wakes me up every morning sitting on my roof rattling off every 20 seconds.
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First hedgehog of the year on our lawn two nights running now. Alerted to it by Tilly who was running in circles round it barking like mad (hedgehogs are on the list of very dangerous things that might murder us all in our beds if she doesn't warn us apparently). The hedgehog seemed completely unfazed by the dog.
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An urban fox trotting across Wood Street E17 last night. Either there's something wrong with my headlights (which seems unlikely coz the motor-car only passed its MOT on Tuesday) or he'd just come up from a shift underground coz he was a very unfoxy shade of dark grey.
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Two slowworms in the greenhouse this morning.
One small one, maybe 10cm, the other the largest I've ever seen. :D
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Batman - a very bold robin who is quite happy hopping about 6 inches in front of the dog's nose, has for some time been seen flitting in and out of the garage (whose door gapes open somewhat) We finally found out why - he's been 'recycling' an old bike helmet as the basis for a nest.
Spotted today - eggs therein:
(http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt318/porkypete58/IMG_20160506_131325635_zpsnmobysqf.jpg)
I thought robins' eggs were spotted every day.
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Saw an Osprey languidly flapping its way across Strathmartine and a field with about 4-5 buzzards in.
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Just spent a happy half hour watching housemartins building a nest on my brother's house.
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Yesterday, two deer crossing the road in the Forest of Dean.
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Just spent a happy half hour watching housemartins building a nest on my brother's house.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7585/26942496711_c504591c05_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/H3PkBn)
IMG_6576_01 (https://flic.kr/p/H3PkBn) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7684/26916760052_c80f7fbd12_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/H1xqZS)
IMG_6579_01 (https://flic.kr/p/H1xqZS) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Just been watching a deer swim across the harbour from the office window :o
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Batman - a very bold robin who is quite happy hopping about 6 inches in front of the dog's nose, has for some time been seen flitting in and out of the garage (whose door gapes open somewhat) We finally found out why - he's been 'recycling' an old bike helmet as the basis for a nest.
Spotted today - eggs therein:
(http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt318/porkypete58/IMG_20160506_131325635_zpsnmobysqf.jpg)
I thought robins' eggs were spotted every day.
I'd fetch your coat - but too busy keeping an eye on the young family:
(http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt318/porkypete58/IMG_20160516_131135195_zpsynld8f6m.jpg)
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A blue tit exiting the nest box we believed to be empty this year (we heard the chicks being fed) :thumbsup:
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A couple of partridge yesterday.
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Quite surprised to see one curlew in fields down by Tewkesbury today.
At home family of greenfinches being very stressed, sadly I think it`s because our cat found their nest in a leylandii conifer :(
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This little fella was sat watching me as I got my bike out of the shed for Tuesday's commute. Possibly the same one I saved from the cat on Monday morning.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7361/26902923570_a39e20cfb3_b.jpg)
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A squashed cinnabar moth on the pavement in town :(
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Another road kill fox cub this morning :-\
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A deer skipping through Templeton woods. And a duck with many ducklets on the pond therein.
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A few from Wales. I was working but managed to get the camera out ;)
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7251/26610903304_e643133130_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/GxvQrE)swallow-4 (https://flic.kr/p/GxvQrE) by David Bithell (https://www.flickr.com/photos/lumixm43/), on Flickr
(https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7678/27153893311_eb4c37a586_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/HnuNsk)chaffinch-3 (https://flic.kr/p/HnuNsk) by David Bithell (https://www.flickr.com/photos/lumixm43/), on Flickr
(https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7686/26618685003_ec2091804a_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/GycHET)dipper-19 (https://flic.kr/p/GycHET) by David Bithell (https://www.flickr.com/photos/lumixm43/), on Flickr
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7744/27173056761_b38e316281_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Hpc25D)siskin (https://flic.kr/p/Hpc25D) by David Bithell (https://www.flickr.com/photos/lumixm43/), on Flickr
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On Farthing Down: cows with hi-viz ankle bands. ::-)
mcshroom may have got a picture.
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The bluetits fledglings (fresh out today) from our best box, being fed caterpillars in an adjacent hazel tree.
And I've just had to rescue one from the cat ::-). It didn't look injured but had fallen to the ground. It's now up in the hawthorn, so hope it's found by its mum, who is making a racket a couple of trees away.
Ah well, my wife's just found a dead fledgling while she was out slugging. Guess it didn't make it.
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At 8.15am this morning on the Butt Road climb near Gnosall Staffordshire, a fox cub.
It was walking along the side of the "road" on its own, although I would guess its Mum would have been nearby: well I hope she was.
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Unsurprisingly over the M40 at Stokenchurch, a red kite. And another one flying over Dr Larrington's country pile, which is some seven miles west of Banbury and where they are less common.
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A squashed cinnabar moth on the pavement in town :(
Mrs O spotted and snapped one in the garden this morning, and I identified it by googling red and black butterfly.
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Lapwing, swallow, swift, kite, heron, skylark, plus the usual garden birds.
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It's been a good few years since I saw a chaffinch in the grounds of Fort Larrington but one rocked up there yeaterday to arse around in the bird bath for a bit.
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A Goldfinch in the birdbath and bird table over the weekend. The first visit by one ever.
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A deer, not sure what kind, trying and failing to jump the fence from the car park into the playing fields of the local Junior school.
The school's emblem ?
(http://www.hiltingbury-jun.hants.sch.uk/wp-content/themes/skeleton/images/Hiltingbury-Junior-School-Logo.png)
Stupid creature - evidently didn't realise it was half term week !
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Right outside window, on rosebush a male redstart :thumbsup: Great view of a lovely Summer visitor
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A deer, not sure what kind, trying and failing to jump the fence from the car park into the playing fields of the local Junior school.
The school's emblem ?
(http://www.hiltingbury-jun.hants.sch.uk/wp-content/themes/skeleton/images/Hiltingbury-Junior-School-Logo.png)
Stupid creature - evidently didn't realise it was half term week !
But you don't live round here, where there are Roe Green and Stag Lane schools but no school named Buck Lane...
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Dolphin very close to the office this afternoon.
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On Farthing Down: cows with hi-viz ankle bands. ::-)
mcshroom may have got a picture.
Dairy or beef?
We marked our dairy cows with ankle bands if their milk wasn't for human consumption (too colostrum-my/ full of antibiotics). It was never hi-viz though. Just red/ yellow/ blue tape.
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The combination of 'Down' and hiviz suggests something like this:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/11758512/Cows-should-wear-fluorescent-jackets-and-strings-of-lights-at-night-council-says.html
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A Muntjack deer crossing the road this morning.
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Skylarks - hope the silage grass is left uncut long enough for the chicks to fledge - and a buzzard. Also a lapwing.
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Some very impressive birds of prey at the village fete today, my favourites though is always the kestrel
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Red Sqrl near Byrness.
Sadly it was flat. :'(
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Red kite, over the woods out the back of our house - not as rare as a red squirrel, but certainly not a common sighting in East Kent. However, someone I know locally posted a pic on twitter of one seen in the centre of Canterbury recently, so either it's the same one or they're moving into the area.
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Two hares in fields near the Severn Estuary.
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I have noticed chiffchaffs singing in 6/8 time rather than the more usual 2/4.
This morning I arrived at work ( ;) ;D) early. In between the song thrushes I heard a chiffchaff singing in 3/4 time, at a somewhat slower tempo than a Viennese waltz. The song was phrased, but while I was listening to the phrase structure I was distracted by a swallow hawking for the plentiful insects just above the long grass. The aircraft coming in to land at Elmdon may have contributed to my loss of focus, though it's evident that the wildlife has adapted.
At lunch our leader found time between/through his hay-fever debilities to mention a spotted orchid he'd seen last week. To cut a long story short, there were 2, about a couple of metres apart. One was heath spotted (had been provisionally identified, but not recorded on the site for about 3 years & a Warwickshire rarity). The other was a comon spotted orchid; I don't know if any had been previously recorded there. Later after noon, we found 2 substantial clusters of the heath spotted species, which looked like a sustainable population.
At the end of our day, as I stripped off sweat-soaked layers before riding home, I was attacked by a horde of voracious horseflies, not normal on that reserve, but... we've had a mild, wet winter.
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A great white egret the other day on a Wiltshire pond. It didn't look 'great' to me but it did have a yellow beak.
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Blackcap singing each time I pass the Courtyard at Gatwick. Today, yet again from my armchair, female marsh harrier flying west and being mobbed by crows.
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I'm pretty certain we have a herring gull which has not only nested but produced three chicks on the atrium roof at work.
I suppose it's not that dissimilar to a cliff ledge.
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Yesterday at lunch time in garden, 1 x Spotted Flycatcher and by looks of it breeding in hazel tree very close by :thumbsup:
(https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7274/27393448590_3920e40d41_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/HJEzTL)IMG_1107 (https://flic.kr/p/HJEzTL) by jamesld8 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/55935603@N05/), on Flickr
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Nice pic!
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Lovely picture! We had a nesting pair every year in our local park, until one November the ignoramuses at the council decided to "prune" the evergreens where the flycatchers nested. They haven't been back.
Last week, whilst camping at Honfleur, I think I heard more varied birdsong than in any campsite I have been to. Apart from the usual wrens, blackbirds, chiffchaffs, goldcrests and thrushes, there was a Cetti's warbler and a cuckoo. It didn't surprise me that the warbler kept going every so often throughout the night, but it did that the cuckoo started up at 3am at point blank range. It was so close to our tents that I could hear its "throat-clearing" call and it cuckooed 3 or 4 times before realising that it was pitch black and time to go to sleep.
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I was camped by a dune slack in Belgium once, and there were warblers galore, including Savi's and grasshopper, visible as they sang. In eastern Hungary, I am still amused about being annoyed at being woken every morning by a dawn chorus of golden orioles!
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New for us, (in leafy Bucks close to Aylesbury-but not tooo close you understand...) buzzards. And yesterday a sparrowhawk chasing some swifts.
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Buzzard here this morning, too. 10 years ago they were very common and wouldn't be worth a mention , but the red kites are so successful now that the buzzards seem to be struggling.
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Hedgehog poo :thumbsup:
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Buzzard here this morning, too. 10 years ago they were very common and wouldn't be worth a mention , but the red kites are so successful now that the buzzards seem to be struggling.
that`s interesting---buzzards here (Welsh Borders / Presteigne ) are really common , sometimes as many as 20 in a freshly ploughed field; yet red kites have made significant increases in population too, 10 years ago notable to see one, now they`re common (pair breeds in woods back of our garden :thumbsup: ) and they`ve spread well into Herefordshire / Shropshire. What has decreased are kestrel numbers, uncommon to see them around here, just one or two about
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A crow, eating a packet of crisps.
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Whereas my crow spot yesterday was having a bath in a puddle ;D
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And my crow spot today was inspecting the strawberry patch from our lawn....
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Mine was a baby crow demanding food from parents.
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And my crow on Saturday was chasing a buzzard just a couple of yards in front of me.
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Not today, but on Sunday.
My inlaws were staying for the weekend, ad at about lunchtime, Pops and I inspected my beehives. Pops lost all of his colonies to nosema over the winter and is looking to restock - we'd thought that if one of my colonies needed artifically swarming (http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/artswarm.html), I could send him home with half of one of my colonies...
Of course, none of my colonies was in a suitable condition for doing an AS; about an hour after my inlaws left to head back to Hull, I found a natural swarm (I suspect from one of my colonies) in one of my trees. Subsequently hived in a nucleus box, ready to go to Hull next time we visit... ::-)
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(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t51/asorim1/IMG_2727_zpsxc0q58fc.jpg)
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t51/asorim1/IMG_2728_zps1fthwivy.jpg)
About 15 minutes ago in my rockery.
I'm thinking it is an adder, although the markings seem a bit different.
Fortunately it nowhere near where I released the newt (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=98079.0)
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Might be a grass snake.
http://www.arkive.org/grass-snake/natrix-natrix/image-A21772.html
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A buzzard right in front of me landed in road and `mantled` its wings over its catch--on seeing me it flew off empty handed and away ran a rather surprised shrew, a lucky escape :thumbsup:
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Might be a grass snake.
http://www.arkive.org/grass-snake/natrix-natrix/image-A21772.html
I'd like to think so. We get snakes in the garden that clearly are adders which is what gives me doubts over this one. My plan is to leave it alone which is good because I hate weeding the rockery.
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(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t51/asorim1/IMG_2727_zpsxc0q58fc.jpg)
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t51/asorim1/IMG_2728_zps1fthwivy.jpg)
About 15 minutes ago in my rockery.
I'm thinking it is an adder, although the markings seem a bit different.
Fortunately it nowhere near where I released the newt (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=98079.0)
Where was this?
I have seen, and handled, plenty of grass snakes and adders in my time (I have handled far more grass snakes than adders, although I did have an adder slither over my wrist once). That looks significantly different from either. Its flat head makes me think "adder" but the markings are far blander than any adder I have ever seen.
Adders can be variable in colour, but typically the background colour differs in males and females. Males tend towards a grey, whitish, occasionally yellowish colour. The contrast with the black markings can make them appear almost silver. The females tend to be brownish with considerable variation of shade and occasional hints of red or yellow – although in the latter case always a much darker shade than the males.
Both sexes are similarly marked. Typically these markings are very pronounced and extremely easy to identify, consisting of a heavy dark zigzag pattern down the back with dark spots in rows on the flanks. At the back of the head there is a heavy “V” or “X” shaped marking and a dark band running from behind each eye. The young are coloured and marked much like adult females.
Grass snakes normally have a very distinctive yellow collar.
(http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/ident_images/NatrixnatrixAH.jpg)
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In the absence of a yellow collar, how about a smooth snake?
http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/smooth_snake.htm
(http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/ident_images/Corenella_austriaca5.jpg)
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Where was this?
I have seen, and handled, plenty of grass snakes and adders in my time (I have handled far more grass snakes than adders, although I did have an adder slither over my wrist once). That looks significantly different from either. Its flat head makes me think "adder" but the markings are far blander than any adder I have ever seen.
The Limousin. It's a little way south of Limoges. Adders are common here but their markings are indeed much stronger and thicker black zig zags and they tend to have an orange tint not greenish. It's also unusual for an adder to hang around here when there are noises and people - if we see one once it's off but this snake has stuck around despite me mowing the lawn around it a few times.
Last year we had a plague of mice, possibly living off my neighbours chicken food (they overfeed and it's always lying around). This year despite a mild winter I haven't seen any mice so maybe our neighbours are feeding the snake, indirectly.
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Ah! In that case I'd tentatively go for one of these:
http://www.planetepassion.eu/snakes-in-france/Viperine-snake-France.html
The only snakes I have experience of are adders and grass snakes. It seems that you have quite a few exotic snakes in your neck of the woods!
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Actually on Monday. A mink. Saw something running along the high wall behind the shop and thought Shit, that's a big rat!. Except it wasn't...
Too big for a stoat, woozle or a fert. Uniformly dark in colour, with th sharpest eyes...
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Ah! In that case I'd tentatively go for one of these:
http://www.planetepassion.eu/snakes-in-france/Viperine-snake-France.html
The only snakes I have experience of are adders and grass snakes. It seems that you have quite a few exotic snakes in your neck of the woods!
Just had another look, he/she is still around and I think that fits the bill. Even though there is no water very close. It is a lot less timid than adders I have encountered.
There is a huge variety of wildlife here. Just in the garden have seen 3 types of woodpecker, jays, magpies, cuckoos, frogs, toads, a newt, slow worms, hedgehogs, red squirrels, foxes many type of butterfly, hornets.
It's a flipping jungle out there...
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A heron flew overhead last night as we were riding round Avonmouth. Which reminds me, on Saturday along the canal we rode past a heron which stood stock still at the side of the water not paying any attention whatsoever as fifteen or so noisy cyclists passed a couple of feet from it.
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not paying any attention whatsoever as fifteen or so noisy cyclists passed a couple of feet from it.
It didn't look a bit like this did it? :demon:
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31JHmAMVNaL._SX425_.jpg)
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not paying any attention whatsoever as fifteen or so noisy cyclists passed a couple of feet from it.
It didn't look a bit like this did it? :demon:
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31JHmAMVNaL._SX425_.jpg)
There's one of those by the river near us. Probably put there by the llandysul fishing club.
Whenever we pass that way with a first time visitor, they generally come an abrupt halt with an arm out to stop us and whisper 'Heron'. At that point I may have once then buzzed a brick at it, to chum's absolute horror.
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:D :D I've seen another heron (or maybe it was the same one?) quite a bit further east on the same canal, which was similarly habituated to humans. That was last summer though.
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Herons can be quite tolerant of humans. I was cycling through The Hague a few years back and a lady dumped the remains of last night's curry beside the canal. It was immediately descended upon by herring gulls, but as soon as a pair of herons appeared to enjoy the feast, the herring gulls didn't hang around. I would imagine that a heron's beak could make quite a significant hole in a herring gull's skull.
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Herons all look like plastic herons. I'm surprised they manage to reproduce.
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I don't know - traffic clones manage it.
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Set up the Raspberry Pi with NoIR camera and an infrared flood as a test in the Ranger station. Expected to get nothing so was pleasantly suprised to get this Brown Long Eared bat flitting about. A proper installation will happen in the next week or so for a week, along with sound recording.
https://youtu.be/rrj0Sq7re8A
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Swifts, swallows, kites (red), buzzards. Fantastic.
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And today, Meadow Browns, a Marbled White, and a couple of purple orchids.
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A pine marten - The 2nd time i've seen one :thumbs:
It hopped on to the road on the descent towards Gartmore on the back road looked at me and disappeared back into the trees.
Also, a tiny bat sitting on the road. Don't know much about them to say what kind, or even if it wasn't dead :-(
Also, 2 moles at separate points, neither were flattened or visibly injured but they were probably dead :-(
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A big gangly hare :D, lots of bunnies, magpies, blackbirds, pigeons, doves, vetch, various fading umbellifers, red clover.
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A big gangly hare :D, lots of bunnies, magpies, blackbirds, pigeons, doves, vetch, various fading umbellifers, red clover.
I saw hunners o' bunnies yesterday, too. And slugs.
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Muntjac encounter at point-blank range on Sunday's audax: We both came to a hasty stop in the middle of the road, stared at each other for about 3.5 seconds, before it shook its head and dived back into the bushes.
Also assorted suicide pheasants. I tested the 'ride straight at them' prey animal avoidance tactic, and when I caught up, they weren't there.
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What I thought was a peregrine above the Wye at Wintour's Leap yesterday, but I've just checked and it must have been a hobby, due to the white tip to its tail.
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An empty swan nest, with a cob wandering around looking for its mate, and the eggs.
Pen was injured, presumably during an attack on the eggs by a fox or dog, so local caring person took her to the local RSPCA place, to be tended. Next day she was making good progress, so all were assuming she'd be out and back with her mate, and hopefully the eggs if they checked out OK (rather unlikely on the egg front, they were way late, and should have hatched by now).
Caring person phones yesterday, to check when he can collect the pen to take her back, and they say "Oh, we put her down, its only a bird."
Its not "only a bird", you fucking morons, its a much loved wife of a now bereaved cob, and treasured local resident. I am seething over this, as are a large group of residents.
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A grass snake on the allotment, which has lots of ickle froglets at the moment
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WK6B1kbC0RM/V3ueXFlGJgI/AAAAAAAA5Dg/iotMO-pYQAoUWpMRFxbsyWOTNZhSqbN5gCCo/s640/IMG_20160703_163254.jpg)
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This years crop of blue/coal tits having a great time picking insects (I assume) off flower heads on the large Cotoneaster waterii shrub/tree we have.
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Driving the 20 km back from the hospital at around 3 am, we had to slow for deer 7 or 8 times and once for a pair of wild boar piglets trotting across the road nose to tail.
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I have mid Wales over the last few days I have seen 7 buzzards and 1 red kite and 2 skylarks. Also a lot of swallows and some swifts :)
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The bunny-wunnies are back at the end of Fort Larrington Road. They're going to be in for a Watership Down-stylee surprise when The Man starts building two hundred new houses on those fields :(
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A hare on Felton Lane (I've no idea why it's called that as it's nowhere near any place called Felton but apparently that is its name). It ran into a field and then we stood looking at each other. Well, I stood, the hare sat. I love the way they sit 'up' as opposed to a rabbit sitting 'down'.
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I have just seen a water vole in Priory Park! The first one for years!
My attention was drawn to noise and movement coming from a clump of reeds. I could see a broad brown snout busily chomping those reeds in a way that would be quite uncharacteristic for a brown rat. After I had been watching this beast for a few second, it plopped into the water and disappeared.
Some weeks ago I was chatting to a bloke who told me that there were water voles in precisely the area I saw it, but I was very sceptical: it's probably about 10 years since I saw one in the park, and the rat population has increased dramatically in that time. However, I had a good look around the area concerned and there did seem to be an awful lot of reeds cut off just above water level.
This sighting has made me quite ridiculously happy.
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A hare on Felton Lane (I've no idea why it's called that as it's nowhere near any place called Felton but apparently that is its name). It ran into a field and then we stood looking at each other. Well, I stood, the hare sat. I love the way they sit 'up' as opposed to a rabbit sitting 'down'.
Probably a Tudor dogging site. "Felt One Lane."
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A hare on Felton Lane (I've no idea why it's called that as it's nowhere near any place called Felton but apparently that is its name). It ran into a field and then we stood looking at each other. Well, I stood, the hare sat. I love the way they sit 'up' as opposed to a rabbit sitting 'down'.
Probably a Tudor dogging site. "Felt One Lane."
;D Evidence of rubbish left in field gates indicates that part of it hasn't changed in centuries. The hare, sensibly, lives at the other end.
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Bats :)
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A very oddly shaped cat. Tiny wee head, big wide hips. From above she looked like a skittle.
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What I thought was a peregrine above the Wye at Wintour's Leap yesterday, but I've just checked and it must have been a hobby, due to the white tip to its tail.
Main way of telling them apart is shape. Ignore tail tips. Perry is shorter-winged, and the wings taper sharply from a wide base. In a fast descending glide or stoop it has a very distinctive 'anchor' shape. Wing beats are rapid and fluttery.
Hobby is long, lean and longer in wings and tail, wings being far more slender and body elongated compared with perry. Wing beats are far more sweeping, but it does spend a lot of time gliding while eating moths held in its feet. Look for the red underneath.
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The peregrines nesting atop this office tower block appear to have fledged. This morning we have been entranced by a series of aeronautic acrobatics from a big one and two smaller ones to a backdrop of green fields and pristine blue sky. They're having a lot more fun than we are.
Not sure if it's related to the fledging, but we have had several pigeon feather showers cascading past the window over the past week.
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A hare this morning. Not such a rare site round here but this is the first time I have seen one in someone's front garden. Rabbits in a garden yes but hares? Usually you only see them in the fields.
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Grass snake sunning itself on the road last thursday.
Young wild rabbit in the garden just a few minutes ago.
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A couple of circling buzard said, not common for this part of south bucks. And half a dozen swallows mobbing a kestrel.
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Five juvey starlings on the feeders this morning, making a racket and annoying the other birds.
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What I thought was a peregrine above the Wye at Wintour's Leap yesterday, but I've just checked and it must have been a hobby, due to the white tip to its tail.
Main way of telling them apart is shape. Ignore tail tips. Perry is shorter-winged, and the wings taper sharply from a wide base. In a fast descending glide or stoop it has a very distinctive 'anchor' shape. Wing beats are rapid and fluttery.
Hobby is long, lean and longer in wings and tail, wings being far more slender and body elongated compared with perry. Wing beats are far more sweeping, but it does spend a lot of time gliding while eating moths held in its feet. Look for the red underneath.
If shape is more distinctive than colour then it probably was a peregrine. As far as I remember now. Thanks!
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The annual congregation of red kites over the field across the road, around a dozen of them quartering over the grass that was cut last evening. Incredibly well camouflaged when they occasionally land. Plus all too infrequent this year, butterfly's in the garden, several large and small whites, a couple of meadow brows, and a freshly minted red admiral.
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Bunnies galore, a several of Magpies and a Green Woodpecker
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Went on a bat hunt last night in the tunnels at Glenfarg. Couple of roosting Brown Long Eared bats, many Pipistrelles flying about. Heard what were probably Daubentons on the bat detector.
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Hobby coming back from the grocery run (me, not the falcon)
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A fox. I heard it before I saw it. There was a loud "thump" and my immediate thought was that it was a fox jumping onto a high fence. I think it had been chased there because it came tearing out of the garden in question and hurtled round a corner before disappearing.
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Hobby coming back from the grocery run (me, not the falcon)
I know some people say shopping is their hobby, but is putting the shopping away really so fascinating? Or were you playing a table-top football game? ;)
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The newly local buzzard, perched on the 5m high stump of a dead black poplar in the field opposite.
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A buzzard over Cookham :)
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Now if it was a cook over Leighton Buzzard...
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Enjoy the buzzards while you can: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/04/buzzard-licence-kill-slaughter-wildlife-natural-world
:demon:
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Fucking bastards. I make no apology for foul language. How about a licence to slaughter ignorant judges for the harm they are doing, then?
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Fieldfares? In _August_? I'd expect them in October(ish) not now.
Saw what looked very like two fieldfares this morning whilst out for a pootle on my bike. Definitely weren't thrushes or juvenile starlings. Anyone know of a.n.other bird that resembles a fieldfare that is more likely to be seen in August?
In other news. At least twelve long-tailed tits on the fat-ball feeder in the garden yesterday afternoon. This is the first year they've been a near constant presence. In previous years they were only, infrequent, winter visitors.
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This week, first time ever I've seen a red kite in England (north Buckinghamshire)
Also, in the same field a couple of hares and a couple of what I think were grouse (do you get them in Bucks?).
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This week, first time ever I've seen a red kite in England (north Buckinghamshire)
Also, in the same field a couple of hares and a couple of what I think were grouse (do you get them in Bucks?).
I would think more likely to be a variety of partridge than grouse, but we're coming up to the "Glorious" 12th so p'raps all the "grice" have flown south to avoid getting bumped off by chinless wonders with shotguns? :)
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Within the first 10k of today's ride: some buzzards, a kestrel, grey wagtails anna stoat.
Later, a couple of deer and loads more buzzards.
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Fieldfares? In _August_? I'd expect them in October(ish) not now.
Saw what looked very like two fieldfares this morning whilst out for a pootle on my bike. Definitely weren't thrushes or juvenile starlings. Anyone know of a.n.other bird that resembles a fieldfare that is more likely to be seen in August?
In other news. At least twelve long-tailed tits on the fat-ball feeder in the garden yesterday afternoon. This is the first year they've been a near constant presence. In previous years they were only, infrequent, winter visitors.
Some years ago Mrs. Wow and I were on tour in Germany with Auntie Helen. It was June and we were on the Rhine. We stopped one afternoon for tea and cake (!) and a thrush-like bird approached and was clearly after our cake crumbs. I thought it looked like a fieldfare but, as you have observed, fieldfares are winter visitors.
Except they are not! In that part of Germany they are there all the year round! We are accustomed in this country to seeing the fieldfares that migrate from Siberia and are very wary of humans. This German one was as tame as a robin - which seem to be rather uncommon on the continent and are therefore wary of humans! The black redstart seems to occupy the same niche in some places I have been.
I wonder whether you are observing some climate-change related behaviour pattern adaptation. In other news, Jan and I watched a pair of house martins flying up and down Westcliff sea front on 20th November 1976.
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Not seen, but heard. A skein of geese honking loudly directly overhead at around 5:30 this morning. That woke us up! A sign that summer is drawing to a close.
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One of the peregrine fledglings was sitting on the ledge below my window. I was alerted to it by its screeching. By pressing my head and looking down, I could see it, about 2 to 3 feet away. It was looking around and up, screeching most of the time. I couldn't tell if it was looking at me or looking to see if it's calls were attracting oits mother. After two or three minutes it flew off.
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Not seen, but heard. A skein of geese honking loudly directly overhead at around 5:30 this morning. That woke us up! A sign that summer is drawing to a close.
Summer drawing to a close? It hasn't even started here :-\
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Peregrine update. It's all going on here*
Since the sighting we've had a pigeon-feather cascade (not unusual) and the sight of one of the smaller birds taking a lump of something from the large one in flight.
*Outside the window, there's not much going on inside.
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Pair of displaying peregrines above client's garden today. I felt pretty insignificant. Even more so! (Not my photos)
(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160810/88793569284c4b96f54d9d781571349c.jpg)(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160810/4c6e52c3cf1e6c2832aab260dedcdd53.jpg)
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One big and very edible-looking rabbit crossed in a hurry a few metres in front of the bike in one of the local lanes. It was followed by a smaller mammal with a surprisingly bushy tail, revealed when it decided to go back into the hedge to avoid me. Presumably it decided that we were too close to a collision course to gamble. Seemingly it opted for personal survival rather than lunch for the kids. I reckoned that without the hesitation the (presumed) mustelid would have crossed ahead of me with room to spare, and a reasonable chance of catching bunny.
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A bird - that probably wasn't any sort of buzzard - flapping away as it shat on my face, the bastard. Had to use most of my remaining water to wash it off. It's enough to make a racing crouch seem like a good idea.
Also an escaped horse in the process of being rounded up, with absolutely no help from the impatient motorists. Once they'd got a rope on it and it didn't seem necessary to wait in the middle of the road some way back to stop WVM behind getting ideas, I kept a low profile and walked the bike past on the opposite verge.
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It's supposed to be good luck to have a bird shitting on you apparently. I will stick to my usual bad luck ;D
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A kestrel unusually perched on a phone line, scanning the adjacent field. And over the last coupl of days, a leaf-cutter bee making a "nest" - well forming it's cells - in a hole in an old piece of oak post we have as a garden "feature". Fascinating.
Here she is in the process of sealing a cell.
(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k87/rafletcher/IMG_1316.jpg) (http://s86.photobucket.com/user/rafletcher/media/IMG_1316.jpg.html)
And now she's completed one "burrow" and has started on the one beloiw...
(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k87/rafletcher/IMG_1317.jpg) (http://s86.photobucket.com/user/rafletcher/media/IMG_1317.jpg.html)
And now the job is finished, and she's off to pastured new..
(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k87/rafletcher/IMG_1321.jpg) (http://s86.photobucket.com/user/rafletcher/media/IMG_1321.jpg.html)
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About 40-50 swallows wheeling about, with a sparrowhawk in their midst. Amazing agility.
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This morning as I left for work 100+ swallows on the phone lines. I was fractionally late getting the photo...
(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k87/rafletcher/IMG_1320.jpg) (http://s86.photobucket.com/user/rafletcher/media/IMG_1320.jpg.html)
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Went for a walk and saw a couple of cetaceans
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_0836.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_0843.jpg)
Then a cheeky seal
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_0856.jpg)
and the real target of the walk, a smaller version...
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_0857.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_0895.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_0927.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_0931.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_0941.jpg)
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(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/hedgecodge.gif)
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A mole under my tent this past week. Being in one spot for 3 weeks has softened the ground, encouraging moles to visit. Not seen the actual mole, just a small bump moving under the carpet, chinking empty beer bottles and occasionally stopping to do what sounds like licking of the lips but is doubtless munching on a tasty worm.
Bloody thing has kept me awake, along with the noisiest young owl in the tree above my tent and the scampering of squirrels in my kitchen hoping for another packet of garlic naan breads foolishly not kept under lock and key. Now back home. Only the kids constituting wildlife now.
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Bloody Sparrowhawk chasing something came through the garden area at work and jinked around a bush. I don’t know who was more surprised as it’s wingtip just missed my eye :D
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A HUGE harvestman on my sofa. I looked away and he'd hidden, probly in my blankie. He's welcome to share 8)
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Went out this evening to otter hunt again.
Saw one (it was probably the same one). Delightful.
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Some stuff.
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_9791-a.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_9892-a.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_9879-a.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_9830-a.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_0013-a.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_0114-a.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_0103-a.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_0098-a.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_0140-a.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_0036-a.jpg)
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Talking of noise, I could see these but not hear them, though they are very loud. Photos are very hard in the near dark and at distance with fast movers.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8511/28645651144_18ca11cdbf_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/KDjs5Y)M_daubs3 (https://flic.kr/p/KDjs5Y) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
Daubentons bats
(https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8474/28980563450_e1440432c2_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/L9UXR5)M_daubs2 (https://flic.kr/p/L9UXR5) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
Daubs and a pip
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8235/28645650624_abbafb1435_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/KDjrW1)Ppyg_spectrum (https://flic.kr/p/KDjrW1) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
pip with a social call
(https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8676/28980562930_2d1c952222_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/L9UXG7)Pa_spectrum (https://flic.kr/p/L9UXG7) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
Brown Long Eared (called Harry).
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Yesterday, early afternoon. A red kite and a buzzard circling in the same airspace for several minutes. Later a pair of buzzards. The buzzards are, I think, a first this year. And later still around 70 swallows. We've seen more this year than for many years.
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A stick insect. Well, in fact many at the botanic gardens greenhouse. https://youtu.be/QcgkfbwqxF0
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a couple of brown hares and a fox in different fields on my run this evening, fox just crossing the path in front of me through the hedge
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(https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8065/29083974090_3b8fb184a4_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Lj3Ye9)
P8310102 (https://flic.kr/p/Lj3Ye9) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
Turtles, Oklahoma, Wednesday
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Some stuff.
Great photos ! :thumbsup:
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A PROPER red sqrl crossing the road in front of me, on the ride home.
This was on the back road behind Drum Castle, only a short distance outside Aberdeen.
I've never seen a PROPER sqrl that close to town before.
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A PROPER red sqrl crossing the road in front of me, on the ride home.
This was on the back road behind Drum Castle, only a short distance outside Aberdeen.
I've never seen a PROPER sqrl that close to town before.
Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels would be interested in this sighting: http://scottishsquirrels.org.uk/squirrel-sightings/
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A PROPER red sqrl crossing the road in front of me, on the ride home.
This was on the back road behind Drum Castle, only a short distance outside Aberdeen.
I've never seen a PROPER sqrl that close to town before.
Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels would be interested in this sighting: http://scottishsquirrels.org.uk/squirrel-sightings/
Done.
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This morning I spotted:
* kitteh - one
* foxen - 14 (heard a few more)
* canoodlers - a plenty
* ne'erdowells - too many
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The other day: my first armadillo. Pity it was roadkill :(
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Some stuff.
Great photos ! :thumbsup:
Jaded , where ? Orkneys / NW Highlands ? Cracking photos and spots :thumbsup:
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A PROPER red sqrl crossing the road in front of me, on the ride home.
This was on the back road behind Drum Castle, only a short distance outside Aberdeen.
I've never seen a PROPER sqrl that close to town before.
Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels would be interested in this sighting: http://scottishsquirrels.org.uk/squirrel-sightings/
Done.
I have one in my freezer at work.
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Some stuff.
Great photos ! :thumbsup:
Jaded , where ? Orkneys / NW Highlands ? Cracking photos and spots :thumbsup:
Thank you :)
NW Highlands, Summer Isles area.
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Gorgeous area and obviously lived up to their name for you :)
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Jellyfish, lots of them floating past the Bleo Holm where I am this week.
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(https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8215/28946155994_d7717059d1_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/L6SBH5)
EK004114 (https://flic.kr/p/L6SBH5) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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A coyote gaily trotting across US-93 just north of Wells NV this morning.
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Bison. Two different ones. Plus a bunch of deer. And a ground sqrl. Which became a ground ground sqrl, unfortunately, after losing a scrap with one of the Ratmobile's rear tyres.
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(https://c6.staticflickr.com/9/8310/29725651141_ddf63e88ff_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/MhKJsz) Common dolphin, Loch Broom (13/09/16) (https://flic.kr/p/MhKJsz)
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(https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5145/29769771702_2482848ddb_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/MmDRXU)
P9230061 (https://flic.kr/p/MmDRXU) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr. Black tree rat, Soo Locks Park, Sault Ste Marie MI.
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(https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8515/29783652782_51497be351_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/MnT1jS)20160921_113245 (https://flic.kr/p/MnT1jS) by Ruth Irving (https://www.flickr.com/photos/106826773@N02/), on Flickr
(https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8033/29603167340_70a8e958fe_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/M6VYhU)2016-09-24_04-43-19 (https://flic.kr/p/M6VYhU) by Ruth Irving (https://www.flickr.com/photos/106826773@N02/), on Flickr
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Hot hedgepig action video.
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/9/8309/29811864201_b0e69bb3e6_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/MqnAAD)
hedgepigs_01 (https://flic.kr/p/MqnAAD) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Rabbits - loads of rabbits.
Not exactly seen today - more like a couple of weeks ago.
I accidentally ended up riding along a bit of the A46 just north of Leicester one evening. There was a stretch with a wide, lush grass verge with some woodland beyond it. There were loads of rabbits stuffing themselves in the evening sun. What surprised me was the fact that they seemed completely unconcerned by the juggernauts hurtling past them but as I pootled by on my bike there was a sort of Mexican wave of them disappearing into the wood. I guess that I looked/acted more like a predator.
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Deer, Ptarmigans, red sqrl, Mountain Hare ( being chased unsuccessfully by a Very Fast dog ), several dogs of the Wrong Kind to have up a hill.
One guy had a small sossidge-dog running along the steep track at his feet, and a puppy sossidge-dog ( chipolata-dog? ) stuffed up his jumper.
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A pair of fallow deer on the road ahead while I was riding earlier, they carried along the road for a bit before heading into the trees. Probably the longest time deer have been that close that I remember.
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Yesterday at Loch of Strathbeg: deer, kestrel, buzzards, hundreds of geese (pink footed, barnacle), hundreds of ducks (wigeon, shoveller, teal & others), loads of whooper swans, a snipe & a water rail.
Today: some seals, a heron, some buzzards.
And we've just been watching a bat flying over the garden.
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Two squashed squirrels on a road near the Rhine. They are a rusty red colour but not red squirrels as we know them, I think.
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They probably are (Eurasian) red squirrels. They come in a range of hues. We've seen virtually black ones in Germany.
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Backlit by the early morning sun on a frosty misty field opposite the house, a pair of unconcerned muntjacs strolling around. And later, one of the increasingly common buzzards quartering the field behind the house.
Also heard last night, an owl of some ilk (likely tawny female) the te-whit one. We don't often hear the male response.
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They probably are (Eurasian) red squirrels. They come in a range of hues. We've seen virtually black ones in Germany.
And in North America.
(https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7771/30219982891_35c84d4ffe_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/N3rj4M)IMG_0663 (https://flic.kr/p/N3rj4M) by Ruth Irving (https://www.flickr.com/photos/106826773@N02/), on Flickr
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Ninja squirrel?
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At least one sqrl, one side of which is black?
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5145/29769771702_2482848ddb_c.jpg)
OK, two sqrls. This one was in Soo Locks Park, Sault Ste Marie MI and flagrantly ignoring the "US Government Property: Keep Out" signs around the locks.
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2 green woodpeckers along the jubilee river near Slough yesterday :)
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A field vole, unfortunately dead (courtesy of the cat I assume) on the path, a heron, a buzzard, and a flock of terns heading for the reservoir for the night.
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Tree rat, a couple of buzzards and a rarity for us, a bullfinch.
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Red kite circling over Hillingdon circuit which, at least according to the BHPC's chief twitcher in residence, is not all that unusual though I've not seen one that close to Londonton before.
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They used to be urban birds.
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Simultaneous contrasting woodpeckers this morning.
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A buzzard flying over our village. A lone crow scrambled from the trees along the side of the field and proceeded to mob it until it had cleared off.
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They used to be urban birds.
Mr Burrows (for it was he) said "wake me up if you see one in Norfolk" but he was being grumpy coz he fell off his bike earlier and skinned his elbow.
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They used to be urban birds.
Mr Burrows (for it was he) said "wake me up if you see one in Norfolk" but he was being grumpy coz he fell off his bike earlier and skinned his elbow.
I have thrice seen kites in Essex. I would imagine that they have been seen in Norfolk too.
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A bunch of whooper swans over our house heading south this evening.
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Robin - looking for worms, following me around the garden doing a tidy-up.
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I saw a grey wagtail this morning when taking the dog for a walk.
On Wednesday we went to Minsmere and spent a few hours wandering about. There were lots of teal and wigeon, a few black-tailed godwits, a marsh tit, a fleeting view of a pair of bearded tits (this prompted My Pal Janet Who Art In Sibton to suggest that Mrs. Wow take a photograph of My Mate Terry Who Art In Sibton and myself, to commemorate the occasion) a few geese of different sorts, and a Bewick's swan.
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A roe deer bounding through the field beside us as we rode along. A proper bambi! Whenever I ride my bike with Suzanne I get a spectacular wildlife moment. Last time it was a herd of white horses racing beside us, manes and tails flowing in the wind - beautiful.
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"The horse-hair, my friend, is flowing in the wind, the horse-hair is flowing in the wind."
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A heron flying over the village then standing in the field near the church. Also Buster some sort of staffie/bulldog type dog (but very friendly) that was wandering by himself near the church. Me and Tilly took him back to his (huge - put it this way I handed him over to the housekeeper) house about half a mile away where they hadn't even realised he had got out of the
garden grounds.
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Yesterday at twilight half a dozen large flights of geese ( I'd estimate 600 to 800 total) heading roughly westward.
Noisy buggers.
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Don't see these very often in FurryBootToon.
(https://c5.staticflickr.com/6/5504/30496329620_5af5e37964_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/NsREjy)
IMG_4938_01 (https://flic.kr/p/NsREjy) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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(https://c5.staticflickr.com/6/5600/30675715452_f26d8a4f5a_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/NJH4tJ)DSC_7537 (https://flic.kr/p/NJH4tJ) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
Couple of Soprano pipistrelles
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As I walked to church one of the local Buzzards was being harried by an unidentified Gull.
As I came home later there was again a Buzzard low over the estate. :thumbsup:
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Strange behaviour by a goldfinch today. We have a niger seed feeder which attracts them, but today one was squatting on our patio and barely moving; normally they are very nervous birds. It turned its head occasionally, but didn't move when approached. I placed an upturned lid of water right in front of it, but it still didn't move.
Later, just as it started to rain, I noticed it had gone.
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A pair of Dippers on a partly submerged log in the river Teifi this morning.
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Strange behaviour by a goldfinch today. We have a niger seed feeder which attracts them, but today one was squatting on our patio and barely moving; normally they are very nervous birds. It turned its head occasionally, but didn't move when approached. I placed an upturned lid of water right in front of it, but it still didn't move.
Later, just as it started to rain, I noticed it had gone.
Recovering from flying into the patio door, perhaps?
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Did occur to me, most likely explanation I think.
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Moar bats on the ride home. Seems to be a good bat spotting route when you are riding in the twilight.
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Buzzard being mobbed by crows over our garden.
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Yesterday - grey wagtail in Priory Park.
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This morning - a dunnock in Darlington.
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Loads of stuff on the Isle of Sheppey. Our daughter paid for a day's guided raptor watching with the nominatively-deterministic Tony Swandale. It was magnificent.
Species seen:
kestrels * lots
marsh harriers * lots (about 20 at once when they started to roost in the last afternoon)
2 * peregrines (they were standing a few yards apart in a field and when one took off, the other followed and they went to the shore to bully a load of waders)
1 or 2 "ringtail" hen harriers (probably the same bird twice)
common buzzards
merlin
short-eared owl
Also, chief amongst the non-raptors was a common crane. I took a really bad photo of it flying, from a long way away.
None of these birds was tame or in captivity - all of them were out over the marshes of Sheppey, near Capel Fleet or Shellness Point.
To be honest, most of these species I was already familiar with but Tony hammered home the distinguishing marks. Also, he was first-rate at knowing where to look. I wouldn't have given those two lumps in the field a quarter of a mile away a second glance, but they were both peregrines. When he first pointed them out they had their backs to us and I thought they might have been carrion crows.
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A badger. A real, live badger, snuffling through a small, scappy woodland in broad daylight – about 2:30. Big, and not at all concerned about humans.
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On Thursday the RSPB had a stand outside my local bank, so I stopped for a chat and to point out the white wagtail in the car park.
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Waxwings :D
(https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5516/31328127781_5c00322cc7_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/PJmQWa)
IMG_5064_01 (https://flic.kr/p/PJmQWa) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Bottlenose Dolphin in the harbour
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Yesterday - grey wagtail in Priory park.
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Assorted stuff around Hanningfield Reservoir.
Most interesting ducks: wigeon, although there were quite a few tufted ducks as well. There were reports that there were some gadwall about, but my duck-fu isn't that great and the level of teh water was so low that nothing was within 100 yards of us in any case.
Lapwings doing lots of aerobatics which I initially thought was raptor-avoidance, and mobbing a not-lapwing which was flying nearby. My impression was that the not-lapwing was a curlew, but I wasn't certain, or why they would want to mob something so clearly harmless to lapwings.
Geese, mostly Canada geese.
Silhouettes in a Scots pine, one of which I feel confident was a goldcrest, and the other I think was a treecreeper, judging by its behaviour and turned-down tail.
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A red kite over St Pancras Station today. I was part of private tour of the hidden places under Kings Cross underground station, and we went on top of one of the ventilator shafts on Kings Cross Square.
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There were reports that there were some gadwall about, but my duck-fu isn't that great and the level of teh water was so low that nothing was within 100 yards of us in any case.
MrsC always describes Gadwall as being very 'business suit' sort of ducks. Smart, but grey and understated.
Which makes them tricky to see at a distance.
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FurryBootToonish otters! :thumbsup:
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There were reports that there were some gadwall about, but my duck-fu isn't that great and the level of teh water was so low that nothing was within 100 yards of us in any case.
MrsC always describes Gadwall as being very 'business suit' sort of ducks. Smart, but grey and understated.
Which makes them tricky to see at a distance.
Black bums, white speculum are the two bits that show at a distance, but the rest of the look is purest beige.
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Waxwings (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=50474.msg2113413#msg2113413) :thumbsup:
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Grouse. The sounds they make are totally fucking creepy - and on a moor-top, in the fog, doubly so.
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Grouse. The sounds they make are totally fucking creepy - and on a moor-top, in the fog, doubly so.
It's the sort of sound that has you reaching for the crowbar in case it turns out to be headcrabs...
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More waxwings today. Didn't get quite as close as yesterday, though.
(https://c5.staticflickr.com/1/505/31328262900_dcca959e37_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/PJnx6N)
IMG_7914_01 (https://flic.kr/p/PJnx6N) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Grouse. The sounds they make are totally fucking creepy - and on a moor-top, in the fog, doubly so.
It's the sort of sound that has you reaching for the crowbar in case it turns out to be headcrabs...
You know what to do: go back, go back, go back, go back!
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Black grouse or willow ptarmigan?
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Black grouse or willow ptarmigan?
As Chris gives his location as Norfolk, and Kim is Brum, Lagopus lagopus was the best guess.
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Black grouse or willow ptarmigan?
As Chris gives his location as Norfolk, and Kim is Brum, Lagopus lagopus was the best guess.
IRTA "Bagpuss bagpuss"...
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;D
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A squirrel in the greenhouse looking for bulbs, and a group of fieldfares on the windfall apples in the field behind the house.
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Whilst driving from New Galloway to Castle Douglas the other gloaming, a fallow deer crossed the road in front of me. It had no lights but I slowed down as soon as I was alerted to its presence by its hi-viz white arse, the shape of which indicated that that particular fallow deer had been manufactured by Ortlieb.
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Dolphins in the harbour right now.
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Waxwings being seen off by a territorial Mistle thrush
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Waxwings being seen off by a territorial Mistle thrush
Waxwings have now mustered a fleet of 50 or so, have seen of the thrush and are dismantling the rowan berries.
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A mistletoe thrushn the garden and two hares in the back field.
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More waxwings today. Didn't get quite as close as yesterday, though.
(https://c5.staticflickr.com/1/505/31328262900_dcca959e37_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/PJnx6N)
IMG_7914_01 (https://flic.kr/p/PJnx6N) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
brilliant --send some down south last ones here in numbers several years ago!!
Not seen today but two weeks ago on Afon Banwy, near Llanfair Caerenion, 1x dead salmon (about 30" length) on rock with chest bitten out by what most certainly would be an otter, also dippers singing on nearby small stream
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More heard, less seen. A woodpecker whilst dog walking in Sydenham Hill Wood.
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More waxwings today. Didn't get quite as close as yesterday, though.
(https://c5.staticflickr.com/1/505/31328262900_dcca959e37_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/PJnx6N)
IMG_7914_01 (https://flic.kr/p/PJnx6N) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
brilliant --send some down south last ones here in numbers several years ago!!
More today in Banchory.
(https://c5.staticflickr.com/1/560/31792320892_cb90b1948a_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/QrnXnE)
IMG_8018_01 (https://flic.kr/p/QrnXnE) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Jurek has reminded me: on Christmas morning I heard a greater spotted woodpecker drumming as though it was spring.
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More waxwings today. Didn't get quite as close as yesterday, though.
(https://c5.staticflickr.com/1/505/31328262900_dcca959e37_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/PJnx6N)
IMG_7914_01 (https://flic.kr/p/PJnx6N) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
brilliant --send some down south last ones here in numbers several years ago!!
If you're on Twitter check out https://twitter.com/WaxwingsUK
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Thanks link, don`t have twitter a/c but can see their progress; and Radnor Birdblog reports them today in llandrindod Wells :thumbsup:
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Thanks link, don`t have twitter a/c but can see their progress; and Radnor Birdblog reports them today in llandrindod Wells :thumbsup:
:thumbsup:
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A few months ago I spotted what I thought was a Red Kite over the woods behind our house. Since then, I have regularly sighted numerous large hawk-like birds over the woods at the other side of the road and have come to realise that they aren't Red Kites, nor are they Buzzards - but I have struggled to identify what they are.
One of them has been quite active over the back of our house today so I have had quite a good look and with a bit of internet research have come to the conclusion that they are most probably Marsh Harriers, which are resident in this area (North Kent coast) according to the RSPB website. I shall endeavour to get some pictures and post them here in the hope that someone more knowledgeable than me can confirm the identity...
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More waxwings today. Didn't get quite as close as yesterday, though.
(https://c5.staticflickr.com/1/505/31328262900_dcca959e37_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/PJnx6N)
IMG_7914_01 (https://flic.kr/p/PJnx6N) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
brilliant --send some down south last ones here in numbers several years ago!!
More today in Banchory.
(https://c5.staticflickr.com/1/560/31792320892_cb90b1948a_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/QrnXnE)
IMG_8018_01 (https://flic.kr/p/QrnXnE) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
On Thursday I spotted several people in anoraks acting suspiciously in the car park of the Hull branch of Mr Sainsbury's Emporium of Toothy Comestibles. On closer inspection they were photographing a tree full of birds. Like most birds, they were small, black and bird-shaped.
That evening, the car park of the Hull branch of Mr Sainsbury's Emporium of Toothy Comestibles appeared on the BBC regional news, and the birds were revealed to be waxwings through the aid of bird-spotting knowledge and a Proper Camera. This was quite disappointing, as I was hoping for the now legendary Peter Levy.
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Ooh, I've never seen one in real life! Bird life has been pretty sparse the last few times I've been out. Plenty of crows and the odd dunnock is all. You lot are lucky!
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On Saturday: redwings in a neighbour's garden. Managed one crap picture before they flew off:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/488/31884457352_1628ea0ab5_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Qzwbkj)
IMG_5266_01 (https://flic.kr/p/Qzwbkj) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Redwings were back and a sparrowhawk flew over the gardens.
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A few months ago I spotted what I thought was a Red Kite over the woods behind our house. Since then, I have regularly sighted numerous large hawk-like birds over the woods at the other side of the road and have come to realise that they aren't Red Kites, nor are they Buzzards - but I have struggled to identify what they are.
One of them has been quite active over the back of our house today so I have had quite a good look and with a bit of internet research have come to the conclusion that they are most probably Marsh Harriers, which are resident in this area (North Kent coast) according to the RSPB website. I shall endeavour to get some pictures and post them here in the hope that someone more knowledgeable than me can confirm the identity...
My local reserve used to be Stodmarsh in NE Kent, and we got some marsh and a silly number of hen harriers. The distinctive feature of both is fight. which tends to be at a low level, gliding mostly, wings held in a shallow V and rocking slightly from side to side, unlike sprawks (flap-flap-glide). Marsh males are a mix of brown and grey with black wingtips, the females all choc brown with gold on wing leading edges and forehead. Hen males are a lovely silver grey with black wing tips. Female and immature hens ('ringtails') are streaky brown with a distinctive white rump. All have long straight tails, unlike buzzards, that they rarely fan out, unlike kites.
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My local reserve used to be Stodmarsh in NE Kent, and we got some marsh and a silly number of hen harriers.
Stodmarsh is only a few miles away - I'm just the other side of Canterbury.
The distinctive feature of both is fight. which tends to be at a low level, gliding mostly, wings held in a shallow V and rocking slightly from side to side
The ones I see regularly tend to be gliding in circles over the woods. Not what I would call 'low level' but that may be relative. Hard to tell the wing angle but 'shallow V' sounds about right. Tail shape sounds about right for Marsh Harriers according to your description as well.
I will try to get some pics but I haven't seen them for a few days now.
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Encountered (thankfully not physically) a several of deer loitering in the road near Alvechurch on a ride yesterday. That's never happened before.
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My local reserve used to be Stodmarsh in NE Kent, and we got some marsh and a silly number of hen harriers.
Stodmarsh is only a few miles away - I'm just the other side of Canterbury.
The distinctive feature of both is fight. which tends to be at a low level, gliding mostly, wings held in a shallow V and rocking slightly from side to side
The ones I see regularly tend to be gliding in circles over the woods. Not what I would call 'low level' but that may be relative. Hard to tell the wing angle but 'shallow V' sounds about right. Tail shape sounds about right for Marsh Harriers according to your description as well.
I will try to get some pics but I haven't seen them for a few days now.
Your five gliding raptors down that way are two harriers, two buzzards and red kite. Kites aren't really over there yet, and buzzards are only just coming back--they were wiped out in the East years ago and are only slowly coming back.
Both buzzards (common and rough-legged) have short tails. RLB tends to be a scarce winter visitor to the East (I saw one N of Faversham) and look more 'black and white' than CB, having sharper colour differentiation and usually white tail with dark terminal band and pale head. Their big field point is hovering--wind-hanging over one spot, which CB doesn't do. Hovering in this video:
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=rough+legged+buzzard&&view=detail&mid=D33AD5BA8E79979778D8D33AD5BA8E79979778D8&rvsmid=D33AD5BA8E79979778D8D33AD5BA8E79979778D8&fsscr=0&FORM=VDMCNL
Common (and honey)
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Buzzard+Identification&&view=detail&mid=93D5D064BF8CE1843F3293D5D064BF8CE1843F32&FORM=VRDGAR
Kites are all cranked wings and twisting tail, even if you can't see the fork; watch how it twists on this video
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/r/redkite/index.aspx
Marsh harriers are resident in Kent, and the circling over trees bit is quite common. They are chunkier than HH, wings broader, and the female is really dark, looking 'gilded' on forehead and wing leading edge. Gorgeous RSPB video here with food passing between a couple.
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/m/marshharrier/index.aspx
Male HH showing length of tail and that rocking motion. Note how the tail doesn't twist like the kite's, just spreads every now and then. Windy days, so some hard work by the birds to get moving.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Hen+Harrier+Scotland&&view=detail&mid=FB534A52E469E3167494FB534A52E469E3167494&FORM=VRDGAR
Female HH. Note the white rump.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=female+hen+harrier&&view=detail&mid=B5D6320017CF26B3BB6DB5D6320017CF26B3BB6D&FORM=VRDGAR
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A brambling in the garden today, first one this winter.
As well as a woodpecker, long-tailed tit, yellowhammers, collared doves, and the rest of the regulars.
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Haven't seen a brambling in ages.
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Two little egrets in the Dene near my house! :D
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Two little egrets in the Dene near my house! :D
... You lot are lucky!
:)
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Redwing outside my window now.
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A few months ago I spotted what I thought was a Red Kite over the woods behind our house. Since then, I have regularly sighted numerous large hawk-like birds over the woods at the other side of the road and have come to realise that they aren't Red Kites, nor are they Buzzards - but I have struggled to identify what they are.
One of them has been quite active over the back of our house today so I have had quite a good look and with a bit of internet research have come to the conclusion that they are most probably Marsh Harriers, which are resident in this area (North Kent coast) according to the RSPB website. I shall endeavour to get some pictures and post them here in the hope that someone more knowledgeable than me can confirm the identity...
A month ago Mrs. Wow and I attended a raptor watching day on Sheerness, a present from our daughter. It was organised and led by one Tony Swandale of the Kent WLT and RSPB. Just before sunset, from Shellness Point, he said he counted 20 marsh harriers simultaneously, wheeling around ready to roost. I counted 16. On that same day, we saw a lot of common buzzards. Sometimes they have rough-legged ones as well, but not this year it seems.
It was a brilliant day out, if a little cold.
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More waxwings today. Didn't get quite as close as yesterday, though.
(https://c5.staticflickr.com/1/505/31328262900_dcca959e37_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/PJnx6N)
IMG_7914_01 (https://flic.kr/p/PJnx6N) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
brilliant --send some down south last ones here in numbers several years ago!!
If you're on Twitter check out https://twitter.com/WaxwingsUK
I`ve not yet been able to get over for sightings but birdblog indicates around 50 or 60 at locations around Llandrinod Wells
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Red Admiral fluttering away outside our front window. That was on on Saturday.
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Kingfisher by the village stream:
(http://www.pbase.com/image/164825989.jpg) (http://www.pbase.com/image/164825989)
Unfortunately I was too far away with the wrong camera, but it was the first in my life that I've had one in sight for more than half a second, so here it is. Thirty seconds later he was in the water, then up, out and away with a fish. We saw him again a bit later, for the usual half-second as he dodged between the trees.
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On this morning's dog empty, I spotted what appeared to be a black heron? flying along the river, being either pursued or followed by a normally marked heron.
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A flock of sanderlings/turnstones.
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On this morning's dog empty, I spotted what appeared to be a black heron? flying along the river, being either pursued or followed by a normally marked heron.
I've googled 'Black Heron'. Such a thing exist, but in South Efrica, so it wasn't one of those. Maybe it was just a heron that was black. ???
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On this morning's dog empty, I spotted what appeared to be a black heron? flying along the river, being either pursued or followed by a normally marked heron.
I've googled 'Black Heron'. Such a thing exist, but in South Efrica, so it wasn't one of those. Maybe it was just a heron that was black. ???
Pterodactyl?
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;D herons in flight always look a bit pterodactyl imo
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A bird (type unknown) flying backward as it took off into a gust of wind.
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On this morning's dog empty, I spotted what appeared to be a black heron? flying along the river, being either pursued or followed by a normally marked heron.
I've googled 'Black Heron'. Such a thing exist, but in South Efrica, so it wasn't one of those. Maybe it was just a heron that was black. ???
Basil, possibly a cormorant?
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On this morning's dog empty, I spotted what appeared to be a black heron? flying along the river, being either pursued or followed by a normally marked heron.
I've googled 'Black Heron'. Such a thing exist, but in South Efrica, so it wasn't one of those. Maybe it was just a heron that was black. ???
Basil, possibly a cormorant?
Do they come inland?
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I reckon I have seen one in Leicestershire.
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Cormorants definitely come inland, they hang around lakes annoying fishermen. A bit smaller than a heron.
I saw what I think was a bittern today, first time. Was standing by the side of the road next to one of the ditches along the A10. Brown, vertically striped chest/neck, long sharp beak and a bit smaller than a heron. My bird book suggests bittern.
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On this morning's dog empty, I spotted what appeared to be a black heron? flying along the river, being either pursued or followed by a normally marked heron.
I've googled 'Black Heron'. Such a thing exist, but in South Efrica, so it wasn't one of those. Maybe it was just a heron that was black. ???
Basil, possibly a cormorant?
Do they come inland?
Absolutely! Round here (near Rochdale, about 40 miles from the nearest coast) they are getting to be inland birds which occasionally go to the seaside - like Canada Geese, which never go anywhere, especially Canada!
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Yes cormorants have recently (last few years) been getting commoner inland; at Llandrindod Wells lake (about 40 miles inland) up to 7 have been present last year; they are also on River Wye and other lakes around here. Used to be a real rarity inland but as with many bird behaviours they change to seize opportunities.
It`s behaviour similar to that of Blue Tits pecking milk bottle tops (in gone by days of milk bottles on doorsteps) ie they`ve found an easy source of food and they quickly adapt
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A flock of alpine choughs anna raven! :)
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Cormorants definitely come inland, they hang around lakes annoying fishermen. A bit smaller than a heron.
I saw what I think was a bittern today, first time. Was standing by the side of the road next to one of the ditches along the A10. Brown, vertically striped chest/neck, long sharp beak and a bit smaller than a heron. My bird book suggests bittern.
The flight is distinctive, very different to a grey heron's. Herons lumber, with slightly arched and raptor[like wings. Bitterns have more rounded wings, and 'float', very like an owl.
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I think you've confused two separate sightings there Steph.
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Cormorants definitely come inland, they hang around lakes annoying fishermen. A bit smaller than a heron.
I saw what I think was a bittern today, first time. Was standing by the side of the road next to one of the ditches along the A10. Brown, vertically striped chest/neck, long sharp beak and a bit smaller than a heron. My bird book suggests bittern.
The flight is distinctive, very different to a grey heron's. Herons lumber, with slightly arched and raptor[like wings. Bitterns have more rounded wings, and 'float', very like an owl.
Yes, I'd recognise a heron in flight anyday, particulalry the head/neck position. The bird in question was stood by the side of the drainage ditch though.
I don't think it was trying to thumb a lift :)
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A flock of long-tailed tits. Normally I recognise their presence by their sound before I see them, but today they were making a different call from the normal monotonous 4-note sequence - a lot more trilling and twittering. I haven't heard those calls before.
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A dipper singing in Rock Park, Llandrindod wells not far from town centre ;D
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On Sunday, not one, but three harris hawks, all related to each other!
One of them landed on next door's fence post.
I should point out that I haven't come across a major hidden home of exotic birds of prey, but they were captive bred ones belonging to a family round the corner, and they were being taken out up the park for a fly. Still lovely birds, and I think they're going to be happy for me to photograph them soon.
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Real live new lambs ;D ;D
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^
Very nice James. However, I think I can pip that.
The other night (at 2am to be exact) I was woken up by a terrific squealing, which I at first thought was a cat fight. Going downstairs into the kitchen, I found a fox there. It was by the back door, and our 3-legged 16-year-old cat was about 4ft away, sat down calmly watching it. I looked at the fox, he/she looked at me, and then lazily turned round and slowly squeezed itself back out the cat flap. This wasn't a baby fox either.
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I didn't get THAT close, but I was treated to an almighty squealing while out for a run one evening last week, coming from the adjacent hedgerow. I just assumed my headtorch had woken something.
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Two cranes on West Sedgemoor in Somerset.
We've been following the project to reintroduce them for years, but this is the first time we've seen them in real life.
A long way off, but very satisfying nonetheless.
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Dead porpoise at the beach at Aberaeron. :(
A label tied to its tail read, "Do not touch. Authorities notified".
Didn't think they were around here at this time of year. Which is probably why it died. Lack of food, I guess. (Not that I actually know about this sort of thing)
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Could've been killed by dolphins.
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Could've been killed by dolphins.
There you go. Shows how little I know on the subject. I didn't think dolphins were around at this time of year either.
Here's a pic.
Aberaeron this morning https://t.co/ciGG6idOyd
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Could've been killed by dolphins.
There you go. Shows how little I know on the subject. I didn't think dolphins were around at this time of year either.
Here's a pic.
Aberaeron this morning https://t.co/ciGG6idOyd
I don't know if dolphins are in that area, I'm speculating. It's just something they do.
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a plethora of kestrels today, plus a heron.
Also some grumpy looking ducks skating around on one of the drainage ditches
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Could've been killed by dolphins.
There you go. Shows how little I know on the subject. I didn't think dolphins were around at this time of year either.
Here's a pic.
Aberaeron this morning https://t.co/ciGG6idOyd
I don't know if dolphins are in that area, I'm speculating. It's just something they do.
Mrs. Wow and I have seen dolphins from the promenade at Aberystwyth, but in the summer. Surprisingly large.
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I and the Mrs have seen dolphins leaping at Penbryn which is down the road a bit but 'twas in early Sept.
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Dead porpoise at the beach at Aberaeron. :(
A label tied to its tail read, "Do not touch. Authorities notified".
Here's a pic.
Aberaeron this morning https://t.co/ciGG6idOyd
That's a common dolphin
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Is it? Rather small. Yet again, I'm claiming no knowledge on the subject.
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Can't see the pic at work; will look later.
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Andrew is right, dolphin.
http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/naturelibrary/images/ic/credit/640x395/h/ha/harbour_porpoise/harbour_porpoise_1.jpg
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A fascinating moment after trundling back though the reserve where we were working today to the car(spit) park. Two large birds, evidently confrontational. The larger, by then clearly identifiable as a buzzard, flew onto a perch & folded wings. The other, a black corvid, decided to perch a bit higher in the same tree. They were still there when I left.
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Crikey. 'Nuff red kites in Reading.
I'm used to kites, being in West Wales, but blimey, 8 or 10 almost constantly over my mum's new place in Reading.
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Mrs F has just reported seeing a pair of Blue tits investigating a nest box I put up a couple of weeks ago. I am stupidly happy about this :D
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Redwings and waxwings today without leaving the house :)
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Mrs P trekked long and hard to see redwings and wawings this morning (well, about 30 seconds walk from the Igloo).
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/686/32550525476_07f7ec2a95_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RAnXbu)
IMG_5395_01 (https://flic.kr/p/RAnXbu) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/261/32438153402_a0ab19d3bb_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Rqs1SW)
IMG_5407_01 (https://flic.kr/p/Rqs1SW) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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And in the last light of this evening, a mixed flock of redwings and waxings in a neighbour's garden:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/348/31747979874_115b72be6b_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/QnsGkm)
IMG_5464_01 (https://flic.kr/p/QnsGkm) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Mrs P trekked long and hard to see redwings and wawings this morning (well, about 30 seconds walk from the Igloo).
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/686/32550525476_07f7ec2a95_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RAnXbu)
IMG_5395_01 (https://flic.kr/p/RAnXbu) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/261/32438153402_a0ab19d3bb_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Rqs1SW)
IMG_5407_01 (https://flic.kr/p/Rqs1SW) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Beautiful pictures of beautiful birds :thumbsup: :thumbsup: Thank you for sharing them ;D
Monday pm I called in at a small lake near Welshpool. Saw what I`ve never seen before, cormorants (at least 8) roosting in a huge old oak tree !! And a kingfisher in reed beds right near me, a lovely end to a good day ;D
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Yesterday morning we went for a long walk with Tilly along the bridal ways around the village. Amongst other birds that we see commonly round here (including a buzzard) I saw two new ones .
Tilly flushed a woodcock from a hedgerow, I have never seen one before at all. Later when walking along a sunken bit of lane with 8 foot high banks and trees that arch right over the top I spotted a tree-creeper winding its way up one of the trunks. I have seen tree-creepers before but always in a forest somewhere and never locally before.
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Any rodent experts out there?
Rattus is a not uncommon visitor to the tussocky meadow that we arbitrarily call 'lawn' but this was rather different:
Quite a bit smaller, proportionately bigger ears, and hopping progression in the direction of the bramble hedge which was very different to the scuttling running motion I'm used to seeing.
Wood Mouse possibly ?
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An oddment, and a very slow story...
Part of today's task was clearing brambles from part of the Daffern's Wood reserve (N. Warks and one of my favourite reserves). I joined the group uprooting a patch. The soil was moist leafmould. The roots pulled out relatively easily, though not without extra work from the quads. Every big root dragged out with it several bluebell roots in varying stages of development - bulbs would be an oversimplification. We churned up lots of soil & I was surprised that no robins had come to feed. Naturally we all put the bluebell roots (that's a complex story, but peripheral) back into the soft soil as best we could..
After lunch we returned (cold wet work gloves at 2 degees C :-\) to the next patch of brambles, which hid a big pile of birch brash. We discussed whether to clear, until a robin flew past into the middle of the chaotic heap. We stopped clearing the brambles from that patch, which suddenly looked like a nesting place, but carried on further away. Not long after, a robin started singing close by. After our work, there would have been easy invetebrate pickings, possibly enough to raise a family. I'm still surprised that the robin/s didn't forage close to where we were working. That's atypical IME.
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Otter in the harbour just now :thumbsup:
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Any rodent experts out there?
Rattus is a not uncommon visitor to the tussocky meadow that we arbitrarily call 'lawn' but this was rather different:
Quite a bit smaller, proportionately bigger ears, and hopping progression in the direction of the bramble hedge which was very different to the scuttling running motion I'm used to seeing.
Wood Mouse possibly ?
Sounds quite likely, especially the proportionately bigger ears. Not sure about the hopping, though, except I excpect they would hop if they couldn't get under something. And a wood mouse is, well, mouse-sized. I think they are beautiful and great fun to watch. Don't pay any attention to the "nocturnal" description of them in books - hey are pretty totally urnal! Rats are ok, too, as long as you can confine them to your garden, rather than the house.
Peter
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LAMBS lots of despite very wintry feel they are about now :) and a magnificent winter sunset
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2715/32799756346_99fb9c4115_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RYpjQs)P2100097 (https://flic.kr/p/RYpjQs) by jamesld8 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/55935603@N05/), on Flickr
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Adult heron just taken a frog from our pond. It caught the frog and then positioned in it's bill for a minute or two, before deliberately dipping the frog twice in the pond, to presumably lubricate it, prior to swallowing. I walked out, slowly, and got to within 8ft of the Heron - who obviously didn't want to leave the rich pickings. Finally after the heron walked around slowly eyeballing me, it took off to neighbour's pond.
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I've not seen the Marsh Harriers round here for a while - since I last posted about them, in fact - but this morning when I took the dog out in the garden, I saw one sitting in a tree just over in next door's garden. At first I thought it was a very large pigeon but then it took flight... definitely not a pigeon. Stunning bird. Really must try to get some pics.
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An excellent 5 mile walk mostly along the sea wall this afternoon. Four very satisfying spots: short eared owl, snipe, hare, barn owl. These last two were simultaneous. Also some of the more usual stuff: little egrets, curlew, several unidentified waders, kestrel.
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Wednesday, in Sheffield, Millsands: a male blackcap!
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A lark! Seen AND heard! Sparrows, chaffinches, bunnies, a dunnock, a sparrowhawk, ponies, highland cattle. Horses. Crows. A VC167 rider.
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The most surreal skylark moment was riding back from Crinkly Lion's night ride at York and having bats flying past while the first larks of the day were exulting overhead.
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It is uncharacteristically warm for mid February. Nice afternoon so I went down to the Botanic Gardens. Came across a bumble bee.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C5CbAjMWAAA9RaZ.jpg:large)
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Three red kites in the vicinity of Drumoak :thumbsup:
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And today a fox crossing the road on the Garrol hill. I don't see foxes very often, so a bit of a treat :)
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A burst frog
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Last week was good for wildlife. We were off work so did a fair bit of walking with Tilly.
Monday: Whitby and Sandsend gulls nesting in little caves they had scraped out of the soft cliffs and loads of turnstones on the beach.
Wednesday: Helmsley to Rievaulx and back, hares in the fields and a stoat bouncing towards us as we walked passed a garden in Rievaulx. It clocked us and did a comical double take before about facing and bounding back the way it came. Tilly got very jealous when I petted and talked to pony that stuck its head over a fence to see what we were doing.
Friday: Loop around Hutton le Hole vie Lastingham. An enormous barn owl hunting by day (probably due to not being able to hunt during the storm on Wednesday night through Thursday). A couple of Golden plover as well. We also saw seven hares in one field all playing together and boxing a bit. Luckily we saw them before Tilly did and managed to get her on the lead otherwise she and they would probably have ended up in the next county.
Sunday: For the first time Tilly managed to flush some deer near the village. Four suddenly bolted from the rough grass at the edge of the field we were walking round. They then watched us carefully from about three hundred yards away before disappearing into a thicket.
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A red kite. Not unusual as we are close to the Chilterns. But this was a juvenile, and he spent 20 minutes doing circuits with the occasional "bump" as he tried to grab the chicken skins and bones we'd thrown into the field at the bottom of the garden. Leftovers from my taking the meat off some thighs for the purposes of cooking. He failed however, and was then mobbed by crows who were happy to land and take the remains.
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Red kite for me today too. A very rare site here. There are some breeding near Pocklington but they don't normally get over this side of the hills in-between. I think Tilly ate it's lunch as just after it had soared away she found and scoffed half a rabbit in the middle of the field.
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Two otters viewed from the office this morning :)
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Yesterday: ducks! Mallards, wigeon, teal and gadwall, all at Hanningfield reservoir, the level of which is much nearer where it should be compared to how it was in December.
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I see Mallards every day!
;)
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I see Mallards every day!
;)
As in a popular beat combo, mallard?
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No.
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Are they locomotives?
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No.
Stop now.
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Fictional pathologists, innit.
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Fictional pathologists, innit.
Really?
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Fictional pathologists, innit.
Really?
http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0020063/bio
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I see Mallards every day!
;)
I don't, the Yorkshire Wolds are amazingly short on above ground water though there is an awful lot of water under the Wolds being that they are composed of a bazillion tons of chalk. Perhaps we have a special troglodyte subspecies of the ubiquitous duck.
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Talking of ducks, I think I saw a scaup yesterday. A first for me.
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a green woodpecker today alone the jubilee river ncn61 :)
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Mrs. Wow and I visited Osterley Park, W. London, today. We saw mallards, shovelers, tufted duck, Egyptian goose, Canada goose, coots, moorhens, great crested grebes, a heron and greater spotted and green woodpecker. Oh, and loads of ring-necked parakeets.
(https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/17022266_1774420732877128_1096183564081703374_n.jpg?oh=acb97ad93343e80785b95b64f49358b3&oe=596A12B1)
This great crested grebe was sitting on its nest within a few yards of the M4. It was not the peaceful, idyllic scene one might have thought with the sound turned down.
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Waxwings this morning.
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Now my office has a window, I'm seeing all sorts of garden birds I didn't know were visiting us quite so regularly.
Today, out on the recumbent, a large barn owl, flying along the ditch next to me.
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A pair of greater spotted woodpeckers being noisy in a tree.
The roach in the pool below the park lake seem to be getting bigger by the day. There are two small pike in that pool but it's quite a long time since I saw them attack any of the roach. No doubt there are smaller roach that I just don't notice, as now the water is beginning to get warmer it's a little cloudier, not helped by the regular appearance of three mallards, whose activities stir it up.
I have read that a pike is capable of swallowing fish up to one-third of its body weight, and some of the larger roach must now be pretty close to that. I don't think either of the pike is more than 4lb in weight
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Two short eared owls hunting over the golf course near the office this afternoon.
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Waxwings this morning.
34 Waxwings down near Builth, so pleased to see them and get marvellous views too of them as the whole flock flew down to feed on apples right across road from me :)
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/770/33266877312_0ee788acab_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SFFrCd)IMG_1373 (https://flic.kr/p/SFFrCd) by jamesld8 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/55935603@N05/), on Flickr
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:D
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Dolphins in the harbour.
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Dolphins in the harbour.
We haz no harbour and no dolphins. Sad face.
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A sparrowhawk in the garden.
I spotted it swooping past the window next to the bird feeders, then it sat in a tree for a minute. Not sure if it caught anything.
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The dolphins were leaping about just outside the harbour on my way home today.
When I got home I saw a sparrowhawk catching and carrying off a small bird.
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And today, two seals and several dolphins in the harbour at the same time. We were hoping for otters as well!
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And today, two seals and several dolphins in the harbour at the same time. We were hoping for otters as well!
That's just greedy :)
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There was a bit in the Local Rag today about them building a harbour overlook thingy for people to watch the critters.
Sounded like it was going to be on the site of your office!
Have you been told yet?
You might come in tomorrow and find the top floor of your office now open to the public!
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We've got a balcony. We could sell tickets.
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Seven seals lazing, lapwings, curlews, a woodpecker drumming on today's short ride. Later, a couple of dozen waxwings in a neighbour's tree:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3875/33364922381_887f49d825_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SQkX1r)
IMG_5558_01 (https://flic.kr/p/SQkX1r) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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As we walked up the garden, there was a loud commotion from the sparrows in the hedge between us and our neighbours. As we neared the hedge, up shot a sparrowhawk, no doubt the cause of the commotion. Flew maybe 2ft over our heads. Cool.
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The dolphins were leaping about just outside the harbour on my way home today.
When I got home I saw a sparrowhawk catching and carrying off a small bird.
I've often seen the dolphins when running up around Torry Point, I get disappointed when they aren't there
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Some 40-50 fielfares in the trees down the lane.
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A grey wagtail. Nice but not amazingly unusual. But this one was on the water feature behind the southbound Gloucester services.
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A dead robin in the gutter on our morning stroll. Probably got whapped by a car.
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An Red Kite close enough to touch as it took off from a little bit of grassland clutching a twig come bough for it's nest.
The twig was too heavy and was dropped.
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Red Kites are big but very lightly built. They can't lift half as much as you would think for a bird that size.
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Weight limit's about half a kebab, isn't it? ;D
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A neron this morning.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4312/35918250780_e746599b92_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/WHYqzS)IMG_0113 (2) (https://flic.kr/p/WHYqzS) by Basil W (https://www.flickr.com/photos/153328377@N08/), on Flickr
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A red kite. Not that unusual here. But we are in the habit of throwing waste meat trimmings - in this case some scraps of chicken thighs - into the field at rage bottom of our garden, rather than into our compost. And this time, as well as a couple of magpies, a young kite appeared, and eventually swooped - well tumbled more like - in and grabbed some. It was low and close enough that we could see it grab the food in its beak from its claws whilst on the wing. Cool.
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several yellow brimstone butterfly's and i heard a greater spotted woodypecker :)
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(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_7601.jpg)
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Where was that, Jaded?
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Peter, sadly not in the UK. South Portugal, there are loads here. My aim is to get a much better shot, but they are pretty flighty.
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Fort Fuzzy haz Bats again :thumbsup:
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(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_7778.jpg)
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A swallow!
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Double turtle!
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_8110.jpg)
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A robin, hovering like a hummingbird.
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Fort Fuzzy haz Bats again :thumbsup:
Cool, what sort?
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I have no idea, I just see them flitting about the garden at dusk. Great to watch though.
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BCT has a list of the ones you find in the UK I think they last added one in 2010
http://www.bats.org.uk/pages/uk_bats.html (http://www.bats.org.uk/pages/uk_bats.html)
In the higher latitudes I frequent life is a bit simpler with fewer species, although there is the added complication of soprano pipistrelles.
You can buy cheap and cheerful bat detectors which let you listen to their calls for literally pocket money prices. As with anything else if you want something decent it costs a bit more and for the enthusiast or professional..
If you get the chance an organized event with a local ranger is usually interesting and they may run it in conjunction with some moth trapping which is also usually good value.
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You'll find soprano pips all over, though they are the most common in Caledonia (especially in my freezer)
There is a company who are developing DNA tests on droppings who are looking for samples to test their methods with. PM if interested. (Not affiliated, just been chatting to them, a spin out from Imperial).
To identify species there are a number of tricks, getting full spectrum sound recordings is the best field method short of catching them (for which you need a license). DNA analysis is the definitive gold standard.
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Some from the garden this morning. I recognise the female sparrow but am unsure of the rest. Maybe a teenage robin?
Dunnock?
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2882/33871728985_06442e0b34_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/TB8sXk)DSC_9461 (2) (https://flic.kr/p/TB8sXk) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2939/33871727235_7742765a9d_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/TB8sra)DSC_9472 (2) (https://flic.kr/p/TB8sra) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2944/33742260841_e868171d64_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/TpFUzX)DSC_9474 (2) (https://flic.kr/p/TpFUzX) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3856/33871728675_eed6a586be_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/TB8sRZ)DSC_9485 (2) (https://flic.kr/p/TB8sRZ) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2881/33871728325_acafb4fe58_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/TB8sKX)DSC_9486 (https://flic.kr/p/TB8sKX) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
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I've seen the local raptors from my office window three times today, but on each occasion, by the time I've got outside with the camera, they've flown away. I'm starting to thing I'm hallucinating. Or maybe someone is gaslighting me by projecting film of the birds onto my office window. Curses!
I'm still not entirely sure what they are, but I'm sticking with Marsh Harriers until I can confirm otherwise.
On my way down to Deal yesterday evening, I also saw a Red Kite over a field near Eastry - that one is a definite identification due to the shape of the tail and the white markings on the wings.
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Dunnock
I think the top and bottom photos are of dunnocks, with their thin, dark insect eating beaks. Sparrows have seed crushing beaks. I rarely see sparrows here in SW London - dunnocks seem to have taken over. Despite being equipped for insect eating, the ones here seem to be content to eat sunflower seeds and spend less time poking about for ground insects.
I’m not sure about the others. The juvenile robins that I have seen tend to be more reddish and often have the beginnings of an orange bib.
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Surely wrong time of year for an adolescent robin? Anything hatched last year is now adult.
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DM's third picture looks to me like a female house sparrow. The beak is totally different from the other photos. I reckon the others are dunnocks.
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Yup, third is a female spuggie. Didn't think I had so many Dunnock's about.
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Yup, third is a female spuggie. Didn't think I had so many Dunnock's about.
No one ever does. They are so brown and inconspicuous you just don't notice them. Dunnocks must be the archetypal LBJ.
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Well, yesterday - ashy mining bees and tawny mining bees. The former were in their thousands, all going frantic across a 10m x 10m section of patchy grass in Marble Hill Park near Twickenham. The latter were less numerous but easier to photograph. Apparently these ground nesting bees are on the rise in the UK. Useful pollinators apparently. The ashy bees were going completely mad, grappling with each other as they went in and out of their holes.
Holes (you may just be able to discern the rear end of an ashy mining bee in one of the holes. Probably not though - they were rather fast moving):
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/h4G3qu5QgHoiCJ1Kp7dOz5LWyQ9SsYDrwIou5b0fQgoYVz7D7QjDLRhaQ_9AtNbhW3u_xNl4asGiaeG3qy1MbPqhREk5zGaCiA7vrrIJ1VjiqcucfpzpxeN9St9uxoRmAVRQ0QLu9OdlKO_FTjXSVu2FCKvmynfDmxqL2Axek55PciGgP8C6aBREQSyGFN4TzOVtseeqo20bu4T1TUd3RNVlueATuglMySmc18pg8ld3vE9GezTDi2ax49Ym2lCvNxDIYyrK_mWuquAZ8z6X5iBS9XagQK0lFFVMgKbBIEywYPZVqt0WWTzjqrnGioGGl2OtajT0MR6FtdeIKArW6Jpf2z6YIifxn3Tl6pzSbdarV-Ihvc9flnjXOTOJJXvUxC9M9kktEJavfeoOP9qTjQInKPsfrIQ3KOqAqyC6w6pDcqmDrmcS5fsu2UKOBrKTB_s4itehchT5-raWEmL9EcSV7uEg2W3EQDIQLNf7Dr43Ayvt2m81jkGaocY9LaVXCUagMyctDzA4ZxsSM6FyCXTSV-HuvlXGIVCiepmVvsxupdSa45y6vltxN3Zj8_TIytz8ZFsM08n9ZZadVUV0aCSlUpl7ciePVNgyLE6whEucSrhZMcWllA=w548-h840-no)
The other half of an ashy mining bee:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_ciLCfVxPjtiz4cQ5YvPvhNUsDC86vQnwIyH5hugbv9HweF14Ne7oKDo17IAROSMfBCNDZESt1v6nkLVdxV3NfFzl6qvpM8I5Md-SWjZUzc_6m6DqMuKnmA_yqGaaU6L-GzEm0jZ9-vIiW0ofgFwf0fXp_DctjtBo4ed7KWRRe62cO4D2oc8ljJ_MCpipEN8mKY0KH3ATDIBlhHRc9wrigHwzIMmCS1UpK9MSfVxwLD47zv1jiFlIBefvcwZspSS-o-ksDxZignf_Lp3O3GKJMX3VWOtR1LQ8ZVUKBxJRhhKVbUoP5f2pt8JQrZs_jjz5OZE5wtEjv6jGbRwz2sHViYxa3gCgBnLoCTZnWQ3wI_tNN2GwMaARpyQLHju6O2-HwN0RmvQtFqvUwBNzGnGW57S8BEo3mPR9FNig3_j62C3RDQ0PRTnvbkJEz7KOcAtL5oKHaWkHSaOGd-vpWpgRKRRa9-ZPDIQSa7j7EMKRtHg05MdFG_k6MzEJqGsBSXFvQy96xMxxrMLCO-eYZiBZHHVrWwZaukv5xKIz9sbEWYRwjGq9oEUFTVZx0-xJIsHzQb3lqZySKSx5N4wwe4FeGo2XINv965UN05t45i6mXd3_mQe9eSLwQ=w922-h839-no)
Tawny mining bee:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_56jrlg8682TN9TqTee2x3k-M6NxJcaoHQVUowZR4V0Cuv7mU9i_3bJVG2BytcBr4Ddx-CaQG3qDQwNX39qpoddE7RMaM0fdW70rttslG1KPGvzgryOVcULe72socjmavShV7karpkK7jhmclfopiatsEHr-iNu-ISh1A-ARwFESXxYJwd2ZEHWtuHadKtVCPI3WodEH6ZBbHGFQadX1HtGg6ZeXKG9o6h_pVjlkU9vWtgWBnHqlIPi8-v1yQz97sI6c1Ged0ko8nN2efxYIRLmovyXNQqW2lqzd1pZXGhh20acQBjMYCpX-sGiZelaMMvKqvigsPIi_FYT0k6KQMt63cW-ykrO7Jqyw65gQxIMUqz6cHnb8dMNPGOqv0zwloaB7tT0-oqoioqXHkVBQSGfATKjP_VbryVdiOBik28NNVdw1U8ZinI2cykbMkU3mFZioLRJccDnJ8PmtwoKRfC1ce7YCJnPOMbJjrQ029SivuSjeI9HRlPFpCOCgcI0-RtkmLOpMEUG7E9OClcOiOVu5fPgPej4wiCfN_5XZtgf7AFL3ASVC2qwWOmBK3otzkfbJWfV_KoxMTcAIsk7q17rHrMPJ9Kboz5h7VMpc953rNLJyFifFjg=w773-h840-no)
I have to admit that I have never seen these bees before, and I had always thought those holes were made by some kind of ant.
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The usual several ok kites, plus a dozen swallows - the first of the year, and unusually a couple of dozen crows, perhaps heading for one of the local rookeries to breed?
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And a bald bluetit. A quick google suggests a mite infestation.
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Up close and personal with a Muntjack deer this morning. If I had been 1 second further up the road, it would have taken my front wheel out from under me as it ran accross the road ;D
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A skylark, and 8 leverets, the latter charging about a local field.
Oh, and a bluetit checking out the nestbox in the woods at the end of the garden. :thumbsup:
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Today I saw a common tern, bringing my species count for the last week on Mull and associated islands to 40. There will have been more I didn't identify (the ubiquitous LBJ which is usually a Meadow Pipit). Heard a Goldcrest.
New for me were (in the wild rather than in captivity or on bird feeders) Siskin, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Short eared owl, Peregrine (I think), Gannet, Puffin, Willow Warbler, Arctic Skua and Common Tern. Didn't see any Golden or Sea eagles but did see a few tourist eagles (buteo buteo). Currently processing loads of pictures.
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Crashlanding puffin
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2819/33247019243_67e7fbce89_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SDVEvH)Incoming 2 (https://flic.kr/p/SDVEvH) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
Siskin
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2920/33673948120_905e4572a2_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/TiDMAq)Siskin (https://flic.kr/p/TiDMAq) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
I've no idea what this one is.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2925/33673944910_cfcb8132b6_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/TiDLD5)DSC_9933 (2) (https://flic.kr/p/TiDLD5) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
This Curlew landed right next to the car.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3936/33673951640_7754962560_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/TiDND7)Curlew (https://flic.kr/p/TiDND7) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
Oystercatcher
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2866/33929286711_5a9b165d25_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/TGdsRV)Oystercatcher (https://flic.kr/p/TGdsRV) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
It's not all birds, this vole was living in the garden wall of the cottage.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2873/33929337111_651404b613_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/TGdHQT)DSC_0043 (2) (https://flic.kr/p/TGdHQT) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
And here is a sheepsurfing starling..
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3951/34058533825_80ed7f678c_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/TTCTwr)Hitchhiker 2 (https://flic.kr/p/TTCTwr) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
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A pair of geese with four goslings walking along a pavement in central York.
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For only the second time in the 28 years I have lived up this way, I decided to cycle up and onto Cannock Chase. My reward? A herd of around 30 deer crossing the road in front of me as I climbed Camp Road.
Lovely to see it was too.
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A blue tit caught on a dangling cotton thread on the washing line - we held the bird carefully, and managed to completely remove the thread which had been wound tightly around one of it's leg/claws, by cutting with a small swiss army knife pair of scissors. Took about 10mins, during which it calmed down, and then flew away to the nearest tree after. My guess was that it was looking for nesting materials, and somehow got caught when trying to extract the thread.
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(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2931/33711532320_49df3a7b9b_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/TmYq4S)
DSC_0044 (https://flic.kr/p/TmYq4S) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
Someone or something kindly left this semi-mummified corpse on the parade ground at Fort Larrington over the weekend.
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Terns fishing in the harbour this afternoon.
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DM's third picture looks to me like a female house sparrow. The beak is totally different from the other photos. I reckon the others are dunnocks.
Just looked. Exactly my view: D, D, S, D, D.
As opposed to SS, DD, of course.
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OK, try this one - WIllow warbler or chiffchaff? Two pics of the same bird.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2886/33673941700_d67d23e5c3_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/TiDKFJ)Willow Warbler (https://flic.kr/p/TiDKFJ) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2944/33246979233_7def8244b2_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SDVsBT)Willow warbler (https://flic.kr/p/SDVsBT) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
I'm leaning towards WW based on the paler legs and maybe longer primary feathers.
Didn't know enough to get any song info. Spotted in a patch of scrub woodland on the edge of a sea loch (see the GPS tag and satellite view.)
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OK, try this one - WIllow warbler or chiffchaff? Two pics of the same bird.
I'm leaning towards WW based on the paler legs and maybe longer primary feathers.
The dreaded willow-chiff :D
I've seen birders far more experienced than me argue over these two and that was with the bird in a tree just a few yards away.
Paler legs is the usual clue but that's not easy when you don't have a chiffchaff handy for comparison purposes.
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a green woodpecker along the jubilee river the afternoon . :)
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First bats of the year. Soprano and Common pipistrelles in the Miley, old railway line nature reserve.
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First swift of the year this morning.
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I think they may be back in our eaves. I'll have to check. Certainly heard a different cry in the air tonight, not the usual gulls.
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Yesterday in Richmond Park:
Common kestrels x2, one appearing to feed the other, and a short time later there was mating (I think - lasted approx 5 seconds).
Brown treecreepers x many, most entertaining and gravity defying
Tadpoles x thousands, still legless
Fox x 1
Crows and jackdaws, so many it is a wonder there is anything left to eat for anything else.
Idiots x many, annoying the deer.
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Baby Sheeps in Broomhall Estate (near Limekilns, Fife). Glad I took my bridge camera with me on my 30k off road bike ride this morning! ;D
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2881/34175758776_d7bd5a303f_c.jpg)
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And today, my first swallows of the year. Several. On the coastal path at Aberaeron.
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First swallows of the year also :thumbsup:
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Treecreeper on Balgay Hill
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Goldfinches in Baxter Park. Nothing particularly exceptional.
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As I came throught he woods journeying home last night, a deer, not a Muntjack though not big. It reminded me of the babycham deer as the antlers were short, straight up with a backwards curl at the end. Lovel;y reddish brown colour with darker hues of the same colour in the velvet.
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A bloody great buzzard yesterday. Not uncommon round here but usually seen circling high in the sky. Yesterday though I was walking the dog along a track near home and to my right was a livestock fence with a few scrubby low bushes behind it. As we walked past a very large buzzard that had been hidden behind the bushes leapt into the air. It must have been only about five feet away. Very impressive close up.
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On hearing the first cuckoo in spring, I thought "You're a bloody loony coming here when the alternative is Africa!" We were on Two Tree Island. When I parked the car its thermometer said 4°C. When I got back, it said 5°C. I don't think I have ever heard a cuckoo in colder conditions.
There were also lots of whitethroats, which I find very endearing little birds.
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A ruddy great grey heron, viewed from my office, flying over the trees across the road.
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A badger latrine, and a roe deer browsing on dome fresh beech leaves, in one of our local nature reserves.
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A ruddy great grey heron, viewed from my office, flying over the trees across the road.
A heron has put in an appearance lately in our local park, and I have seen him a few times, including today. This morning, I happened to natter to an occasional acquaintance, a lady of an uncertain age, but considerably older than I am. She asked me if I had seen the pelican that had taken up residence by the lake. I had to confess that I hadn't and was quite surprised to hear of its existence, given that the park was not heaving with specimens of the species twitcherus lensimaximus. We were strolling towards the lake and there indeed was the heron. I assured her that it was not a pelican but I am not certain that she believed me.
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Snakeses. Quite a few, but all dead by the roadside.
Well, there's one I'm not sure about; I didn't spot it till I ran over it. I didn't stop to investigate. It was about 3 feet long stretched across the bike lane, but quite skinny. About 2 or 3 cm diameter.
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Another walk in the nature reserve. Plant your of bluebells, a few orchids coming up, and a very rare sighting of a Duke of Burgundy butterfly.
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Blackbirds collecting nest material into the bush by our kitchen window.
Also, on my ride, one each of Swallow, Skylark and Pheasant.
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Yesterday, swifts over the garden.
Today a wren on the fence (first time we've seen one this year although I've been hearing them for ages), and swallows and martins above the garden.
:)
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Skylarks were in full voice and also building nests/collecting food today.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4180/34126776160_44bc943846_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/TZEDAq)skylark (https://flic.kr/p/TZEDAq) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4193/34351452062_04642d8411_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/UkwaUS)skylark2 (https://flic.kr/p/UkwaUS) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
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Blackbird family in Mum's garden, the cock bird taking softened currants off my hand - he's got a sharp bill. Didn't feed the hen directly, she had a "yummy" big caterpillar drooping from her beak. She's quite happy to collect them from the doorstep instead though usually she's the boldest. Mum says the chicks have started to come to the door handrail with the parents.
Heard but not seen - first whitethroat of my rides to work this year.
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A ruddy great grey heron, viewed from my office, flying over the trees across the road.
A heron has put in an appearance lately in our local park, and I have seen him a few times, including today. This morning, I happened to natter to an occasional acquaintance, a lady of an uncertain age, but considerably older than I am. She asked me if I had seen the pelican that had taken up residence by the lake. I had to confess that I hadn't and was quite surprised to hear of its existence, given that the park was not heaving with specimens of the species twitcherus lensimaximus. We were strolling towards the lake and there indeed was the heron. I assured her that it was not a pelican but I am not certain that she believed me.
The heron is still there, and has mastered a skill that impressed me.
He has taken to fishing from floating planks of wood. He stands on the plank and dives into the water when he sees a tasty-looking fish. I have seen him catch two this way. He also drifts about in the wind so he has a greater area of water at his disposal. He has demonstrated that he is perfectly capable of getting out of water that is too deep for him to stand up in once he has caught his fish.
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A small bag of sightings in Cornwall whilst on holiday.
The expected Cormorants (or Shags* - too far away to distinguish), but also a Heron and an Egret between St. Mawes and St. Just in Roseland.
A couple of goldfinches bathing in a stream by the path down to Kynance Cove and, the first sighting ever for MrsLurker and myself, a Linnet sharing the bath with them.
Half a dozen Ringed Plovers at Pendower beach.
And this morning 4 (4!) robin fledglings with two parents on feeding duties in the back garden.
ETA
And a wren sitting on an aerial giving it laldy, my but they're _loud_ little birds, on the path down to Hemmick beach. They're fairly common visitors to the back garden, but don't often get to see and hear them at the same time.
*NSFW is _that_ way -->
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loads of mayflies along the thames today :)
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Yesterday - I spend about 10 minutes watching a water vole in Priory Park. We used to see them there regularly, but I haven't seen one I could positively identify for about 10 years.
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Starling nest at work.
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Yellow sheep.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4276/34801568515_dda7514034_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/V2i8Rn)
IMG_8602_01 (https://flic.kr/p/V2i8Rn) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_2172.jpg)
Tiny rescue lamb.
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MrsC and I arrived home around eleven last night. Just as we we'd opened the front door we heard the most almighty row. Our first thought was 'cats' but realised it was a bit loud for that. Maybe a fox has got a cat? Then MrsC saw the two badgers at the top of our drive. We assume they were two of last year's youngsters trying to sort out territories for themselves. Never heard anything quite like it.
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Sounds like a "wow!, badgers" moment.
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Sand martins near work.
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Some cetaceans. A mile or so away.
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_2313.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_2303.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_2314%20%281%29.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_2265.jpg)
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Common dolphins?
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I think so, I may send details of the sighting off and ask an expert!
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Starling fledglings hanging around at home.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4271/34759289322_28e2a23944_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/UXyrHL)
IMG_6127_01 (https://flic.kr/p/UXyrHL) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Female great spotted woodpecker in the environs of aoxon towers earlier. Not seen one around here before. It was working it's way around the tree trunk pecking in between the ridges of bark, probably looking for insects...
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Watched a heron pluck two fish from a weir in Watermead Park, Leicester. I was standing on a footbridge over the weir and was surprised at how close it came to me..until I tried to get a photo!
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Plenty swallows in Baku last week, plus the local crows, no pics but black wings and head, grey body.
Today out on the 'bent, a good few swallows and swifts, something that could have been either a cuckoo or not, must look at the wing shape in a book of mine. A kite and a crow took off maybe a hundred yards ahead of me, crow chasing kite. Seems they were scrapping over something dead and feathery on the verge
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...the local crows, no pics but black wings and head, grey body...
Hooded crows? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooded_crow#Genetic_difference_from_carrion_crows
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It was always stressed, as an anglocentric thing, that carrion crows were the nominate subspecies and hoodies the odd ones. Now they have been split into two species, it is clear that the bulk of the territory they occupy is hoody rather than corbie.
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A very young and confused jackdaw crashing around the bedroom at 5 o'clock this morning.
Bloody kids.
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Swifts are back in the house. I'd seen them around the Law but finally saw them heading in to roost.
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...the local crows, no pics but black wings and head, grey body...
Hooded crows? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooded_crow#Genetic_difference_from_carrion_crows
Yes, but oddly the "berlin" type rather than the "Egyptian" type considering I was in central asia
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Dog Otter in the Lugg on the Hampton court (Herefordshire) estate this pm. First ever sighting in the wild for me. Really surprised at how BIG he was. Wonderful!!!
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A pair of green woodpeckers.
The thing is that this year woodpeckers are everywhere and not just the green type also the great spotted (I think). Although they've alway been around here, they have been timid and hard to spot in previous years. Why the change?
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currently sat on a piece of paper on my desk, a common swift moth.
Must have come in last night, possibly attracted by the desk lamp I left on.
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Last week, some very exciting species during a bike ride through the Camargue. Quite a lot of black-winged stilts and various heron species on the addy fields (yes, they grow rice there), my first ever sighting of a nightingale, and some very interesting birds which may have ben rosy starlings. They looked very starling-like when in flight and you could see their silhouette, but they had a saddle of iridescent pink. I'm not 100% certain that that is what they were, because photos I have found make the pink far paler than it appeared to me. But if they weren't rosy starlings, I really don't know what they were.
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several kites hanging about over the A14 today, around the Kettering-Thrapston section, plus a heron on a different section
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A Seeadler (eagle) on the Island of Usedom
Just watching a fledgling sparrow hopping about being watched by mum at a café in the quiet town centre of some town in Mecklenburg Vorpommern
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We have new visitors to the feeders in our garden, nuthatches. Looks like a breeding pair and their fledglings.
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Last week, some very exciting species during a bike ride through the Camargue. Quite a lot of black-winged stilts and various heron species on the addy fields (yes, they grow rice there), my first ever sighting of a nightingale, and some very interesting birds which may have ben rosy starlings. They looked very starling-like when in flight and you could see their silhouette, but they had a saddle of iridescent pink. I'm not 100% certain that that is what they were, because photos I have found make the pink far paler than it appeared to me. But if they weren't rosy starlings, I really don't know what they were.
I haven't heard of large numbers of rosies in France--they're mostly an eastern species. On that other hand, the salines near Aigue Mortes get regular Caspian terns, so...
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Snake! Maybe not so unusual, but crossing the hot tarmac in the middle of Burstwick village it surprised me a bit. About 12 to 14 inches long, too dark and quick to identify it vanished into the kerb drain before I could stop and peer at it. I would guess grass snake as they are present around here.
The badger badger song immediately filled my head.
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A small, dark brown butterfly flew between the spokes of my front wheel yesterday. Perhaps it was just lucky but probably they are such good flyers and judges of gaps that it was in no danger.
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A swallow. Not unusual. There's loads here. But this one was sitting on a telegraph wire, like it was trying to start the gathering before the annual migration.
I told it off.
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Grey partridge perched on a gate as I rode past earlier today. A Jay popped into the garden this morning as well
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Not today, but last Thursday. My first ever sighting of a puffin. Then another, and another, and another...
We were on Skomer Island and I was told there were 25000 puffins on the island. I think I saw most of them. There was also a spoonbill and we saw that too.
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Not really seen...well actually seen at all but smelt. Along the back road between Penkridge and Milton on Sunday a very strong smell of curry.... nothing surprising about that part from the fact that its nothing but fields around there and it was around 8am.
Anyway, went back along the same road last night and once again there was a very strong smell of curry. Having stopped to check, one field had rape seed in it and the other had not been planted this year.
No idea what was causing the smell but blimey, it smelt nice ;D
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Not today, but last Thursday. My first ever sighting of a puffin. Then another, and another, and another...
We were on Skomer Island and I was told there were 25000 puffins on the island. I think I saw most of them. There was also a spoonbill and we saw that too.
Skomer and Skokholm are wonderful, I have stayed on both watching and photographing the inhabitants. The puffins are by far the best though, they have great character!
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On the rosy starlings sighting in the Camargue: I had a long batter to My Mate a Terry Who Art In Sibton, who knows much more than I do about this sort of thing, and his view was that they are such distinctive birds that it is pretty unlikely for them to be anything else. BUT he wouldn't have expected them to be there at this time of year.
I did a bit of research with Google and I found a report from the Colchester Natural History Society of their summer tour of The Camargue in 2003. They too were there in late May/early June and they spotted some. Their tour leader was very surprised to see them there and had never seen them in that part of the world before. Their account put it down to the general tendency of certain species to become more widespread for whatever reason. The little egret is surely the most obvious example of this. Apparently they first started breeding in the UK in 1995 and now are a very common sight over much of the uk.
So I am now certain that they were rosies, especially since we disturbed the flock that some guy in a car was observing through his spotting scope.
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Great spotted woodpecker on the peanut feeder. Incentive to keep the feeder stocked over the summer, as I normally leave it empty.
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A pair of green woodpeckers on the trunk of a neighbour's cherry-tree.
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Not really seen...well actually seen at all but smelt. Along the back road between Penkridge and Milton on Sunday a very strong smell of curry.... nothing surprising about that part from the fact that its nothing but fields around there and it was around 8am.
Anyway, went back along the same road last night and once again there was a very strong smell of curry. Having stopped to check, one field had rape seed in it and the other had not been planted this year.
No idea what was causing the smell but blimey, it smelt nice ;D
Perhaps it wasn't rape seed but turmeric! ;D
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A badger on Sunday evening just after dusk. I'd seen plenty of foxes but this was the wrong shape and moving the wrong way. Somehow it looked a bit like a grey cat but wasn't moving in a cat-like way either. Then I got a better sight of it. Common enough as corpses, of course, but I think that's only the second or third live one I've seen.
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Green woodpecker in the garden, around the expansive, invasive ivy and going at one of the ants nests in the lawn.
They tend to only come into the garden during hard years.
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Stuff at minsmere: spotted redshank, ,ale ruff in full regalia, numerous hobbies, numerous marsh harriers, 3 or 4 bitterns, purple herons, plus a lot more of the usual stuff. My Mate Terry Who Art In Sibton rated it as the best day he's had at Minsmere, and he's been going regularly for over 30 years.
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#1 son visiting this weekend, so we took him on a dolphin watching boat trip at New Quay. Very good. :thumbsup: I now have loads of photos of bits of sea where 1 or 2 dolphins had breached seconds ago. :facepalm: Also an empty sea where a seal had been.
The bird cliffs are just wonderful, too many to list but particularly liked the rows of shags, drying wings outstretched, looking like some macabre chorus. Also worth a mention; masses of guillimot which humorously look like little flying penguins when in flight. (I believe that they are actually related)
Lovely day. Highly recommended.
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Well recognised herons, barn owl hunting in daylight, must have chicks.
Also an unknown. Hovering bird of prey, bigger than a kestrel, wedge tail with no indents (i.e. not a kite), rather than the kestrel's fluttery hover this was more of a hanging in the air. Didn't see the colouring as it was hovering over a verge as I drove underneath and only saw it backlit
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Buzzards hover occasionally. Sometimes they don't seem very good at it, although the last one I saw hovering seemed quite proficient.
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Buzzards will use a strong breeze to hover.
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could have been, was quite breezy and it was of that sort of size. Buzzard was actually my first thought
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Three little Blackbird faces reaching up from the nest in our garden when the parents visit. One advantage of a steep garden is that it is possible to be on the same level as the nest without disturbing them.
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Black guillemots, at Oban harbour.
There's a few of them nesting in the harbour wall. They don't seem too bothered with passers-by on the pavement a metre away.
They do look a bit silly waddling along with their bright red feet.
(http://i.imgur.com/8D0wEVjh.jpg)
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just noticed the resident bats for the first time this year
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Yesterday a osprey a buzzard and a red kite while riding round Rutland water with tiger bittern and Apollo :)
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I found this pellet of grubs and other material in the garden this evening. I've no idea where or what it came from.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4281/35055002483_e5a928de73_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/VpG3Wx)
IMG_6324_01 (https://flic.kr/p/VpG3Wx) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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A rat scurrying across Hyde Park Corner.
I've seen plenty of mice in Tube stations, as well as loads of foxen around London, but that was my first rat.
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Conservative? ;D
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A rat scurrying across Hyde Park Corner.
I've seen plenty of mice in Tube stations, as well as loads of foxen around London, but that was my first rat.
I saw a rat in a cupboard at Allie Pallie many moons ago.
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I saw no rodents when my wheelchair was pushed through the cellars at The Savoy but the aroma was characteristic...
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Seven baby meeces discovered whilst clearing grass etc from underneath my static caravan (two more added after photo taken).
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4307/35115882783_38e18363d4_z.jpg)
Mummy mouse was looking everywhere for them and eventually found one of them, picked it up and disappeared down hole under paving slab to alternative abode. Seemed unable to backtrack so the rest were placed closer to the new front door and were retrieved one by one. Went wandering after last one was retrieved and almost bumped into my phone.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4330/35115883193_ab076bef6a_z.jpg)
Scarpered when flash went off.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4327/35115885363_6ccddc05d0_z.jpg)
Apologies for rubbish photo's.
I just hope that when/if they grow up they don't break into the 'van and eat the furnishings like their mates do.
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We were cycling between Ballater and Crathie on the South Deeside road and had just passed a 'Caution: Red Squirrels' sign. Mrs P said we would not see a squirrel now (because you never do when there are signs like that) and just then, one ran across the road in front of us. As we watched it scamper through the woods we saw another. We set off again and Mrs P said, "You can't get better than that!". At that point a deer ran across the road :)
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That's also how wowbadgers are summoned...
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In Suburban new house garden so far have seen:
Fat chibbins,
Squawky parakeets eating our apples,
A pair of green woodpeppers,
A pair of crows (one leucistic),
Loads of LBJs inc Tits, wren, sparrers etc,
Sparrerhawk looking hungry,
Squiggles and...
a rather brazen but quite chilled out urban Fox sunning himself by the slightly overgrown raised beds.
All in all, not a bad haul!
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Fox, 2 red squirrels, bullfinches, deer, brown hares, bats and loadsa buzzards on Monday's ride.
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a swarm, 6-12, dragonflies in the garden whilst I was out mowing the verdant meadow that passes for a lawn. Couldn't get an accurate count as they wouldn't stay still.
I think we had either azure hawkers/emperor dragonfly and southern or migrant hawker, none less than about 2.5inch/6-7 cm body length.
Quite a few ringlet butterflies about today as well.
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On today's ride a kestrel stooped on and struck something in the verge about 10' in front of me, then saw me and reared up again empty-handed. For an instant I could see every feather.
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"Samson" the spider, in our kitchen last evening. Autumn comes early.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4375/36323174241_8bddee6dc0_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/XkKLdR)IMG_1536[1] (https://flic.kr/p/XkKLdR) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
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I am impressed you get the wildlife to pay rent.
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(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_5658.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_5550.jpg)
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"Samson" the spider, in our kitchen last evening. Autumn comes early.
..
Just seen a very large gathering of swallows swirling around in the sky. They may be off a bit early this year.
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Kestrel in the garden, had something in it's claws and was eating it in the shade of the trampoline
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The missus saw an autumn crocus on her walk today. :(
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Last night on Charmouth beach most of the black headed gulls were in winter plumage.
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Dez has reported seeing a hodgeheg a couple of times on the past week or so whilst taking Morphy for his late night walk. I hope it remains 3-dimensional.
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A humming bird, outside the bedroom window. :thumbsup:
Also
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/DSC_6111-chip.jpg)
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J. That and your earlier picture look like chipmunks (to someone who's not sure what a chipmunk looks like!). Are you across the pond? Florida?
Peter
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I believe he's somewhere along this path..
http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/path_through_the_US.htm
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Ah - won't be seeing anything for a bit, then!
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A polecat! In Wild Woolly Wet Welsh Wales! I now have a full house of British mustelids! Badgers: lots; otters: 4 (2 on Mull, 2 on Barra); pine marten: 1, in Co. Sligo; polecat: 1, on a minor road south of Dolfor, Powys; stoats: lots; weasels: lots. Very pleased.
Ok, the pine marten might object to being called British, but I doubt it.
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J. That and your earlier picture look like chipmunks (to someone who's not sure what a chipmunk looks like!). Are you across the pond? Florida?
Peter
Hi, the first chipmunk was in Algonquin Park, Ontario and the second one was on the interesting climb up to the Tympanogos Caves, Utah.
and yes, I was on that aforementioned path!! :thumbsup:
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J. That and your earlier picture look like chipmunks (to someone who's not sure what a chipmunk looks like!). Are you across the pond? Florida?
Peter
Hi, the first chipmunk was in Algonquin Park, Ontario and the second one was on the interesting climb up to the Tympanogos Caves, Utah.
and yes, I was on that aforementioned path!! :thumbsup:
I saw a chipmunk too, when walking up to Timpanogos Cave. In 1984 ;D ;D
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It hasn't changed much! Maybe 0.01mm on a stalagthing!
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(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4425/36151793544_61fef35c5a_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/X5BoHf)
P9020264 (https://flic.kr/p/X5BoHf) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
Prairie Dog, Badlands NP, South Dakota
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The shifts appear to have left, but a surprising number of swallows down by the river. Many more than usual. Maybe they're gathering for the off.
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I saw a Northern Wheatear, but that was on last Saturday's cycle. Does that count?
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Monday, a couple of swallowtail butterflies mating in the befuddle. At least, that's how Firefox spells buddleia.
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A fox.
Nothing unusual there, except I saw it in the bedroom while I was lying in bed drinking tea.
Ms. P. had left the back door open while sorting out the wheelie bins. Guess it came in for the cat food.
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Yesterday, an enormous carp slurping in sliced bread that someone had chucked in the water for the ducks. The vast bulk of it gets eaten by small roach, there not being many ducks at the park at the moment.
I reckon the carp, a fully-scaled common, was well over 20lb in weight and in excess of 30 inches in length. It broke the surface several times as it fed - a spectacular sight!
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Earlier in the week in Sequoia National Park: a black bear doing what black bears do in the woods when they're not doning poos, viz. looking for tasty things to put in their mouths. I did not park in the middle of the road to take a picture of said bear - unlike a Several of dozens of other people - because I am not a fud.
The following day: a coyote. In the middle of a residential street in Rancho Cucamonga. Looking terrified, as well she might with motor vehicles doing 45 mph in both directions.
Last night in Eagar AZ: something low and hairy loping across the car park and going to ground under an XJ6 I didn't have my specs on so was unable to get a better ID. Built like an overclocked basset hound in a full-body wig; most likely suspects a raccoon or a chupacabra.
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A fox, a hedgehog, and several squirrels and rabbits. Sadly, all were rather flat.
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Red-eared terrapins, basking in the sunshine - as is their wont - by the pond in Chiswick House Gardens. There was a goose with around 9 goslings (very late chicks - they looked only a week or so old) just next to them. Mother goose was careful to keep herself ‘twixt terrapins and chicks, but was happy to rest on the ground just a few inches away.
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OK, I've just seen two raccoons foraging for, er, whatever raccoons forage for in the parking lots of Walmart Supercenters, which means that whatever I saw in Eagar was way too big to have been a raccoon so was probably a chupacabra after all. Or a badger.
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4 or so buzzards flapping lazily away after being disturbed by me. I reckon they must have been pi$$ed off at having their quiet spot disturbed, I didn't see a car for 10km down that road.
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On Saturday evening early dusk on a lane in Monmouthshire near White Castle, a hare running towards me. It saw me, stopped, and ran back the way it had come before darting off into a field. Big ears, big legs, it makes running in that loppity way (but so distinct from a rabbit's) look so easy.
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A little owl sitting in a farmyard. Also lots of dragon flies and butterflies, which flew away too fast for me to identify, in the bramble hedge along the canal.
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Three soprano pips and three Natterers bats. We were checking the bat boxes put up on the Dalmunzie Estate, at the heart of Glen Shee and probably the highest golf course in Scotland. Definitely one of the more waterlogged ones.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4491/37023915753_2f7932f160_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/YpFfg4)DSC_3628 (https://flic.kr/p/YpFfg4) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4498/37662162352_765b5ed0fb_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Zo5qJL)DSC_3620 (https://flic.kr/p/Zo5qJL) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4455/37662270422_f6512582c2_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Zo5YS3)DSC_3563 (https://flic.kr/p/Zo5YS3) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4473/37694608991_98deedc9f4_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/ZqWHZz)DSC_3556 (https://flic.kr/p/ZqWHZz) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
All bats were handled by licensed bat workers.
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While riding passed dorney rowing lake a green woodpecker :)
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(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4541/37480574444_8c094076e5_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Z72JYL)20171104_134754 (https://flic.kr/p/Z72JYL) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
Anyone know what this is from? It is runnier and greener than it appears in the pic and is not really discrete pellets. I think it might be avian. Finger for scale. Very large pile for such thin scat. Found in a boggy bit of Corrie Fee.
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On our meander up Corrie Fee on Saturday we stumbled across a fine air of antlers which had been recently cut from a kill. A few metres further on was the gralloch, still relatively fresh - red veining and no disturbance by scavengers. The Stag season ended on 20th October and there is no way it had been there since then.
Short email and photo sent to the wildlife crimes officer. Might be completely innocent - might not.
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Four grouse in a local field. Quite uncommon around here.
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Tonight's entertainment was p-p-p-pick up a p-p-p-Partridge
I was riding home from the pub, when the autopilot avoided an obstacle in the road. Delayed reaction told me it looked like a partridge, so I did a U-turn and went back for a second look. Definitely a partridge (Red-legged/French variety), so, having passed it for a second time, I turned round again and parked the bike on the verge with the standlight pointing vaguely partridge-wards, wandered over, picked it up (at which point it woke up and started trying to run), and deposited it on the verge where no following car could run it over.
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A Jay , a buzzard , a massive flock of rooks and several squirrels :)
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Mk 1 shitehawk. Flying backwards.
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Green woodpecker, tree creeper around Aoxon towers.
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Very torpid slowworm on Little Haven slipway. NOT an animal you would expect to see in December!
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That is why it was a very slow worm.
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Over the last few days a Buzzard, several kites, a field fare, a green woodpecker, and yesterday 5 hares in the field behind the house, standing out against the snow.
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A Jay , a green woodpecker and a kingfisher today :)
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21 Black Grouse (3 blackcock and 18 greyhens) and about 30 fieldfares.
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Female blackcap on the feeders - a first for us.
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mistle thrush in our mistletoe
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Robin redbreast on the watering can by our kitchen door.
Felt guilty there was no cat food out for him as he seems to like this.
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Massive f’in rat - in the back gardenette. It then had a fight with one of the resident squirrels. All residual bird food now removed and perusal of rat traps has commenced on Amazon. Cat has now appeared - it hasn’t a hope against that rat, as I am sure it understands, so presumably it regards the rat as just a Creature of Interest.
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Massive f’in rat - in the back gardenette. It then had a fight with one of the resident squirrels. All residual bird food now removed and perusal of rat traps has commenced on Amazon. Cat has now appeared - it hasn’t a hope against that rat, as I am sure it understands, so presumably it regards the rat as just a Creature of Interest.
Worth checking out what your council does, regarding vermin?
Mine came and laid poison.
Maybe a landlord issue....
Removing the bird food is probably a good idea.
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Cheers Jurek. I see that Richmond Council uses SDK Environmental / Dial-a-pest and in their extensive ToC* I can see that if I go down that route, my bird feeders will have to go entirely. I’m a bit reluctant to do that but I might come round to it. I’d rather have my bird feeders + a dead rat. There is very little bird food on the ground. I’ll confess that Mr. Rat has only appeared since I started putting some seeds and nuts on the ground for those birds that don’t use the elevated feeders. This I have stopped as of today.
Also noted in the ToC: there are things called Glis Glis, and they are a right bloody nuisance.
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We found a dead one right in front of the house last week. Folk with chickens round here put down poison, then the rats go and die where other folks' dogs can find them and get poisoned in turn. When I was a kid in Norn Iron we lost out family dog that way. Fortunately ours didn't find this one.
A bit happier: saw a Great Egret on my ride today. They touch down here to feed when they're migrating so this one won't be staying, but it'll probably be back next spring. Sometimes they'll stay a while - we had one a couple of years back that terrorized the local sticklebacks for a week.
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We found a dead one right in front of the house last week. Folk with chickens round here put down poison, then the rats go and die where other folks' dogs can find them and get poisoned in turn. When I was a kid in Norn Iron we lost out family dog that way. Fortunately ours didn't find this one.
For that reason I really don’t want to involve any pest controller that is going to use poison. Presumably there is no way of preventing other animals being exposed to it.
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The rat has not been seen since, as there has been no bird food on the ground. However, I feel the need to put out a trap. I can see where it lives: there is a gap between the back wall that runs along all the back gardens on the street and the end of the neighbour's extension. What is the best trap to get?
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In Priory Park: a kingfisher - the second sighting this week! Quite excited by that.
Greater spotted woodpeckers, one drumming. Saw 3 in the same tree earlier in the week.
A pair of small grebes on the lake catching tiny roach. I suspect that they are little grebes, but in winter plumage, black-necked and Slavonian can't be ruled out.
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Otter in the harbour just now :)
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Just had a red kite circling Fort Larrington; first time I've seen one in these parts.
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The rat has not been seen since, as there has been no bird food on the ground. However, I feel the need to put out a trap. I can see where it lives: there is a gap between the back wall that runs along all the back gardens on the street and the end of the neighbour's extension. What is the best trap to get?
As the rat has been seen a couple of times since the above, I tried this trap:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Roshield-External-Snap-Trap-Control/dp/B00XL33EB0/ref=sr_1_1?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1515164463&sr=8-1&keywords=Roshield+External+Rat+Snap+Trap
Result when using "rodent attractant" as bait: trap sprung, bait partially gone, no rat. Could have been slugs but doubt it.
Result when using my very popular "peanut wedged in cashew nut butter" recipe: suspiciously squirrel-sized holes have been chewed at each end of the outer box, trap has been sprung, bait eaten (twice). No rat. Trap in bin. In any case the last thing I want is to attract non-rats to the bait.
What I really need here is an air rifle but given that I don't have one, any suggestions?
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Hundreds of geese about today in the Northron wastes. Also some curlews in a field.
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A redwing and a song thrush in a loose association with some blackbirds in and around my back garden. I was more surprised to see the song thrush as we can go for years without seeing one.
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A treecreeper, creeping up a tree. First one I've seen in years.
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Magpies ,pigeons,blackbirds,a pair of wagtails,a crow,some rooks two buzzards and some red kites :)
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The rat has not been seen since, as there has been no bird food on the ground. However, I feel the need to put out a trap. I can see where it lives: there is a gap between the back wall that runs along all the back gardens on the street and the end of the neighbour's extension. What is the best trap to get?
As the rat has been seen a couple of times since the above, I tried this trap:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Roshield-External-Snap-Trap-Control/dp/B00XL33EB0/ref=sr_1_1?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1515164463&sr=8-1&keywords=Roshield+External+Rat+Snap+Trap
Result when using "rodent attractant" as bait: trap sprung, bait partially gone, no rat. Could have been slugs but doubt it.
Result when using my very popular "peanut wedged in cashew nut butter" recipe: suspiciously squirrel-sized holes have been chewed at each end of the outer box, trap has been sprung, bait eaten (twice). No rat. Trap in bin. In any case the last thing I want is to attract non-rats to the bait.
What I really need here is an air rifle but given that I don't have one, any suggestions?
I don't want to be too alarmist, but my guess if you've got 1 rat you've got lots.
Many moons ago, possibly that far back in the mists of time that Dez may not yet have existed, my dad kept hens. About 200 of them in his back garden, in houses but free to wander around on straw. This led to piles of straw/chicken shit around the place. One day, my dad noticed a rat-sized hole in one of these mounds and down it we could wee a pair of bright beady eyes looking out at us. He summoned me, and I summoned the dog, and my dad forked his way through the manure heap whilst the dog and I looked on.
During the next half hour, armed with our best Colin Cowdrey cricket bat and sharp teeth, the dog and I killed 21 rats and at least as many escaped.
PS I operated the cricket bat and the dog used his teeth.
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A Buzzard, at about 10ft Range - it was on the verge as I cycled past, presumably on some food.
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There was a lot of clattering and some moss falling past the kitchen window, which turned out to be one of the local pheasants scrambling inelegantly up the roof, where it briefly posed like an ornament on the ridge before
falling flying off before I could get a photo. They really should stay on the ground, they don't have the skills for altitude.
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A Buzzard, at about 10ft Range - it was on the verge as I cycled past, presumably on some food.
Last week, driving up the A14 towards Corby/Kettering, lots of red kites about and one swooped on something in the central reservation just as I was passing in the fast lane.
As it took off, it can't have been more than 3 ft from my front bumper and windscreen - I could see individual feathers.
Plenty more around as I left the A14 towards Corby as well, they seem to be doing well in that part of Northants/Cambs border
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There was a lot of clattering and some moss falling past the kitchen window, which turned out to be one of the local pheasants scrambling inelegantly up the roof, where it briefly posed like an ornament on the ridge before falling flying off before I could get a photo. They really should stay on the ground, they don't have the skills for altitude.
They don't really have the skills for the ground though, either.
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I don't want to be too alarmist, but my guess if you've got 1 rat you've got lots.
Yes, hence my rush to acquire suitable means of destruction even though I am usually very much live and let live when it comes to critters.
However, I have not seen the rat for quite some time now. Admittedly I have removed the bird feeder that caused most of the mess-creating bad bird table manners and I also had a major garden clean-up, removing cover for said rodent. Hopefully he was just exploring and has found a better food source.
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A couple of hares and loads of kestrels round t'Moors.
Plus a kingfisher down Cocker Beck :D
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Belted Galloways on Reigate Hill a couple of weeks ago. Ditto on Box Hill this weekend. They're employed by the National Trust to keep the Wrong Stuff from growing by eating it. I got up close to a couple. They have really furry coats and one appeared to be completely black. Fortunately, when I passed it later I could see the other side, so like rather like the cow in the joke, at least one side had a white stripe.
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On the road between Copthorne and Ardingly (through Turners Hill of London to Brighton fame) two dead badgers, one dead Deer (that will have left a dent). Also a live buzzard and a number of other birds that I didn't identify whilst driving.
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Belted Galloways on Reigate Hill a couple of weeks ago. Ditto on Box Hill this weekend. They're employed by the National Trust to keep the Wrong Stuff from growing by eating it. I got up close to a couple. They have really furry coats and one appeared to be completely black. Fortunately, when I passed it later I could see the other side, so like rather like the cow in the joke, at least one side had a white stripe.
loads of those up where my parents live, they always remind me of liquorice allsorts
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Belted Galloways on Reigate Hill a couple of weeks ago. Ditto on Box Hill this weekend. They're employed by the National Trust to keep the Wrong Stuff from growing by eating it. I got up close to a couple. They have really furry coats and one appeared to be completely black. Fortunately, when I passed it later I could see the other side, so like rather like the cow in the joke, at least one side had a white stripe.
loads of those up where my parents live, they always remind me of liquorice allsorts
But not the blue & pink bobbly ones. No-one likes them... ;)
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Belted Galloways on Reigate Hill a couple of weeks ago. Ditto on Box Hill this weekend. They're employed by the National Trust to keep the Wrong Stuff from growing by eating it. I got up close to a couple. They have really furry coats and one appeared to be completely black. Fortunately, when I passed it later I could see the other side, so like rather like the cow in the joke, at least one side had a white stripe.
loads of those up where my parents live, they always remind me of liquorice allsorts
But not the blue & pink bobbly ones. No-one likes them... ;)
Blue and pink bobbly cows - which variety is that?
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A cormorant, flying along the Teifi with a small fish in it's beak.
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Male blackcap and long-tailed tits in the garden this morning.
This afternoon in a local park, we saw an otter having a poo. Later it chased off a heron.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4617/39351271294_fcd841441a_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/22XkxYJ)
IMG_7199_01 (https://flic.kr/p/22XkxYJ) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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A rare sighting in our narrow fenced in garden - a song thrush.
And it seems to be wanting to stay around. Today it was perched atop the wild plum at the bottom of the garden singing its best. We could easily here it 30m away at the back door. Lovely :D
And a red kite dived down to snatch up some of the fat from last nights roast pork. It’s wingspan is half the width of the garden (its only 11ft wide :) ).
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I watched a brother of the angle play and land a handsome common carp - probably about 12lb I reckon.
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I watched a brother of the angle play and land a handsome common carp - probably about 12lb I reckon.
I won't bother to tell you what I read that as. ::-)
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A rat, while cycling home through Limehouse last night.
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The song thrust again, this time in our small (10’ x 6 ‘) front garden, searching for and eating some of the myriad snails therein. Cool.
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Yesterday I was impressed by the large amount of avian life that had congregated in the park. Quite a lot of ducks (all mallards or mallard-alikes so far as I could tell) on the lake, but most impressively, and I hadn't previously seen any of these this winter, a flock of redwings, at least 40 in number. I would imagine that all of this has been riding the east wind in order to escape from the nastiest weather.
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Yesterday we saw three Thrushes, and unheard of number in out area. And this morning, a lone fieldfare on our small lawn, neve4 seen that before.
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MrsC has been watching the birds feeding on our patio. There's about five inches or more of snow out there. Every time she's seen something different she's called me downstairs to have a look. As well as our usual stuff we've had fieldfares, brambling*, reed bunting*, greenfinch, bullfinches (both sexes) redwing and both sexes of blackcap.
*: these two are firsts for the garden in eighteen and a half years of living here.
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That's one of the benefits of wintry conditions; my resident turdidae have been augmented by a Fieldfare and two Redwing in the last couple of days. Both are common in the local parks at this time of year but they rarely venture into residential gardens.
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Some fieldfares in a neighbour's garden. A rare sight in town.
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It is March so two Brown Hares showing nicely against the snow and a buzzard
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Waxwings! :thumbsup:
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4620/40590038701_c3f0d6849a_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/24QNynt)
IMG_7344_01 (https://flic.kr/p/24QNynt) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
And there's dozens of fieldfares now.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4768/38780086790_7b325a2244_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/225S5J3)
IMG_7253_01 (https://flic.kr/p/225S5J3) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Wow! :thumbsup:
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Four snipe in Priory Park! When I got too close they weren't there any more.
I've never seen snipe there before.
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A wagtail skipping along the pavement of Ashley Road, yesterday. Quite an appropriate bird to see on the same street as the once famous Black and White Cafe!
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I can't be sure if this is a mistle thrush or not. It was pretty large (sorry, nothing in shot to give scale).
Eating the red berries in the front of our house.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4603/26741028638_8963f9aa91_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/GK1LaU)
IMG_0503 (https://flic.kr/p/GK1LaU) by Basil W (https://www.flickr.com/photos/153328377@N08/), on Flickr
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Close to 100 fieldfares in the neighbours' gardens again today.
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Hundreds of cranes flying in formation. Wonderful!
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On the train journey yesterday afternoon the snow covered fields revealed deer, geese and hares.
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Two pigeons having a bit of a stooshie outside my office window.
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Heard two, saw one - skylarks.
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A good view of a green woodpecker in Priory Park this morning.
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Monday - a parakeet in Hyde Park. Makes a change from just hearing them.
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Several red kites. One had nesting material in its grasp, the other was enjoying som3 roadkill, which I hope was rabbit but could have been hare.
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Dead Fox :'( live jays , rooks, magpies , blackbirds , some finches in the hedgerows which appeared to be blue and and grey feathered ?. Definitely a finch beak .some ducks on the Thames as the river on Eton bridge . :)
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most recently on a run
1 x Green and 1 x lesser spotted woodpecker 1 x heron
Hanging around over the house a couple of days ago - a pair of buzzards
Walking along the roof of the house visible from my office window - a pied wagtail
Out on a recent ride - not entirely sure as they kept moving, looked about the size of a thrush/blackbird, but in flight appeared to have a brown back and a buff/cream underside. A small flock of about 5-10 jumping about around the field margins in some longer stuff by a ditch. Quite a harsh, short call rather than the longer trills of a blackbird or songthrush when disturbed.
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Fieldfares &/or redwings?
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probably
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Seen near Belfairs wood earlier today.
Escaped or feral ferret?
(https://i.imgur.com/1x1bkMq.jpg)
A bit closer.
(https://i.imgur.com/gEzVDQe.jpg)
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In my garden so far today (looking out my office window)
A pair of pied wagtails - cue Barry White
Several collared doves
a pair of goldfinches - cue BW again
a pheasant walking along the top of my garden fence
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The dolphins were putting on quite a show this afternoon :)
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The dolphins were putting on quite a show this afternoon :)
And again this morning :thumbsup:
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Heard rather than seen a greater spotted woodpecker and in Windsor this morning a bumblebee :)
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Turnstones having a bath in fresh water runoff in St Ives and an Avocet probing the silt beds in Lelant Saltings this afternoon.
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A stoat, running across the road. My first ever. I've seen weasels before, but never a stoat.
Then a brief glimpse of an otter diving off our pontoon as we walked aboard.
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Peregrine on a church tower in the middle of Taunton.
As well as seeing it live, we popped into the church where they have CCTV for it.
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Colins Barnpecker ;D
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A Greater Spotted Woodpecker on our peanut feeder, a Green Woodpecker on next door lawn, and most extraordinary of all, a Red Legged Partridge - walking around on our patio within 3m of the back door, under the bird feeders we have there. Maybe picking up spilt mealworms, or the remains of sunflower hearts. Never seen one in the garden before, indeed never seen one within half a mile of the house before, the closest being a family group about that far away foraging in a large field. Only other game birds we see are Pheasant, and a couple of females were under the feeders in the cold snap.
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Bullfinchs nesting under the eaves at the Dinton pastures cafe yesterday. I have not seen bullfinchs for years :)
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Hates. 10 of them, some as close as 3m. And one, behind me on the road, 2m away. Beautiful.
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Greater spotted woodpecker.
When I was in the park this morning I was looking into the "pikey pool" for the two specimens of esox lucius that dwell there. Suddenly there was a splashy commotion to my left and one of the pike had somehow almost gone over the small waterfall into the next pool. Next thing there was an almighty swirl as it propelled itself to a different part of the pool.
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This little chappie, and then joined by its mate as well, picking off the bits of fleece that were stuck on the twigs, presumably for nesting materials.
They were quite accepting of me in my office about 1.5-2m away through the window
(https://i.imgur.com/viNr5Ma.jpg)
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Unusual for us - in fact the first time we’ve positively identified one - a blackcap on the feeders.
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Even more unusually, a great crested newt feet from our back door. Cool!
Well I hope that's what it was - poor pics below....
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/868/41320323961_2a3fdecd4e_m.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/25XksJD)IMG_0144 (https://flic.kr/p/25XksJD) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/807/26448817587_bfe50d832c_m.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Gic71k)IMG_0143 (https://flic.kr/p/Gic71k) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
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You could only see its feet? If you'd have gone out of the backdoor, you may have been able to see more of it.
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It was warm enough for lizards to be out today, only I didn't see any. Nor yet their feet.
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Loads of red kites yesterday - but we were in the Chilterns. I heard a blackcap and said to Her Welshness "That's a blackcap!" and, dead on cue, it appeared. I think I heard a nuthatch at one point, but didn't see it. Likewise numerous goldcrests.
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Took the dog on a long walk round the outside of Castle Howard yesterday. Loads of skylarks singing like mad. In some reeds a grey heron was been told in no uncertain terms to bugger off by a pair of Canadian geese. The most surprising thing I saw was an oyster catcher wading in a waterlogged field, I did't realize they they came so far inland.
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The most surprising thing I saw was an oyster catcher wading in a waterlogged field, I did't realize they they came so far inland.
It's only a matter of time before those show up in Canon Hill Park as well, isn't it?
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A greater spotted woodpecker drumming on a dead lelandii trunk over the back of the house.
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The less well known Hebridean Haggis Haggis harrisii (unlike the better known Highland or Common Haggis Haggis haggis)
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/952/40968297794_50a15fa8c3_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/25qeeBY)eyes (https://flic.kr/p/25qeeBY) by David Martin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmam/), on Flickr
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No fewer than 7 jays all in the same ash tree
goldcrest
blackcaps
mallards with a brood of at least 9 ducklings
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Things seen on holiday in the Hebrides:
1 eagle, type unknown but heading south at height.
2 red deer, both stags, in the front garden
Red breasted merganser
Fulmars, shags, bullfinches
1 dead otter
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The first of (hopefully) 5 robin chicks to hatch. Tomorrow being wet I’ll check my camera is charged up and hopefully get some pics. Hope the cat doesn’t find the nest.
And sadly a squashed hedgehog, and a dead stoat.
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In the midst of all the usual spring pleasures.
A medium sized grey bird, roughly woodpigeon or collared dove colour, though somewhat smaller, with pointy wings (falcon?). It flew on; I can only use jinking to describe how it flew, though not through, or even near to trees. It's a rather rough description.
I saw a kestrel a couple of hours later. Gorgeous chesnut colours & a fair bit bigger.
So what was the grey bird?
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Tagged starlings in the garden. A fairly typical-sized flock invaded our garden (as they do), and I gradually realised that about 1/4 had tags on their ankles.
I can't recall ever seeing tagged birds in "real life". N mentioned that she's only seem them on ducks.
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In the midst of all the usual spring pleasures.
A medium sized grey bird, roughly woodpigeon or collared dove colour, though somewhat smaller, with pointy wings (falcon?). It flew on; I can only use jinking to describe how it flew, though not through, or even near to trees. It's a rather rough description.
I saw a kestrel a couple of hours later. Gorgeous chesnut colours & a fair bit bigger.
So what was the grey bird?
Hobby? (https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/hobby/)
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Tagged starlings in the garden. A fairly typical-sized flock invaded our garden (as they do), and I gradually realised that about 1/4 had tags on their ankles.
I can't recall ever seeing tagged birds in "real life". N mentioned that she's only seem them on ducks.
It does happen quite a lot and with a fair number of species. Were they metalling rings or coloured ones?
Bird ringing is done to track things like migrations, how long birds live and so on. If you find a dead bird with a ring I think there are places to send the ring to.
The coloured ones are done to enable specific individuals to be identified easily without disturbing them.
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Tagged starlings in the garden. A fairly typical-sized flock invaded our garden (as they do), and I gradually realised that about 1/4 had tags on their ankles.
I can't recall ever seeing tagged birds in "real life". N mentioned that she's only seem them on ducks.
Me neither. The only tagged bird I've ever seen was a lost or exhausted pigeon that took up residence in our Bournville garden for two days.
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I saw a ringed pied wagtail a couple of weeks ago:
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/814/26543508507_af66e05ef7_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Gryqjp)
Pied wagtail (Motacilla alba yarrellii) (https://flic.kr/p/Gryqjp) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
I've also seen a ringed herring gull and waxwings. Last winter we saw some people ringing waxwings in the centre of FurryBootToon.
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In the midst of all the usual spring pleasures.
A medium sized grey bird, roughly woodpigeon or collared dove colour, though somewhat smaller, with pointy wings (falcon?). It flew on; I can only use jinking to describe how it flew, though not through, or even near to trees. It's a rather rough description.
I saw a kestrel a couple of hours later. Gorgeous chesnut colours & a fair bit bigger.
So what was the grey bird?
Hobby? (https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/hobby/)
Thanks for the link. I'd started to guess that it was male & either a Merlin or Hobby. The RSPB pictures showed the underside of a Hobby. As soon as I saw that, I realised I'd only seen the upper parts :(. A bit of extra searching on other sites showed pictures of both species with distinctly different head plumage. I didn't notice the head. The flight pattern is (by now) presumably hunting, but I didn't notice prey. Also I didn't notice the patterns on the tail feathers. Not a lot to go on...
Has anyone else seen either of these species in or near Warwickshire? I don't think either is that common, but are Hobbies commoner?
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Without checking, I'd guess hobby of those two.
Hobbies are migratory and will be arriving here now from Africa. I've certainly seem more of them than I have merlins. They hunt things as small as dragonflies so you might well not see the prey.
We did once see about 20-30 of them hunting over water on the Somerset Levels, but our more knowledgeable friends were saying that it was unusual to get those numbers. Difficult to count as they move so fast.
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First swallow of the year for me this morning.
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I saw my first several swallows yesterday, darting about low over the river.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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Seen in black park lake just to the north of slough :)
https://photos.app.goo.gl/mjWdAUqDodCPpFcj2
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Not seen, sadly, “our” Robin chicks. Empty nest, presumably predated, probably by rats as it was close to our compost heap :-\
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Something small and brown about the length of a squirrel crossing the b road near Dinton pastures this morning .I suspect it was a young stoat :)
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(https://photos.app.goo.gl/cPav1TJzSb7Tg2ep7)
That, yesterday. Unless I am very much mistaken, that is a black stork, in Luxembourg. . I think we saw another today.
Edit: I can’t get the hang of linking to google photos. Will have some help from Dez when we get home.
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Digging over the compost heap earlier I found a slow worm. Also, spotted our frog while watering in the dark.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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A sparrowhawk sitting in the road over a pigeon it had just caught. As I rode up it spread its wings as if to hide its catch from me. Then it went back to what looked like plucking. I tried to take a photo but unfortunately came a bit too close; the hawk flew off and the pigeon turned out to be still alive, though it was swiftly recaught. Stupid human interfering!
Also a lesser spotted tiggywinkle on surprisingly spindly legs shuffling across the BBRP at dead of night.
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Swifts are back :thumbsup:
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I saw a skylark at its nest today, singing away, as I ran by.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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We've got nothing down here in Brighton. No Swifts, Swallows, House Martins. Nothing. Quite worrying really.
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Riding home last night through Plaistow, around 20:30, a
cat fox (!) sitting on a garden fence watching traffic go by.
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Hares and foxes are animals I think of as being active at dusk but I saw both within a few minutes of each other at midday on Monday. First the hare, running lazily ahead of me down a lane before dashing through a hedge when a huge tractor approached us, then a fox loping through a field of grass and buttercups where I'd stopped for a bit under the shade of two oak trees. The fox looked at me with no more than mild curiosity, perhaps recounting when back in the den "I saw one of those humans sitting under the oak trees in the middle of the buttercup field. You don't often see them just sitting there."
I wonder if there's a difference in the diurnal habits of rural and urban foxes, with the city slickers coming out at night to raid bins while the country cousins are more active in daylight?
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In my experience it was a little early for foxes, but not shockingly so. I did see a mid-day fox recently, but it was sticking its head out of my neighbour's garden shed, where I assume it has taken up residence. (Shed can be classified as abandoned by hoomans.)
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Foxes hereabouts are around at just about any time of day or night.
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Saw a peregrine carrying what appeared to be a pigeon in the centre of FurryBootToon :)
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Not sure if a swift or swallow, I think the former but it was over fairly quickly - sat on the road out of our village and nearly ran over by me yesterday. I'm guessing it was cream crackered and having a rest.
Also our friendly garden robin, hopping around within a foot of me as I was digging yesterday.
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I forgot to mention the rooks hopping around the campsite last Monday morning. Perhaps not so unusual or interesting in themselves, but I don't seem to have seen any for a few years; it's all glossy black carrion crows round here.
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Seen yesterday, a crow standing on a donkey's rump and plucking out hairs, presumably for his nest. The donkey didn't seem to mind!
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Not sure if a swift or swallow, I think the former but it was over fairly quickly - sat on the road out of our village and nearly ran over by me yesterday. I'm guessing it was cream crackered and having a rest.
Also our friendly garden robin, hopping around within a foot of me as I was digging yesterday.
My guess would be a swallow. I recall in my youth a swift on the path at our house. I was surprised at how large it was - much bigger wingspan than I would have expected - but the key thing was that it was unable to take off from the ground. Once I picked it up and threw it into the air it was fine. I have no idea how it came to be down there.
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Thousands of May flies along the Thames near Windsor this afternoon .exactly how many thousands I did not bother to count : :)
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(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/P5230193.jpg)
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SWIFTS!!!
Okay, okay, it was only three of them, but it's the first sighting of them above where I live. It's taken a lot longer this year.
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Fledgling robin in the garden.
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(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/P5230193.jpg)
Nice!
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(http://gentlemancyclist.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/img_2585.jpg)
Not today, but on 6th May when we were cycling through Luxembourg. Black stork.
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Seen yesterday: Kestrel taking off from the hedgerow and swooping overhead as I cycled past at almost reach-out-and-you-can-touch-it-range. To the point where an inept bird-spotter like me was in no doubt that it was a kestrel.
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Good walk from Grassington along the Warfe and then back over high ground yesterday. Saw my first green woodpecker ever ! We have greater and lesser spotted locally and they even visit the nuts in our garden but I have never seen a green woodpecker before so that made my day. Pied wagtails a plenty plus one grey or yellow wagtail on the rocks in the river, I find it hard to tell them apart. Oyster catchers and various ducks on the river plus a lot of black headed gulls which were as far from the sea as its possible to get in the UK probably. Hear loads of curlew on the higher dales as we walked back but unfortunately didn't spot any, just crows and pheasant. Oh and sheep, lots and lots of sheep.
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Today walking near Levisham on the North Yorks Moors I did actually manage to see a curlew rather than just hear them. Havn't seen one for a few years.
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Grey wags have a much longer tail than yellows, just for starters. Wing bar, darker back, and so on. Yellows have a huge range of races/subspecies.
You get lesser spotted? Wow! Not the commonest of birds, certainly not in the North.
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i was thinking I must visit pcolbec. I have never seen a lesser spotted woodpecker.
I had two sightings of cuckoos today, whilst walking between Benfleet and Leigh along the sea wall path. The first had been cuckooing and was therefore a male*. The second was skulking around the reedbeds for all the world looking as though it was hunting for reed warbler nests to parasitise.
Oh, and I made the pleasing discovery that the freshwater marshes in that area contain marsh frogs! I didn't see any but I heard them. I think it's the first time I have heard them in Essex, although I have a feeling that they are present on Rainham Marshes.
*I believe this to be the case, having read stuff, but I am always acutely aware that the wildlife I observe has very rarely read the same books that I have, and therefore might have other ideas.
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Black storks? Hungary
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/pic/?o=1mr&pic_id=519938&size=large
Lesser grey shrike ditto
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/pic/?o=1mr&pic_id=510815&size=large
Lesser spotted ditto again
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/pic/?o=1mr&pic_id=519945&size=large
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Some 20 red kites and 6or so buzzards appeared when the field opposite was mown today - it’s organically grown silage that the farmer lets seed before cutting.
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this little chap
(https://i.imgur.com/LK29OBi.jpg)
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On a walk around the local nature reserve (a former Castle Cement chalk quarry) a small cluster of bee orchids.
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(https://i.imgur.com/OvHT09c.jpg)
plus a cinnabar moth that wouldn't sit still
Rescued the damselfly from inside my greenhouse
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Seen yesterday: Kestrel taking off from the hedgerow and swooping overhead as I cycled past at almost reach-out-and-you-can-touch-it-range. To the point where an inept bird-spotter like me was in no doubt that it was a kestrel.
A magical moment. It's decades & tens of thousands of cycling miles since I last saw a kestrel that close. Thanks for sharing it.
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A beetle.
Anyone know what it is ?
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/891/42875679461_9f4b7b794f_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/28jM4JM)
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllopertha_horticola ?
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Cheers.
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Curlew with a chick yesterday.
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Today walking near Levisham on the North Yorks Moors I did actually manage to see a curlew rather than just hear them. Havn't seen one for a few years.
We have curlews very near to us as there is quite a bit of permanent pasture in a sea of arable crops. When we visited the Peak District a few years ago, one of our friends commented on how nice it was to hear curlews (they lived in Surrey). I didn't have the heart to tell them that we heard them almost every day at this time of year.
Last night, whilst visiting my allotment, I watched a barn owl hovering for a few minutes. It flew up the hedge line then over some rough grass at one corner of the allotment field then flew across the next field into the tall trees. We often see this owl out hunting in the evening. There is a field of miscanthus grass that grows very tall and is probably full of small mammals.
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A crow 'bathing' in the smoke from a chimney.
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1764/42925627691_974d7afd70_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/28pc4Ba)
IMG_8105_01 (https://flic.kr/p/28pc4Ba) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1803/29061785738_d0f1669e44_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Lh6fpm)
Shags contemplating world domination (https://flic.kr/p/Lh6fpm) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1829/29061800398_e3988228d1_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Lh6jL7)
Sea labradors loafing (https://flic.kr/p/Lh6jL7) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1778/42885693962_4123f44ed8_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/28kEoGA)
Miss von Brandenburg (l), bothering a wol (https://flic.kr/p/28kEoGA) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1818/42885706792_eb0b90ff4a_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/28kEsvN)
Skara the wol (https://flic.kr/p/28kEsvN) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1810/42216340194_4c6a89c153_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/27jvM9o)
Stanley the Crested Caracara, looking wistful (https://flic.kr/p/27jvM9o) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1819/42033268325_af15bdd1fd_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/273kufR)
Harris Hawk mooching (https://flic.kr/p/273kufR) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1822/42033584965_c14fef7d0d_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/273n7oa)
Oystercatcher thinking its left its wallet at home (https://flic.kr/p/273n7oa) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1775/42886243702_128fce1f44_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/28kHd7S)
Fulmar, fulminating (https://flic.kr/p/28kHd7S) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1829/42934309261_be16ba12f4_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/28pXykp)
Genuine unicorn, honest (https://flic.kr/p/28pXykp) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
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Lovely shag, mr larrington.
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A grey and white bird with a wingspan of around three feet, over our garage, near the kitchen door.
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A stoat and a red kite (not at the same time) :)
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A treecreeper, creeping up a tree.
And some sort of vole/shrew, running across the road, narrowly avoiding my wheels.
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A lovely moth on my window this morning. Wingspan 25mm.
Any ideas?
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/914/43012201552_0fe7d3c7ee_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/28wQLZW)
DSC_0001 (https://flic.kr/p/28wQLZW) by Basil W (https://www.flickr.com/photos/153328377@N08/), on Flickr
Edited to correct wingspan.
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Two buzzards circling ominously overhead while I was out cycling
A green woodpecker on the patio, this evening, pecking around under the rosemary. Flew off just as I got the camera
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A lovely moth on my window this morning. Wingspan 25mm.
Any ideas?
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/914/43012201552_0fe7d3c7ee_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/28wQLZW)
DSC_0001 (https://flic.kr/p/28wQLZW) by Basil W (https://www.flickr.com/photos/153328377@N08/), on Flickr
Edited to correct wingspan.
Small magpie (https://ukmoths.org.uk/species/anania-hortulata/)?
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I think you may be right. Thanks.
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Mrs T saw a dead fox this morning, quite young. Hit by a car, guts out. To stop it being splattered she dragged it off the road by one ear - said the fur was beautifully soft. Shame.
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A Skipper of some kind.......
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/919/28241566417_319ef9bbfe_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/K2BpLV)
And........
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/923/42205915205_27877bce43_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/27iAmac)
No idea what they are officially called.
And in the garden last week, a White Letter Hairstreak, and I am very chuffed.....
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1760/42716484931_bb948ba457_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/285H9Kv)
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And........
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/923/42205915205_27877bce43_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/27iAmac)
No idea what they are officially called.
Garden tiger moth (http://Garden tiger moth)?
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Just before lunch, a swallowtail butterfly and A.N.Other unfamiliar one on the buddleia. A.N.Other looked sorta like a faded tortoiseshell.
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This morning I woke up just before 4 and wandered down to the Thame. I listened to two reed warblers for a while and then noticed some larger slower ripples in the surface of the river than could be caused by fish. At first I thought it must be a moorhen and I walked as quietly as I could downstream. I became aware that there was a bow wave heading upstream towards me. All of a sudden, this wave resolved into an otter, paddling silently along and straight past me, about ten feet from where I stood. It spotted me and halted, and sat in the water staring at me, giving a series of what seemed like indignant huffs before disappearing under the surface with a loud plop.
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Funny: I've spent most of my life in Europe, but the only otters I've ever seen were sea otters in California.
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An oystercatcher chick yesterday.
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Funny: I've spent most of my life in Europe, but the only otters I've ever seen were sea otters in California.
For many years they were incredibly rare in the UK, particularly in England.
But of late they have been making a comeback. I've seen them in the open during daylight on the Somerset levels (Sunday afternoon on a nature reserve with loads of people about; it really wasn't bothered by us).
And, apparently, Dorset is now back up to having as many otters as the environment can support which is really good news.
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This little chap, nearly stepped on until I saw him move
(https://i.imgur.com/sl4WpN0.jpg)
And nearby, this, the only spot of colour around
(https://i.imgur.com/0JHnmBY.jpg)
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Seems to have been flying ant day today. Thousands but all gone by 8pm.
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I love sitting out on our patio for the evening change over. Tonight it happened at exactly 10 pm.
One minute the swifts are screaming and buzzing us in formations and then they suddenly disappear. Immediately the pipistrelle bats appear, Couple of bigger ones too. Greater Horseshoe?
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And today for the first time ever in any of my gardens, a gold Finch at the feeder.
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A weasel, as it ran halfway across the road carrying a dead mouse, saw me on the bike, dropped the mouse and ran back again
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So many dead badgers by the road this weekend ???
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We are currently getting frequent visits to the bird bath from a pair of Goldfinches. They look and sound gorgeous as the twitter away to each other taking alternate sips from the water.
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So many dead badgers by the road this weekend ???
More than usual around here too. And it's not just that they smell extra-bad, they're plainly visible ones.
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Mrs T saw a dead fox this morning, quite young. Hit by a car, guts out. To stop it being splattered she dragged it off the road by one ear - said the fur was beautifully soft. Shame.
Mrs Cudzo's neighbours back in the 1970s or 80s farmed foxes for fur. Stank.
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Heard but not seen: an unidentified small bird giving a loud alarm call for a long time at dawn o'clock. At a guess it might have been blackbird, jay or magpie, as they're common here, and the cause of its alarm could have been a fox (not farmed!) or a sea gull. Don't know though.
Wonderful moth photos upthread. Thanks to all moth photographers. :thumbsup:
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A Jersey Tiger moth indoors the other day in west London:
https://butterfly-conservation.org/moths/jersey-tiger (https://butterfly-conservation.org/moths/jersey-tiger)
When I caught in a plastic basket it displayed its red hind wings, before I released it outside.
Seems it has spread from the CI and S Devon along the south coast, with a population in London that might have been artifically introduced.
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Last Friday I was eating fish & chips outside Cromar's very good F & C shop in St. Andrews. I heard a bit of a kerfuffle, looked up and saw a large raptor, I'm pretty sure a sparrow hawk, fly overhead pursued by a small flock of indignant house martins.
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Crayfish in our village stream today:
(http://www.pbase.com/image/167897611.jpg)
First time I've ever seen one, and in the last place I'd have expected it. I suspect it's come out of hiding in search of oxygen - there's precious little water left.
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A fox? A dog? It was shaped like a fox, and moved like a fox, but it had short hair. No, it didn't look like a wet fox. ???
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Until last night I'd never seen a live badger. I saw two last night. The second was a wowbadger which nearly took me out on a fast descent. They're big and fast!
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A stoat. Or possibly a weasel. It's so hard to tell.
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Yesterday a red sqrl :D and a (probably dog) otter lying on the road :'(
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<snip>
...tumbleweed...
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A pigeon just flew into the kitchen window. Thump! It bounced off the glass, turned round and flew a few metres to the garden wall, where it rested for a minute.
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Just been set upon by a thing that looks like a house fly but bites. Sneaky bastard. Fast, too.
I'm outta here.
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Sounds like a horse fly. They're nasty.
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A juvenile dunnock beating itself almost senseless against the window of our utility room. The door to the outside, through which it must have entered, was wide open. But it could see the garden through the window, and that is where it wanted to go.
I opened the window. My proximity scaring it even more. So it turned round and flew out the door. ::-)
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Hooray! Hedgecodges sighted!
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/EK000123.jpg)
Also Kittehs, a slug and a snail. But they aren't as interesting.
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Hooray for fenceswine!
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Seal in Middlesbrough Dock yesterday, made its way round to the Transporter this morning. Tides are really high this week.
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A full-sized deer ran in front of me in broad daylight here (https://goo.gl/maps/iBc8NhympB22) yesterday. Never seen one in that area before.
Fortunately the uphill gradient to the motorway bridge meant I wasn't going particularly fast.
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Got to within about a metre of a grey squirrel today. It was sitting in the middle of the pavement eating a hazel nut and completely oblivious to me.
Never really been that close to one before.
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Greater spotted woodpecker pecking at next door's apple tree. Never been able to watch one that close or for so long before (at least 5 minutes).
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Last week on holibobs
- a deer running down the road in front of me
- 2 eagles, separately
- owls
- seals
- lots of sheeps
This week at home
- Kestrel and buzzards both local
- an emperor dragonfly, it had got itself wedged into the net of the kids trampoline. I heard a buzzing of wings fom my office but couldn't quite place it, then tracked it down while I was out watering the plants. It had got its thorax all the way through up to the wing roots. I was in two minds whether to try adn tease it through or cut it out. I ended up squashing the wings flat with one hand around the net, adn teasing it through forwards grasping around the thorax, my main concern was to not damage the eyes or wings. In any event, despite the buzzing of wings and curling of the tail sections, I managed to free it and it was off and away as soon as it could. Happy endings
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Got to within about a metre of a grey squirrel today. It was sitting in the middle of the pavement eating a hazel nut and completely oblivious to me.
Never really been that close to one before.
I've seen them very close-up in parks enjoying fries left behind by considerate park users.
They hold the chip with both hands, like a child would hold an ice cream cornet and eat them downwards from the end.
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Around 50 swallows gathered on the telephone wires outside our cottage this morning :-\. And I noticed that the deciduous trees are already beginning to turn to their autumn colours.
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I'm going to double post
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/P8200847_DxO.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/P8200694_DxO.jpg)
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:thumbsup:
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Around 50 swallows gathered on the telephone wires outside our cottage this morning :-\. And I noticed that the deciduous trees are already beginning to turn to their autumn colours.
I understand trees turn earlier when they are stressed.
Two months' heat and drought has undoubtedly stressed many trees here in That London, where autumn has arrived two months earlier than usual.
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Horse chestnuts often start changing colour in July.
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I'm going to double post
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/P8200847_DxO.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/P8200694_DxO.jpg)
Google tells me this is a California condor. But that has a bald head. Is it a sea eagle?
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Horse chestnuts often start changing colour in July.
Yes, we have plenty of those, all with the prevalent disease that causes early leaf browning and drop, what caught my attention was the hornbeam/whitebeam hedge of one of the neighbouring houses. As Helly says, the lack of water has stressed the trees this year. The local (Wendover) woods should be spectacular this year.
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I'm going to double post
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/P8200847_DxO.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/P8200694_DxO.jpg)
Google tells me this is a California condor. But that has a bald head. Is it a sea eagle?
White tailed eagles, which I think are also known as Sea Eagles. The UKs biggest bird, apparently. Two males here.
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A group of five Little Egrets next to the River Ribble opposite Miller Park in Preston.
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A cormorant swimming neck deep in the Teifi. Quite an odd sight.
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Yes - might have been a bit shagged.....
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Looking out of my office window, I can see a greater spotted woodpecker in the tree across the road.
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Not very lively. :(
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1865/44302143892_4dc81e04fd_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2auQ4V7)
20180829_182752 (https://flic.kr/p/2auQ4V7) by Basil W (https://www.flickr.com/photos/153328377@N08/), on Flickr
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Two foxen on the ride home this evening.
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A small (~40 cm) grass snake crossing the cycle track when leaving Gloucester, and a mink* running across the road on the return trip
* I think - black, and about twice the size of a stoat.
The first I've seen, alive at least.
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Looking out of my office window, I can see a greater spotted woodpecker in the tree across the road.
They seem to have made something of a resurgence in my neck of the woods - green rather than greater, but plenty around, including in our garden, and one that sits on the telegraph pole in direct view of my home office.
This morning I watched a young crow walking along the bottom edge of my kitchen roof deliberately digging through the moss in the gutter for insects, and chucking it all on the patio below
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Two deer around the corner from Mom's house on the drive in last night (plus my brother's daft dog on the backseat of his charabanc).
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didn't manage to get a photo, but just had what I think was a little owl sat on the top of the net of the kids trampoline.
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Looking out of my office window, I can see a greater spotted woodpecker in the tree across the road.
They seem to have made something of a resurgence in my neck of the woods - green rather than greater, but plenty around, including in our garden, and one that sits on the telegraph pole in direct view of my home office.
They‘re quite common round my way (East Kent), all three varieties. Regularly hear them even if I don’t see them. Mainly lesser spotted in the woods next door, or green on my lawn. Although I’ve not seen any green ones for a while, come to think of it.
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They‘re quite common round my way (East Kent), all three varieties. Regularly hear them even if I don’t see them. Mainly lesser spotted in the woods next door, or green on my lawn. Although I’ve not seen any green ones for a while, come to think of it.
Are you sure about lesser spotted? They are pretty rare and tend to skulk in the tops of trees. I've never seen one and would like to.
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Lesser SW are only about the size of a robin, and striped rather than spotted.
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I’ve definitely seen both. They’re quite easy to tell apart!
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Lesser SW are only about the size of a robin, and striped rather than spotted.
about 15cm long with 25cm wingspan according to the RSPB, I can't say I've seen either lesser or greater
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/lesser-spotted-woodpecker/ (https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/lesser-spotted-woodpecker/)
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Last evening just after sunset, a bat hunting on the wing in our front garden. Blimey, can those things turn quickly!
Pixie one of my moggies was more than interested in it.... she caught one once...so we had to bring her in to stop her from trying again.
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Regular visitor's to Mom's back garden.
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1865/43947513154_4c9a9df0ae_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/29Xuuy3)
P1040772 (https://flic.kr/p/29Xuuy3) by Andrij (https://www.flickr.com/photos/bebchenko/), on Flickr
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1876/44616587312_f8852a1e28_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2aYBEZo)
P1040774 (https://flic.kr/p/2aYBEZo) by Andrij (https://www.flickr.com/photos/bebchenko/), on Flickr
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Spotted by my brother this morning. He say's turkeys; I'm not so sure. (Click to play video.)
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1874/29806873707_e38837560e.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/MpW26D)
2000000000411041 (https://flic.kr/p/MpW26D) by Andrij (https://www.flickr.com/photos/bebchenko/), on Flickr
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On Saturday's towpath adventure:
* too many Canada geese
* innumerable squirrels
* slightly few chipmunks
* 3 herons
* 3 bluejays
* 2 cardinals
* 2 finches (?) - one mostly yellow, the other black & white (may be able to share a photo of the latter)
* 1 flat frog.
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Half a dozen kestrels. I can't remember the last time I saw so many in one day.
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Oh deer!
Deer spotting around here is nearly a daily occurrence, especially around this time of year - but there have been none for nearly a week. That all changed today: four in the back garden this afternoon, and three groups of various sizes spotted while driving back to Mom's house this evening. Also, we spotted some for the first time behind the house Mom just bought.
While at the new house I also spotted a chipmunk sitting on the neighbour's back porch. I like squirrels, but chipmunks are definitely cuter!
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(https://i.imgur.com/CwCbDJr.jpg)
And
(https://i.imgur.com/toekxxi.jpg)
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A red squirrel, crossing the road I was riding down. It wasn't in a hurry.
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While out running, a couple of herons, a partridge and a squashed rat.
It was warm out there.
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Up close with a kestrel. I think it might have a been a bit borked :-\
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1978/30203785957_b4bbd543f3_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/N21ihi)
IMG_1941_01 (https://flic.kr/p/N21ihi) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Buzzards, Kestrels, Herons, Hares at "fuck me it's freezing" o'clock this morning
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A buzzard over slough this morning :)
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A black swan on Sunday. Ok, it was in someone's rather large garden pond, along with various other duck-type fowl I couldn't identify.
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Shropshire, Sunday: an excellent view of a sparrow hawk as it sped low along the lane in front of us (we were in a car), every so often alighting on top of the hedge and waiting for us to almost catch up before setting off again; and a pair of peregrines as we were leaving the upper car park as we walked up Carding Mill Valley.
Oh, and on Friday, just after we left Condover at about 10pm to make for our B & B along a narrow, muddy, hedge-lined lane, I said to my sister, who was driving, "Take care of the badgers." Within 30 seconds one was running along in front of us, so we followed at a respectful distance.
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Two buzzards circling while I was on a phone call, seem to be a resident pair
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A Great White Egret in Richmond Park.
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Not seen, but heard. Around dawn this morning, the first skein of geese from the local reservoir practicing for their migration. A harbinger of winter.
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(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/PA280861.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/PA280680.jpg)
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A kestrel dismembering a mouse(?) on a pile of bricks just outside our living room window. A cat, who ambled by shortly afterwards, became very interested in said pile of bricks.
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A Red Admiral sunning itself on a wall in my back garden, as I was hanging out the washing this morning. Wings fully spread.
When my shadow fell on it it moved to a still sunny spot. The sun's moved off the wall now, & it's gone.
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Sparrow Hawk. Sitting on a branch above our bird feeders (that we've only just reintroduced since Spring). Hopped onto another branch, looking around, then cleared off.
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Sparrow Hawk. Sitting on a branch above our bird feeders (that we've only just reintroduced since Spring). Hopped onto another branch, looking around, then cleared off.
Judging by the pigeon feathers scattered across one of the borders, I think I may have had a sparrowhawk plucking a kill in my back yard in the last day or so.
Apparently, they are not completely unknown in Portsmouth, but it's the first evidence I have seen in all the time that I have lived here.
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Last night: a ginger kitty with no tail.
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This morning I headed out at about 6.30 and wandered up the upper Thame valley (just downstream of Aylesbury) hoping to see a glorious dawn, but it stayed grey for most of the time I was out. Plenty of birds out and about: cormorant, ravens, crows, magpies, greater spotted woodpecker, pheasants, fieldfares, redwings, wrens, finches of the green, chaff, gold and bull varieties, yellowhammers, tits of the blue, great and long-tailed varieties, loads of skylarks, a mute swan circling round, red kites and blackbirds.
Maybe that makes up for not having seen any Leonid meteors in the night.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ac48gEtiBxYHfDnX6 (https://photos.app.goo.gl/ac48gEtiBxYHfDnX6)
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Whooper swans and waxwings.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4856/32069079448_e2b9854671_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/QRQq3U)
Whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus) (https://flic.kr/p/QRQq3U) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4826/45216117114_7221503ae9_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2bTAqj7)
IMG_2194_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2bTAqj7) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/PB200165%201.jpg)
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(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/PB200165%201.jpg)
There was one of these at Montrose during the past week, but I didn't manage to get to see it :(
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Oh, I forgot to say, 'Git!'. :)
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:P
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Otter in the harbour just now. Fairly shifting downstream towards the sea :)
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Fox by the bike shed at work when I arrived this morning :)
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A robin in the garage...
I'd wimped out & taken the car to the optician's; it was seriously wet, but not quite freezing rain. I'd put the car away & returned to dry windows, ready to collect Mrs. N from the station, when a robin flew from one end of the garage to the other. The poor bird was evidently shit-scared (I cleaned up the excrement later ;)). Time to open the garge door, switch off lights & leave. I didn't see the bird depart, but can't blame her/him for seeking a bit of shelter & mild warmth.
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4 Partridges in the garden today. First time I can recall this happening. (no pear trees ahem.)
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Dolphins today. It seems like ages since I last saw them.
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a pair of what i think are marsh tits on the bird feeder yesterday, first time I've seen those in the garden.
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A pair - male and female - of blackcaps on our feeders. Quite unusual. As was the pair of greenfinches.
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Quite a lot of carp activity in the park lake today. That's the second time in the past week we have seen more than a dozen of them cruising around just below the surface like a flotilla of nuclear submarines. I don't remember seeing them so active on cold winter's days as they have been recently. They are up to about 30lb in weight, or possibly rather more. That is around the maximum weight that the anglers are reporting having caught. People were still fishing, but I haven't see one caught for quite a few months.
And the pike in the pikey pool. During the summer it is a lot harder to see what's going on in the pool because the water is not clear enough. IN teh cold weather the water clears very well and only then can I take stock of what's going on. There were two pike a year ago. I haven't see two for quite a few months, and I suspect the smaller one has either died, been caught, or possibly been eaten by the larger. I thought they were too close in size for that to happen though.
I could see it very clearly today on the far side of the pool, so I walked around to try to get a closer look. The pike had other ideas and it shot away with a significant swirl in the water.
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I will hopefully pop into Crawley tomorrow as there is a ferruginous duck on Tilgate Silt Pond.
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Yesterday, a buzzard in winter plumage chumming around with one still in the usual brownish habit.
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A pair of mergansers flying up the Thame towards Aylesbury this morning. Plus a flock of about 30 skylarks flushed out of a rough field by a dog.
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I have made a small hide from a camouflage toilet tent and a bit of camo netting. Took it down to the bay today and it seemed to work very well. https://youtu.be/3OEduFS0iuw for a few clips. Mostly redshank and gulls but I did get a nice clip of a snipe (at 1.24)
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A white-headed chaffinch. Unfortunately it disappeared before I could get a photo. Seems leucistic chaffinches are not unknown.
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First time out to Morton Lochs. Saw a couple of things I can't identify readily so here they are for the experts. Sorry the video is a bit on the dark side - shooting against the light. And apologies for the unedited video.
This I think may be a Water Rail https://youtu.be/LwBnpqeSf7g
And these are some sort of diver. https://youtu.be/d0lHehGl_sM
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First one's a little grebe.
The second one looks like a duck of some sort, going by the bill.
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The second one looks like a duck of some sort, going by the bill.
Yes, looks like a goldeneye.
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Thanks. Against the light it was quite hard to tell. First time I've seen a little grebe.
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A red kite low over the church yard. Not rare down south but rare here. Some arrived in the Wolds from the reintroduction population at Harewood and are gradually multiplying.
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Have 2.5 mins of a pottering redshank. https://youtu.be/VroghQG44PA
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Muntjac deer, next to the road. Thought it was a huge hare at first.
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A skylark singing in the Surrey Hills. Seemed far too bloody early.
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A red kite low over the church yard. Not rare down south but rare here. Some arrived in the Wolds from the reintroduction population at Harewood and are gradually multiplying.
I did not know about a Yorkshire release program!
A quick google leads me to this - which you should use to report yours, I think :)
http://www.yorkshireredkites.net/misc/sightings-map
Soon they will have taken over Eng+Wales (except for the Elan Valley, which they seem to be forsaking ... )
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Soon they will have taken over Eng+Wales (except for the Elan Valley, which they seem to be forsaking ... )
Trouble is, they can be over successful. They are extremely common here, but that seems to be at the expense of the buzzards, which I now see less and less of.
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A wren, nest building. I've been watching it today collecting bits of dead fern from our garden and flying in through a broken window in the stable. I'm trying to resist the urge to go in to look at how it's going.
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We see quite a few different birds out of our kitchen window. We have had a Long Eared owl, a Tawny Owl, A Sparrow Hawk and the usual Robins, Blackbirds etc nut this was a first:
(https://user.fm/files/v2-9d42be8345e86b5ab42806140d821608/Partridge-1.jpg)
(https://user.fm/files/v2-2b108f1bf987e6e050015d543e075c38/Partridge-2.png)
Red-Legged Partridge looking somewhat bedraggled.
Crappy camera-phone through the windows pictures but at least I got them, usually by the time I go and grab a camera the bird i question has gone.
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Soon they will have taken over Eng+Wales (except for the Elan Valley, which they seem to be forsaking ... )
Trouble is, they can be over successful. They are extremely common here, but that seems to be at the expense of the buzzards, which I now see less and less of.
Contrary to that experience, although we've seen a huge increase in red kites in the last 20 years (we're near Aston Clinton, about 15 miles from the introduction point near Stokenchurch, the other side of the Chilterns) we've also in the last couple of years seen buzzards, which we hadn't before. I keep looking out for the peregrines, they have nested on a tower in Aylesbury in the past, and the occasional sparrowhawk, although they don't favour our small garden.
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Having moved into red kite country about 18 months ago (first at Shirburn, just north of Watlington and now at Cuddington just west of Aylesbury) I can confirm that the buzzards are thriving alongside the kites. Ravens are also doing well, and I've had visits from sparrowhawks (seen here in our bird bath). I've not yet seen peregrines around here, but they're around where I work in lovely blessed Uxbridge.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/by1hIy7Z_e0DEPyFrt5bVvJUomxVCd7-2INWdXQ0cPpJoZxThE5-IcP21NI-R1AYan_QpUH-45gyxE00sy-WrZeVo7YjOZnIR7bpFtSAfoEzTFwTCe0KRuPmJ-MdLA2bZSURrSt7ofgcY8k3UIggSbi8tEW8mYxphcH41e1kWTYh7nj09wNN9PuLWti7IXdsjNkkI26hIs5_2pymwWlrGDqFFYoul6p2AOlMJL9n_nrJqwlzou5VgTbkXEmXIHgul8v5e6s-5Fp1F4OShhH46srIxx6HcmxS-mYsNUx2scE7i-V49A7pVSR_1sKtSEnbWoNnuXB7LAPVQy1_qVMRfZpY794l7q1k6CIdyMDnT9W0aHFDiey4ga2_uNdLjpO_E14BCLTb_B38SM3tPinLtvHX0hrb03gMDMBK4OT_aZ3-abe4Tgl5-1y7m8W-xsOwSutuUwZOQSMMCbw6qYAlLXVuv6c2ulI4iA3XN6fEpc2Dk7Nl6ebpat7UD8kM92sFT5kgAmMyrzJFWAFJGWtGA32cei3wDVRwS84Z8rRvfTrO2bC0orKP-Lox5O6pUfUPclTJordCcXp8Pky9f8WR6ndBWamFhYJiKYVO6Zucji93MZAaAvGzudPLA690tJ-nF5GCgqZBBTPOke_MO_Tf6cUnsCh60NSj3PFMf0wC88Ws8ATUYcHMFU11RF0nReERNdUgSv-BKVXBhbylDamlgELN=w949-h882-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/XtbIwqjxEF98Jon4DTyJhVQKaRlKNtoGOodtjyB_Of0bx49V9vmLfG3zFoEJs7dXTnbMVwVXMDlwnFNgLP79TVf6zufNy1aeFTswzeIA2Evsvje4niSRqKQbMUanIsgE8zQNBIj6TDeoz7RNLoK7ub6ir6CxdDw1N_dnLa8p43w0V_hcUbT2RneHpghG-2LruO0P6wJNKhS82riNlw6TzDXBuanqaAtGDrlBrHjz8YyEcFp3nCUTG6kkeFLEq_jtMHRAUwzR7bhxAC4qg-YezigQlSjBYBnbGzMYgQipoWqxjG5fO5ijgkZ1fmLUrksL-uGXCDdQbTId9G1ooJ5wDhaDhc9zaN-j3WtvNaDaB9cTcm6QpbTEJqKpXlbhTxFo6iBWZ1WlIj2CUaD1pGg0uGd_jY8KWOR421cyaapI2r5OwLaIvRb4s2-JHebDK0yzMPArwz1fc3whd1bA8l65E1whM5uHrIxqLOIk4jcOGlsKtJtZcwI-2Ke6APhnduEaRqLD9rAqrAXhKNbCu-W9z9JG4nCJ3jSHc-6f5hChrwcEZ9CuXSHCiy1T33VWpgVRlr24XF8qlH6NtccaZpM5BEZXhkexenbGG6s1bFjo_-E3H4sa0eRo1gz__XfE0b5YyYmj2IXd-q4X6jahRzjejmuBy9Cy7sw=w1122-h882-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/BemjD7pTUHDQcf_yGytvxUnGwEe0xWb7MyJG9TRceIYI55ASmYSJyf8_SI_5LP6iXvCWt2u1QMD39HR0hKyuPtnAYTsYRIKXM9trDbo4Ez17OTh2p_8KGZRvUtItZsONq5A9XzcJ-HYpSTk9XzCDpKV5MzMdJBBT8o5Ybv-fw8Qi14aIh8lrcXKJGK68HXK6ntrfsUwTP09fOPfjVRxHH4-sGsVQh0FSSr36kEtgNAK-l0XOArhOSLY7a4ThfmIWeXB5a1o23bt0RWqygiTD3zeWJQgOHCoqBaF0mY_RfcMpWjzVcTU86884P_OpBKs_mGln9qr6Y7ESFnZQmHmp2hsBOPVQIJEhH71eXKWNsKAwVWiYBkQfqpQ_d30DCNC2mcp3PMXiduzgUmZ7R4pKbnh04YP_6t9G5VbmLndACu0yWXPHJPEABJMsvaJibTVAvJLue6XzX5Kq7NjqPG91n0CWIccaVyU_zkr1L2qyWD9PrTL9iJ6b7mGqzTMmsG0zDdohw8H6avv89mOfsP6j7yKzzBMT1L13YhfE_Lmw8EE1sBS9NKAA07YRohjZBLvtLWLjf3mzxOLt6gyQSQzyP5E6WDjGT5RMvfLteIaJJuBRJgAPH7PIy8wEzapye0bpOEgg2jBuQMAaJTy68rRxliEiLgP7xqc=w1160-h882-no)
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...and today, in addition to the usual cormorants, ravens, kites, buzzards etc I met a snipe, a peregrine and several chiffchaffs on my morning walk. As I arrived home, four buzzards were circling overhead and I watched a sparrowhawk dive (or stoop, peregrine-style) from great height and at stupendous speed, towards a leylandii that had a pigeon in it.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/yz9X6Lh9k8nH36vTf3alsmQvMkU5zMhj3XyE2lbsfuoxFbgZ3Z6WOAleOz5sX63qzXlmOsiurGvmpzTB-n2n5kamFnh_NbUrC_Mlt8mFqwK9cdBzXdjCeT-7-l-ezqEAz5oURq-IfEmzIys_SYw4i_vWHPyuTcdRCfvi0tSM_JWDSn3KaUyQUvk4MMhloPpxoCkK00kgN8_2KFO1pE8ssBMolEk1EXD_NGHbE4fqtjpyAlQbAfoDVc5avxk1CnCP9YBDLmD8DoQy2-86M48IK8ni9tQ3WvoSEhjW1yjAvQ9h7lELJNOqWO-ef0-d5Q-a582thbKHJRQqxxH7Q8yD0NVj7GCQmeaH_Uko1hgGiTOLJw-JKe07SZehL-0ud5jD4SEefzYxJ-ABN4DReR_2GoJ3fWqle1Z0ZwCzmlAL_YmUb_zuJ-fqcTjj3JxVcNwlnq0COgeZo1uVv6FPnScHKgYNbkVOTFnoA8gWZjIpNsnGdWxbDI_dEPbu4BjyTs_l4K217shxdhYgHqdbfkVetTG2RimfqVW3h-Czaz62V-iWEEpOCgJCC6GMs1UPk6d7GQo3wfN0cCboEX7DJHe5eO7_QFOw_QCRCrLs7woJ1PConQMyqzwMzpJOcWMjXOgPD1VKnRx01baNNR5q7tuDwVYfdkS7WJU=w891-h882-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vXW_vX0DaWqnKS0U4Ii0WVO7eX1Y71zXQMmeWmKHvPN2_ygMX8EYbFKn7r70WmvNjtzd7IvRX7KKiwG3d6aN6dhwhc_brwAcNpooYIvURpT-A9ha7JR7koFSKcvU2cJUN41TFbAisZBOEiIjFfr5RH-IKSeWoPfMDVWLWLRz5iNicNM_93y6Ae-yQfQF-LhHe2wjZwt65YjXu5Vd4P8bWTDLZwUBHhdm2mcWMDVRgKx3XPl_Aa48hvINyfP619LBpRA4OtiRZVpOjsmj6PQLEl7O3AxnZFaV4dGESMS8vXzeAxzO2FzDtxwyQCIQJkiXCtB091eG50CPnPrVSbF5p8oPZLLFUvRPbm68YEBWT_sg1jJe9jeXMkjcuOSQqPpLuf1RLo7fy0ZTA8rs60Yvo-Yx6cI6oDsuZxFwP16nCYZh0n-o_MDr6ZfecFiQAQC3DPut9TQH1JYULc10fyJ1J045WHhaW4tMfl_SPJs1qUmmjwitEckr84NdrcmQiAYinjjDEwCKP2OvuCzDILOFmRGPmdfIlutzOt9mAx7D-i-iWmWfCPvyEFgnEW04Q5ftaNj_GWJ0J5Va6Yd09Kbjjit3bVelNkpspkCx38L771M5GA__T73sR9i2pYwrzSCVGh9VLtsh9IEBAfFel0T4nr0-N5KlFII=w944-h882-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/LSEjQSZ91lFUE8i_E6XC9QRU2ygT5_iXJU4bujP5eCq6wMlkok-Dt040zFGRx4WBqns8WAxYIIq-p1w7i71bdco-73t_Dtv0C4yJpey6EiaLoPo-ElzoIPfaaFRWmRD9AsvajD9U6-RGVIsSKCzGH_5H0ddnEJ2s8AVC01CycaQDixNQVG56JbUsZACW0d2Q9vaazcJWCkLCKWe2NPvOw09B2s8n4-BG3YjMzF5uv2Yw9pcNN5ppG7TGJWPQqyUf_-eZH16oZkhIUXto7INyznvh_aAm65ImuSSoW0iGZgr0yGFfGnnbhKlXRiEUefO7EorT5COoHGDoKNLtN5eeRyNB4TkPsVavtj9En8gfn9p48RdtEvYPAI-7yFZe4qvztkhN0hAxN4Yixgnv-zi6jMl9WldDjIVVGhheQbIt7TnBZ0WUe0bBKJlGygUTZAcgZ67FyRQAIEVyrsXXIPJEbQwlQOdGMXDUn8cdSEiqf1rLhEBUMKP4804zn8edis0-m0TMiuAWGanjwCanYNrswwo4WXjyzTaG7rPlLkJzkShs3J6g1oH0_SpaQi3MyAwPcfC9e_V80D1iKEo1LmLNMYGkGK5TFcqnfeCaGfIC7105Jv90GJWDkzQPXAFRVXZsvrlaKtuoRgSH-IxyI0lwDcARaaqfMB0=w964-h882-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/2C40p7JAJMXdmp_Modb9RZrL9b15AkT-7whaaikYSZxr-Y7Hq45HoZMfebBgKcaxoPxazGZQtZsqKlG0tyoSuKolQKBrlfX-GyB9Q404ZSbHj2PFnUqUEV5CY6m-8mWNR638KRt4HrcyTdW3xDbrY4_zfjrkz-dMc-W4OHojbZv5EU_sOQeATTXDztm2mpW7gxkds3651crHTq3LhP0FB_VX6OIsts-QfuCdNjy9TvLXFnmVBaJUDL6XHliMeby5kqR_CqqfOPFtqtMKToKVClAwVBt0RI3_RP8bzsKwrfcAcxoP4RYRvtcmE_K6xDSzvOFgdTeWTjgQGh47C0-XQnbNaYvf-igNtLnKRDRS5syoCeRvSTScmDn1AyYx_6KRLWjiqALFHR5ArG-4qy9zoaQNDRnzT-0cHaHJbrdQKHFh6ZWIV6rXOlvtEw0AhJw0D6ihdC5FvOAU1VJpdfkpmgDdCe1hEPe07_nxMXEPaYwbeTyZQMx-7uE8gsVtrzAemkVXjp03W31l4qAlUEiK59C09cCqzW2JPaViQ79ek27slMZday2mJSAAeHp5b22R8VA0K82LJvt0tcZ87Y92SCwd2L8hTHqfE9X6hsNDLhoVmQEy0cMsM5OHB_Fxpln-WQTas0glDv-JqDRJXQGmBCZ9pDiqn64=w908-h882-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/x6OexHg_d2suf841eWolkbxbOoY4jHNpMT4P_5O29rcuFoI_RPSWrcjkg40Ycr6KmyHcVr9kkR4MnI1JKXHrN2pv81CP3Gv9mPav6EFecKBatzT3_JHMswz6jG_lASTAHOMePmi2ps_L_JzmhTJYx_YivN7X3m9KdzFGjAIZu9RjkY_EKh8hHOjlgjofWTNypEswzqlB0jtMwyvHIi0qMW36RlUe_meYH6zltP4-9mnuP1ysvq7oeirK3nlfkzo1CVYwMYk6gpltS9ddTUc8L6fNq5uYiPMv6R1hZkLQ81AoyQIpu478hzaSaJx0c7IgKHJN2b2ZTxtNBx1FC1-d5FbxtcfIV6BLiW3mhrcBZLimauy2Uy0zQGdW0edsf5Hkfk2UUsrsKMjDrkY9EcK6FsGBJLpcJnRQVvoueAY9jW0SbFKGcZB_EQwgkrcg_459ymjZEHP8TGtxZXPPt3O5uIHeHFQ5hat0iIDBYGHPVakLhZZ5R2oAOOlMJSMhptnqjv7xf6hNAU9yzLzoJrw-4AYOwtFf6Cydw3YHsBY0-ICKZJmgwLpq03ZlH-D7kKpK9MHAkI4npSTsI7RDQ2DD9yo1dhd7chmArsfz1Y_FQi3gT6yF2m5W8cU30LPRMIM4qn1yt5q9rPAFAEO0DZc_e--ahhN-JpQ=w932-h882-no)
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I'm in Sydney, NSW at the moment. Last night we took a trip to the Blue Mountains to find glow worms, which we did. They live in a sandstone gully, about 20 minutes walk in from a camp ground. It was a magical experience, thousands of tiny lights glowing away, a few feet from us. On the walk back my niece says "ooh, there's a snake", mostly because there was one, wriggling across the path. At first she thought it was an Eastern Brown Snake but then changed her mind and pronounced it a Red Bellied Black Snake. I bravely hid behind her.
Earlier in the week, we went down the Paramatta (?) River in a RIB towards Sydney in the evening. A big flock of what I assumed were birds flew over head. No, they were bats. Huge bats, like out of a Hammer Horror, with wingspan of about a metre. Google suggests they were either Grey Faced or Black Flying Foxes.
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Just south of Aylesbury, in the space of a minute, a buzzard, a kite and a pair of either swallows or house martins, too high and fast for me to identify precisely, but I suspect swallows.
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Our first ever Ring Ouzel. Never even heard of it before. Took me ages to identify it, but checking it's unusual call on the internet confirmed it.
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...and today, in addition to the usual cormorants, ravens, kites, buzzards etc I met a snipe, a peregrine and several chiffchaffs on my morning walk. As I arrived home, four buzzards were circling overhead and I watched a sparrowhawk dive (or stoop, peregrine-style) from great height and at stupendous speed, towards a leylandii that had a pigeon in it.
(https://www.dropbox.com/s/nfzxazaml9vt0z7/no_entry.PNG?raw=1)
Images not visible.
I think you have to give public view permission before people who aren't you can see them.
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Aha, thanks for letting me know - I will have a look at settings. Maybe this link will work: http://https://photos.app.goo.gl/yCUvNKCzCbRDmCMMA
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Aha, thanks for letting me know - I will have a look at settings. Maybe this link will work: http://https://photos.app.goo.gl/yCUvNKCzCbRDmCMMA
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yCUvNKCzCbRDmCMMA
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We stopped by Park Bridge near Drumoak today and spotted a buzzard, a kestrel and a red kite all at the same time. We spent the next few minutes watching the red kite checking us and the nearby field out :-) Of course, I didn't have the right camera with me at the time. (Also spotted some roe deer, a fox and a lizard on the ride.)
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7914/47455243652_3841f48b7c_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2fiswC5)
IMG_2560_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2fiswC5) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7802/40541979723_0dcc697728_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/24Lyf7p)IMG_2574_01 (https://flic.kr/p/24Lyf7p) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Yeah, that looks like the same kind of zoom range as my wee Panny.
I stopped at a latter-day St. Giles on Saturday, mostly for the racket it was making:
https://youtu.be/dZTIsfusppY
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First Red Kite this far into London. Not seen one in New Malden before!
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Friday - apart from nine stationary white horses carved into the chalk, which was the purpose of Le Tour de Neuf Chevaux Blancs, saw four hares, two yellow hammers and had a barn owl fly alongside me for about 400m
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Our first ever Ring Ouzel. Never even heard of it before. Took me ages to identify it, but checking it's unusual call on the internet confirmed it.
They are pretty spectacular, aren't they, Basil? I've only ever had two sightings. The first was of a pair near the gliding club at the south end of the Long Mynd about this time of year, the other was (IIRC) October and at Minsmere. The latter was probably just passing through.
In fact, a google has found someone else's photo of what I am sure is the bird we saw at Minsmere. Right time of year, and apparently guarding a hawthorn bush.
http://www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/RealData/gallery_show.asp?galleryid=45734&page=1&sort=4&SpeciesID=11860
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I have seen many ring ouzels, mostly on the edge of Stanage. Very oddly, my last one was at Pennington Marshes near Keyhaven, on the edge of the New Forest.
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I have seen many ring ouzels, mostly on the edge of Stanage. Very oddly, my last one was at Pennington Marshes near Keyhaven, on the edge of the New Forest.
Yes. Mine was oddly located as well. In Aberaeron. Which is on the coast. We figured that it was a recent migrant taking a rest.
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A Jay walking Jay flying :)
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today, whilst out on the bike, a buzzard and a very low flying (i.e. almost took my head off) pheasant.
On the drive to/from several more pheasants, kestrel, buzzard and a stoat. It ran down a wall across the road and into the verge on the other side, right in front of me
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A buzzard circling over the house this evening. Pleasing to see as the kites have recently become dominant.
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First Bat of the year last night :thumbsup:
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A buzzard lifting off from the field then circling on thermals this afternoon whilst walking the dog. Not that out of the ordinary round here but what is extraordinary is that I had my biniciolars with me. Usually of I remember to take them when I walk the dog all the birds hide.
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I like the idea of a buzzard circling the thermals whilst walking the dog.
There haven't half been some clever buzzards.
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I like the idea of a buzzard circling the thermals whilst walking the dog.
There haven't half been some clever buzzards.
It used a very very long lead.
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Last evening we saw our hedgehog for the first time this year. :thumbsup:
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Hunting otter visible from the office this morning :)
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Sloughed adder skin. Bagged up to go to Sunderland for DNA testing.
Pleased to see at least one of our adders has survived the winter.
Now he has sloughed he will be off chasing females....
Also a pair of mating toads - relocated to the pond.
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One fresh roadkill, this titchy thing- as fat as a pencil, then a more impressively sized one (fat as a marker pen, faster to do a bunk). No1Daughter is ophiophobic and found it very stressful.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190420/ad6173595148ab9d2a3031bd1fcac2d5.jpg)
So that's another 3 survived the winter.
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A GBFO rat in me garden, stealing from the bird feeders. My fat-block cage fas disappeared, I think I know the culprit.
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This is the main reason we've had to give up on our bird feeders. :(
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Hi fboab.
Pleased you are also looking out for adders.
They suffer so much from persecution, and in my area the heather burning incinerates a lot of them.
If you don't mind me asking, whereabouts are you. I'm in the Durham Dales.
We send dead adders and sloughed skins to Sunderland Uni. When there is a bit of funding, they run DNA profiles to try and determine if the isolated populations are becoming inbred and less healthy.
Todays roadkill included a big red squirrel from just a small isolated population - can't afford to lose them either.
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I have a ground feeder. I hope I am right in that it is hedgehogs gobbling up the sunflower seeds each night.
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Hi fboab.
Pleased you are also looking out for adders.
They suffer so much from persecution, and in my area the heather burning incinerates a lot of them.
If you don't mind me asking, whereabouts are you. I'm in the Durham Dales.
We send dead adders and sloughed skins to Sunderland Uni. When there is a bit of funding, they run DNA profiles to try and determine if the isolated populations are becoming inbred and less healthy.
Todays roadkill included a big red squirrel from just a small isolated population - can't afford to lose them either.
These were on the moors at Simonside (near Rothbury).
They're also easy(ish) to see on the North York Moors this time of year.
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A circling buzzard, and - a first for our part of Aylesbury Vale - a green parakeet.
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Thanks Chris.
I haven't been around the forum long enough to work out where folks are from
Yes, I remember seeing them on Simonside years ago, and on the Otterburn Ranges just last year.
They are around, but thankfully not too many folks know that!
"Ours" are about 100m from the house, but we have had them in the garden quite often in the past.
The cat found the sloughed skin - she was poking it to see if would wake up!
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Having a glass of wine and a fag on the patio steps just now and the first hedgehog of the year popped out from between the plant pots. It looked startled then turned round and shuffled off.
It always cheers me up to see a hedgehog.
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A pair of buzzards circling in Windsor park yesterday :)
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Driving home from yesterday's audax ride, I saw a Short-eared Owl over Bollihope Common. Always a treat, but we don't see the number we used to in past years.
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Osprey, whimbrel, Darford warbler...
RSPB local group field trip to RSPB Arne.
Brilliant day.
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Our “local” heron in the field opposite the house.
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Bonus points to CrinklyUncle for saying "Oh dear!" when a deer wandered onto the road ahead of us on yesterday's audax.
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Yesterday. The first swifts.
And this morning, the first swallow.
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I was up at about 4.30 for no good reason and went for a walk. Met a badger in the meadow with the abandoned tractor, had my first ever sighting of a cuckoo, listened to the crazy sedge warblers as the sun came up, saw a vampire deer and lots of whitethroats. Marsh marigolds and ladies’ smocks down by the sewage farm.
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Dolphin with calf in the harbour this morning.
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Sparrowhawk in the garden again sitting on the drystone wall. Cue all the small birds hiding in the hedge and the trees and going mental.
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Dolphin with calf in the harbour this morning.
They're back along with about half a dozen of their chums :thumbsup:
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I went out at about 9 this morning to get rid of the compost (no, that's not an euphonium) and heard the lovely sound of swifts screaming overhead. They weren't there yesterday I'm sure.
Also, saw a marsh harrier at Wakering Stairs whilst talking to a bird-watching type, who hadn't seen it until I pointed it out.
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In Haguenau this afternoon, a bit of fag-packet cellophane blowing across the road with a sparrow in hot pursuit. Quite delightful.
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I went out at about 9 this morning to get rid of the compost (no, that's not an euphonium) and heard the lovely sound of swifts screaming overhead. They weren't there yesterday I'm sure.
We saw swifts up here on Saturday evening, so I'm guessing they'd probably arrived in Essex a few days before.
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The first reported sighting of a swift this year on the Southend RSPB website was 30th April.
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We saw swifts on Saturday, and a roe deer today, a nice change from the more usual muntjac.
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Yesterday, a heron catching a couple of small roachy things in Priory Park, despite the "Closed Season" signs.
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a few days ago watched a heron alighting on a roof in the village.
This evening, stood outside the patio doors with my daughter watching the bats circling the garden, just as the light fades completely. I don't know what it is, but I could stand there for ages watching them flitting around their circuit
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On yesterday's commutes
- A heron, majestic on a rock in the middle of the Tawe. I would have stopped for a photo, but, from experience, I knew it would have flown as soon as I'd stopped.
- Several jays
- A green woodpecker in flight - sightings of green woodpeckers and jays on my commute seem to go hand-in-hand
- A rarity for me, but I saw a cuckoo, in flight, as well has hearing it (less rare), before and after the flight.
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We've seen the heron a few times in the park since. Also, a kingfisher on Wednesday evening.
Yesterday we went to Minsmere for the day. Saw one bittern, heard another booming, and saw a number of marsh harriers. Also, a small swarm of bees on a post.
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We've seen the heron a few times in the park since. Also, a kingfisher on Wednesday evening.
Yesterday we went to Minsmere for the day. Saw one bittern, heard another booming, and saw a number of marsh harriers. Also, a small swarm of bees on a post.
Lucky man, I've never seen or even heard a bittern. Mind you I don't exactly live near any marshy flatlands so its not surprising.
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Our local cuckoo has been very conspicuous over the last few weeks, even calling as it flew over our garden on Saturday morning. Here it is caught down by the Thame, on camera and in audio.
https://soundcloud.com/user-143636955/cuckoo1 (https://soundcloud.com/user-143636955/cuckoo1)
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I haven't heard a cuckoo yet this year. I'm going to Wakering Stairs this afternoon in order to try to make amends. I suspect I will hear some as we cycle across Wales in a week or two.
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We've seen the heron a few times in the park since. Also, a kingfisher on Wednesday evening.
Yesterday we went to Minsmere for the day. Saw one bittern, heard another booming, and saw a number of marsh harriers. Also, a small swarm of bees on a post.
Lucky man, I've never seen or even heard a bittern. Mind you I don't exactly live near any marshy flatlands so its not surprising.
A couple of years ago Jan and I spent the day at Minsmere with My Pal Terry Who Art In Sibton. Terry is a keen ornithologist and has even verged towards twitching in the past. Given that Sibton is only a short distance from Minsmere, he has been a regular there over the past 40 years or so.
On the day we went in 2017, we saw about 6 bitterns and, for the real purists the highlight of the day, a purple heron. Whilst everyone in The Bittern Hide trained their lenses on the purple heron, which was very hard to see because it was hiding itself so well in the reedbed, a bittern appeared right in front of the hide and showed itself spectacularly for a good 15 minutes. I took about 50 almost identical photographs of it in classical "hunting bittern" pose.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/1A-k3g2w5qaxUTC5d9-Ygum3xca2pqJOvtHUI1xs-I4bjMlZav4o-Tvoc5mz2QDUALLbbchwORiRIEgOlyWY_qA2qvAAbFGiVmNhrnNxO12S0Dp1MJRP5Qf99pR6MuqiEaOskN2ipJeEZnwRiXs0ocBoI_RjAq86fB84-WvTC0Ftlfc9nOr9NYftRCymnQFEqskQtluxZGczoWoinqLK6MS9s-yCCPXTxdda4ioi8mbon8CZyv_K2PLBxubRMUh6spCfSEZ88eWjrp-8O_IVGbwn0wkZgdJeyi-_VYvE-zFj8aMkNsTx8UuQM1MVZZJDiOmZx7MKxfAGDIgme2pC79HaJgtYoSF5LTKofF9oMxKmN8zSuyXknr059BAwFBkcaOTpNIjyi2DfD_c7tPRfGIOyoVV_iHmmVuBSbexsPc4VuHimJCBqr_8-veDuTBlNMhG6dwjb9YrTVT_UbQf6fNivcCL0DapvQmzHH1kNdgXaUCOT-CF5mRWJB16xsBL0cAq736zePzpuCm9r51iyInmr_0pAjjiWKw3Oi30zUutYiMvReCvJjiP-ivaOm4tDxYGxuSMO-McmwKSXbuCjjK-uU3LgZsJpx6ufMerUpmxE5ldu9LIWpWt4XRa4CWzbaMxTg25MzEvMpmQb-kPQoYoPrjjC6F9KvzgJdqm8BurrruWSunQ0H6pjLWx7Tt1idjkmbAyU3Xe0yQZmKt5H7-ks=w1187-h891-no)
Terry said as we were leaving that it was one of the best days he had ever had at Minsmere. It was only our second or third visit.
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4 herons in about half a mile of riverback this afternoon, plus the biggest gaggle of geese I've ever seen. Some good opportunities to test out my new Lumix 100-300 zoom (200-600mm M4/3 equivalent)
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A European Hornet. Gracious they’re big!
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An otter, and finally a kingfisher.
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I've heard quite a few cuckoos cycling in Scotland this week. Today i also saw Oystercatcher, Red Deer and a Golden Eagle.
Sent from my LG-H850 using Tapatalk
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I've not seen a kingfisher yet, though I have heard them.
Herons and swan with my new lens on Saturday
(https://i.imgur.com/L5FmsTM.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/d9inO1r.jpg)
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Woodcock on the lawn, just outside the back door
Cuckoos heard most days.
Collected the chip from the wildlife cam - pleased to report at least one resident water vole is still stuffing her face.
Having a stand- off with a blackbird....
The male has probably moved on to one of the other colonies in search of more conquests.
Too many hares and hedgehogs killed on the roads.
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A single firefly in the garden last night, and a bat zooming round.
Today a dragonfly, and storks copulating on a roof in the village where I stopped for coffee. Making a hell of a racket in the process, too.
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A single firefly in the garden last night, and a bat zooming round.
Today a dragonfly, and storks copulating on a roof in the village where I stopped for coffee. Making a hell of a racket in the process, too.
When storks copulate, who flies in with the baby?
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Pied Wagtail a new species for our garden this morning and last night a red kite. (didn't land but was only about 10 foot in the air)
We removed a large beech hedge that ran across our garden 1/3rd of the way down a couple of months ago. It originally divided the garden into veg and lawn areas. we lawned all of the garden including what was an overgrown area at the bottom. We thought that this might have a detrimental effect on the number and type of birds we see but in fact the reverse has happened and we are getting a wider range of species. Its a largish garden maybe 1/5 acre and has dry stone walls and there are still plenty of trees and hedges round the perimeter as well.
We have also had magpies and jackdaws which we never had before .
I think perhaps they like the more open aspect as they can keep an eye out for predictors more easily.
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A completely black wild rabbit. Not dark brown, very very black, it was only 10 feet away so I could definitely tell.
It was only a couple of hundred yards from the village so its entirely possible someone's pet rabbit got out and bred with the local wild ones. This one was young and seemed happy amongst its normally coloured friends.
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I went to my favourite insect spotting site this morning - it's about 15 minutes walk from home. First off was a ladybird. Nothing unusual, but when reviewing the photo I noticed a small insect on its back/shoulder, or rather the body of a small insect with its legs in the air.
(https://i.imgur.com/QfaxUpbm.jpg)(https://i.imgur.com/KRQDRdsm.jpg)
The ladybird wasn't alone on the stalk. There were two greenflies. Soon there was only one greenfly.
(https://i.imgur.com/TYU4J4tl.jpg)
The ladybird kindly turned to provide me with a full-face view.
(https://i.imgur.com/QeZuUgrl.jpg)
Breakfast over, it buggered off with the decaying passenger still there.
(https://i.imgur.com/IL8lwn2l.jpg)
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A few feet away sunning itself on a leaf was a rather lovely damselfly(?) [edit: a female Banded Demoiselle, unless anyone knows different].
(https://i.imgur.com/ISm3Psol.jpg)
It too had a minute guest on its back, alive this time, which didn't stay long.
(https://i.imgur.com/TfwzuE9l.jpg)
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Superb photos in both posts, Salvatore.
The dead ? aphid on the ladybird - how strange!
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A rat running along the middle bar of the garden fence in broad daylight.
We had chickens for years and no sign of (live)rats. No chickens now but a rat in the garden!
The cat was a good ratter when she was younger (from a semi feral farm cat litter) but she's tiny and 15 yeas old now and the dogs a wus all bark and no bite.
I need a new cat or maybe borrow Tommy next door's berserker Jack Russell.
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Green woodpecker zooming across the road and into the forest.
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A badger's crossed the road just in front of me between bicester and thame :thumbsup:
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A large pod of bottle nose dolphins
playing feeding close to the shore at New Quay today.
Managed a couple of rubbish phone shots.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48024873502_b4683d0a34_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gaN2Jo)
20190608_132408 (2) (https://flic.kr/p/2gaN2Jo) by Basil W (https://www.flickr.com/photos/153328377@N08/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48024770941_b1c8df7190_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gaMvf6)
20190608_132343 (3) (https://flic.kr/p/2gaMvf6) by Basil W (https://www.flickr.com/photos/153328377@N08/), on Flickr
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Baby badger snuffling around the verge. I stopped and got my camera out, and it did a runner.
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A completely black wild rabbit. Not dark brown, very very black, it was only 10 feet away so I could definitely tell.
It was only a couple of hundred yards from the village so its entirely possible someone's pet rabbit got out and bred with the local wild ones. This one was young and seemed happy amongst its normally coloured friends.
loads of those around here, almost certainly from interbreeding of escapees with the wild population.
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Among others, a barn owl out hunting early (8 pm ish), and a red squirrel scampering across the top of a gate in Northumberland farming country. The second red skwerl in as many weeks.
And closer to home, my local urban fox a-prowling along the riverbank.
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A French Partidge is the latest visitor to our bird feeders. For the last few days its been joining the wood pigeons clearing up the seed the finches spill from the grass under the feeders.
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Birbs (many & varied), two seals and an otter. The seals and otter were, alas, too far away to be photographed.
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A couple of small balls of Squeeeeee-inducing fluff, aka oystercatcher chicks.
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Tammy norries?
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The woodpecker is back on our nuts the last couple of days. The squirrels on the other hand seem to have vanished, must be better food on offer elsewhere. Tilly Dog stood down from squirrel watch duties and getting more naps in.
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Tammy norries?
Hoo yus, notably the other day down at Sumburgh Head.
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Bonxies?
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Dead red squirrel on road; first lizard of year.
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Over the last 24 hours, a pod of bottlenose dolphins, a bunch of choughs and some long trailing jellyfish. Not in Buckinghamshire, in case you were wondering.
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I was trying out a new light - actually an old one found hibernating in the loft yesterday - and it must have worked pretty well, because I spotted this little guy early this morning:
(https://i.imgur.com/wfpUFjL.jpg)
He was a willing enough model. After putting away my camera camera (which I started carrying after being stuck with a phone camera for an encounter with a pair of runaways (http://prettygoodbritain.com/wp/?p=7882) last month), I went back to check on his progress. When he wasn't immediately visible, I became horrified that I had rewarded his patience by squashing him. Fortunately not. So I helped him across the road, which must seem like an ocean of tarmac on that scale. He wee’d* on my cycling glove, possibly in gratitude.
(https://i.imgur.com/1suNNo6.jpg)
It reminded me of another King Kong encounter:
(https://i.imgur.com/ZPIu9xR.jpg)
I don't recall the circumstances, though that looks like a gardening glove.
Also not spotted today, but since I can’t go back in time, meet someone who turned out not to be a vine:
(https://i.imgur.com/JCtqwXG.jpg)
It almost looks like we have the makings of a food chain.
* Past tense of wee is woe, according to one wag on the web
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(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48159846976_b017b64e01_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gnHNDf)
Sea Labrador (https://flic.kr/p/2gnHNDf) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
There are three who follow the boat - Charlie, George and Phil. I think this is George.
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(https://i.imgur.com/e7Ksy0S.jpg)
Obvious caption
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Gove bridge s the gap ;)
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Yesterday I saw my fourth - or maybe even fifth - butterfly this year. :( :o
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This a.m.’s ride was more about what I didn’t see: deer, which have been reliably popping up lately. Yesterday, for example, they made three guest appearances along my route, including in my neighbour’s driveway after setting off the motion sensor activated security lights. (Watch out deer, the guy’s got a kitchen garden and he’s not afraid to defend it.)
There are enough of them in the area to make me slightly nervous about going downhill at speed, as they’re often impossible to spot until they’re right there. (http://prettygoodbritain.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/bambi.jpg) Link shows Bambi swearing. You’ve been warned.
Tally did include a fox, cats having a conference of some sort, and a bat who graduated at the bottom of his echolocation class. To make up for the lack of topical photos, here’s one I took earlier, of other regulars on my rounds:
(https://i.imgur.com/xYXg7uq.jpg)
Wonder which of us tastes better
Gove bridge s the gap ;)
Don’t know about Gove, but here’s Boris, either in a previous life or his next one:
(https://i.imgur.com/ieFM46P.jpg)
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Q: Why did the badger cross the road?
A: To laugh at me from behind the hedge as I fumbled to get my camera out of the saddlebag in time. As if I ever had a chance.
(https://i.imgur.com/dNMsCYG.gif)
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what I think was a hummingbird hawkmoth in my garden feeding on verbena.
I was just finishing the lawn edges when I spotted it, gawked for a few seconds and ran in to get my camera, but too late, it had gone.
Looking at the recognition guides I'm fairly sure that's what it was.
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A big grass snake swimming across the Thames near Cricklade.
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what I think was a hummingbird hawkmoth in my garden feeding on verbena.
I was just finishing the lawn edges when I spotted it, gawked for a few seconds and ran in to get my camera, but too late, it had gone.
Looking at the recognition guides I'm fairly sure that's what it was.
I saw one of those in Germany a couple of weeks ago. Amazing thing!
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Another early morning hopper, outside my front door then off on a jungle adventure.
(https://i.imgur.com/FlC2VVk.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/0KSjMW6.jpg)
(What can I say, I’m fond of creatures that wouldn’t have required the services of Eadweard Muybridge.)
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what I think was a hummingbird hawkmoth in my garden feeding on verbena.
I was just finishing the lawn edges when I spotted it, gawked for a few seconds and ran in to get my camera, but too late, it had gone.
Lovely creatures aren't they. I first saw one in a the South of France years ago and was amazed when they turned up in our garden in North Yorkshire last summer. Not seen any this year though.
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Admittedly not today - but it was only today that I got round to transferring photos from my camera. Chuffed to see these chaps near New Quay on the Cerdigion coast path the other weekend. (A couple of other shots in link.)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/x_3Whl1wYa4kxkIyAqUUPOnEqlz_-a06GyYEXFz-k_FzCaJbVDVpL4I3yQYchkmzskuYjGL8PXXDijb6hufVOFICR740uFw3Na2p7n9RDqk18psAtKO3zOFX3YKX8sXZdkaAlsYL1Ml24U3e8Fub1_VgQr9MMu2lGpapIJ2az2HmpDzxK26RIkqvl5QMcYCkq2ngG2a-0N_ubYAGz2FwB5_-PWVrYmFMs2Lu0oj8elWmsVV0V9KvomLUaDr7YKJDEJYys2EqpHQ4QQvRdvLU7TI5hBTSC2LK3wPObArS6UKXE9pICwh8fe89AnubhHfal4oXg6xaOaaAxlg6tReJWvtFXFxUvm7dCS8qSAN5ld1ZtihuaSlRiy0yyAJX8snbF6RxGZuoJ9T7Q72b7UMnGk57PCF9z3uClQ3R_JoqWtL34LqlMLFB6br1-XdhFSAjSeELE7A3rwCOhe9m5P1Z52r8IO8tDiDDB_wZr_mPHokqpo7LsWKLtq0nZ1Juh5jb1ER41ImglSdmUmvLtzhCZ2g-OQzFkxJQNeu88GblqInbPTDLGwTXg9Kmlj_lefXyuDRNb-8Ba_om14RhOiGxpbSKN4k6PHaPj8Q60a-2D8ZmiEDNhsspt0CW9YWe6sTjoo1Tq7_Dgi__VuGpOzoUF_bp2cLIDH7vr6D5Xq2bOIR2gZy6UiSCGWDXgDCR7ck1aFygGQQ1oNl5P45W67j5eI3h=w890-h911-no)
https://photos.app.goo.gl/cGJsCzGzEyuLVDBAA (https://photos.app.goo.gl/cGJsCzGzEyuLVDBAA)
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and a few minutes later, these fellas came to play
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/XTXNaIR24_LYEwi6y4MzlWABBWoaF9akgGPNtV6WmqtMQ7XB9YaCXmYeN9fRnviyek999hm-Jaqf1WuqOxs94l1SrRSGC5UQmsvfpFJLLBQTdhoV1r33N9gHSDyr9tZywXb-ahSa3RW748cAdwLeglaSriap-ojVOZRqQNUQ_GPXZ-97Y3mDpWE1c0IaNblZGSpkwaMnkoH-Jrjo9nQDa1yKzxP88LQ_jXovlplIw0kHFsta-4vAFXIStqPhSnKcjXn6LCFGdakHkz3whrjeSUvB42ePg8_36TD2S99nbyQbhWSMItxv9v-pDUnG4DMB-pDDZgYnPzinemyBFUG78gbhiJR546X4wC0oh1DUOGGjeEZnnhjAMLHjGUe6RfscPckTbO3-z16PKfWULFKTvQ-CJ0bCufFFw1EpNLgq4Cq-bRis4KpZwYrKbafftjcRBhf68zoQlCFS5qOM8A8y2Z7GW_f3tOglfYTt1KYCbLx4slySe0C6Huh0EeES-cyt4hJDI5bFmml_4djfZE0w6NDJPi6IBAk4iKv9OrvIyL_3f7XYJC1NuAqNqHOvzb0rJWuheA0pN-NVl1HToDjJ1BN2-kbiDwqvb86ouFYsesplsTqpk7__AUZe3xSwGefde7VhfiiksB4JLW2T9HuEJoutxA94Y-s=w1280-h854-no)
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Apologies if this isn't in the spirit of the thread. I did see this, only it was at the Grant Museum of Zoology at University College London. It goes with my penchant for night rides. Under cover because when a creature gives its life to science, it isn’t pretty.
(https://i.imgur.com/XyNpaeo.jpg)
Then there was the Micrarium, which you can step into like taking an elevator down to the level of things which you might call too small to be seen, or at least, normally noticed.
(https://i.imgur.com/rbaXJ9y.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/L84BmJx.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/flIlBhX.jpg)
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(https://i.imgur.com/3qjt1TT.jpg)
Could it be…?
(https://i.imgur.com/laedr40.jpg)
Yes, caught you!
(https://i.imgur.com/l1lSrYE.jpg)
Not exactly wildlife photographer of the year stuff. Even though I had a camera reasonably handy, it just wasn’t handy enough.
It was actually a four badger night, including two mid-assignation in the middle of the road.
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(https://i.imgur.com/wf1I0sJ.jpg)
Alpaca (https://twitter.com/jollygoodthen/status/1125124752648089601) not impressed with the hunt for focus.
. . .
A few mornings later, watching the sunrise and his charges.
(https://i.imgur.com/NlKPXo6.jpg)
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Two not really wildlife sightings from Saturday: firstly a pigeon with a hole in its chest. Judging by the size I'd say probably air gun pellet rather than shot gun but either way, a suburban park doesn't seem quite the right place for that. Secondly, a dog that was scared of me. At first I thought this was because I was singing, which is a justifiable cause of fear, but no, the woman with the dog said it was because I was sitting down (sorting out a shoe). The range of odd things dogs are nervous of seems to be as great and varied as for horses.
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...At first I thought this was because I was singing, which is a justifiable cause of fear, but no, the woman with the dog said it was because I was sitting down (sorting out a shoe).
Was it one of these songs? (https://www.everydayknow.com/songs-about-shoes/)
My personal favourite:
(https://i.imgur.com/helUcbD.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf-MaLXgl3A)
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The first damsons falling off the trees, almost a month early.
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Last night, just before midnight, a resident of my back garden. A neighbour had seen her on his way to his garage early one morning (he leaves very early for work) and reckons she's pregnant. (BTW the date and time are wrong - they need to be reset every time you change batteries.)
https://youtu.be/uNEC6LCivus
Also a number of small furry animals.
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These cetaceans.
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Aug%2006%202019%20P8060089.jpg)
They are about 1km away. (From me, when I took the photo :) )
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These cetaceans.
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Aug%2006%202019%20P8060089.jpg)
They are about 1km away. (From me, when I took the photo :) )
Steady hand.
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Common dolphins?
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6 leverets in a field down the road.
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Two painted ladies, two hornet mimic hoverflies and a holly blue.
Plus the usual bugs associated with sea holly and buddleja.
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A great big brown rat running alongside me for about 20 yards. I regard spotting rats and mice while on the bike as a good omen.
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These cetaceans.
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Aug%2006%202019%20P8060089.jpg)
They are about 1km away. (From me, when I took the photo :) )
Steady hand.
Helped a bit by OIS!
Here are some from today...
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Aug%2014%202019%20P8140400%201.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Aug%2014%202019%20P8140158%201.jpg)
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About 50 swallows feeding up ready for their return home. They’ll be sat all along the overhead phone line in the morning :-\
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On that French ride earlier in the week there were a few sections with frogs/toads on the road. I did my best to miss them but as I avoided one I realised that it was actually a crayfish. The sighting was confirmed at the finish by another rider so if it was a sleep dep driven hallucination it was a mass hallucination.
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Rescued this little lady from the garden today. Not the first time - they can get their heads through the mesh but get stuck at the wings
(https://i.imgur.com/P4FOoWS.jpg)
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Well done.
I heard this one from 2 rooms away as it tried struggled with this window. About 0.5m to the right is a fully open sliding door. He or she seemed to understand and happily walked on to piece of paper for transfer outside. One of the biggest I have seen.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-Z7Gfwfr/0/X5/i-Z7Gfwfr-X5.jpg)
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Today, whilst driving between Emberton and the M1 - a hobby. Very distinctive.
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On Saturday, on a golf course in South Wales (we were just passing through), a flock of fieldfares, those famous winter visitors. In August.
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I saw a snake swimming across a river today.
We were just crossing a footbridge over the Leam, when I paused to look at the river water and there it was. Never seen a swimming snake before but it was unmistakable - doing what seems impossible pretty quickly. I thought of taking a picture but didn't want to miss the few seconds before it got to the other side and disappeared in the long grass.
I wasn't close enough to see detail to identify type but googling the nature reserve suggests that it was grass snake.
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(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48685640701_160b081fed_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hbbCNi)
P9050180 (https://flic.kr/p/2hbbCNi) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
Deer with a gammy leg, Zion National Park,Utah
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Dolphins off New Quay harbour. A lovely end to our holiday. :D
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Dolphins off New Quay harbour. A lovely end to our holiday. :D
We didn't see any there the week before but it was still a lovely holiday. Ceredigion is rather wonderful!
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. Ceredigion is rather wonderful!
Shh! It's a secret. :D
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. Ceredigion is rather wonderful!
Shh! It's a secret. :D
What is odd is that one side of my family are from Pembrokeshire and therefore not exactly far away. All that time spent there and we never ventured that little bit further north!
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A red kite - in Essex! A mile or so east of Bocking. Also, earlier in the day, a buzzard and a hare.
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A red kite - in Essex! A mile or so east of Bocking. Also, earlier in the day, a buzzard and a hare.
Two red kites, also in Essex, on the A414 between Ongar and North Weald.
Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk
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I've got into the habit of producing a 1-minute video every morning for family, neighbours etc with a summary of the nocturnal activity in my back
garden jungle. Here is last night's, which included a daring theft.
https://youtu.be/RJ6Q1iBJre0
But I was outdone this morning by a nephew in his 'community' in Florida, where something rather larger was spotted by a resident
https://vimeo.com/359829377
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Muntjack loitering in the grounds of the church at Ullenhall. It briefly gave me that "I'm about to ruin your day" look, but thought better of it and turned round.
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Swallows. They are still here. And blackberries. They are in the saucepan. I have a strong suspicion that some of the spiders are in there too. I know an earwig escaped though.
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. Ceredigion is rather wonderful!
Shh! It's a secret. :D
I cycled up to Llangrannog last Friday for a weekend stay by the coast. I can confirm that it is wonderful, if mainly uphill. I thought of you Basil, as I skirted Llandyssul.
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. Ceredigion is rather wonderful!
Shh! It's a secret. :D
I cycled up to Llangrannog last Friday for a weekend stay by the coast. I can confirm that it is wonderful, if mainly uphill. I thought of you Basil, as I skirted Llandyssul.
You'd be very welcome to call in for a cuppa, should you ever be this way again.
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Noted. Thanks.
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Fight!
in my garden in the early hours of this morning
https://youtu.be/yaMSo-Q8AeU
The full 5 minute highlights:
https://youtu.be/q112Z_2jrGU
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Fight!
in my garden in the early hours of this morning
https://youtu.be/yaMSo-Q8AeU
The full 5 minute highlights:
https://youtu.be/q112Z_2jrGU
That’s fantastic - so nice to see them. They look nice and round as far as I can tell, hopefully ok for hibernation. The victim is not easily deterred from his food :)
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A sparrow hawk sat on our patio first thing this morning giving me a stern look when I went out with my coffee.
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How odd. Our local swifts left some time ago, yet I've just seen a good number flying around in a feeding pattern. They now seem to have disappeared again.
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Friday night was bats in the camp site. According to the app the leader of the neighboring troop had they were probably pipistrel (sp)
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Until very recently we had only very rarely seen starlings around here, but for the last two or three weeks our very own murmuration of starlings has moved it. We have a great view from the kitchen window while we're getting our evening grub together. It's not a very big one, probably less than a thousand birds, but it's a start. Hope the neonics don't get them.
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While sitting in a doctor's waiting room, a blackbird eating rowan berries. It faffed around for a while before finding a twig it could stand on & reach some berries, but eventually succeeded.
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Went in to the garage at 10:00pm last night to escape the rain whilst I had a fag and was greeted by a hedgehog also keeping out of the rain I presume.
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I rode round one yesterday.
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Sadly found a dead hedgehog on the lawn yesterday. It was a very small one so probably from a second litter. We still are still feeding at least two and hopefully these will make it through the winter.
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Tonight, on the way back from the pub, I found a sick barn owl.
It was sick enough that it let me take a phone photo from close range, but had enough life that at attempt at capture with the hands failed (just flew 5 yards along the road).
(https://dl.dropbox.com/s/zil4mrg81f2z9ge/barn_owl.jpg?dl=0)
There is a Barn Owl Centre a couple of miles from home (in Quedgeley), but phones are 9 am to 9 pm, and email is phone us for the address. Given the weather forecast, I don't suppose it will survive for a morning contact.
Update:
I went back on Saturday morning ("Tonight" having been Thursday evening), and there was no sign of it ever having been there. Maybe it had been temporarily stunned by a car windscreen.
Interestingly, it was only 200 yards along the road from where I'd found a red-legged partridge asleep in the middle of the road one evening a couple of years previously. That didn't wake up until I picked it up, prior to putting it in the adjacent field
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Fingers crossed that the rescue centre can be contacted and can find it in time. Poor wol.
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Last night in my back garden (https://youtu.be/8HS48lzBQUo), featuring a magpie, a stare-off between a cat and a hedgehog and some hedgehog vs hedgehog argy-bargy. Most evenings I leave water, dogfood (tripe from a tin) and some crunchy biscuity cat food. The meaty dogfood used to go first, but now it is more or less ignored and they (the hedgehogs) go for the crunchy cat nibbles.
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A Wren in the garden. I think I've only ever seen them away from home before.
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A kingfisher. I was driving a narrowboat and the kingfisher flew ahead of us for a good 2 miles. It would perch and, as we caught up, fly off ads in and perch. I managed to take some passable photos of it. If I could remember how, I would post some.
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A Jay in black Park yesterday :)
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(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Op3jfVEsR9uLmWtAI1kZV4JZpdf10M9PBcNqcRul28CP-wKbmuByTD0Aj68TpUJPEUS9ncEWzNzCS5e6I5XdRSS6oChzt8Nxp_88V52azc4UGuxxP4Gyn9oHjOhTSM3gJnQDWZu4mYjJZXlkQJqn5Yenop6_cdcVT3rrOxa_V-ztZa1tRtw2Mvfjue-lmIv9s22LdSa82pk56qkwTSUNF9-nuqjaL2Ln0FMLNOaHp8A-0ftC_cWhEnzXHoFq1456ESzHiCBOPAD9GKFx-Kv8rNVFV24Zieae8rfJnKey0LwLzqoaTRW-soQ97XFCzuF_XrvfXl_Rju6XgrFOeJoc--2_kfiz1t7E72ZU9L7PiAC2uHuxvvhcHcLYlhPvg8kQWsaXBFmslv64-kYi5zN5GKIPU9rD_9W5w5Juhboks6nmUtQxDxRpQnMC3sXn7QLvMutjZbzYaBK3vADoOYvNsjfGjl9stvs5gxiSNOvm2aFHERthVfdiO-7hjwdAb5w2wTCeopQJnFLs0C0V4plamG1stUcz7nxBBWLyQj27J7EgZhxErhFC_vUGi0SDF7Qvok4hvTLVitthIQKHy07oCRtXfqx74D53xyZP9_qLVvFc5MZgxh1_dqQQs8GPKkrcIAyqwZmUflz1Ze0dBwGCP01HyE2sacujdO0VqHbIJ_xWSDg1rjCcskk=w1187-h891-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/tBfYADqUwWuDv3eIark5lhg1e85YbvrnEIzNv0DBUHNf68RrgO0hg3oOjE4-H90wO2oRsywkPvfmsJHriUiSo_Rp89hA5RHYXHz8j1unGr73q73Lf6IL3Xnwwzd1IeScm1swZ_o2IMaSZrXR4BxLXMURtoerenJDLfQVwBTvKQlSuEq7CHP4p3KvMpt0CTfbvcF2sxrlJ7hht8kvzVmthDPgjQHqZyQuoX5uIY1auLf3qbu0OjuDDznsHq7Iw3iI5J6NDmHV6-NTA7LUcAKTe_Ni6chks752ZDrB-MGzXoON6UH36h62WByX7sf3cbckd7ksdPzpFcx0PAVFrnyhZ34ZDdel1Sx5e71S7-AVEuMcn2wGpxvEfeEN6Hp6zpwfPg070AobguDLDffMToloBEPYhRw-ZtNcF9ObZpvMxQZMxtfNdQuxK7JiONvlXLTLwtHj3RYHXASUXl1MWyPy54rwo_Th3WS_OABqll-Xc6jfxHKsugPLQzJAEwFh9YSOC605GrI0hg8pKDmOcSRhPq8kD-Z_1YYl15gvWAvykvH7CmP59vaZB-Aa1pQ0yobuwSZwiv0oBTrS-md4Qsi4cFDpb0CG3_rgAbFjqaXWY0DGJfTirLk7p2OoJ4kkJ5B4NMaSgq-ad6Ly44m6e4yhBLPcS-OsX3QOXuwLXiqgX15y4m0Z7Pw2wN8=w1187-h891-no)
I photographed this little chap whilst steering a narrowboat along the Middlewich branch of the Shropshire Union Canal.
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No picture visible, Wow.
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It was earlier, but isn't any more. I predict google.
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It's google photos, that's true. I post photos so infrequently that I can never remember how to do it.
Edit: Jan can see them whether she's logged in or not. I'm baffled.
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IIRC it's something to do with an embedded auth token expiring, rather than logged-inness. I'm not sure what the solution was (if any).
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I can see them in Opera but not in SRWare Iron. I think Opera may have cached them as I've only just checked with Iron.
ETA - shift-F5 in Opera and they're gone.
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Dead sparrowhawk at work this morning :(
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48990863208_d493d542a8_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hD9YPj)Sparrowhawk (https://flic.kr/p/2hD9YPj) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Bloody massive fruitbat/flying fox settling into a palm tree over my head this evening while having dinner outside. Didn't have my camera of course.
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Yesterday, a buzzard in its winter overcoat - very fancy. Sundry herons hunting in the fields, which are soggy enough to serve as down-market waterways.
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A very fine sighting of a buzzard as I was driving along the A2 near the Dreaded Bluewater this afternoon.
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Yesterday, a red kite diving on size 3 roadkill - fox/hare/stray dog - and nearly getting creamed by a car while its mate circled about 10 metres up. The driver must have got a right shock - it missed his windscreen by less than a metre.
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A couple of buzzards yesterday, east Cambridgeshire is not Brisbane
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https://youtu.be/SoJaAN82fQA
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A cormorant perched high on a bough. Took me a while to work out what it was not where you'd expect to see one. In fact I waited for it to fly off in order to confirm. (No. I didn't buzz a brick at it)
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A cormorant perched high on a bough. Took me a while to work out what it was not where you'd expect to see one. In fact I waited for it to fly off in order to confirm. (No. I didn't buzz a brick at it)
We used to have a pair every year on the Derwent at Kirkham Abbey (about a mile form here), that's about 20 miles from the sea. Haven't been any for about ten years though :(
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A fairly quiet day at Minsmere yesterday. Nothing more exciting than assorted ducks. Some of them are quite hard to distinguish from Quite a Long Way Away.
Definites: shelduck, mallard, shoveler.
Probable/possibles: pochard, wigeon, teal, gadwall.
We drove back to Woodbridge by the scenic route and I drove through the deepest flood water of my experience. It must have been above sill level. None got into the car, and of course since it's leccy there's no exhaust pipe to get filled up, and all the electrics are well sealed. But it crossed my mind afterwards that that is quite a narrow road with ditches/ponds either side. You wouldn't have deviate much to find yourself getting more than you bargained for.
But, fortunately, Nothing didn't Happen.
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A stoat bounding across the road yesterday afternoon.
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What I haven't seen rather than what I have seen.
3 nights in a row without any hedgehog activity in my garden. It seems hibernation has begun even for the hardiest of the spiny visitors/residents.
But I did catch some video of a mouse briefly sitting on the ice in the water bowl.
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A couple of Great Egrets in a local field. They usually pass through around this time of year, then again in February. Wonderful birds.
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A cormorant perched high on a bough. Took me a while to work out what it was not where you'd expect to see one. In fact I waited for it to fly off in order to confirm. (No. I didn't buzz a brick at it)
We have two subspecies of cormorant in the UK, sinensis and carbo. Carbo is bigger, with different facial markings, and it is sinensis that is more likely to nest in a tree. Carbo is our 'standard' while sinensis is the continental version.
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seen a few bats when out on the bike last night, don't think I have ever seen them at this time of year before, very strange. There was plenty of those little white winter moths about so I guess the bats were getting a meal.
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STOP PRESS
Waxwings, North Northumberland - not something we see every year and they will be heading south so keep an eye out
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There's a Barn Owl on my morning commute! Well, today and Monday - but this has tripled my lifetime sightings of them, so I'm v happy.
Saw him in exactly the same spot while it was still dark - in my lights - yesterday, then I was a bit later today so I saw him in (dim) daylight. I know lots of audax/night-rider types that have had them fly alongside all night, but I've never had the pleasure before :)
Does their colour vary much? He looked very much white with a few pale brown bits, but officially they're "brown with white underparts" or summat.
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There is quite a bit of variation in barn wols' colour.
(https://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/128/590x/secondary/Leucistic-birds-such-as-the-female-barn-owl-remain-extremely-rare-953915.jpg)
That's the palest I have ever seen.
(https://hawkandowltrust.org/images/Images/Barn%20Owl2.jpg)
That's more normal.
I have a picture on the cover of my diary, a present from a former pupil, and the wings are so dark they are almost black.
Here:
(https://static.theworks.co.uk/images/5060678570538_Z.jpg)
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Aha, yes. I'd say ours is much more like your first one. Pretty :)
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That first one appears albino rather than just pale but I don't know if owls get albinism.
ETA Seems albinism can occur in many species https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albinism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albinism)
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Whilst I was nattering with Pal Penelope over a pot or two of tea, a sparrow hawk alighted on her fence post to consume the small bird it had just caught - a great tit I think. We watched through her patio doors as the hawk plucked the feathers out before tearing it limb from limb.
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Whilst I was nattering with Pal Penelope over a pot or two of tea, a sparrow hawk alighted on her fence post to consume the small bird it had just caught - a great tit I think. We watched through her patio doors as the hawk plucked the feathers out before tearing it limb from limb.
Paging Mr Cummings, Mr Cummings to the new employee engagement hotline please.
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A group of 8 hares in the field down the road. A lovely colour in the sunshine.
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a jay has take up using my large blue spruce in the driveway as a perch, don't they make a bloomin' racket
As for barn wols, we used to have one flying around our lane, but not seen him for a while now. They seem to have fallen back here unfortunately.
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a jay has take up using my large blue spruce in the driveway as a perch, don't they make a bloomin' racket
As for barn wols, we used to have one flying around our lane, but not seen him for a while now. They seem to have fallen back here unfortunately.
If you don't know the 'Latin' name for a jay, it will amuse you. I always translate it as "gobby nutter"
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A flock of long tailed tits on our bird feeders just now. First for ages.
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Not me but MrsT on her run this morning: a mallard that overestimated the depth to which a local field was flooded, and bounced rather hard. It took off and did another circuit so apparently it was OK.
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Heard, rather than seen: a woodpecker in Mayow Park in Forest Hill.
Yep.
A woodpecker with a London postcode.
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I suppose HA8 may not count as a London postcode.
We get woodpeckers here though I've not seen/heard them of late.
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Two red kites and a kestrel
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Peacock butterfly in the garden yesterday.
And a brimstone near work at lunchtime.
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Strange noises in the trees in the garden tonight. Baby owls I think.
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Mosquitoes in the evening sunlight...
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Whilst out running yesterday, four, yes four trains. Heard them first at the level crossing barriers. I understand they're getting pretty rare.
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Heard, rather than seen: a woodpecker in Mayow Park in Forest Hill.
Yep.
A woodpecker with a London postcode.
When we lived in Poplar we had kingfishers nesting in the bank of the Limehouse cut opposite our window.
E14 kingfishers
Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk
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Bumble bee 🙂 .
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Bumble bee 🙂 .
Saw the biggest bee, ever, period. Quite a magnificent bee in fact, I'm amazed how good a bee spotter I am.
Anyway, yes massive bumble bee in the shed a few days ago, then another one in my son's bedroom yesterday. Also seen a few honeybees and solitary bees about.
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A pair of bullfinches on our feeders this morning. Very rare sighting for us. I'm not sure I've ever seen a female in the garden before now, although MrsC has.
Lovely birds.
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Two red kites and a kestrel
That's funny - tonight I saw a kite with 2 kestrels. I was pretty thrilled. About the kestrels that is - I see more kites than squirrels round here. I do love the kites; it's just that they're never a surprise any more!
Of course kestrels are harder to spot. I know that traditionally they hover - I've mainly seen them before hovering over the M40 (Betjeman poem?).
The first of tonight's was on a footpath sign about 6' away - I was too dozy to see him until he took flight. He was quickly joined by another (mate?), and they zipped around the fields until alighting on the nearby pylon.
I saw a 3rd shortly after. Didn't seem to be "with" the other two. All this was on the track that runs round the outside of the secure site where I work. I've only been along it twice in 5 years, so I must look again.
WOL Update: since Jan 7th I've seen the local barn owl roughly weekly, and 2 others within a 10-mile radius, also near the Thames. Spoke to a photographer who thinks they extend/move their feeding ground during stuff like flooding. I'm hoping ours will hang around, as I saw him this morning and the ground is really dry now.
Also saw a hare this morning, that's fairly rare for me. The local fauna is a real tonic currently, against the general grimness. That and the amazing weather of course, but that can't last!
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woken this morning by a male pheasant calling loudly from the fence outside the bedroom window, we live in a bungalow, so literally yelling through the open window.
On the way into town this morning a kestrel (they are two-a-penny round here) hovering over an idling building site, ground cleared so I guess that's good for spotting meeces
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A pair of French partridges on the back lawn this morning. That's a first for us.
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Seal
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49707235506_e93d67f235_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iJszkQ)
IMG_5737_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2iJszkQ) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Which does raise the obvious question, how the hell did it get up there ?
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With difficulty. There is a video of it making numerous attempts to get on the log in a Facebook wildlife group, but it's not shareable.
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Virgin media advert gone wrong
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I just received a video from my brother which he filmed when out for his constitutional, of a badger that had climbed a fence in order to raid a squirrel-food dispenser. I will see if I can share.
Edit: it wasn't my brother's video, but he was sent it by someone else. However, it is in the area where he goes for his daily walk, near Hanningfield Reservoir.
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Skylarks, turnstones, seal, otter, dolphin & waxwings :)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49724543057_08eefde875_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iKZhgT)
IMG_2689_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2iKZhgT) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Waxwings flew off just as I was trying to get the photie, gits :demon:
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Not today as it has taken me a while to identify it. Having checked all my books thoroughly and confirmed the song on the internet, I now realise that we watched and listened to a whinchat.
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Yesterday, hunners o' waxwings*.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49735306262_8a3b377073_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iLWrNo)
IMG_2694_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2iLWrNo) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49734981676_5d65712893_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iLUMj5)
IMG_2695_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2iLUMj5) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
* >200 anyway.
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For the first time ever, saw a snake swimming across a river (about ten metres wide) today on our daily exercise walk. It was too quick for me to get a pic.
Apparently grass snakes are strong swimmers.
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A GSW, and the hole it was excavating, on our patch
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49739051552_d7d2ac31d9.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iMgD9m)IMG_2741_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2iMgD9m) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49739051292_f6703a962e.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iMgD4S)IMG_2763_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2iMgD4S) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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For the first time ever, saw a snake swimming across a river (about ten metres wide) today on our daily exercise walk. It was too quick for me to get a pic.
Apparently grass snakes are strong swimmers.
That’s a huge snake! ;D
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A Little Egret! (I think - a smaller white heron, in a shallow stream where I regularly see the Heron on my commute).
Only barely outside S****l D'ing range! What a spring, I was still smiling even after nearly choking on a cloud of flies (these are the downside of riding alongside a stream ::-) )
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The bird that has spent the last week or two pecking at my windows has been identified as a long-tailed tit. It may be taking insects off the glass or it may just be trying to be friendly.
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We have Red Kites over the house now. Seen most days including today. First seen in summer but daily or twice daily fly overs noticed now working from home.
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Unusually, a pair of herons passing overhead this morning. We often see a single one, as it hunts in the field on the other side of the road.
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Seen from our front door:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49749913091_4a734f0868.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iNeiUg)IMG_2854_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2iNeiUg) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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MrsC saw a swallow over the garden this afternoon, then we both saw one on our permitted exercise walk later.
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Oystercatcher in the local Baggersee.
I learned the German for it - Austernfischer.
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Swallows have arrived back home in Llandisul.
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And we saw our first swallow today, here in the Chiltern.
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Excellent to hear swallows are arriving - I noticed back in the Autumn that there were still some around when the first fieldfares arrived, and I saw a late fieldfare earlier this week. Sedge and reed warblers seem to have arrived on the upper Thame today.
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A hedgehog turned up as normal at about 9 pm yesterday to help itself to some disgusting tripe-rich dog food. One of next door's puppies could also smell it, but unlike the hedgehog couldn't squeeze under the fence and could only poke his nose through to smell the forbidden fruit.
(https://i.imgur.com/A3x4Xdql.jpg)
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The blue tits are back in the rowan tree, though they're not using the nesting box, and they were accompanied yesterday by a wren, which I haven't seen here before.
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Spotted among the leaves by the path as I walked through the woods - couldn't identify a nest nearby that it might have come from:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49768315332_4323336730.jpg)
With the help of a friend who knows about these things, I have identified it as a pheasant egg. Shame I didn't know that at the time - apparently, pheasant eggs make good eating...
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Seen from the back bedroom window, sitting on the fence near the bird feeders. May have been tempted, but too nervous, to try the peanut feeder that I've moved up from the pergola further down. Shame about the bisecting twig!
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49769570781_709fd03a53_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iPY4rX)P4130196 (https://flic.kr/p/2iPY4rX) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
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Excellent to hear swallows are arriving - I noticed back in the Autumn that there were still some around when the first fieldfares arrived, and I saw a late fieldfare earlier this week. Sedge and reed warblers seem to have arrived on the upper Thame today.
There were reliable reports of a swallow in New Year's Day in Essex, at Abberton Reservoir.
Wednesday 01st January 2020south south west, mostly cloudy, max6°c
Rayleigh, The Paddocks 09:15 to 09:20
Male Sparrowhawk sitting on fence by feeders. Norman Oliver.
South Fambridge 11:00 to 11:40
c.120 House Sparrow - a very healthy village flock in hedgerows, gardens, and on field edges. Pair of Collared Dove mating - obviously not discouraged by the cold and gloom, 6 Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, 1 Green Woodpecker. David Selley.
Abberton Reservoir 11:00 to 14:00
20+ Goosander, 3 Smew (redheads), 1 Black-throated Diver, 4 Great White Egret,1 Cattle Egret, 10+ Goldeneye, 1 Swallow, 1 Stonechat, 1 Ring-necked Duck, 4 Scaup, 2 Long-tailed Duck, 2 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 1 Merlin, 6 Egyptian Goose, 5 Redshank. Robin Peppiatt.
Abberton Reservoir 13:00 to 15:00
2 Smew (female), 2 Scaup (female), 2 Ring-necked Duck (drake), 7 White-Fronted Goose, pair Long-tailed Duck, 4 Bewick's Swan, 250+ Fieldfare, 1 Swallow (1), 1 Black Swan. Steve Atkinson.
Canvey Point 14:00 to 15:00
15 Red-throated Diver, 120 Great Crested Grebe, 500+ Dunlin, 10 Sanderling, 35 Knot, 83 Curlew, 12+ Cormorant, 100+ Brent Geese. Terry Blackwell.
People who claim to know about such things suggest that it was a bird that was too weak to attempt the journey back in September/October. No-one seemed to see it anywhere else after NYD.
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apparently, pheasant eggs make good eating...
But you're only allowed to eat them if somebody else breaks them first.
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First chaffinch in the garden for a while, hopping around amongst the sparrows.
Loads of bee mimics buzzing around in the garden, look like a fuzzy hunny bee with an extended proboscis, but capable of hovering and zipping about upwards, sideways etc. I counted a good half dozen visible over the lawn whilst I was out in the garden on sunday
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apparently, pheasant eggs make good eating...
But you're only allowed to eat them if somebody else breaks them first.
I looked up the legality of taking eggs from the wild. Seems it’s ok to take game bird eggs if you have killing rights on the land where you found them, or permission from someone who does. I have neither.
You’ve reminded me of the time I was out with a friend and he picked up a roadkill pheasant (“it’s ok because someone else killed it”). Left it “hanging” in his manky student basement for weeks until he eventually had to remove the rotting, maggot-infested carcass.
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Yesterday, a handkerchief-sized piece of white, filmy plastic moving at speed across next door's
midden garden and darting halfway through the wire netting into ours; at which point it snagged abruptly and the sparrow that had been underneath dragging it did a lovely back-flip and somersault into the weeds.* There followed a jolly five minutes as the unfortunate's siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins all tried to make off with the prize and failed, before suddenly remembering urgent appointments elsewhere.
Good old sparrows, always good for a chuckle. The chap who said as cheerful as a hedgeful of sparrows wasn't wrong. Maybe we need a nice tall hedge...
* Gardening? Are you serious?
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Just spotted the first swift from my kitchen window. Fist swallows were last week, but I've not seen them since.
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out on a family walk, in the field behind the house
(https://i.imgur.com/vZLgnBC.jpg)
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A Little Egret! (I think - a smaller white heron, in a shallow stream where I regularly see the Heron on my commute).
Only barely outside S****l D'ing range! What a spring, I was still smiling even after nearly choking on a cloud of flies (these are the downside of riding alongside a stream ::-) )
Brilliant white, slim black bill, black legs, but dayglo feet. They look as if they are wearing Hi-Viz yellow/green overshoes. Much smaller than herons. If you get a great white egret, they are a lot bigger with a more robust yellow bill, This website has a superb photo of LE next to GWE
https://britishbirds.co.uk/article/the-changing-status-of-the-great-white-egret-in-britain/
Cattle egret are very different, as are purple heron, and squacco heron, which are odd.
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Nearly forgot - I spotted what I think was a Little Egret near a stream in deepest Leicestershire last Thursday.
Whatever it was it was ridiculously white and flew off before I could get a photo.
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Almost certainly little egret there.
The great whites are getting common on the Somerset levels and elsewhere in the South, but they've not been here that long so I would be surprised if they're as far north as Leicestershire yet.
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A bat against a blue sky at 16:30. That's not right :(
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Rather less dramatic than an egret, but pleased to note the wren seems to have taken up residence in our garden (or next door's) and also is almost as bold regarding humans as the robin.
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Rather less dramatic than an egret, but pleased to note the wren seems to have taken up residence in our garden (or next door's) and also is almost as bold regarding humans as the robin.
I have a couple of wrens in my garden, lovely to watch them scampering along the trellis or the bonsai
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A bat against a blue sky at 16:30. That's not right :(
Saw one here at lunchtime too. No idea which type, but it wasn't tiny so i don't think it was a pipistrelle. Flitting about hunting for insects exactly like it would at twilight, but in bright sunshine.
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A bat against a blue sky at 16:30. That's not right :(
On three or four occasions I have seen bats flying about in broad daylight - warm, sunny days not far from midday. THe first I recall well. I was still at school, so it would have been about 50 years ago.
Not seen by me, but there have been daily reports of a hoopoe on Foulness Island.
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Not seen by me, but there have been daily reports of a hoopoe on Foulness Island.
Southend United's new goalkeeper?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerzy_Dudek
dudek means hoopoe. Bird surnames are quite common in Polish.
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Sorry, that's all beyond me I'm afraid.
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Not seen by me, but there have been daily reports of a hoopoe on Foulness Island.
Southend United's new goalkeeper?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerzy_Dudek
dudek means hoopoe. Bird surnames are quite common in Polish.
They are frequent in AUKs...
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Today, and for the last couple of weeks, far more butterfly’s than usual, mostly small whites, small blues and especially the male orange tips. Plus the occasional comma and peacock.
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Sorry, that's all beyond me I'm afraid.
You saw a hoopoe. Jerzy Dudek = former goalkeeper for Liverpool, Read Madrid, Poland, etc. Dudek is Polish for hoopoe.
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Not seen by me, but there have been daily reports of a hoopoe on Foulness Island.
Southend United's new goalkeeper?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerzy_Dudek
dudek means hoopoe. Bird surnames are quite common in Polish.
They are frequent in AUKs...
And on tyres!
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We have new regular visors to the garden, three jackdaws. I'm a big fan of corvids in general so this is very pleasing.
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We have robins nesting in our letterbox so have had to put a sign on it to ask the post people to ring on the door.
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Something large with a deep buzz just came in my window and crash-landed in the area of the "Ignore" tray. Had a gander but didn't care to poke; the sting is probably commensurate with the size.
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One of these?
(https://dl.dropbox.com/s/1jdnuj3s59y05h7/hornet.jpg?dl=0)
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Dunno. Given the timbre of the buzz I'd say it was of that general persuasion. I left the window open and ignored it. I assume it sorted itself out and went out again.
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Just been watching a crow attack a magpie on the lawn outside my office window, while a rabbit looks on, chewing grass and looking unimpressed.
Now another magpie has turned up to get involved. A little too late to save its friend, alas.
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Just been watching a crow attack a magpie on the lawn outside my office window, while a rabbit looks on, chewing grass and looking unimpressed.
Now another magpie has turned up to get involved. A little too late to save its friend, alas.
Thought that said cow. Time for specs. Now as unimpressed as a rabbit.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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Just been watching a crow attack a magpie on the lawn outside my office window, while a rabbit looks on, chewing grass and looking unimpressed.
Now another magpie has turned up to get involved. A little too late to save its friend, alas.
Thought that said cow. Time for specs. Now as unimpressed as a rabbit.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Shame it wasn’t a cow. That would have been amazing.
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Just been watching a crow attack a magpie on the lawn outside my office window, while a rabbit looks on, chewing grass and looking unimpressed.
Now another magpie has turned up to get involved. A little too late to save its friend, alas.
Crows & ravens are thugs. A pair of magpies come back here every year to nest in a big ash-tree in the meadow, and every year the heavy gang harrass them until they move out. The ravens are quite entertaining otherwise, though - clever birds.
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The first buzzards of the year. One high and circling, the other - and what attracted my attention in the first place - about 40m up and being mobbed by two crows.
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Crows & ravens are thugs. A pair of magpies come back here every year to nest in a big ash-tree in the meadow, and every year the heavy gang harrass them until they move out. The ravens are quite entertaining otherwise, though - clever birds.
[pedant]
Magpies are crows. There is no such thing as a "crow". Crow is a synonym for corvid. The only crows with crow actually in the name are the carrion crow (common everywhere) and the hooded crow (Scotland and Ireland only with some down the east coast in winter).
[/pedant]
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Crows & ravens are thugs. A pair of magpies come back here every year to nest in a big ash-tree in the meadow, and every year the heavy gang harrass them until they move out. The ravens are quite entertaining otherwise, though - clever birds.
[pedant]
Magpies are crows. There is no such thing as a "crow". Crow is a synonym for corvid. The only crows with crow actually in the name are the carrion crow (common everywhere) and the hooded crow (Scotland and Ireland only with some down the east coast in winter).
[/pedant]
That's just silly. Yes, magpies are corvidae, and yes, corvidae are broadly speaking "the crow family", but no one actually calls magpies crows. It's only birds of the Corvus genus that have crow in their common name. Magpies are of the Pica genus.
Ravens are Corvus but are not usually called crows - except by people who can't tell the difference between Corvus corone and Corvus corax.
Jays (Garrulus) are corvidae too, but no one calls them crows either.
Also, while we're being pedantic, there are many species with crow in their common name. What you meant to say is there are only two species of crow that are common in the UK. ;)
In most of the UK, if someone calls a bird a crow, you can safely assume that they mean a carrion crow.
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I think its more useful to say all Corvus species are crows, or "true crows". So that includes rooks and ravens, but not magpies or jays.
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(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200518/078e9f6b57f17a8bed77832c72358e0a.jpg)
Weird cobwebby possibly caterpillarly stuff
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Large slowworm o the lawn. I see them fairly often in the garden, but never out in the open like that before.
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This morning, double otter frolics right under the nose of a tree dwelling seal.
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Large slowworm o the lawn. I see them fairly often in the garden, but never out in the open like that before.
I saw loads of them the other day in the woods. Well, I say loads... at least five in the space of about 20 minutes of walking. Including one on the road that hadn’t made it across to the other side.
They certainly didn’t seem as shy as usual. One just sat there on the path while the dog sniffed at it.
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(https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/100700127_2588738171445376_8388355086555807744_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_eui2=AeFjwllASs9fUo5mZRF8Od-ns8RbJFBeJqizxFskUF4mqExjXY9Mqwzx1pylj_I3rMAf-4OfyvNDOAypdXL8Mxkv&_nc_ohc=cpf7vJ1TtpsAX9lgNjK&_nc_ht=scontent-lht6-1.xx&oh=724a12b577cef846b1793a0b700b4e45&oe=5EF1E7E2)
In my garden this evening.
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"If I hide my head he won't see me."
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I've never seen a hodgepig in the whole time I've been here. Not even two dimensional ones.
I used to see loads in Brum. Both two and animated three-dimensional ones.
Same with foxes. I've seen three or four in 15 years. Used to see them all the time in Bournville.
Do see wowbadgers though. Makes night riding in the lanes interesting sometimes. Those thick set, solid buggers only get out of the way when they're ready to, and not before.
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Areas which are good for badgers tend to have fewer hedgehogs. It's not that the badgers predate on them particularly, but they are competing for similar resources and the badgers, being
thick set, solid buggers
tend to get the better of it.
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Yesterdays early morning ride we saw loads of dolphin frisking at the harbour, two of them doing flips at the same time.
Pingu managed to capture this rather more sedate one
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49933583567_22dc956767.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j5sEJB)Common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) (https://flic.kr/p/2j5sEJB) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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This morning's tree dwelling seal
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49937275871_10d30af19f.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j5MAk2)IMG_6093_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2j5MAk2) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200518/078e9f6b57f17a8bed77832c72358e0a.jpg)
Weird cobwebby possibly caterpillarly stuff
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Moth caterpillars of the processionary type are probably involved.
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Heard from my "office" (back bedroom) window this morning, though not seen, the first Swift "screaming party" of the year.
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Areas which are good for badgers tend to have fewer hedgehogs. It's not that the badgers predate on them particularly, but they are competing for similar resources and the badgers, being thick set, solid buggers
tend to get the better of it.
I'm not familiar with any other large town (if c. 200000 can be considered large) but I have become accustomed to the dense badger population within a short distance of my house. I don't know if any other similar sized towns are so blessed. I don't think we've ever been especially short of hedgehogs, as I see enough flat ones to make me think that there are still a few pumped-up ones around.
A few weeks ago I went out for an early morning (6am-ish) bike ride and there was a dead badger here: http://streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=588063&Y=186945&A=Y&Z=120 . That's about 200 yards from my house. There are setts on the railway embankment and also in the small public park less than 500 metres WSW of the arrow.
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The bowls of water seemed to be appreciated last night
(https://i.imgur.com/9qVmHEil.jpg)
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Squirrels are back in the garden. Tilly is terrified of them for some reason being that she weighs 30Kg and they weigh 500g that's just daft. She is a big silly yellow lump though. She sat looking out the patio doors (open) all afternoon and refused to go outside unless we were there too.
Mrs Pcolbeck got a photo of a squirrel a robin and a greater spotted wood pecker all in one frame. Unfortunately from a distance with a phone camera.
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Great to see those hedgehogs. :thumbsup:
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A chiffchaff.
I may have seen these before but have always struggled to identify warblers - by the time I got back to a bird book I'd forgotten the song or couldn't translate the description into what i'd heard. Armed with the RSPB web site, the BirdNet bird call recognition app, and a digital camera with 300mm lens meant, I got a confident observation of that small brown bird cheeping away at the top of a 50 foot tree.
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Look a squirrel !
Yesterday in our garden.
(https://user.fm/files/v2-028ae9598c7adfaf05c69e6d869e30b7/sq1.JPG)
(https://user.fm/files/v2-c8cec1b7989113926094d1b7cc1f6fbb/sq2.JPG)
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Whilst I was sitting outside eating my breakfast a pair of blackbirds were rummaging about under the laurel. I think they have built a nest in next door’s yew, but I don’t think they can be incubating as the female seems to be out and about too much. A robin appeared a little later.
A blue tit has a nest inside the bathroom vent of the house across the road and I quite often see them coming and going. Also, there were plenty of swift wheeling about. I am thinking about installing a swift box for next year.
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A black kite I think. Kite shaped with a forked tail but not as defined as a red kite and the wrong colour for a red kite.
Never seen one before we moved here.
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A black kite I think. Kite shaped with a forked tail but not as defined as a red kite and the wrong colour for a red kite.
Never seen one before we moved here.
I didn't even know we had them in the UK before you posted that.
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Me neither, we saw a dark 'solid' looking bird and our first thought was it was one of the IOW sea eagles. When we got the bins on it we could clearly see it was the wrong shape completely for an eagle. Much perusing of Heinzel, Fitter, Parslow got us to black kite. Google suggests they do visit the south a fair bit these days.
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I went paddleboarding on sunday morning and sat and watched an owl hunting up and down granchester meadow for about 10 minutes.
Probably a teenage barn owl practicing, it was about 9.30 and there were quite a few people about. It did a lot of hovering and diving down but didnt seem to actually catch anything.
Fantastic to see, I've never watched one for that long before.
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Me neither, we saw a dark 'solid' looking bird and our first thought was it was one of the IOW sea eagles. When we got the bins on it we could clearly see it was the wrong shape completely for an eagle. Much perusing of Heinzel, Fitter, Parslow got us to black kite. Google suggests they do visit the south a fair bit these days.
Would not be surprised. Have seen them in Brittany - so perhaps they are following in the wake of Little Egrets and settling north.
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Some inter-species drama in my garden last night
https://youtu.be/r_Pa9gMR_Sc (https://youtu.be/r_Pa9gMR_Sc)
Meanwhile my nephew's wildlife camera captured a squirrel, a raccoon, and a snake on his patio. He's in Florida.
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Very good. Presumably foxes know better than to tackle a hedgehog. Our Jack Russell terriers didn’t, back in the day. Had to dissuade them several times.
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Some inter-species drama in my garden last night
https://youtu.be/r_Pa9gMR_Sc (https://youtu.be/r_Pa9gMR_Sc)
Meanwhile my nephew's wildlife camera captured a squirrel, a raccoon, and a snake on his patio. He's in Florida.
What camera do you use for these videos?
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Some inter-species drama in my garden last night
https://youtu.be/r_Pa9gMR_Sc (https://youtu.be/r_Pa9gMR_Sc)
Meanwhile my nephew's wildlife camera captured a squirrel, a raccoon, and a snake on his patio. He's in Florida.
What camera do you use for these videos?
The cheapest one I could find. A CamPark T20 for about £40 from amazon.
And it is cheap in every sense:
- You need to reset the date and time every time you change the batteries
- there bit in the middle is usually over exposed.
- The menu is clunky, and there are 6 buttons for navigating etc but what they are and what they do has to be determined by trial and error.
- the screen is tiny and pretty much useless for reviewing results.
- It gives various options for resolutions but lower resolutions are crops (or in effect a digital zoom - 1290x1080 is wide angle; 640x480 is a narrow angle)
- aiming it has to be done by guesswork.
- It produces huge files - 300+ Mb for 45 seconds at max 'resolution'. (I use mencoder to reduce them to 12 Mb without apparent loss of quality)
- There's a minimum five second delay between detecting movement and starting to record, so what you want to record may be gone by the time it starts recording
But there are ways round these and the results have exceeded my expectations. For £40 I can live with its shortcomings.
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Very good. Presumably foxes know better than to tackle a hedgehog. Our Jack Russell terriers didn’t, back in the day. Had to dissuade them several times.
That was a cat by the way. The cats are more interested in mice (which help themselves to food from the bowls). Next door's puppies are given the run of their garden, and have been trying to get under the fence using the hole produced by hedgehogs over the years . I had to reinforce it yesterday as the hole was almost puppy-sized. I don't know what they'd do if they were confronted at close range with a hedgehog. I think they were more interested in the meaty dogfood I used to leave out than in the hedgehogs, but that's all finished now so I only put out 'kibble' as I understand it is known.
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That was a cat
Agreed :-[ I must have got your video confused with something that followed it, as selected by YouTube.
Our Jack Russells used to get terrible cuts around their mouths, along with spines that needed pulled out, if we didn’t get to them quickly.
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Twice today when Tilly has been in the garden she has been mobbed by two jackdaws. They were really cross!.
I have seen a third one hopping round the garden and presume its their fledgling which is why they are getting so agitated with the dog. Tilly doesn't seem bothered by them.
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My brother told me last week that there was conflict in his garden between a pair of magpies, whose fledgelings had just ...well, fledged, and a grey squirrel. I thought this was wryly amusing because the farmer, from whose widow my brother bought the house almost 40 years ago, wouldn't have tolerated either species, but instead would have "given them one up the shirt", that being the Essex vernacular for blasting them to kingdom come with his 12-bore shot-gun.
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I had a Mexican standoff between 3 Wood pigeons on the garage roof last night, 2 resorted to fisticuffs before 1 took the ridge victoriously.
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It was a fledgling jackdaw. It hoped out from behind some plant pots this afternoon when I was having a cup of tea in the garden. Tilly again mobbed by the parents when she took an interest in it. Its a pretty quick mover even though it can't fly yet.
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It was a fledgling jackdaw. It hoped out from behind some plant pots this afternoon when I was having a cup of tea in the garden. Tilly again mobbed by the parents when she took an interest in it. Its a pretty quick mover even though it can't fly yet.
I had this happen last year. We have two jackdaw nests in our stable overlooking the garden. A fledgling wandered out from the shrubs onto the lawn. As I stood up to take a closer look, the parents (I assume) started to go ape at me. But when I looked up, the sky above my lawn was like a scene from The Birds. Douzens of jackdaws wheeling and cawing. I buggered off indoors sharpish.
Either jackdaw s have large extended family groups, or they are all naturally protective.
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Either jackdaw s have large extended family groups, or they are all naturally protective.
They have close flock relationships. They also mate for life.
I think they nested in the large yew that overhangs our garden.
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We now have relative peace outside the big window at the front of the flat. There is a monkey puzzle tree just outside, with its crown level with and just above the flat. Normally it is the home of a squirrel family, but 2 magpies moved in built a nest right next to the squirrels’ drey. Maybe even on top of the drey. Daily battles ensued, much chasing, cackling, angry squirrel rants, beak tapping. Thankfully the magpies have now fledged and the squirrels have been carrying dozens of mouthfuls of leaves up to refurbish their drey.
Other things seen regularly on the monkey puzzle, right outside the window: treecreepers, nuthatches, goldcrests. Currently frequented by a coal tit family and great tits, which like our bird food.
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A black kite I think. Kite shaped with a forked tail but not as defined as a red kite and the wrong colour for a red kite.
Never seen one before we moved here.
I didn't even know we had them in the UK before you posted that.
We don't, in general.
There are maybe 20 birds a year, mostly stray migrants at this time of year, and usally in the east or south east.
There was one here about a month back, not that I saw it.
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I heard that there has been one recent record of black kites breeding in Sussex, but that they are not considered to be on the 'British List' (yet).
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A morning visitor about 6am this morning :)
https://photos.app.goo.gl/EyQmDXwAWgCjZSBQ9
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A pine marten in the middle of the day :)
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A pine marten in the middle of the day :)
You lucky lucky b thingy. I have never seen one of those at any time of the day.
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A pine marten in the middle of the day :)
You lucky lucky b thingy. I have never seen one of those at any time of the day.
We stayed in a house in Brittany which had a pine marten nest in the garden. Also saw them on Dartmoor when we used to picnic at Piles Copse - we thought they were otters until corrected by someone who actually knew.
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A pine marten in the middle of the day :)
Better than a hedgehog in the middle of the road.
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While off-roading in Home Park (Hampton Wick) I chanced upon a few Fallow does with their little ones. While still small and very cutesy they already seem to be sufficiently developed to be able to go everywhere with their mothers.
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A red squirrel today :) :thumbsup:
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This,year the kites are beginning to occupy air space over the town itself, much to the annoyance of the jackdaws.
Today I watched one solo jackdaw mobbing a kite. Surprisingly successfully. The kite eventually got fed up and returned to her side of the river.
Yes I know 'mobbing' is not the correct word for a solo effort, but that is what was happening.
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The hedgehog turned up again this evening and consumed a saucer of hedgehog food and a drink of water. It seems to arrive shortly after 10.30. This evening it was perfectly happy to eat and drink immediately by the patio doors, with the light blazing through them.
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There used to be two robins in our garden, which we nicknamed "fat" robin and "thin" robin for obvious, if not politically correct reasons. They have now been joined by a juvenile "not red" robin, which may or may not be related.
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The hedgehog turned up again this evening and consumed a saucer of hedgehog food and a drink of water. It seems to arrive shortly after 10.30. This evening it was perfectly happy to eat and drink immediately by the patio doors, with the light blazing through them.
I'd love to be able to sit and watch that. Did you get your camera?
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A pine marten in the middle of the day :)
You lucky lucky b thingy. I have never seen one of those at any time of the day.
The only pine marten I've seen was at about 4:45 am in broad daylight on the Daylight 600 just before the Benderloch control (i.e. not far from Oban). I had no idea what it was, and my thoughts as I got near it were something like "Oo, a cat. No, that isn't a cat, it's a fox. Bloody odd looking fox. What the hell is it?". I described it to Duncan Peet at the control who told me what it was (and also told me he'd never seen one and I was a lucky bastard).
I have also seen a (live) badger in the middle of the day. Midsummer, northern Sweden. I could see it poking its snout out of the forest undergrowth watching me pedal past before it retreated. I could hear it crashing through the forest and it re-emerged further up the road to watch me go past again. It then occurred to me that at that latitude at that time of year even a nocturnal animal has no choice but to come out and do its thing in broad daylight.
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I've only ever seen one (live) badger and that was the back end of it disappearing into the hedgerow. This despite living in a very small village surrounded by badger sets and the buggers even came and dug up our lawn once particularly dry summer. I think they have an early warning system and hide from me, much like the woodpecker that visits our nuts in the garden regularly but only when its just Mrs Pcolbeck watching.
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This,year the kites are beginning to occupy air space over the town itself, much to the annoyance of the jackdaws.
Today I watched one solo jackdaw mobbing a kite. Surprisingly successfully. The kite eventually got fed up and returned to her side of the river.
Yes I know 'mobbing' is not the correct word for a solo effort, but that is what was happening.
Same here a bit further east. I'm usually guaranteed of seeing a kite if I travel 5 miles away, but very rarely over the village until this year.
Also I had a woodpecker at my feeder earlier today for the first time - lesser spotted, I think. My friend up the road reports the same, as does another friend in Chester. Anyone else on here?
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Also I had a woodpecker at my feeder earlier today for the first time - lesser spotted, I think. My friend up the road reports the same, as does another friend in Chester. Anyone else on here?
Almost certainly greater spotted. They're not that big. The lesser spotteds are rare, about the size of a sparrow and tend to be at the top of trees. The leader of our local RSPB group, who basically lives for birding, has never seen one in this country.
Greater spotteds are lovely birds, though. Always enjoy seeing one on our feeder.
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Also I had a woodpecker at my feeder earlier today for the first time - lesser spotted, I think. My friend up the road reports the same, as does another friend in Chester. Anyone else on here?
Almost certainly greater spotted. They're not that big. The lesser spotteds are rare, about the size of a sparrow and tend to be at the top of trees. The leader of our local RSPB group, who basically lives for birding, has never seen one in this country.
Greater spotteds are lovely birds, though. Always enjoy seeing one on our feeder.
I've never seen a lesser, or even a green woodpecker, but Great Spotted were pretty common visitors to our feeder in our far more rural residence 5 miles from here.
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The hedgehog turned up again this evening and consumed a saucer of hedgehog food and a drink of water. It seems to arrive shortly after 10.30. This evening it was perfectly happy to eat and drink immediately by the patio doors, with the light blazing through them.
The owner of my local hedgehog rescue facility advised strongly against the stuff marketed as hedgehog food. I give them crunchy kibble (usually supplied by my neighbour, a successful dog breeder).
Dog food is good nourishment and safe for hedgehogs, but the so-called 'hedgehog food' with the banana in is a rip off - harmful ingredients and absolutely worthless to hedgehogs.
(https://i.imgur.com/crl3Me9h.jpg)
If that's unreadable, this is her website page on feeding: https://hedgehogcabin.info/feeding
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That really helpful, thanks. We have been buying hedgehog food and will now change to kitten food as suggested.
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Oh blimey, have been feeding our hedgehog sunflower hearts and wet cat food. Better put a stop to the seeds. Will get the dry kitten stuff in due course.
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Dead badger at the roadside. :(
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One of the blackbirds in our garden is a right character. If I stand outside with a coffee it will perch on a chair back near me and and jabber at me then fly to the bird table and back and repeat until I put some seed on the bird table. It seems to know I only do this once a day as it never repeats this on an afternoon, just on a morning.
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About 2.30am this morning a hedge pig . I will keep my eye out for it tonight as tend to use the same route quite often :)
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I never see hedgehogs aroudn here, apart from the one time in daylight when out for a walk. I've never seen one in the garden - what does their pooh look like?
Semi-residents buzzard is about again, normally hovering over me when I'm finishing a punishing effort on the bike. I didn't think I looked that bad!
And last two rides I've done, an Oystercatcher, in the middle of the blooming Fens. Next time I'll stop and ask if he needs directions
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I have set up a FB page entitled "The Hedgehogs of East Street".
https://www.facebook.com/The-Hedgehogs-of-East-Street-101094484988904/?modal=admin_todo_tour
Facebook is a very unsatisfactory medium and it's making me very sweary when it doesn't do what I want it to. I think I might be going off to Wordpress at some point, or Youtube.
https://www.facebook.com/101094484988904/videos/185949236176937/
https://www.facebook.com/101094484988904/videos/877895186065169/
The exciting part about those two videos, taken last night, is that they were 2 minutes apart. Either the first hedgehog did a very quick lap of honour and entered stage left both times, or we have 2 hedgehogs. To the left of the camera is a significant pile of twigs and vegetable matter which I was going to chuck in teh garden waste bin, but have left there since I realised we had hedgehogs. It's a perfect place for them to hide away.
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Regarding hedgehog food, https://www.facebook.com/101094484988904/videos/724208995022423/
That cat didn't seem to like it. I can't imagine that cat food would have lasted very long.
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Four thrushes in the garden together this morning. There is always one about somewhere but that's the first time I have seen a group of them.
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A pine marten in the middle of the day :)
You lucky lucky b thingy. I have never seen one of those at any time of the day.
The only pine marten I've seen was at about 4:45 am in broad daylight on the Daylight 600 just before the Benderloch control (i.e. not far from Oban). I had no idea what it was, and my thoughts as I got near it were something like "Oo, a cat. No, that isn't a cat, it's a fox. Bloody odd looking fox. What the hell is it?". I described it to Duncan Peet at the control who told me what it was (and also told me he'd never seen one and I was a lucky bastard).
I have also seen a (live) badger in the middle of the day. Midsummer, northern Sweden. I could see it poking its snout out of the forest undergrowth watching me pedal past before it retreated. I could hear it crashing through the forest and it re-emerged further up the road to watch me go past again. It then occurred to me that at that latitude at that time of year even a nocturnal animal has no choice but to come out and do its thing in broad daylight.
My only pine marten sighting was near the Temple House Lake, Co. Sligo, some 18 or 19 years ago.
When the "Famous 5" did our Lowestoft to Ardnamurchan trip, we cycled from Kilmartin to Oban for the Mull ferry. Our 3 pals were well ahead of us (normal) and they saw a pine marten on that stretch. It was making off with a blackbird that it had killed.
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Re hedgehog food:
https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/feeding/
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I have set up a FB page entitled "The Hedgehogs of East Street".
https://www.facebook.com/The-Hedgehogs-of-East-Street-101094484988904/?modal=admin_todo_tour
Good results so far!
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We have seen traces of hedgehog recently (scat on the lawn) but not the actual creatures. We have a pond with a pump and waterfall, which gives them running water to drink. Which reminds me to relate the strangest hedgehog tale. We woke up one night to some strange sounds in the garden. A hedgehog and a young starling were having an all-out battle, which the hedgehog won. It wasn't a dream as there was a half-eaten starling on the patio in the morning.
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Just helped a female black redstart out of the landing window. She must have come in through my office window and through our bedroom to get there. Lovely wee bird.
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A small field mouse bold as brass on the patio eating seed dropped from the feeders by the birds. Usually they are nocturnal but this was 9:00am this morning.
You can tell our moggy is an old lady now.
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He came back !
(https://user.fm/files/v2-d96a4561b7a25a516f84b449a5f26d5f/mouse.jpg)
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A green woodpecker near stoke poges :)
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On yesterday's ride:
- another dead badger by the roadside. That makes two in two rides, in areas 20-30 km apart.
- an urban lizard (real one, not the lounge-suit variety)
- a small hawk, kestrel or merlin, being harried by an angry mama bird about the size of a wagtail
- a farmer finishing off mowing a field, and a stork patrolling the outskirts of the diminishing stand of tall grass left in the middle to pick off escapees.
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Whilst walking across site at 11 this morning I looked up and counted 20 red kites soaring overhead. :thumbsup:
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A male bullfinch, bold as brass eating the seeds from a thistle in the garden.
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A nonplussed, possibly oblivious hedgehog and a curious and cautious cat just before sunrise this morning.
https://youtu.be/kWRQzAfYuBY (https://youtu.be/kWRQzAfYuBY)
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A male bullfinch, bold as brass eating the seeds from a thistle in the garden.
We seem to have a pair visiting regularly at the moment. We've had occasional sightings over the years we've been here, but this year is different. Whether it's just both of us being here all the time, so having more time to look, we're not sure. Either way, it's a lovely sight.
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A nonplussed, possibly oblivious hedgehog and a curious and cautious cat just before sunrise this morning.
https://youtu.be/kWRQzAfYuBY (https://youtu.be/kWRQzAfYuBY)
A good few years ago, when we had two cats, MrsC and I were sitting out on the patio after dark when a family of four hedgehogs appeared. The cats completely ignored them as if they weren't there.
The 'hogs seemed to be unaware of us as the smallest ended up walking over our feet. Very tickly.
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Yesterday, during a morning stroll to the next village, what looked like the stripped hind leg of a roe-deer and a scrap of bloody skin & fur a couple of feet away. Also, larks singing.
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Yesterday, during a morning stroll to the next village, what looked like the stripped hind leg of a roe-deer and a scrap of bloody skin & fur a couple of feet away. Also, larks singing.
Wonder what the deer did to piss off the larks.
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Yesterday, during a morning stroll to the next village, what looked like the stripped hind leg of a roe-deer and a scrap of bloody skin & fur a couple of feet away. Also, larks singing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHHW1BYxTTo
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A nonplussed, possibly oblivious hedgehog and a curious and cautious cat just before sunrise this morning.
https://youtu.be/kWRQzAfYuBY (https://youtu.be/kWRQzAfYuBY)
A good few years ago, when we had two cats, MrsC and I were sitting out on the patio after dark when a family of four hedgehogs appeared. The cats completely ignored them as if they weren't there.
The 'hogs seemed to be unaware of us as the smallest ended up walking over our feet. Very tickly.
Other cat-hedgehog interactions in my garden were (a) staring at each other, or rather in the dark the cat was peering and the hedgehog was using its sense of smell. After about 20 seconds they both retreated. And (b) the hedgehog being caught unawares by a cat walking behind it and doing the spines-up-and-roll-into-a-ball routine. And (c) last night, probably the same 2 as in the video above (cautious co-existence - see below).
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50061715517_8abe6ae70c_w.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jgMnUa)
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Half an hour of courting in my garden last night. He was more keen than she was. Mostly him circling her (with lots of grunting) and attempting to mount, at which point she would shuffle forward just enough to frustrate him. But she didn't run away. Here's a minute of it:
https://youtu.be/zAUOBfYr3So
And if you want to see exactly how keen he was
(https://i.imgur.com/40nCXOPm.png)
ETA: It matches this description from a paper from University College Cork (https://zoogdierwinkel.nl/sites/default/files/imce/nieuwesite/Winkel/pdf%20download/Lutra%2055%281%29_Haigh%20et%20al_2012.pdf)
Courtship behaviour in hedgehogs is characterised by the male circling around the female with one or both sexes snort- ing loudly (Reeve & Morris 1986). According to Jackson (2006) this ritual may continue for over an hour, with the majority of displays fail- ing to end in a successful mating.
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A young black redstart decided to spend the night in the house. Had twenty minutes of hovering and inquisitiveness before he decided to leave this morning.
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A hen bullfinch eating honeysuckle berries
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A male bullfinch, bold as brass eating the seeds from a thistle in the garden.
We seem to have a pair visiting regularly at the moment. We've had occasional sightings over the years we've been here, but this year is different. Whether it's just both of us being here all the time, so having more time to look, we're not sure. Either way, it's a lovely sight.
And yesterday lunchtime there were two male bullfinches on the feeder at the same time. :D
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Over last few days walking on fens
Brown hawker
Water vole
Marsh harriers
Bittern (flying)
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Woodpecker on our peanuts just now. Unfortunately its raining and that combined with the low light under the tree canopy the nuts are hung from no pictures.
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A male bullfinch, bold as brass eating the seeds from a thistle in the garden.
We seem to have a pair visiting regularly at the moment. We've had occasional sightings over the years we've been here, but this year is different. Whether it's just both of us being here all the time, so having more time to look, we're not sure. Either way, it's a lovely sight.
And yesterday lunchtime there were two male bullfinches on the feeder at the same time. :D
Tops.
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Two kingfishers :thumbsup:
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2 red kites yesterday, mooching around hopefully over a field while a farmer moved it.
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Stag beetle on the patio. Used to be one in the garden every year, but some time since I last saw one.
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(https://i.imgur.com/GbG7FsX.jpg)
Is this a yellowhammer? The apparent crest is befuddling me, unless it's just got out of bed
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Yes a yellowhammer.
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A pine marten near Tayvallich :thumbsup:
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Two guineafowl wandering along the road just outside the village this afternoon. Makes a change from pheasant and partridge.
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In a nice cream sauce with prunes and brandy?
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What's this plant called? It's a weed/wildflower (depending on your POV)
(https://i.imgur.com/igcsb4W.jpg)
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In a nice cream sauce with prunes and brandy?
Indeed they are very tasty!
They don't do well in the wild in the UK so I assume these have escaped from somewhere. The adults are fine in the wild its just that they are not good at sitting on their eggs so the eggs don't stay warm enough to hatch. A farm about four miles away used to have a large flock of them not sure if they still do.
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Golders Hill Park had/has guinea fowl in their 'zoo' but this is a long distance from pcolbeck...
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Several dragonflies this evening
1 x immature common darter
2 x either Brown hawker or Norfolk hawker - the first is much more likely
1 other big job that moved too quick for me to get a look
and a buzzard stooging around, always out of camera range
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A family of at least eight long-tailed tits on our bird feeders at lunchtime.
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A wood pigeon nest in our hedge. It seems to have a one way route in and out. In through next doors garden and out through ours.
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Swans,ducks, Canada geese, a buzzard and a Jay on my mornings ride Windsor and Eton wick way :)
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A wood pigeon nest in our hedge. It seems to have a one way route in and out. In through next doors garden and out through ours.
WE have collared doves nesting on the bracket of the satellite dish.
In my case tonight, a kestrel hovering, and a suicidal magpie landing about 2ft in front of my bike.
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On the ride back from the pub last night, 3 badgers.
One straight across the road 30 m in front.
One about a quarter mile later, running down the road in front, dived into the hedge when I got within about 20 m.
One a mile or so later, also running down the road, that didn't dive for the hedge until just after I caught it up (on the other side of the road).
And a comet, not nearly as good as last Thursday.
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What seems like only 2 weeks ago, wood pigeons built a nest in the monkey puzzle tree just outside the flat window. I see today that the two chicks have fledged and are more or less the same size as the adults. The last time I looked, their heads only just came into view over the edge of the nest. Yet they appear to have been fed rarely throughout, with no sign of the parents for much of the time*. They are very quiet, even as chicks they made no noise.
Nevertheless, astonishing growth rate or not, I really hope they don’t make a habit of breeding repeatedly in that nest.
*Have just learned, or perhaps learned all over again, that pigeons feed their young a disgusting sounding milk produced in their gizzards.
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KINGFISHER!!!!!!
3 herons in quick succession and a white egret, couple of hares and some over-friendly tups.
But all that pales into insignificance against the second-time-in-my-life awesome flash of bright metallic blue heading upstream. Glorious.
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heard, but never yet seen
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What's this plant called? It's a weed/wildflower (depending on your POV)
(https://i.imgur.com/igcsb4W.jpg)
Some sort of hawkbit or hawkweed?
Seeing his thread reminds me. A few days ago we were sitting outside idly watching the view with added birdlife. The usual ones in the sky round here at this time of year are gulls (Herring, Black-headed, Great Black-backed), swifts and woodpigeons. The swifts do what swifts do. The pigeons are always going somewhere in a hurry. The gulls generally just soar about unless someone throws out something tasty. There's plenty of other sorts but not actually in the sky, IYSWIM. Anyway, so it's easy to see interlopers. This one looked immediately like a raptor. Fairly large but not a buzzard or one of the harriers we get down on the marsh. It gave itself away though. Whilst we were pondering on what it could be, it stooped. AFAIK there's only one round here that might do that. I've never seen one before - definitely a "Bloody hell!" moment. With a bit of luck it got one of the damn pigeons.
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KINGFISHER!!!!!!
3 herons in quick succession and a white egret, couple of hares and some over-friendly tups.
But all that pales into insignificance against the second-time-in-my-life awesome flash of bright metallic blue heading upstream. Glorious.
*Kingfisherspottingenvy*
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What's this plant called? It's a weed/wildflower (depending on your POV)
(https://i.imgur.com/igcsb4W.jpg)
Some sort of hawkbit or hawkweed?
Seeing his thread reminds me. A few days ago we were sitting outside idly watching the view with added birdlife. The usual ones in the sky round here at this time of year are gulls (Herring, Black-headed, Great Black-backed), swifts and woodpigeons. The swifts do what swifts do. The pigeons are always going somewhere in a hurry. The gulls generally just soar about unless someone throws out something tasty. There's plenty of other sorts but not actually in the sky, IYSWIM. Anyway, so it's easy to see interlopers. This one looked immediately like a raptor. Fairly large but not a buzzard or one of the harriers we get down on the marsh. It gave itself away though. Whilst we were pondering on what it could be, it stooped. AFAIK there's only one round here that might do that. I've never seen one before - definitely a "Bloody hell!" moment. With a bit of luck it got one of the damn pigeons.
Your'e on Sheppey, aren't you?
Three or four years ago our Maidstone daughter bought us a Christmas present in the form of a day's raptor-watching on Sheppey. It was early December when we went, and cold. In fact, I've just googled the advert for the 2020 version. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/birds-of-prey-of-the-north-kent-marshes-tickets-91627252579?aff=erelexpmlt
In the afternoon we went to Shellness to watch well over a dozen marsh harriers coming in to roost. On the way, we stopped to look at two dark shapes roosting on the ground in a field, a few hundred yards apart. Our guide, Tony Swanlake, pointed them out as peregrine falcons. As we watched, they took off as one, zoomed out towards the sea wall, scattered a whole load of wading birds and gulls that were there, and then came back. It was a wonderful sight.
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What's this plant called? It's a weed/wildflower (depending on your POV)
(https://i.imgur.com/igcsb4W.jpg)
It's Nipplewort.
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Seeing his thread reminds me. A few days ago we were sitting outside idly watching the view with added birdlife. The usual ones in the sky round here at this time of year are gulls (Herring, Black-headed, Great Black-backed), swifts and woodpigeons. The swifts do what swifts do. The pigeons are always going somewhere in a hurry. The gulls generally just soar about unless someone throws out something tasty. There's plenty of other sorts but not actually in the sky, IYSWIM. Anyway, so it's easy to see interlopers. This one looked immediately like a raptor. Fairly large but not a buzzard or one of the harriers we get down on the marsh. It gave itself away though. Whilst we were pondering on what it could be, it stooped. AFAIK there's only one round here that might do that. I've never seen one before - definitely a "Bloody hell!" moment. With a bit of luck it got one of the damn pigeons.
Your'e on Sheppey, aren't you?
Three or four years ago our Maidstone daughter bought us a Christmas present in the form of a day's raptor-watching on Sheppey. It was early December when we went, and cold. In fact, I've just googled the advert for the 2020 version. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/birds-of-prey-of-the-north-kent-marshes-tickets-91627252579?aff=erelexpmlt
In the afternoon we went to Shellness to watch well over a dozen marsh harriers coming in to roost. On the way, we stopped to look at two dark shapes roosting on the ground in a field, a few hundred yards apart. Our guide, Tony Swanlake, pointed them out as peregrine falcons. As we watched, they took off as one, zoomed out towards the sea wall, scattered a whole load of wading birds and gulls that were there, and then came back. It was a wonderful sight.
Indeed, on Sheppey. Only 3 or 4 years ago, so it might well have been one of the very same 2.
Bit of nom. det. there - Swanlake.
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Yes, I thought that at the time re Swanlake. The day started off very well when we saw a pair of mute swans that had teamed up with an African crane that had been blown off course.
My recent observations were 3 or possibly 4 sparrowhawks yesterday afternoon, flying high over the park. A couple of them started off lower, but by the end they were having a great time about 500' up - at least, that's my guess for how high a sparrowhawk has to be before you aren't sure if you can still see it, and then a tiny dot appears again.
This morning, I saw 8 swifts at rooftop level, so they are still here. I expect they will be around for another week or so; another sparrowhawk, this time at tree top level, and a greater spotted woodpecker. I was just thinking that it was quite some time since I'd seen a green woodpecker in the park when one appeared from some gardens to my left and flew into the park. This was all on my pre-breakfast walk - I got 3 miles in before 8.45.
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What's this plant called? It's a weed/wildflower (depending on your POV)
(https://i.imgur.com/igcsb4W.jpg)
It's Nipplewort.
Thanks, I think this is it looking that up on the web. Leaves and flower match, hawkbit was close but not quite
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Two kingfishers for me today and an inquisitive otter stalking my canoe from the bank.
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A buzzard this morning at about 8.45, in the Barling area.
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I spent a couple of hours in my pal Penelope's garden this afternoon and we neither saw nor heard any swifts. That's probably it for another 9 months.
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I spent a couple of hours in my pal Penelope's garden this afternoon and we neither saw nor heard any swifts. That's probably it for another 9 months.
Very sudden, wasn't it?
The usual screaming on Saturday morning. Saturday evening, gone.
The swallows will be around for a while.
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I just saw a couple wheeling high overhead whilst I was watering my garden. There are normally lots.
Swallows and martins sometimes hang around as late as October. My personal record for the latest sightings was for a couple of house martins on 20th November 1976, on Westcliff sea front. It had been an uncommonly warm and sunny day.
A solitary swallow was seen by two reliable reporters on New Year's Day this year at an Essex Wildlife Trust site in North Essex.
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From the same garden as yesterday, when we saw none and we were constantly on the lookout for them - this morning there were at least 6 swifts wheeling high overhead. I wonder whether they were en route rom somewhere further north and had found a nice cloud of insects to use as a refuelling stop.
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A biggish spider scuttling on my kitchen floor just now.
It is EARLY August.
I think of spiders and daddly-long-legs as autumn companions...
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Loads of dolphins on today's 'commute' :)
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<nasty>
A couple of days ago, on a car park, a car pulling in with a biggish bird dangling from the radiator grille. Old bent bloke got out for a look, started to pull it out, bird started to flap. Turned out it was caught by the head. He eventually got it out, and it just lay on the tarmac panting. I thought it was a wood pigeon, MrsT thought it was something bigger. Can't imagine it would live long after that.
</nasty>
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on the way back from the pub last night, one badger and a (rural) fox
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Two more swifts tonight.
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I saw a badger last night near Marlow :)
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A close encounter of the Bambi kind on Tuesday night.
Sent from my BKL-L09 using Tapatalk
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A mallard trying to devour an uncooperative froglet. On the Grand Union Canal in Lapworth, Warwickshire.
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And another badger tonight.
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Seen - but very nearly missed and squashed under my size 10s.
As it happened I realised it wasn't a fallen leaf after all, and as I was on my way to look for insects, I had my camera and macro lens with me. Froggy sat and posed motionless for long enough before hopping off into the long grass.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50198735141_dee6e461d5_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jtTD4t)
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2 water rats and 1rat along the g u canal :)
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What I think is an Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillar. Nope, it’s the Privet Hawkmoth. It’s huge, close to 60mm
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50201562138_dd068a5e4b_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ju98qN)Caterpillar (https://flic.kr/p/2ju98qN) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
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A slow worm on the path about a minute from home. https://twitter.com/between_beyond/status/1292078252006289408?s=21 (https://twitter.com/between_beyond/status/1292078252006289408?s=21)
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Twenty one starlings on and under our birdfeeder just now. What a noisy argumentative gang they are. Quite a few of them are immature with tails that are still fairly stubby.
They are having a communal bath three at a time in-between attacking the fat block. There wont be any water left in a few minutes :)
Recount: Twenty five
I wish they would stay still a bit more its hard to count them.
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A kingfisher in our local park.
I don't think I've had more than 10 sightings of a kingfisher there in 25 years. One of the anglers said that there were two there earlier on.
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Evening walks have revealed that there are crickets chirping around the place. We only seem to get them in hot summers. I think 1975 was one where we had on in our hearth at home. I particularly remember that summer as it was the year I qualified as a teacher. It was a hot, sunny summer but quite wet - ISTR that there were quite a few thunderstorms. Every evening we had a lot of visiting insects in the house - large, brightly coloured flies of type I have never seen since. I particularly remember the may blossom, and the evening before I started in my first teaching job, going trout fishing with my brother. The hawthorn berries were just ripening and it was something to behold.
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Another badger of the way back from the (different) pub last night.
That's 6 in 4 weeks, which is a higher strike rate than I remember ever getting before the Bovine TB badger cukillers did their thing.
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On our a Friday afternoon walk, we saw a couple of hares, a juvenile Muntjac, and a flock of 50 or so small, pale bellied, birds with the typical finch / tit dipping and rising flight. And like Wow, we’ve seen a few crickets in the garden.
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Yesterday and again today: a solitary swift swooping low over Penny's garden and those of her neighbours.
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Whilst driving slowly into the village, because parked cars, a Kestrel appearing from behind and to the right, stalling briefly in front, then veering off to the left. All at an altitude of perhaps 3m, and with a small creature (a chick I think from the dangling leg) clutched in its claws.
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This morning a juvenile wood pigeon flew off after two days of being fed, watered and sheltered from the local prowling vats.
This evening took a brief spin out on a lake in the canoe. The highlight was drifting on the wind around a bluff where we disturbed a kingfisher in a contretemps with a small waterfowl. They both scarpered and then the kingfisher returned and settled on a protruding tree root and watched as we drifted past 3 to 4 metres away. After thirty seconds or so he made a high speed pass over the lake.
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We got a good view of an otter on the commute this morning :thumbsup:
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Cranes and a great white egret at Loch of Strathbeg.
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Signs of the end of summer here in Leafy Bucks... I guess at 3-400 swallows on the phone lines this afternoon.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50312156211_af3fd655e1_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jDUXca)Swallows (https://flic.kr/p/2jDUXca) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50312156206_6883a8ff05_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jDUXc5)Swallows (https://flic.kr/p/2jDUXc5) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
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Swallows are still doing their high speed, low level acrobatics at the cricket field this morning, so hopefully ours won't be leaving just yet.
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Yesterday and again today: a solitary swift swooping low over Penny's garden and those of her neighbours.
We saw a swift flying around over our garden this afternoon.
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Bats in the garden just now. Its just just before dawn. Also heard the local tawny owl hooting from a tree a coupel of gardens over.
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I think it was a male scaly cricket on bedroom window. Too slow to get a decent photo. Cambridgeshire, so unusual apparently. Blobs on rear legs?
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Last night, this..... No idea what it is.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50323636858_fafff75447_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jEVMZm)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2jEVMZm) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
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Sitting with my coffee in the garden early (For me) this morning, A sparrowhark landed on the decking post next to me.
First time I've seen one here, and the closest I've ever been to a stationary one.
Unfortunately, fumbling for my phone alerted it to my presence and it said "Oh, sorry mate", and flew off.
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Last night, this..... No idea what it is.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50323636858_fafff75447_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jEVMZm)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2jEVMZm) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
We had something very similar in the bedroom the other day. I took a photo and tried to match it up with online images of grasshoppers at various stages in their life cycle, but couldn't see an exact match. Neverthless I think it can only be some stage or other of grasshopper nymph.
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Swallows are gathering in York. Lucky buggers..
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Last night, this..... No idea what it is.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50323636858_fafff75447_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jEVMZm)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2jEVMZm) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
We had something very similar in the bedroom the other day. I took a photo and tried to match it up with online images of grasshoppers at various stages in their life cycle, but couldn't see an exact match. Neverthless I think it can only be some stage or other of grasshopper nymph.
We think it’s a speckled bush cricket.
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We think it’s a speckled bush cricket.
I think you are correct - for our bug as well as yours. Thanks! Must admit to not having heard of the species.
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Last night, this..... No idea what it is.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50323636858_fafff75447_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jEVMZm)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2jEVMZm) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
We had something very similar in the bedroom the other day. I took a photo and tried to match it up with online images of grasshoppers at various stages in their life cycle, but couldn't see an exact match. Neverthless I think it can only be some stage or other of grasshopper nymph.
We think it’s a speckled bush cricket.
So do I. This is one in my garden earlier this summer
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49934292423_bbcd1462aa.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j5wisg)
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And this morning, heard rather than seen, the first gathering of geese getting in practice for the winter migration.
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Sunning itself on a footpath accross a common in Knowl Hill this morning-
(https://i.imgur.com/aInZKFS.jpg)
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Bringing my daughter home from ballet practice on Friday, as I turned into our lane, saw a flash of movement ahead, and then another...
It was a fox bouncing its way through the long grass. Neither of took a picture.
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A pair of chiffchaffs flitting about the garden. First time I've seen them here.
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Saw a Grey Wagtail on the Wom Brook a couple of days back. The only one I have previously seen was in Lyme Regis nearly 20 years ago.
Went back yesterday to find the culvert under the A449 - thinking of taking the oldest grandson on a water vole sign hunt - and another/same Grey Wagtail flew out of the culvert.
It rather made my day.
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Dez told me that yesterday he had a pair of great tits on his fat balls. (Heads off for NSFW...)
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Heard last night, the meeces are back in the loft. Time to restock the humane traps with toothy meece comestibles
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Went down the beach yesterday. The sky was full of martins. Today there were none. I wondered if they were gathering for the long haul to Africa.
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Went down the beach yesterday. The sky was full of martins. Today there were none. I wondered if they were gathering for the long haul to Africa.
Maybe. That reminds me that we saw only one swallow on our pootle on Sunday.
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The first time I've seen more than a fleeting glimpse of a weasel, and then it's been miles from the house. Not this morning :-\
Courtesy of Phoebe.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50406329808_9c2ba8a86d_4k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jNeBHS)Weasel (https://flic.kr/p/2jNeBHS) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
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A pair of Gadwall swimming around in a temporary pond on the top of the Hampshire Downs in Farleigh Wallop. It really was the weather for ducks. Probably the only time they have ever been spotted swimming in that parish, which has no permanent water.
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The first time I've seen more than a fleeting glimpse of a weasel, and then it's been miles from the house. Not this morning :-\
Courtesy of Phoebe.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50406329808_9c2ba8a86d_4k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jNeBHS)Weasel (https://flic.kr/p/2jNeBHS) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
You know that's a squirrel, right?
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;D ;D ;D
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We have been seeing badger sign in the garden the last few days.
Yesterday the neighbour showed me footage of the beast taken in the twilight.
At first I thought it was Cycleman wild camping in our hollyhocks :)
We are thinking of encouraging this by feeding - the badger not Cycleman - because they eat small mammals and we are plagued with rats if we use the bird feeders.
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The first time I've seen more than a fleeting glimpse of a weasel, and then it's been miles from the house. Not this morning :-\
Courtesy of Phoebe.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50406329808_9c2ba8a86d_4k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jNeBHS)Weasel (https://flic.kr/p/2jNeBHS) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
You know that's a squirrel, right?
Or an edible dormouse?
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This family of mandarins have been smashing segments up and down the Thame lately
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50435609641_0608d21359_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jQPFAz)mandarins (https://flic.kr/p/2jQPFAz) by PaulRide (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62297839@N05/), on Flickr
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Seen crossing the road on yesterday's ride - made it safely to the verge before the next motor vehicle arrived
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50436863173_9cf18e655a_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jQW7ec)
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Very good. Presumably foxes know better than to tackle a hedgehog. Our Jack Russell terriers didn’t, back in the day. Had to dissuade them several times.
The fox knows many things but the hedgehog knows one big thing (and the Jack Russells know very little at all!)
Jumping forward a few months and if we allow vicarious sightings, porpoises in the Avon.
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/two-porpoises-swimming-under-clifton-4586959
(fuzzy video)
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Yesterday, at lunchtime with Jane otp: 3 swallows zooming around above the water meadows near Paper Mill Lock.
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In quarantine, possibly?
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I saw about 6 or 8 swallows on Wednesday during my ride home - they looked as if they were going to fly under a railway bridge, or at least into the cutting, before disappearing. This was behind Putney leisure centre.
Edited to add: on second thoughts, the above is most un-swallow-like.
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I see small groups of starlings most evenings I assume going to roost most evenings. I thought that they would have migrated by now :)
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I see small groups of starlings most evenings I assume going to roost most evenings. I thought that they would have migrated by now :)
Where are you? Starlings are resident in the UK all year round. In fact we get birds from Russia and similar places migrating here to over winter.
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Slough :)
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Slough, too cool for starlings :)
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From our garden, saw a buzzard being mobbed by crows.
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Mouse rescued from the middle of a road on today's pootle.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50501737018_a9c0e1091e_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jWEAXL)
Wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) (https://flic.kr/p/2jWEAXL) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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From our garden, saw a buzzard being mobbed by crows.
On Friday, shortly after Denis's nuptials, I witnessed a herring gull mobbing a sparrowhawk above Southend Civic Centre. After a few minutes of this, the sparrowhawk escaped the attentions of the gull but was then mobbed by a pair of carrion crows. They really meant business and there were several occasions on which one bird or another had to take extreme evasive action to avoid something sharp.
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What seems like only 2 weeks ago, wood pigeons built a nest in the monkey puzzle tree just outside the flat window.
...
Nevertheless, astonishing growth rate or not, I really hope they don’t make a habit of breeding repeatedly in that nest.
They’ve just had another sprog - at the end of October! They are very discreet about it, I must say, but it is annoying as their presence is putting me off putting out my bird feeder.
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Out for a walk round the Chesham/ ley Hill area yesterday morning and, as we exited woods into ley hill at 11:30 a.m. I spied a bat flitting around above a garden. About the size of a robin.
Never seen a bat doing its thing at that time of day before.
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Couldn’t sleep the other night, wandered into the living room (which has no blinds) and saw a shadow passing outside. I could discern a shape - that tree is only a few metres away - so used a torch to provide non-flash light, which revealed a lovely wol:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3f3J-TrTZy8JcYVgW0twc39TNfQBbhS89kJb2y-mYZNoPqZDNPo1A3PNTd0kGF2dRUYFEnUrLoArsQ9rwYKlixVDpiFzXN3kZ2V0lwjQAcQtHXbL-Ux94cgtWgHeSjju9_r68tlEMTxac5qKJmjMpmJlA=w1230-h1640-no?authuser=0)
It is the first owl I have ever seen at rest. I hear hooting regularly here, loud enough to wake my partner, but had not managed to set eyes on the source before.
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:thumbsup:
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That is a very fine wol!
We just had a lot of screeching and chattering immediately outside the front door. I opened it and surprised a fox, which I suspect was libidinous, given the time of year and the noises it was making.
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On yesterday's ride I saw a woman walking a dog that looked exactly like an ewok.
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On yesterday's ride I saw a woman walking a dog that looked exactly like an ewok.
The woman looked like an Ewok? or the dog did?
J
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On yesterday's ride I saw a woman walking a dog that looked exactly like an ewok.
The woman looked like an Ewok? or the dog did?
J
Since owners tend to choose dogs that look like themselves, probably both ;D
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Water voles x2, Thames, Middlesex side, near Marble Hill Park.
The light was poor but I had quite a long time, for a change, to do the rat / vole differentiation and I’m 90% sure: rounded face, shorter furry tails compared to rats.
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A mozzie, in our hallway.
It's 17 days before Christmas FFS!
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A cock pheasant on our patio just now. The dog is asleep and hasn't noticed.
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Its still here but down the garden. The hound has finally woken up and she's staring at it through the patio doors.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb1M8LAOZmg&ab_channel=PeterWalker
Carp in the park. Moorhens included for scale.
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A large (heron sized) egret in the field behind our house. Not seen one there before, in 20 years here.
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A large (heron sized) egret in the field behind our house. Not seen one there before, in 20 years here.
Sounds like a Great White Egret. They've been breeding on the Somerset Levels for a couple of years now. Where are you?
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Bullfinches on the seed feeder - a first for us :thumbsup:
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A flock of long-tailed tits discovered the recently installed fat-ball feeder.
:)
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Damn cat from next door worrying a Vole ( I think was a Vole, it was very small). Shood the cat off, but it returned later and I saw it eating something in the same area of the garden. Ho hum. I am fond of cats but this wily Bengal model eats the bird food I put out including sunflower seed hearts and he killed a nesting blue tit last season. Grrrr.
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A smallish dark animal moving in a rather odd way on the hillside opposite this morning. Too far away to see what it was. Small fox? Too black for that.
It was the black bit of a black and white sheep standing out against the snow field.
:facepalm: ;D
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On Saturday we drove up North for a bit to go for a forest walk. 2 secs after parking I noted that the was a goldcrest hopping about in the branches of a tree about a foot away. Our first goldcrest! But no photies unfortunately.
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On Saturday we drove up North for a bit to go for a forest walk. 2 secs after parking I noted that the was a goldcrest hopping about in the branches of a tree about a foot away. Our first goldcrest! But no photies unfortunately.
Very difficult to photograph - always on the move. And very wee.
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Bit of a shame, I doubt we'll ever be that close to one again.
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Lucky to photograph a stonechat yesterday. Was on a local walk in the quickly melting snow, popped into a field and a bloke with binoculars asked me if I was interested in birds. He was the local gamekeeper and he pointed out a pair of stonechats. We got chatting, and they stayed around, so had time to put on the 500mm mirror lens and take a few snaps.
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A little wol - in Marble Hill park. Did get a photo but it’s just a vaguely wol-shaped blob due to bad light.
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First redwing for over a year, yesterday & today, stripping berries from the pyracantha (Bristol)
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I just remembered. Last week I was walking the dog alongside a really big ditch across a field that all the field drains empty into. It was about six foot deep down to the water.
The dog passing disturbed a snipe and it flew the length of the ditch at about four feet off the deck and then off and away.
That's the first snipe I have ever seen.
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On Saturday we drove up North for a bit to go for a forest walk. 2 secs after parking I noted that the was a goldcrest hopping about in the branches of a tree about a foot away. Our first goldcrest! But no photies unfortunately.
When I was a teenager I used to walk over the disused Clifton aerodrome on the outskirts of York a lot and along the lanes around it. There were often flocks of goldcrests. That was the late 1970s/early 1980s. Its all built over with houses, light industry and supermarkets now :(
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We have quite a few goldcrest.
Best way to see them is to take the cat for a walk - they come out to swear at her.
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Unusually for us, a
mistle song thrush (now I've had a chance to compare songs), in the plum tree across the road from the house. Lovely song last evening and this morning.
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I don’t think I’ve ever seen a goldcrest. And I haven’t seen a mistle thrush in what seems like years.
Riding home through the nature reserve in the pitch black, the dynamo lit up a massive rat. It was spooky!
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A sparrowhawk just got one of the blackbirds in our garden right in front of us then flew off with it to behind the shed to finish it off. A slow process with lots of squeaking from the blackbird. The sparrowhawk has to eat though.
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I know its been wet for weeks but this is ridiculous, I just found a newt in the cats bowl of biscuits !
Its been ejected now into next doors garden (they have a pond).
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For the past 2 or 3 days we have had a flock of fieldfares and redwings come to visit mostly next door's holly tree, but also our smaller one. They prefer next door's as it has a lot more berries, being a bigger tree, it also gives them more cover, and it's further from the road. I have taken some reasonable photos of them. I don't think they will be back much more though as there are so few berries left. Also, the snow is melting now and presumably they will be able to find enough food without the risk of visiting built-up areas.
Yesterday I counted 14 fly away from the trees when they had finished guzzling. Today I didn't manage to count them as there were too many - certainly in excess of 20.
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For the last couple of days it has been my great pleasure to host an itinerant male Blackcap in my back garden.
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Camera not to hand but 16 Goldfinches on junior specimen tree on front garden (Sorbus Aria Lutescens 8/9 years old or so). They did not stay long but can't imagine it happening again for some time.
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Half a dozen red kites being hassled by a bunch of crows. Two of the kites eventually flew off, the rest hung about and the crows finally got fed up and went away. Ditto us.
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The clinique St Michel is about a kilometre from where I live. Last week the land in front of it was rooted up by a herd of wild boar. I am quite near open country but this is closer to the centre of Quimper. They did a reasonable amount of damage to the grass.
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Hooray. A foal. Looks a few weeks old so must have been born early on in the stable block.
Looking forward to April and May when we can usually watch them being born in field opposite.
Since this year's floods all the horses are unusually indoors. Mum and foal seem to have been let out for a bit of sunshine.
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Foggy this morning. But this appeared out of the gloom just outside our bedroom.
(https://images2.imgbox.com/37/dc/iyoAeXDC_o.jpg) (https://imgbox.com/iyoAeXDC)
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Foggy this morning. But this appeared out of the gloom just outside our bedroom.
(https://images2.imgbox.com/37/dc/iyoAeXDC_o.jpg) (https://imgbox.com/iyoAeXDC)
A heron after your frogs
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Foggy this morning. But this appeared out of the gloom just outside our bedroom.
(https://images2.imgbox.com/37/dc/iyoAeXDC_o.jpg) (https://imgbox.com/iyoAeXDC)
A heron after your frogs
Aye, probably. But it flew off without going down to the pond.
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A huge flock of fieldfares when walking the dog yesterday afternoon and a buzzard been scolded by crows.
This morning there was a pair of quail sat on our garden wall when I was making coffee.
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(https://www.dropbox.com/s/cin2mw0ppywvplf/IMG_8235.JPG?raw=1)
White Storks building nests at the Knepp Estate in darkest Sussex.
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:thumbsup:
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Heard rather than seen. I recorded unidentified birdsong coming from the environs of my neighbours's holly tree. I'm accustomed to hearing blackbirds, robins, and we have had a very noisy wren in the past week or so. But this was different. I've consulted people who probably know better than I (my first thought was blackcap) and the suggestion is garden warbler.
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Seen today: a buzzard, crossing over Richmond Park at about 7.30 this morning. Also, a goldcrest, only a metre or so away for long enough to have a proper look. And 3 little owls!
Heard: chiffchaff, woodpeckers (many).
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A couple of swallows.
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First swallow of the year.
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A couple of muntjac strolling through the early morning frost in the field behind our house. And, increasingly, buzzards, including one yesterday that looked very much like it was "stooping". Competition for the red kites.
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Muntjac at the side of the road thinking better of it as I braced for impact.
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Great crested grebe chicks
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Yesterday. One swallow.
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Heard rather than seen. I recorded unidentified birdsong coming from the environs of my neighbours's holly tree. I'm accustomed to hearing blackbirds, robins, and we have had a very noisy wren in the past week or so. But this was different. I've consulted people who probably know better than I (my first thought was blackcap) and the suggestion is garden warbler.
A couple of days ago another (unknown to me) person reported to the local RSPB sightings website seeing a garden warbler in some ornamental gardens a couple of hundred yards away. I'll assume it was the same bird that sang to me.
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My brother tells me he saw a solitary swift yesterday at Hanningfield Reservoir.
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I have just had a Jay in the garden. That is the first in 43 years of living here and I have only seen three or four in the wild before.
Oddly, we started getting visits from two Crows to the bird feeder only a fortnight ago. We have Magpies and I saw a Jackdaw about 100 metres down our road yesterday.
Rooks there are plenty of a couple of hundred metres away. Do I only need a Raven for a complete Corvid set? Ignoring Choughs as unlikely to be found a mile from this small city centre.
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Raven.
Also there are two species of crow: carrion and hooded.
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A pair of buzzards, fairly low, over the field opposite. They seem to be becoming more frequent a sight, after red kites have become commonplace.
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OK, here's a weird one... this morning, I took the dog for a walk on the beach at Reculver. He was having a good run about, then stopped and started barking at something. I wandered over to see what it was, and was surprised to say the least...
It was a mole!
I can only assume it was dropped there by a seagull or crow or something. I don't know if it was alive when he found it but it certainly wasn't by the time he finished 'playing' with it. To say he got a bit excited is putting it mildly - it sent him into full-on terrier mode and it took ages to calm him down again after that.
Also saw some interesting birds, which I need help identifying - unfortunately I wasn't able to get any pictures...
First, a flock of smallish birds that were nesting in the cliff - there was a series of holes dotted over the cliff face, and they were all coming out and flying around in a flock. Mostly black but with some white bits. Short, wide V-shaped tail. Possibly storm petrels?
Second, a few individual birds pottering about on the beach by the edge of the sea. Round and fat, black and white plumage, with long legs and long, bright orange beaks. They flew off over the sea before I got near enough to get a decent close-up look at them. I reckon oystercatchers. Does that sound right?
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I thought storm petrels only came to the nest site at night.
Second one definitely oyster catchers.
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Raven.
Also there are two species of crow: carrion and hooded.
Thanks for the Raven; that is what I meant to type.
As little chance of Hooded Crows here as Choughs, I am afraid
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...Also saw some interesting birds, which I need help identifying - unfortunately I wasn't able to get any pictures...
First, a flock of smallish birds that were nesting in the cliff - there was a series of holes dotted over the cliff face, and they were all coming out and flying around in a flock. Mostly black but with some white bits. Short, wide V-shaped tail. Possibly storm petrels?...
Where were the white bits? The nearest I can think of to your description is house martin.
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Where were the white bits? The nearest I can think of to your description is house martin.
The white bits were mainly on the underside. Looking at some pictures of house martins, I think they are a good match for what I saw - size and shape is pretty much spot on. I think you've nailed it. :thumbsup:
I thought storm petrels only came to the nest site at night.
Yes, I just read that elsewhere on the internet, so I'm now pretty sure they're not storm petrels.
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I have just had a Jay in the garden. That is the first in 43 years of living here and I have only seen three or four in the wild before.
We used to have a couple that were regular visitors to our garden, but I've not seen them for a while. :(
We also used to get a green woodpecker but I've not seen him for ages either.
Suspect they've been chased out by the magpies, which are numerous round here.
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OK, here's a weird one... this morning, I took the dog for a walk on the beach at Reculver. He was having a good run about, then stopped and started barking at something. I wandered over to see what it was, and was surprised to say the least...
It was a mole!
I can only assume it was dropped there by a seagull or crow or something. I don't know if it was alive when he found it but it certainly wasn't by the time he finished 'playing' with it. To say he got a bit excited is putting it mildly - it sent him into full-on terrier mode and it took ages to calm him down again after that.
Also saw some interesting birds, which I need help identifying - unfortunately I wasn't able to get any pictures...
First, a flock of smallish birds that were nesting in the cliff - there was a series of holes dotted over the cliff face, and they were all coming out and flying around in a flock. Mostly black but with some white bits. Short, wide V-shaped tail. Possibly storm petrels?
Second, a few individual birds pottering about on the beach by the edge of the sea. Round and fat, black and white plumage, with long legs and long, bright orange beaks. They flew off over the sea before I got near enough to get a decent close-up look at them. I reckon oystercatchers. Does that sound right?
That field which runs down to Reculver, the one with the plastic path laid in it, it's often covered in mole hills.
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That field which runs down to Reculver, the one with the plastic path laid in it, it's often covered in mole hills.
Indeed it is, and we were on the beach below those cliffs. But it's still surprising to see a mole on the beach - it was probably about 10 metres away from the foot of the cliff, so I don't think it had just burrowed its way there. Hence I suspect it was dropped by a bird.
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That field which runs down to Reculver, the one with the plastic path laid in it, it's often covered in mole hills.
Indeed it is, and we were on the beach below those cliffs. But it's still surprising to see a mole on the beach - it was probably about 10 metres away from the foot of the cliff, so I don't think it had just burrowed its way there. Hence I suspect it was dropped by a bird.
Lemming!
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Also saw some interesting birds, which I need help identifying - unfortunately I wasn't able to get any pictures...
First, a flock of smallish birds that were nesting in the cliff - there was a series of holes dotted over the cliff face, and they were all coming out and flying around in a flock. Mostly black but with some white bits. Short, wide V-shaped tail. Possibly storm petrels?
Sand Martins (https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/sand-martin/)?
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Also saw some interesting birds, which I need help identifying - unfortunately I wasn't able to get any pictures...
First, a flock of smallish birds that were nesting in the cliff - there was a series of holes dotted over the cliff face, and they were all coming out and flying around in a flock. Mostly black but with some white bits. Short, wide V-shaped tail. Possibly storm petrels?
Sand Martins (https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/sand-martin/)?
Aha! I think you could be right. Never heard of them before, but the description certainly fits - especially the burrow nests in the cliff face.
Good knowledge, thanks.
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Yesterday I saw a rat in my garden chasing a Magpie.
The Magpie hadn't got enough space to get airborne and was leaping about 30cm into the air and going in circles with the rat running behind it.
It stopped when I banged the window and the rat ran away leaving the magpie space to fly off. Is this normal behaviour for a rat?
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A dead grass snake, perhaps deliberately killed.
In Thames Valley Business Park, Reading. The snake's head was hanging out from under the lid of a metal box housing (according to the label on its side) an oxygenator, presumably for the pond it was sitting beside. The lid was weighted down by a brick. The identical box next to it had no brick.
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Our first proper birding trip for over six months, to the Somerset Levels. Highlights included black cap, chiffchaff, hobby (loads), marsh harrier, and a brief view of an otter. We also heard cuckoo and bittern.
That's horrible about the snake, if deliberate, Bledlow. Why people get like that about them, certainly in this country, I have no idea. One of our neighbours freaked out when she realised there are slowworms round here.
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This morning I heard a greater spotted woodpecker drumming from a short distance away whilst I was standing in my garden - quite unusual for somewhere so urban. We have a rather nice set of ornamental gardens - Churchill Gardens - a couple of hundred yards away and I assumed it was in there.
Just now I was cycling up Tunbridge Road and I heard it again. I looked up and saw it attached to a telegraph pole! I'd heard of them hammering on telegraph poles before but never witnessed it.
Just here: http://streetmap.co.uk/map?X=587863&Y=186602&A=Y&Z=110
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Saw a buzzard flying over bray this morning. Makes a change from red kites 🙂
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Saturday night/Sunday morning I saw on the security video our first confirmed Badger in the garden.
He showed a lot more dexterity than the foxes by holding the food tray with a paw as he licked the corners.
We have to put a rock in because the foxes push them all over the patio with their muzzles.
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Swifts and house martins have arrived here over the weekend. Lovely to see them back.
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A new species for me - woodchat shrike.
It has been reported quite a few times by our local RSPB group so Jan and I went out to have a look. Very handsome bird, but we must have been at least 30 yards from where it was perched.
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A pair of swifts :thumbsup:
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My sister, living only 200 yards or so from me, found a severely injured swift in her garden yesterday. It had lost some feathers. She suspects a sparrowhawk, although why it didn't finish the job she doesn't know. I'm sure a sparrowhawk couldn't catch a swift in a straight chase, but sparrowhawks are cunning buggers and it may have successfully intercepted one near a nesting site.
It seems to me that there are very few swifts about yet. Last year, they arrived very noisily and apparently en masse on 3rd May. I heard them screaming before I saw them. I'm hoping more will turn up, but a couple of nights ago I was watching a group of 5, which, quite probably, included the casualty my sister found the following morning.
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Yesterday I saw a rat in my garden chasing a Magpie.
The Magpie hadn't got enough space to get airborne and was leaping about 30cm into the air and going in circles with the rat running behind it.
It stopped when I banged the window and the rat ran away leaving the magpie space to fly off. Is this normal behaviour for a rat?
It happened again. It chased a pigeon. We have a bold rat. If the foxes or badger don't eat it in the next few days I'll have to invite it to leave.
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A couple of weeks ago I saw a rat having a go at a moorhen in our local park.
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There's a tall maple tree in our garden that hosts a magpie's nest. Yesterday, our attention was drawn by abnormal noise coming from the tree. Six magpies were nervously flying and yelling around the tree. Then we saw a buzzard flying off the tree, with a chick between its claws :(
I didn't realise until then how sociable magpies are with each other. A couple of magpies is in trouble, and they ask for help from other couples. We humans have things to learn from them!
A
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There's a tall maple tree in our garden that hosts a magpie's nest. Yesterday, our attention was drawn by abnormal noise coming from the tree. Six magpies were nervously flying and yelling around the tree. Then we saw a buzzard flying off the tree, with a chick between its claws :(
I didn't realise until then how sociable magpies are with each other. A couple of magpies is in trouble, and they ask for help from other couples. We humans have things to learn from them!
A
It seems the Glaswegians already know this...
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Egyptian goose on our barn roof
(https://pbase.com/image/171645338.jpg)
One of a pair that passed through this morning as I was getting breakfast. I first saw these about 15 years ago when I was riding over towards the Rhine, where apparently there was a colony. At the time they were merely listed as exotic, but when I looked them up just now I was surprised to see that they're now considered as invasive, to the extent of being culled in the Haut-Rhin.
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A magpie. Not in itself unusual, we do get them in our small (narrow) garden, but up to now always on the grass area about 15m from the back door, and only when we put meat scraps out. But yesterday, for the first time, one was on the patio about 3m from the back door, picking up spilt sunflower seed hearts from under the feeders.
And this morning, a juvenile goldfinch, a first probably because I’ve still got the feeders out in late May! Ah well, I’ve only got a small amount of seeds left, so they’ll be empty by the end of the week, and that’ll be it for another season.
Not seen, any blue tits in our next box. Last year there was a failed next, this year no activity at all. It is more exposed now, after some overhanging branches were removed, so maybe needs relocating. Or perhaps the unseasonably Easterly winds made it too cold ad draughty during nesting season this year as it faces East, to give shelter from the prevailing (usually) South-Westerlies.
Oh, and just now in a brief period of sunshine, at least 5 different bumblebees (I’m terrible at identifying them) on the just-opening Cotoneaster flowers.
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For the past week or so I've been watching a apair of greater spotted woodpeckers feeding their young. They must be getting very close to leaving teh nest no - this afternoon I could see one of the youngsters perched briefly in the hole but it didn't like the look of the outside world and it went back in again.
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Just watched the male blackbird we call Broken Wing on the ground feeder we have put on on of our dry stone walls. He has a droopy wing and a club foot and is very scruffy and gets bullied by the other blackbirds. But he's been visiting the feeder for three months now and seems to be holding his own. He lives in one of our hedges and can flutter up into it and onto the wall. He's a feisty little chap.
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Saw a bit telling us to stop feeding the birds because summer and <reasons>. Maybe Broken Wing might be befriended and fed on the sly. My mum had a blackbird that would come up to the kitchen window and knock for food.
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RSPB advice is to feed throughout the year.
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Not unusually a raptor - in this case I think a young buzzard - getting mobbed. Unusually it was by a gang of swallows.
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A magpie. Not in itself unusual, we do get them in our small (narrow) garden, but up to now always on the grass area about 15m from the back door, and only when we put meat scraps out. But yesterday, for the first time, one was on the patio about 3m from the back door, picking up spilt sunflower seed hearts from under the feeders.
Magpies are really fond of catfood. We always leave a bowl right before the back door for our cat. The cat always leave some bits in the bottom of the bowl, don't ask me why! It never takes long before the magpies come to finish the last bits.
A
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A magpie. Not in itself unusual, we do get them in our small (narrow) garden, but up to now always on the grass area about 15m from the back door, and only when we put meat scraps out. But yesterday, for the first time, one was on the patio about 3m from the back door, picking up spilt sunflower seed hearts from under the feeders.
Magpies are really fond of catfood. We always leave a bowl right before the back door for our cat. The cat always leave some bits in the bottom of the bowl, don't ask me why! It never takes long before the magpies come to finish the last bits.
A
Next in the pecking order for cat food hereabouts are the foxes...
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Around 10am we spotted a Japanese Water deer strolling across the field at the end of our neighbours garden. And just now, a buzzard and a red kite quartering the shy together, the kite slightly higher than the buzzard. It’s great to see increasing numbers of buzzards, something we’ve only spotted for the last couple of years, in the 20 we’ve lived here. And yesterday our first pair of swift’s.
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A tern flew over the garden this arvo.
Waits...
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A magpie. Not in itself unusual, we do get them in our small (narrow) garden, but up to now always on the grass area about 15m from the back door, and only when we put meat scraps out. But yesterday, for the first time, one was on the patio about 3m from the back door, picking up spilt sunflower seed hearts from under the feeders.
Magpies are really fond of catfood. We always leave a bowl right before the back door for our cat. The cat always leave some bits in the bottom of the bowl, don't ask me why! It never takes long before the magpies come to finish the last bits.
A
Next in the pecking order for cat food hereabouts are the foxes...
A few years ago, Jan and I were cycling through Den Haag, on the way to our nephew's wedding. It was about 9am as we had only recently alighted from the overnight ferry from Harwich.
A woman in a sari appeared and emptied a container full of surplus curry on the pavement beside the canal. Immediately a flock of herring gulls descended to eat the curry.
For a few seconds.
Then two herons appeared. The gulls left as rapidly as they had arrived.
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Yesterday through the kitchen window a little mouse helping itself from the bird feeder on the drystone wall. Its a camera phone shot blown up so not brilliant quality.
(https://user.fm/files/v2-85019ae83ebf8203ee1a09745b2146f3/mouse.png)
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A black legged lamb.
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Black%20leg%20lamb.jpg)
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Scab!
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Here's a better shot
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/More%20Black%20leg%20lamb.jpg)
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Jackdaw fledgling on the lawn this morning. Hilariously leggy and bumbling. Had it together enough to fly back into next doors big yew tree when our dog came sniffing around and its parents alarm called.
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Not unusually a raptor - in this case I think a young buzzard - getting mobbed. Unusually it was by a gang of swallows.
Crows seem to be the usual mobbers. I've also seen jackdaws doing it - most often, in my experience, to kites.
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Not unusually a raptor - in this case I think a young buzzard - getting mobbed. Unusually it was by a gang of swallows.
Crows seem to be the usual mobbers. I've also seen jackdaws doing it - most often, in my experience, to kites.
Rooks and lone Buzzards around these parts.
Are you sure about the crows? They do not usually appear in groups - 'crows don't crowd' - unlike rooks and jackdaws.
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10 years ago I moved out of that there London, where I at times saw a fox daily. Cause we had a family the the bushes right across from the front door for most of that time down there.
Since then while living in these rural bits outside M25 I haven't seen one. And I have been where the wild things are both hiking, camping and cycling.
Until the weekend just gone. While walking across the moor I saw one legging it across the moor away from us, sadly way to fast in the high heather to be able to get a snap of it.
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I was awoken in the night by the loud sounds associated with young foxes. i didn't get out of bed to check, but I think they were in the road immediately outside.
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Isolated crows chasing magpies all over the place and even under a parked car.
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Yesterday whilst strolling around the park, I noticed something a bit splashy happening in the water. It turned out to be copulating tench. Actually, copulating involves a couple. This was definitely an orgy with about half a dozen fish involved by my estimate. I did video the event but you are all too young.
In other news, I have seen 4 dead eels in the park lake this week. That is most unusual. Other fish seem to be OK.
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10 years ago I moved out of that there London, where I at times saw a fox daily. Cause we had a family the the bushes right across from the front door for most of that time down there.
Since then while living in these rural bits outside M25 I haven't seen one. And I have been where the wild things are both hiking, camping and cycling.
Country foxes are mush more wary of humans than urban foxes. Probably something to do with shotguns and hounds. I've lived here 25 years and never seen a fox in or near the village though when we kept chickens I would find fox prints round the run in the morning if it had snowed. Very occasionally on a night I might pick up one in the headlights crossing the road but that's it. We hear them in the mating season though.
On the other hand outside our datacentre in the middle of Birmingham I have watched several foxes on a night when I was having a break and once at a motorway services one followed me across the car park and tried to steal my burger (kept jumping and snapping at the bag).
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Beautiful sunny morning, but I spotted a Storm Cock in the park. Bugger.
On foxes. I've had the same experience moving from Brum to West Wales. It went from several a week to maybe one a year.
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On Sunday, a stoat. First for a few years.
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A greenfinch on the bird feeder. A rarity these days.
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A damselfly?
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Jun%2016%202021%20P6160023.jpg)
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Agrion Splendens - male, I think.
Alastair Humphreys mentioned these on his blog a couple of days ago :)
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Not unusually a raptor - in this case I think a young buzzard - getting mobbed. Unusually it was by a gang of swallows.
Crows seem to be the usual mobbers. I've also seen jackdaws doing it - most often, in my experience, to kites.
Rooks and lone Buzzards around these parts.
Are you sure about the crows? They do not usually appear in groups - 'crows don't crowd' - unlike rooks and jackdaws.
Crows are the usual harrassers, but yes, not in gangs. Mostly alone, sometimes in pairs.
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Green woodpecker digging holes with its beak in & pecking at a lawn outside Microsoft's offices in Reading. I presume it had found an ants nest.
Several young rabbits, one fairly freshly dead, with no obvious sign of illness or injury. Maybe caught by a pet dog. A fox would have carted it away for dinner.
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A damselfly?
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Jun%2016%202021%20P6160023.jpg)
A red-eyed damselfly (Erythromma najas)
https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/species/red-eyed-damselfly/
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A hare running towards me on Thursday. It was running towards to me in evasion of a Range-Rover, whose driver was so intent on avoiding it she almost hit me instead, after I'd already stopped. She drove on and I got to watch the hare, or at least its ears, in the field for another minute or two.
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If she'd stopped, would you have given her a wigging?
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I bet she'd have felt a right burk after that.
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A month on from my last report and broken wing is still with us. I'm amazed that he keeps going. He can get up onto the bird table so obviously he has some use of the dodgy wing.
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Two Jackdaws on the bird feeder today. We haven't spotted a Jackdaw in the garden since our pet one more that 13 years ago.
A squirrel feeding on the ground chasing two magpies away that wanted to join him.
Two nights ago a badger and a fox feeding from the birdfeeder. The badger pulled the ring tray down to make it easier to reach and the fox fed on what the budget dropped. All was harmony until the fox sniffed the badger's bum.
I had to put the ring feeder in a vice to straighten it. Some serious strength in a badger's forearms. I'd bet they have no trouble getting a Schwalbe Marathon Plus back on the rim.
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Last night I had a late walk to get my 10k paces in. I went to the park, and took a torch to shine in the water to see what I could see.
There's a large (>1 foot in diameter) plastic pipe that takes excess water from the lakes, and they are fed by a natural spring that I've never known to run dry, even in the driest of weather. That leads into a pool about 3 metres wide, 8 metres long and, formerly, almost a metre deep. From there, the water tumbles over a small waterfall and about 300 yards later it joins the Prittle Brook for the last mile or so to the Roach estuary at Stambridge. 15 years ago there were quite a few fish in this pool and because of its restricted size, it was quite easy to see them. There were 3 pike, quite a few tench, and a shoal of roach. Over the years, it has become badly silted up and there have been fewer and fewer fish. To my utter surprise, in January, despite the pool's small size, I photographed what I think is the only surviving pike. It's about 2' long and probably weighs between 4 and 5lb.
Since the spring, the vegetation litter of the trees has landed on the lake, and because the big plastic pipe drains the water at surface level, much of the floating detritus ends up in this pool, and I think that is one of the main reason that it has silted up so badly. I though it unlikely that the pike would have survived, but last evening I shone the torch into the water, and there it was! It tolerated the light on it for a few seconds, but then drifted away somewhere. There's only a limited amount of water that's deep enough for it to swim in, I think, but the current rom the pipe clearly has sufficient flow on it to give the pike a small stretch of water up to about 2' deep.
I've suggested to the council that I get a party together to dig that, and the next couple of pools out so that they have a bit of deeper water, and we have pencilled in some time in the autumn for this. I haven't got my party together yet though.
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The back field was cut a couple of days ago, and today they’re bailing it up. That’s brought out the usual kites, around 20, but also a couple of buzzards. And a first for me, the buzzards actually hovered, kestrel-like, for maybe 5-10seconds at a time.
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On Thursday, in a meadow on the edge of Malmesbury, a kestrel which instead of doing its wind-jamming, preferred to sit on the electricity cables. Several times it dived, once I saw it come up with a small rodent in its talons.
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A thrush. Rare in our narrow garden, but the disturbance wrought by our neighbours fence being replaced, and our need to lay down various clematis and roses, revealed a LOT of snails, so as I was fettling gravel boards the thrush was feeding on the patio. And just now, we saw it in the plum tree in the hedge opposite, with a fledgling. Ace.
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put food out for the foxes last night and a single fox took one egg just after 2300.
Five minutes later a badger spent 30 minutes eating the meat and biscuits on both the trays but left the other egg.
Fox returns and takes the other egg.
A little later the badger returns (assuming it is the same one) with two cubs and they hoover up stray bits of meat and biscuits.
0458 Magpies arrive and finish cleaning up.
Our first visit from a badger and cubs.
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We have what I take to be a pigeon visiting.
It was smaller a few weeks ago and often came with a couple of other definite wood pigeons, and I assumed it was a juvenile.
Now it is full pigeon size it has a darker colouring than the other wood pigeon's, including the iridescent feathers in the neck, but has no white cheeks or whiteleading wing edges.
Could it be melanism or is it a juvenile not growing up as quick as I would prefer?
Any ideas, please?
Not been able to get a picture because it is a nervous bird.
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Stock Dove? (http://"https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/stock-dove/")
Lucky if it is as they are not that common. I've only seen them once and that was a long way off. Nervous might be a good description, though.
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And my sighting...
I very nearly trod on a squirrel while out running this morning. It emerged from a hedge just as I was passing. Both of us dithered a bit before it shot back into the hedge.
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Stock Dove? (http://"https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/stock-dove/")
Lucky if it is as they are not that common. I've only seen them once and that was a long way off. Nervous might be a good description, though.
I think it is too dark for a Stock Dove but in my Collins Pocket Guide of 1971 that occurs with a London Pigeon where 'Black forms occur'. Seems a bit unlikely.
I'll have to get the binoculars on it and examine further.
Thanks for the help.
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Stock Dove? (http://"https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/stock-dove/")
Lucky if it is as they are not that common. I've only seen them once and that was a long way off. Nervous might be a good description, though.
I think it is too dark for a Stock Dove but in my Collins Pocket Guide of 1971 that occurs with a London Pigeon where 'Black forms occur'. Seems a bit unlikely.
I'll have to get the binoculars on it and examine further.
Thanks for the help.
Seen through the binoculars I noticed a bit of white above the beak and two black bars low down on the wings as it fed. Turned to a 2015 Collins Bird book I found on the shelf and it is a Stock Dove!
Thanks SteveC
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Googled and showed my wife, who last week saw, on our patio, “an odd pigeon with turquoise feathers”. Yep, a Stock Dove.
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Went from our caravan in Selsey off to the marshes at Medmerry. Took some photographs (at long range) of the egrets that have settled in the new salt marsh. Scaled against swans and the heron we saw, they were clearly little egret size. Thought nothing more of it until the following evening, when I browsed the RSPB site and saw that both little egrets and cattle egrets were nesting at Medmerry. Went back and checked the photos, and the ones pecking about by the swans were all white except for a grey bill and the one flying overhead had a yellow ruff and a yellow beak. Chuffed. Would never have spotted the difference without the camera but now I know what to look for will check egrets more carefully.
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A slow worm whilst I was cycling this afternoon.
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A slow worm whilst I as cycling this afternoon.
Lovely. I haven't seen one of them since the late 1950's.
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One (yes, 1) flying ant on the table next to me in the garden this evening. Which makes for a pretty rubbish flying ant day.
Although I suspect that there are more about as there are masses of swifts overhead going absolutely bonkers.
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Two Stock Doves at the feeder tonight and a pair of Collared Doves
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A slow worm whilst I was cycling this afternoon.
I saw one earlier this month, near a 'beware of the adders' sign (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=84578.msg2643353#msg2643353).
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Mummy/daddy + child
(https://images2.imgbox.com/4d/5a/4atXLRUJ_o.jpg) (https://imgbox.com/4atXLRUJ)
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This bigger bird. I'm thinking not-quite-so juvenile starling?
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Jul%2026%202021%20P7261335.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Jul%2026%202021%20P7261347.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Jul%2026%202021%20P7261323.jpg)
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I think that it is a starling in the change from juvenile to adult from looking in Collins BTO Guide to British Birds.
Nice pictures.
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Br Mrs B, not me, on the allotment.
A young-looking robin which firstly gobbled a small worm, & was then spotted munching a grasshopper. Looks as if it's learned some basic survival skills. :thumbsup:
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https://photos.app.goo.gl/8JALN744VC9myYmN9
We thought the birds were hungrier than usual ???
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Point of order: that is not Squirrel Nutkin, rather his Usanian cousin Rattus Arboreum.
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No wonder he didn't answer when I called him (her) :facepalm:
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Drawing the curtains last night to see a fox calmly walking along the road fronting the house.
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We had a new fox turn up a few nights ago with one of our usual grown cubs.
It is very black, it has a very thin brush and is taller than our other foxes. When it first appeared on the security video I thought it was a small Alsatian.
Seeing it at 0520 this morning in daylight confirms it has a lot of black hair.
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Just watched a spider with yellow dots on its back (possibly a so-called cupboard spider? it's not in a cupboard) wrap and overcome a house fly. Whatever type of spider it is, it's a puny European species and so the fly took a long time to die, quite noisily.
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Yesterday's garden visitor. Don't see them too often in daylight.
(https://images2.imgbox.com/75/c1/fRqeNPqR_o.jpg) (https://imgbox.com/fRqeNPqR)
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Lovely. I haven't seen one in our garden for years.
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https://photos.app.goo.gl/8JALN744VC9myYmN9
We thought the birds were hungrier than usual ???
Nice pictures but a bit anodyne - our squirrels eat the seeds out of the tubular feeder - then they eat the feeder (true).
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Two or three nights ago, by torchlight: at least 3 eels in pools in the park.
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On my bike ride this morning, a big flock of lapwings, swooping and circling above the reservoirs at Hurworth (County Durham). I've seen film of starlings doing this murmuration thing, didn't realise lapwings do it as well. At one point they swooped low over the water, and I could hear the sound of their wingbeats and calls being reflected back off the water. Fantastic.
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Socks, that's quite probably the National Collection of Lapwings. I see one or two very occasionally over here in Lancashire. They used to be common but so many old ponds and mill flashes have been filled in and built on. They are fabulous birds.
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Utterly otterly.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51351823947_a4cfb8eefb_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2meMwbX)
IMG_4250_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2meMwbX) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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:thumbsup:
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Good photo Pingu.
As for starlings, they used to fill Paddington station and presumably other large stations. I don't know what's happened to them there; presumably the pigeon-control spikes are more effective against starlings than pigeons. I didn't know lapwings did murmurations though, in fact I don't think I've seen flocks of lapwings.
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There used to be masses of starlings in Brum city centre at sundown.. They've not been there for years now. I hadn't thought of the pigeon spikes.
Here in Llandysul, the jackdaws do a murmuration thing at sundown. Not as good as starlings, but a good effort.
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Last Saturday, as I was taking coffee in Ingwiller:
(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/171841317.jpg)
Quite a few storks around in the fields, too.
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House martin chicks.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51356057250_9d59a30bc4_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mfadAW)
IMG_4297_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2mfadAW) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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There used to be masses of starlings in Brum city centre at sundown.. They've not been there for years now. I hadn't thought of the pigeon spikes.
Here in Llandysul, the jackdaws do a murmuration thing at sundown. Not as good as starlings, but a good effort.
I remember Brum's starlings impressing my Mum, when she paid me a visit in 1984. They were quite a sight!
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I don't remember Starlings sitting on buildings but always using trees and telephone lines.
It is good they are making a comeback.
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Many years ago I attended an FA Cup match at Roots Hall - Southend Utd v AP Leamington. IIRC Southend won 4 - 1. I had a feeling that had the score not been so decisively in Southend's favour, that the referee might have abandoned the match because of the fog.
At one point an enormous murmuration of starlings descended on the ground. It was a mid-week evening kick-off so completely dark and presumably the birds were attracted by the floodlights. The noise of their wings was much louder than the noise of the crowd. (But there were only a few of us).
A google has revealed that the match was played on 19th December 1977.
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Yesterday, Jan and I took our lives into our hands and went out for the day. We headed for Minsmere where we saw avocets and a few other things, but we were reluctant to spend much time in crowded bird hides. I had a natter to a couple of chaps with spotting scopes who had had a brilliant day: many different types of water, a bittern or two, and two juvenile cuckoos sitting together on a fence.
I had a swim at Dunwich and we had a meal outside the Ship Inn with our good pals Jon & Anita Fuller. The trip was at Jon's suggestion as he's very keen on looking at the clear night sky. Pre-brexit, he had a lovely place in rural Brittany and all he had to do was walk out the door after dark for a wonderful view of stars. We went to Westleton Heath around sunset and stayed there until about 11pm. To my utter delight, we heard several nightjars whirring away to each other, and I saw one silhouetted against the last glow of the sunset as it zoomed around for a bit.
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Badgers! Two of them, a big one and a little one. I was cycling back from a night out. It was 01:30. The big one ran alongside me for a moment before crossing my path and charging into the undergrowth on the left. A few moments later I saw the white stripe of a little badger's nose coming towards me on the same path before it too ducked into the foliage on my left.
What a treat.
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A dipper. I've seen a pair by the river some time ago, but this one was doing it properly. Dipping busily in the shallows. First time I've seen that. The name is so fitting.
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One swift!
It's a week or so since I've seen a flock wheeling around.
My last swift sighting last year was 18th August.
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One swift!
It's a week or so since I've seen a flock wheeling around.
My last swift sighting last year was 18th August.
I encountered what I am pretty sure was a whole herd of them this evening and just stood for a while, marvelling at their manoeuvres and wondering how many 'g' they were pulling.
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This evening, a Pipistrel above the rear garden, still doing its sunset loops. Also took some water out and came face to face with one of our visiting hedgehogs. A very early visit being only 9pm.
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One swift!
It's a week or so since I've seen a flock wheeling around.
My last swift sighting last year was 18th August.
Swifts in Furryboottoon this morning.
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Last Saturday, as I was taking coffee in Ingwiller:
(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/171841317.jpg)
Quite a few storks around in the fields, too.
:thumbsup:
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An indecisive badger, doing a rabbit style run back and forth across the road. Missed it by about 4 ft.
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This on the cycle track. I moved it, I think it is a slow worm?
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/IMG_8373.jpg)
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Definitely a slow worm.
We get them quite a lot in our garden. Beautiful things.
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This on the cycle track. I moved it, I think it is a slow worm?
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/IMG_8373.jpg)
It is - and a jolly big one too.
There's a photo somewhere in the archives of Auntie Helen's hand in comparison with a very large slow worm that we just failed to run over in South Woodham Ferrers. That was the biggest I have seen. I think yours might be giving me slow worm envy.
Sometimes when you move them they shed their tails as a quid pro quo. The tail wriggles like mad and the predator gets its meal and the slow-worm gets away.
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Sometimes I am surprised that they let me out unsupervised….
On Wednesday I was returning home from dropping my BMW off at the dealership to have a new set of indicators fitted…. I kid you not; so rather than walking the three miles back along a manic main road where no one actually done 30, I took the bike with me and cycled the 9 miles home using some nice, quiet backroads/cycle paths. 30.
On one such path, the Isabella Trail (a disused railway line path), keeping an eye out for untrained dog emptiers and their mutts along with free range children is a constant task, as is keeping an eye out for wildlife which lives along the tree lined avenue.
It was towards the town end of the path that I first noticed the tailless squirrel sitting on the path. Slowing downing down to allow it to move, I also noted that its body shape was different from a normal squirrel and it walked strangely. The lack of a tail was striking. Perhaps it had been born without one, or had lost it in a fight. Or was it a type of squirrel new to the UK?
Returning home after conquering the only mountain in Stafford….. its nearly 70 foot high!!!!….. I spent some time looking up the different types of squirrels there are but could find nothing which matched the description. So, at a loss, of course, I asked my better half. She asked two questions….did it call me “Doc” and was it eating a carrot?
Strange questions I thought……….. half an hour later it struck me. It wasn’t a squirrel but a rabbit. D’oh!
As I said…. sometimes I am surprised they allow me out unsupervised.
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A male goldeneye duck on Rochdale Canal! I don't know if there are "captive escapes" up here but if not, this is a pretty rare bird, I think and usually a winter visitor from Russia or the Baltic. I understand there to be small colonies of breeding bird but I have been unable to ascertain where. Anybody know? It is usually a sea bird and Rochdale is a long, long way from the North Sea in a Russian direction and 30 or 40 miles from the Irish Sea.
It's a beautiful creature.
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Thanks on the slow worm ID confirmations :)
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A male goldeneye duck on Rochdale Canal! I don't know if there are "captive escapes" up here but if not, this is a pretty rare bird, I think and usually a winter visitor from Russia or the Baltic. I understand there to be small colonies of breeding bird but I have been unable to ascertain where. Anybody know? It is usually a sea bird and Rochdale is a long, long way from the North Sea in a Russian direction and 30 or 40 miles from the Irish Sea.
It's a beautiful creature.
They breed in the highlands apparently: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/goldeneye/
Plenty of them in Furryboottoon in winter.
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Yes, but Aberdeen practically is in The Baltic. Rochdale's in The Tropics! I suppose you will be used to them - I nearly fell off my bike! Thanks for the info.
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Rather a lot of swallows gathered together on a telephone cable this morning. The swifts went some time ago, but I was enjoying watching the skimming low level aerobatics of the swallows every morning in the park.
I'm sure they were here well into late September last year.
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Last Thursday and Friday: a hare jogging down a path between tall maize stalks towards me. Stopped when about 10m away. Don't know if it hadn't noticed me before or just didn't care. It sat in a very typical hare posture, which allowed me to notice how unlike a rabbit's its paws are. Then it turned round, bounded off and I followed at a somewhat slower pace.
Later, a cormorant catching an eel. First it caught it, then it threw it back into the water. I wondered if this might be a stunning mechanism. Bird and fish disappeared for a minute before emerging with the eel in the cormorant's beak. A bit of juggling to get the right position, then half a dozen gulps and the eel was gone.
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We had a hedgehog in the garden last night.
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Buzzards. Five of them all at once! Kites we’re used to seeing in such numbers (and more) but not buzzards.
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Elephant hawkmoth catapiller
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Buzzards. Five of them all at once! Kites we’re used to seeing in such numbers (and more) but not buzzards.
Mum, Dad and the kids eating out -the family that preys together. We have lots of buzzards here but only occasional kites, probably because of all the buzzards.
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I saw a buzzard from Datchet flying over the queen's garden this afternoon :)
A
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It’s like Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets here tonight: spider central! Big buggers an’ all! My usual phlegm and fortitude deserted me with one; it was going too fast for me to grab a glass and card and it was too big to allow it to get under the sofa: the sofa I WAS SITTING ON!
I apologised to it before and after the deed.
:-[
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I saw a buzzard from Datchet flying over the queen's garden this afternoon :)
A
How do you know it was from Datchet?
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It said so :D
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It said so :D
There's no arguing with a buzzard. :D
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There was once a buzzard from Datchet...
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Who fought a huzzar with a hatchet
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There was once a buzzard from Datchet...
who armed himself with a hatchet
when mobbed by crows
he struck telling blows
and told them that they should Watchet
Thanks to Cudzoziemiec for the hatchet :)
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;D :thumbsup:
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Mrs P heard a buzzard call this morning and at lunchtime two flew over the house.
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Mrs P heard a buzzard call this morning and at lunchtime two flew over the house.
Blimey. Mrs P has got good hearing if it took them all morning to arrive.
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Saw an unusual bird just now and can’t identify it
Smaller than sparrow
Larger than wren
Distinctive head with stripes, black and white like badger
Thin beak quite long
Grey back?
Beigey brown underside
Agile a bit like a blue tit.
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Nuthatch? Wheatear?
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What sort of location? Which part of the country?
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Did it have a long tail? https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/long-tailed-tit/
Though that has a short bill.
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Tree creeper?
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Saw an unusual bird just now and can’t identify it
Distinctive head with stripes, black and white like badger
I call long tailed tits 'badger tits' for this very reason :)
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A week after putting the bird feeders out at the new Pingu Towers, the birds suddenly all whoomphed in. (Coal tits mostly, with a robin hopping about).
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No long tail. Seem in a yew tree in the garden in York. It seemed to be using its thin bill to pick between the leaves. Maybe an insect eater?
I do know tree-creepers & tits and can say it was neither. Of course by the time I could have taken its picture it had vanished.
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Mystery solved thanks. It was this:
(https://cdn.britannica.com/58/138858-050-4126D649/nuthatch.jpg)
A nuthatch.
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We normally only get the usual garden birds but today a small slim bird, pale yellow breast, brownish back, yellow eyebrow with black eyestripe. My first willow warbler.
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Kingfisher above Rochdale canal in the dusk! First for about five years - and only about four in my life, so far. I feel Christmas carols coming on.....
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Build it and they will come. Oi! We haven't finished building it yet :)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51508775994_9c2cb50536_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mtDWyJ)
Common toad (Bufo bufo) (https://flic.kr/p/2mtDWyJ) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Saw two hares yesterday. They seem to be making a comeback, though maybe it's just locally. I remember they used to be really rare.
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Kingfisher on the Teifi this morning. Sitting in an overhanging bush and occasionally diving into the river. I did see any evidence of successful fishing though.
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we have a resident buzzard that seems to have our back garden in its territory and occasionally circles overhead.
Today though, about 40 geese (not big enough for swans) at not much above rooftop height straight over the back yard.
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I haven't seen any yet, but I understand that the brent geese have been arriving from their summer in Siberia. There's a lot of grassy seaweed floating about in the estuary and I've been told that this is what brings them here in the first instance.
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I've seen quite a few, Welney WWT just up the road.
Last weekend I almost got taken out by a low flying swan. A matter of temporal separation was all that saved me. I was going over a bridge at Earith, as a swan was flying up the river to land, and came directly over the bridge at my head height about three feet in front of me. I think he may have heard my Anglo-Saxon!
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A Grey Wagtail.
I'm pretty sure I've never seen one before.
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A Grey Wagtail.
I'm pretty sure I've never seen one before.
Near fast flowing water?
I saw one on the stream that runs through Lyme Regis about 20 years ago and a couple in S. Staffs just before Covid.
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A Grey Wagtail.
I'm pretty sure I've never seen one before.
Near fast flowing water?
I saw one on the stream that runs through Lyme Regis about 20 years ago and a couple in S. Staffs just before Covid.
We saw one on a house roof yesterday, not very close to fast flowing water.
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Yes running water, by a mill wheel. I'm minded to go back with a bigger lens in the next few days (although I don't know if they hang around)
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On Saturday while we were in the garden, a ring necked parakeet and later, a buzzard.
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On Saturday while we were in the garden, a ring necked parakeet and later, a buzzard.
The parakeets have got that far north!
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A fox ran across the road while I was out for my run this morning.
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On Saturday while we were in the garden, a ring necked parakeet and later, a buzzard.
The parakeets have got that far north!
Possibly an escaped pet rather than a roaming feral sassenach?
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A Grey Wagtail.
I'm pretty sure I've never seen one before.
Near fast flowing water?
I saw one on the stream that runs through Lyme Regis about 20 years ago and a couple in S. Staffs just before Covid.
We saw one on a house roof yesterday, not very close to fast flowing water.
I occasionally see grey wagtails in Southend. I think the last one was last week. I don't think the water has to be fast-flowing, but they do seem to like to be near water. I guess that they are insectivorous.
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Yes running water, by a mill wheel. I'm minded to go back with a bigger lens in the next few days (although I don't know if they hang around)
They are resident breeders according to Collins BTO guide to British Birds. A useful home reference book and often seen on charity shop shelves :)
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Local buzzard decided to perch on my kids swing set yesterday, of course I was on the phone at the time and nowhere near my camera. Bloody good view though.
Saw him later as well being mobbed by a crow.
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IRTA 'being mobbed by a cow'.
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A kingfisher for a second or two yesterday, flitting up the River Chew.
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First ink caps this autumn in the garden.
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A long eared bat, but not as you would normally expect... (it is dead, in case you wondered). Promo for our company Halloween post on Linkedin.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51588537104_ebca4acd11.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mAGJLh)Bat (https://flic.kr/p/2mAGJLh) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
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A Black Swan in Bushy Park
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I'm glad you've finally seen one, Jaded. They're a little confusing: the grey wagtail is mostly yellow (underneath) - whereas the yellow wagtail is mostly green! Not to be confused with the female pied wagtail which is mostly....... grey!
Nobby, yes, hill-country streams are a good bet.
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What I think is a common newt, outside our back door some 30m from the nearest pond.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51607386396_baf05ef445_4k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mCnm15)Newt (https://flic.kr/p/2mCnm15) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
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I think it's known as the eft stage from an old English word for newt. We had one ON our back door a few years ago and we don't live near a pond (there is a river across a busy road about thirty metres away). At this stage, newts live on land and only return to water to breed.
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I'm glad you've finally seen one, Jaded. They're a little confusing: the grey wagtail is mostly yellow (underneath) - whereas the yellow wagtail is mostly green! Not to be confused with the female pied wagtail which is mostly....... grey!
Nobby, yes, hill-country streams are a good bet.
Yes, I did think the naming committee had an off day!
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Bird-watching is a serious business! I suspect you are like me, pleasantly surprised at seeing something, rather than going looking for it. But I always get a thrill out of seeing something if I'm out on my bike, or walking. I think it's great that you are such a good photographer (unlike me) but birds know what they are doing and won't keep still - either that or they have exclusive contracts with "Hello"!
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I'm glad you've finally seen one, Jaded. They're a little confusing: the grey wagtail is mostly yellow (underneath) - whereas the yellow wagtail is mostly green! Not to be confused with the female pied wagtail which is mostly....... grey!
Nobby, yes, hill-country streams are a good bet.
Yes, I did think the naming committee had an off day!
I've seen them (grey wagtails) on the banks of the Wharfe in upper Wharfedale before. South of Grassington if memory serves.
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buzzard was back, this time it was diving in my garden to catch meeces. I managed to get a couple of good shots of him dat on a perch eating it.
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Saw a grey wagtail too, on Monday, in the same spot as I'd previously seen a kingfisher. Also think it really should be called yellow wagtail. Except there also is a yellow wagtail apparently (don't think I've ever seen one) and that really is yellow.
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I've seen a yellow wagtail in my garden, though it could have been a grey wagtail of course
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First redwing of the season.
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Yesterday there was a insect of the general grasshopper persuasion hanging on our front gate.
(https://scontent-frt3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/p526x296/246810457_10223992551295096_1492897314649853690_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=7Y7IGACwAJ0AX8O1zHM&_nc_ht=scontent-frt3-1.xx&oh=37a5ac6763a3f1c1c364adc272bb795c&oe=61990E71)
Yes, I know, I need to paint the gate. Next time we have a week's dry weather with >20°C.
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About a dozen salmon leaping up a channel in a ford near to Wooler over the course of about 20 minutes. It was great to watch - never seen that before. It looks utterly exhausting and I don't know how they survive that. If I had had a net I'd have helped them up it.
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On my ride today, a wild boar dead at the roadside; and ~50 metres on a young one, also dead. It still had its stripes so it was under four months old.
Saturday night roadkill, probably. Sad.
30k further on a peaceful group of four roe deer in a field, far from the road.
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Dead badger by side of road.
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Away across a field yesterday, a bit of a felled tree which turned into a deer lying down then back into a tree then got up and walked away.
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A jackdaw swinging on the peanut feeder trying to get a snack. Mrs Pcolbeck says its being trying every morning for the last week.
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On Sunday’s ride, a red kite (just had to revise my red kite v buzzard identification skills to be sure) and a sparrow hawk. Both spotted in eastern Hertfordshire.
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No photo, but general description,
My first thought was very large buzzard, possibly red kite
As I got closer, the wing shape resolved to more like a seabird, typically gull-wing cant to it, narrowing at the tip, long beak hooked at the tip
I'm confused as to what it was though due to the size, I don't think albatrosses are often seen in teh Fens
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Eagle of some description?
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Great black-backed gull?
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Eagle of some description?
Definitely not, I have been up close to an Eagle in that Scotland, this was definitely an offshore bird
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Great black-backed gull?
A good bet - they are huge. There's usually a pair nesting on a rock in the middle of Easedale Tarn above Grasmere.
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Great black-backed gull?
Could have been a juvenile from the rspb site, looked like it had a dark rather than orangey beak, and was not clearly black on top
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Gannet? Pretty distinctive, I would have thought, though.
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Gannet? Pretty distinctive, I would have thought, though.
Don't think so, beak had that gull-shaped hook at the tip, I think Pingu has it
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Colour?
The other possibility would be a Great Skua.
Dark brown, white flashes on the wing at the base of the primary (outer) wing feathers, and a definite hook to the end of a dark bill.
A juvenile GBBG would be much paler, a mottled light brown with a pretty pale head, and dark brown flight feathers. The bill would be a heavyweight version of a herring gull's, without the upper mandible going past the end of the lower.
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Yesterday, a sparrow hawk being mobbed by a magpie as they both flew across the road I was driving along. My passenger was most impressed that I identified both birds whilst driving.
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A fine looking stoat, dashing across the lane a few metres in front of me.
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Gannet? Pretty distinctive, I would have thought, though.
Don't think so, beak had that gull-shaped hook at the tip, I think Pingu has it
Can I revert to my first suggestion, then?!
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I'm confused as to what it was though due to the size, I don't think albatrosses are often seen in teh Fens
There was an off-course albatross at Bempton Cliffs near Bridlington recently so it could have been that one.
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Went to Bempton cliffs for a bracing walk and some bird watching yesterday morning. It was indeed very bracing but not so hot on the birdwatching front.
1 x Gannet
8 x Herring gull
2 x Great black backed gull
A bazillion feral pigeons
Lots of sparrows
Wrong time of year really but just fancied a trip out.
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You can now bird watch from the comfort of your home. The RSPB have set up a feeder cam (called Nestflix !) at their Arne reserve. Perfect for a day like today. I have seen about 12 species so far.
https://click.email.rspb.org.uk/?qs=e20177f465a2e9b59b39f84182dde2d46aa4b2da618e9861fff2323abd1ead21a84ef611e490e0c6e6f7d7bf92f74ced8e4b4b31dc1fdd549bab5feef84ce4dd (https://click.email.rspb.org.uk/?qs=e20177f465a2e9b59b39f84182dde2d46aa4b2da618e9861fff2323abd1ead21a84ef611e490e0c6e6f7d7bf92f74ced8e4b4b31dc1fdd549bab5feef84ce4dd)
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:thumbsup:
I quite often visit the Cornell Labs feeder cams: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/
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:thumbsup:
I quite often visit the Cornell Labs feeder cams: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/
Hmmm, looks a bit blowy there too.
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You can now bird watch from the comfort of your home. The RSPB have set up a feeder cam (called Nestflix !) at their Arne reserve. Perfect for a day like today. I have seen about 12 species so far.
https://click.email.rspb.org.uk/?qs=e20177f465a2e9b59b39f84182dde2d46aa4b2da618e9861fff2323abd1ead21a84ef611e490e0c6e6f7d7bf92f74ced8e4b4b31dc1fdd549bab5feef84ce4dd (https://click.email.rspb.org.uk/?qs=e20177f465a2e9b59b39f84182dde2d46aa4b2da618e9861fff2323abd1ead21a84ef611e490e0c6e6f7d7bf92f74ced8e4b4b31dc1fdd549bab5feef84ce4dd)
Here's the Youtube link: https://youtu.be/SLNKVjKgXJc
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White pheasant stood at side of road
Couple of days ago a hen harrier
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A wol , most likely a barn wol whilst out running this evening, in the flit of my head torch, then along a ditch before disappearing through some trees.
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A (juvenile?) sparrowhawk we think, perched for half an hour in a tree in the field opposite our house. I’ve got a photo, but can’t find the transfer cable for camera to PC ::-). Maybe later! We only saw it from behind, but it was larger and darker than the usual Kestrels, and had a blunt squared off tail.
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On a two hour ride today, an wol, a kestrel, a buzzard and three egrets, plus a bunch of unremarkable lbj's
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A couple of days ago we were strolling along a very rural lane in north Essex with our younger son and we all stopped to watch a lovely display of bark-scrambling by a gold crest. I often hear them but it’s no often i get such a good view of them.
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Whatever it was that helped itself to my beetroot last week has been back, this time for the chard, but only the roots. I found all the tops lying in the veg plot, it went through about half the row, also nibbled a few brassicas.
I have re-netted the rest of them and pegged it down around the bottom.
I seem to remember someone on here buying a motion detector camera, are there any particular recommendations? I know there are plenty on amazon for example
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I've got a Browning something-or-other.
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0.303?
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0.303?
It'd probably lead to a fairly decisive conclusion.
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A small tortoise shell butterfly, flittering around the house I'm staying in on Bantry Bay Web based research suggests they hibernate over winter, so I wondering if the house has been empty and cold for a while and our arrival woke it up.
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0.303?
The same company makes/imports infra-red motion-sensitive cameras. They are sold to the "hunting" fraternity in the USofA to assist them in selecting which creatures to blast to Kingdom Come. In civilised countries they are used to detect hedgehog and badger movements in urban gardens.
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Standing at the back door earlier waiting for the cats to decide if they were going out or not, we heard a wol!
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Standing at the back door earlier waiting for the cats to decide if they were going out or not, we heard a wol!
And this evening :thumbsup:
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New year hot sqrl action at my brother's house. There were 3 at one point.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51790783742_ab43069e9c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mUziDh)IMG_4841_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2mUziDh) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51792468405_0b93117b58.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mUHWrc)IMG_4846_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2mUHWrc) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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So, this is a close up, from about 1.5m, of our poorly Goldfinch
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51793953898_7363569d32_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mURy29)Goldfinch 2 (https://flic.kr/p/2mURy29) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
Whereas this as close as I can get to the to normal ones
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51792892337_8d1cf7dbef_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mUL7sn)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2mUL7sn) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
The normal ones are more elongated, and have a redder face. And are much more flighty, no pun intended.
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A ghost wol
and a dead otter :'( :'((old A10 littleport - Ely)
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Went to Winterbourne Downs RSPB reserve today. Not a lot of things out and about except for a flock of about 30 goldfinches, which were very colourful in the two rays of sunshine we were allowed.
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So, this is a close up, from about 1.5m, of our poorly Goldfinch
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51793953898_7363569d32_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mURy29)Goldfinch 2 (https://flic.kr/p/2mURy29) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
Whereas this as close as I can get to the to normal ones
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51792892337_8d1cf7dbef_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mUL7sn)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2mUL7sn) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
The normal ones are more elongated, and have a redder face. And are much more flighty, no pun intended.
It's possible that your poorly goldfinch is suffering from trichomonosis, especially if you can see food or saliva around its beak. Make sure you regularly clean and disinfect the feeders and water sources, or even remove them for a week or two to reduce the chance of it spreading to the other birds.
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Somone fairly local to me has set up their hedgehog cam, and yesterday they caught two on film, one much bigger than the other.
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An irregular visitor to our garden
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796638348_5215252c23_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mV6j1L)Woodpecker (https://flic.kr/p/2mV6j1L) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
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For the first time this year, long tailed tits. And for the second or third time only, the elusive song thrush.
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We don't see long-tailed tits in the garden very often. But when it was so cold the sunflower seed feeders froze solid, I put out some suet logs in cage feeders. The long-tailed tits apeared as if by magic!
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On my ride I had a close up view of a Kestrel hovering not 10m above me, looking for a meal in the lane-side verge and taking no notice of me. Unfortunately no camera with me as it would have made a great photo.
Also a red kite and a starling roost of several hundred starlings in a lane-side thicket. You couldn’t really miss them, they were making a right old racket.
And on my back lawn this afternoon, a Jay. Beautiful plumage. One of my favourite birds.
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A buzzard, perched in the black poplar across the road, and a hare in the back field.
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We saw hares boxing on New Years Day. Brilliant!
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Whilst out running yesterday, a buzzard landing in the field as I went past. It was quite comical to watch all the pigeons suddenly scatter as it arrived
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A Heron, in the waterlogged bit of the field opposite.
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A hen sparrowhawk, just as I was driving along Redbridge Lane to get home. Sadly there was someone behind me so I couldn't stop and get a closer look.
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well yesterday
a merlin
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Brilliant to spot a Merlin.
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A squirrel perched on top of the bird table roof and a cock pheasant stood at the base of the table at the same time. Of course both ran of as soon as I tried to get a picture.
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Speaking of squirrels...
The previous unofficial entrance (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=10.msg2687869#msg2687869)(s) to the loft having finally been adequately barricaded, just now heard her attempting ingress on another side of the house. Please make your nest in the great outdoors, as generations have before you! I'm not running a daycare centre here.
We had a stare down, me with my head poking out the bedroom window, her peering over the gutter. No picture, unfortunately.
I hauled the ladder out and found another small hole she's likely working on. Have jammed the tile she also probably loosened over it for now.
Someone should have a word with her about the sunk cost fallacy.
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The local buzzard, perched in a birch tree. Not quite as interesting as our friends in Sidney on Vancouver Island, who on looking out of their front window saw a crowd gathered in the street, with long lenses pointed at their house. More particularly at the Alaska Snowy Owl perched on their ridge of their roof back in December.
https://www.vancouverislandfreedaily.com/community/sidneys-snowy-owl-hides-out-during-annual-christmas-bird-count/
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Great Egret, which buggered off before I could get a pic.
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Rat-tailed maggots in my carefully tended swamp area at the end of the garden. Strangely robins and other carnivores seem not to fancy them.
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A heron this morning. Nothing unusual there, I see one most mornings. But this one was perched high in a tree. It looked really odd, it being quite a large bird. Also it was the same tree that I'd previously seen a cormorant looking equally incongruous.
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If you ever get the chance, Basil, go and see a heronry. There's one near us with about 40 nests, all very high up in the trees. Looks most unlikely (and unsafe).
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I've never seen a heron's nest. Didn't even know they were a thing until now.
I guess they must be quite large.
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If you ever get the chance, Basil, go and see a heronry. There's one near us with about 40 nests, all very high up in the trees. Looks most unlikely (and unsafe).
There is one very close to St. Andrew's University. I stayed there for two consecutive summer schools and both times there were lots of herons messing about in the pine trees to the north of the Agnes Blackadder hall of residence. I never got close enough for a detailed look though.
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I'm so annoyed I missed it.
Mrs Pcolbeck went out in the back garden with a coffee to let the dog have a pee at dawn. There was a barn owl in our cotoneaster!
The dog had scared it off by the time I had finished faffing and went out.
We have had a tawny owl and a long eared owl before in one of the other trees but that's the first barn owl and I missed it :(
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First, confirmed*, skylark of the year, a full fortnight earlier than last year (16th Feb), about an hour ago. Stood listening and watching it from take-off to a power dive and pull out for landing. I prefer their "parachute" descents to the dives, but it was a lovely thing to see and hear.
*Thought I heard one at the weekend, but couldn't be certain.
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If you ever get the chance, Basil, go and see a heronry. There's one near us with about 40 nests, all very high up in the trees. Looks most unlikely (and unsafe).
There is an egretry at Pagham Harbour. They've decided to use blackthorn rather than altitude as a way of keeping punters away.
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First, confirmed*, skylark of the year, a full fortnight earlier than last year (16th Feb), about an hour ago. Stood listening and watching it from take-off to a power dive and pull out for landing. I prefer their "parachute" descents to the dives, but it was a lovely thing to see and hear.
I was watching some in a field last week. They are resident all year round, I don't think they migrate. They do stop singing and doing the mad ascent and descent thing in winter though.
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Earliest I have noted them singing (and I don't keep complete records) is 21st January.
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First, confirmed*, skylark of the year...
I was watching some in a field last week. They are resident all year round, ...
Aye, we thought we'd seen them during the winter*, but we weren't sure what with one LBJ being pretty much like another. This is the first year in 20 odd that the fields weren't mown flat so there's been long grass for them to hide in.
*Winter's officially over, the skylarks are singing. :)
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Today I heard the first dawn chorus of the year, preceeded by 20 minutes of the Song Thrush in the hedge opposite the house singing it's heart out. And 2 hares in the back field.
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Yes, today was the first day this year when the noise of birds was enough to call a chorus!
And larks, well, we have fields full of them around here (Vale of Aylesbury) and they make a lovely sound.
Here they are in December.
https://fieldrecordings.xyz/2021/12/08/skylarks-buckinghamshire-uk-in-november-2021-by-paul-ridout/ (https://fieldrecordings.xyz/2021/12/08/skylarks-buckinghamshire-uk-in-november-2021-by-paul-ridout/)
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A pair of cock pheasants chasing each other round and round our garden like something out of Looney Tunes. They have been at it for a quarter of an hour so far. On the last lap one did a spectacular skid on the wet patio.
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Seen yesterday...
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/bat.jpg)
Looked lost. there weren't many insects about, and it was flying in a loop in amongst a circle of trees. They shouldn't be out at this time and they normally fly a route, rest, fly again. There are some big trees where it was flying, but these were cut down in autumn.
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I heard Something singing as I was cycling home a few minutes ago. I think it was a song thrush, but I could really do with having listened a bit longer. There was too much traffic about for me to hear it very clearly.
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Swifts! \o/
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Swifts! \o/
That's bonkers.
Meanwhile, we had an usual bird on our feeder.
(https://images2.imgbox.com/3a/1d/dPgPM4Ae_o.jpg) (https://imgbox.com/dPgPM4Ae)
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It's not really bonkers, I am somewhere hot and sandy, not Furrybootoon.
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It's not really bonkers, I am somewhere hot and sandy, not Furrybootoon.
Ah, I see. :facepalm:
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Huh
Usually, the deer come down out of the hills in winter.
Sunny bright weather the past two days. So it is a bit odd to see two stags down by the lochside (no, I didn't get any photos).
Impressive watching them hop over the croft fencing like it was 6" high.
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First greenfinch of the year, sitting on top of a tree singing its heart out - which is how I identified it, through the BirdNet app, because it was silhouetted against a grey sky and could only tell that it was a finch.
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Male hen harrier drifting over a field
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MrsT saw two storks beyond the edge of the village this morning. Looks like our resident family is back.
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The return of the storks is always good news.
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I've been seeing storks here & there for the last month, in fact I'm wondering if some of them don't overwinter here, but this is our local family so they're special.
ETA looked it up: some migrate, some don't. Ours obviously do.
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A chaffinch was being unusually un-fazed by my proximity in the park this morning. But what really stood out was the vividness of his colours.
Birds really have their pulling pants on at this time of year.
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Juvenile robin fighting adult on the bird feeder this morning. Seems a bit early in the year.
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Yesterday, Cabbage white and what looked like a Red Admiral. A bit early?
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Brimstone and Comma butterflies here in West London yesterday.
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Yesterday, Cabbage white and what looked like a Red Admiral. A bit early?
We had Cabbage Whites and Brimstones yesterday. And some solitary bees. Out in leafy Bucks.
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Cormorant in a tree again. But not just in the tree this time, but sitting right at the highest point looking like a statue or some other architectural artwork.
The dog and I stood regarding it for a while until the dog said 'you look bloody stupid, mate', and we moved on.
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An owl went by last night as I was closing the bedroom shutters. We used to have one living in our barn, but I haven't seen it for years. It'd be nice if this one moved in.
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What looked like a greenfinch chick on our feeders. Plumped up and fluffy, but very early in the season.
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A buzzard near white Waltham this afternoon :)
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A rat. With a fish:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/25wgfna2rdlsgpf/IMG_5180.MOV?dl=0 (https://www.dropbox.com/s/25wgfna2rdlsgpf/IMG_5180.MOV?dl=0)
Does that link work?
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Gosh.
And yes.
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Clunky, but yes.
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A cormorant. From Hungerford Bridge walking across from Waterloo to Charing Cross. Not just flying about but swimming, diving, and fishing, as only cormorants can do. We do give ourselves some stick in this country, sometimes justifiably so, but to see a sea-fishing bird feeding in an estuary of a river only 200 miles long that deals with the waste of 25 million people is, to me, something to be a little proud of.
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Barn owl, on my early morning run. First one I have seen locally all winter - so that was good news. There was also a heron fishing in the wooded section of the River Loddon (south branch) east of Old Basing. It took off between the trees - which is very impressive flying for such a big bird.
The barn owl was bird species #50 positively identified and seen (sorry Tawny Owls - making a recognisable noise whilst I'm cycling or running about at night doesn't count - you have to fly by and say hello. The same will go for the cuckoos in a month or so) in 2022. With a bit more chance to travel this year I might get past the 100 mark having got 94 and 88 in the last two years.
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I've been seeing storks here & there for the last month, in fact I'm wondering if some of them don't overwinter here, but this is our local family so they're special.
ETA looked it up: some migrate, some don't. Ours obviously do.
Did not know that. Had thought they all migrated.
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A nuthatch climbing up a tree yesterday. Quite a fun climbing style.
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That's great. You normally see them coming down, or at least, I do! They are fabulous birds and they seem much bigger than they actually are, probably because their bright colours and weird behaviour give them a "pesence". I think in reality they are slightly smaller than a sparrow. It's always a red letter day but we do see them in our garden in urban Rochdale. I expect they are around most of the time but we don't seem to coincide! Great spot!
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It's still very quiet at our feeders compared to the last Pingu Towers so I was quite excited to see 2 siskins (one of each) feeding this morning and then a bit later a flurry of tits and then a blue tit peered in one of the nest boxes.
We have become so recalibrated in terms of bird visitors that today was really quite exciting.
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SQRL!!!!!1!
Not me, I'm staying in with not yet confirmed covid lurgy, Mr Smith found this in not Proper Scotland. He is considering upgrading the location descriptor to Proper Scotland on the basis of the sighting. That, and the presence of Lorne sausage in the shop.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220319/3840f7eabf39a83168eabf41f7a29ff3.jpg)
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Signs of a hedgehog nest at the base of the yellow bamboo - suspicious pile of bamboo sheaths and leaves with a hedgehog size hole in it. Left it alone in case they are still using it at night.h
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SQRL!!!!!1!
Not me, I'm staying in with not yet confirmed covid lurgy, Mr Smith found this in not Proper Scotland. He is considering upgrading the location descriptor to Proper Scotland on the basis of the sighting. That, and the presence of Lorne sausage in the shop.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220319/3840f7eabf39a83168eabf41f7a29ff3.jpg)
Furryboots?
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Furryboots?
That's Proper Scotland. We're staying in the Stewartry for a few days.
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Oh D&G
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A muntjac ran across the road in front of me yesterday. It's the first I've seen round here (NE Hampshire).
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Heard, but not seen, a thrush on next doors new patio, opening up a snail.
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In Richmond Park, a male Red Deer with one antler missing.
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Heard, rather than seen, a woodpecker on my aborted attempt to catch a train this morning (points failure on the ginger line <natch>).
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Red squirrel carrying a kit 🐿🐿
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51956647556_b2669a21d8_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2naepbd)
IMG_9690_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2naepbd) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Herd of Chamois grazing in avalanche debris whilst on an off-piste ski tour in Val D.
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A peacock butterfly feeding on a dandelion flower in our garden this morning.
I used to knock the heads off dandelions to stop them going to seed, but I won't be doing that any more.
And I guess the vast majority of seeds that settle in our garden are from a distance away anyway.
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On the FNRTTC last weekend, somewhere near Noak Hill in darkest Essex, we'd just crawled ("scenic" route innit) past a deer warning roadsign, when a dozen or so deer popped out of the hedge on the side of the road, ambled across and vanished into the hedge on the other side.
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(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/47B3V8vwz1m2IO9T1EGD-_RxBIpJSdXjUG6fZ3EqOgFmXQ4Go6q0fBg9d73wUBCaqUOoWRlLZUKQ5ljDmlY5R8NCyouFCVOjIAcpmeii2bfmncrX5FsPk_SCYj6JGvrwQDhyvO706e8=w2400)
Snakes! On a Plane!
Slow worm! In my bike store!
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A peacock butterfly feeding on a dandelion flower in our garden this morning.
I used to knock the heads off dandelions to stop them going to seed, but I won't be doing that any more.
And I guess the vast majority of seeds that settle in our garden are from a distance away anyway.
A day after Basil, a peacock butterfly bouncing off my cheek. It took off from the path in front of me then doubled back for a mid-air collision. Or maybe it wanted a kiss.
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A Jackdaw, briefly seen through the shed door whilst I was on the turbo, standing on one of our compost bins.
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Buzzards, rooks, jackdaws, crows, starlings, lapwings, oyster catchers, fallow deer, and some very pretty sheep playing king of the castle on a huge pile of manure.
Sam
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A Jay, flying across the road in front of me this morning. We have plenty of Magpies, but rarely see Jays.
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yelllow hammers and reed buntings
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Got up this morning to see a deer sitting in the front garden. Seemed quite content there, and only left when the cat went out and started stalking it.
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A Great Spotted woodpecker on one peanut feeder, and a couple of juvenile Greenfinches on the other.
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Yesterday, at 6.50pm.
I was cycling along Rebels Lane and I had my attention attracted by blackbirds' alarm calls. I stopped and had a look round and the cause of their angst was to be seen in the branches of a good-sized oak tree. A little owl. It's years since I've seen one. It was very close to the point at which I heard a nightingale and a song thrush, and saw a slow worm, last spring/summer.
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A wren, I think. A couple of years ago I put an open fronted nest box on the back of the shed, it’s about head height (it’s a small shed) and round by the water butt. Not, on reflection, the best location - it could easily have been higher and beyond the butt. Anyway, we’d noticed a nest had been built in it this year, but hadn’t seen any occupants. Until today, when I went to the compost with my failed pizza dough (the dried yeast turned out to be 6 years beyond its best before date….) and decided to have a look. And a small brown job shit out if the box about a foot in front of my face! Too small for a robin or a sparrow I think, so probably a wren. Cool. All we need now are blue tits in the other box - they missed last year.
And, whilst we do see wrens in the garden, today an altogether rarer visitor, a song thrush on our lawn, which is unusual as it’s not the wide open spaces they prefer.
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A song thrush giving it large from a couple of small trees next to our house. It's been here for two or three days, is surprisingly loud and has an astonishingly large and varied repertoire.
Me to Mrs B. "Do you hear all those birds? That's just one bird!"
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Yesterday, at 6.50pm.
I was cycling along Rebels Lane and I had my attention attracted by blackbirds' alarm calls. I stopped and had a look round and the cause of their angst was to be seen in the branches of a good-sized oak tree. A little owl. It's years since I've seen one. It was very close to the point at which I heard a nightingale and a song thrush, and saw a slow worm, last spring/summer.
I have only ever seen one in the wild, It was a juvenile and was sat in the middle of a very minor and little used country road I was cycling along. I picked it up and put it on a hedge. It was fine, they are quite calm and not aggressive. I was talking to the guy running a raptor and owl display at Dolby Forest last week where they had a little owl. He had only seen one once in the wild too. Apparently they are reasonably common but tend to hide in hedges and the like as they can be prey for larger birds so you just don't see them.
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I didn’t realise that little owls were introduced to this country from mainland Europe during the 19th century. It seems they are in decline throughout Europe. According to the RSPB, there are 5700 breeding pairs and it is of ‘least concern” but when I reported this sighting to the local RSPB recorder, he marked it in red.
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We have little owls round and about. Always difficult to spot as they tend to sit on the drystone walls and they are the same colour and about the same size as the stones. Wonderful grumpy expressions, and when hunting for earthworms they stomp across the ground in a very determined manne
It's probably one of the few owls/raptors that the gamekeepers don't "control".
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(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51992457494_9a5251ccb9_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ndoWdW)k (https://flic.kr/p/2ndoWdW) by PaulRide (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62297839@N05/), on Flickr
It was early in the morning so my cry of "WTAF" may have been audible for miles around
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I see this :
(https://dl.dropbox.com/s/nfzxazaml9vt0z7/no_entry.PNG?dl=0)
It was early in the morning so my cry of "WTAF" may have been audible for miles around
It's common when images are hosted on google. You've probably got to set the image as public or something.
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Aha, thanks Andrew - I've tweaked it to a link to flickr.
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We have little owls round and about. Always difficult to spot as they tend to sit on the drystone walls and they are the same colour and about the same size as the stones. Wonderful grumpy expressions, and when hunting for earthworms they stomp across the ground in a very determined manne
It's probably one of the few owls/raptors that the gamekeepers don't "control".
Have had one in the garden, once. Sat on the swing set briefly, and was gone by the time could get a camera.
Yesterday, whilst out for a run spotted something moving in the young wheat shoots, stopped to take a closer look and from the form of it I think a weasel
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A hare running across the back field, and, more unusually, as I was rearranging the clematis on the arch, I heard scratching from the top of the (very) adjacent fence. Expecting either a squirrel of a pigeon, I was most surprised to see the jackdaw we’ve spotted a couple of times recently elsewhere in the field. Oh, and a couple of circling buzzards, but then they’re becoming almost as plentiful as the red kites.
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I put out some sheep's wool we received as packaging a few weeks ago and today I was gratified to see this tit actually using it.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51997018271_f32d9d9d50.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ndNiZ2)IMG_9874_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2ndNiZ2) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Our dog has had a hair cut and I've filled a bird feeder with fur. It was quite popular last year.
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I didn’t realise that little owls were introduced to this country from mainland Europe during the 19th century. It seems they are in decline throughout Europe. According to the RSPB, there are 5700 breeding pairs and it is of ‘least concern” but when I reported this sighting to the local RSPB recorder, he marked it in red.
Quite a few little owls in the local park. I see one almost every time I go there. You do have to look carefully though:
(https://dl.dropbox.com/s/z3t4vr65iq4ea93/2022-03-15%2016.46.03.jpg?dl=0)
The tree is a black walnut.
Probably the oldest Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) remaining in the UK, thought to have been planted in the early 18th century.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Black_Walnut_Tree_Of_Marble_Hill_Park,_London._(4621674542).jpg
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Bats flitting about outside our window at this very minute. First we've seen this year.
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I was just looking for bats under the street light earlier. Didn't see any though.
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Swallow :) :o
Thought was house martin, then saw red/brown throat, and flew off as got camera ready :(
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I forgot to report my observations on Tuesday, both of significance. In the morning, the first ducklings of the year on the park lake, and in the afternoon, a pair of swallows behind Barling church.
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I’ve been looking and failing to see the above-mentioned little owls in Marble Hill Park over the last week or two. Sadly, it transpires that the little owls’ nest in that black walnut was raided by squirrels a few weeks ago and the birds have abandoned the nest :(
There are numerous little owl nest boxes elsewhere in the park, but I have yet to see them being used. Hopefully they have found somewhere suitable and, even more hopefully, they might return to the walnut tree next year.
Bloody squirrels.
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Aw.
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In the garden this morning I was stood between 2 shrubs which turn out to be skimmia and the noise was electric, they were both covered in honey bees.
I have never heard quite such a sound but it brought such a smile to my face.
:D :D :D
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We plant a lot of Pulmonaria as ground cover, and it’s early to flower, and the bees, and bee-fly’s, absolutely love it.
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In the garden this morning I was stood between 2 shrubs which turn out to be skimmia and the noise was electric, they were both covered in honey bees.
I have never heard quite such a sound but it brought such a smile to my face.
:D :D :D
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52011506975_4ee8588633_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nf5yYg)
IMG_9987_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2nf5yYg) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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First swallow of the year. Just the one...
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We saw swallows too today, and on my ride I saw a good sized rabbit, 2 hen pheasants, and what I think was a grouse - it was down in a roadside ditch, and I only saw it when it scuttled away a bit, a dun brown job.
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The Sand Martins are back!
And a solitary woodcock
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On yesterday's ride I spotted what I am pretty sure was a stoat.
On today's ride, in a totally different location, I think I spotted another one.
The only time that I can remember spotting a live one before was in the middle of a BHPC race at Hillingdon. It hopped(?) across the track as I was trying to concentrate on the racing line down through the swervy bits.
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Three Robin chicks in our nest box. A shame that, for a second year running, we have no Blue Tits in the other. Last year the nest was a abandoned. I’ve not checked this year yet.
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I saw a goldfinch I think, I remember it's red face but not the yellow on the wings. Very unusual for my garden. I also have some blackbirds building a nest in the rear garden which I'm very pleased about. I don't feed the birds at all because a lot of my neighbors had cats which were regularly seen walking through, so I didn't want to encourage the birds. Now I have noticed the nest building I have also noticed less cats. Are grey squirrels a danger to nesting birds?
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Our fatball thief has been caught red-pawed...
I have a badger. This makes me unreasonably happy.
It came back a couple of hours later, presumably it had to go and move goalposts in the meantime.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52014977406_85e052a01a_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nfomBh)
Badger Badger (https://flic.kr/p/2nfomBh) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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:thumbsup:
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Aw, coooool!
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Excellent photo, Feanor!
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Funny looking squirrel...
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Funny looking squirrel...
*imagines Jurek trying to usher a hostile badger from his abode*
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Funny looking squirrel...
*imagines Jurek trying to usher a hostile badger from his abode*
This isn't generally a problem. I have trained as a badger crisis negotiator.
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An empty nest box. Seems the Robin chicks were predated, though we could see no evidence of how that might have been. Maybe it'll get reused.
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The so-called dwarf elephant ear (current height: 2m) produced a strangely shaped leaf, which turned into this:
(https://dl.dropbox.com/s/iauvv17cn1mc1hl/2022-04-23%2010.57.56.jpeg?dl=0)
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We saw our first ever crossbill y'day. Unfortunately it was deceased.
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On a walk this evening.
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Swan.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Squirrel.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Fox.jpg)
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Very nice Jaded, esp the fox, who looks fairly chunky.
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Red squirrel on our kitchen windowsill.
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I got a very nice video of a cuckoo doing his stuff. I think there may well have been a nightingale in the vicinity as well, as I heard a few clucks, whirrs and chirrups but he never really got started into full-throated ease.
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I'm smiling like a boy who has just seen his first beaver.
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I'm smiling like a boy who has just seen his first beaver.
;D :thumbsup:
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One of four hares that were mucking about by the river this morning.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52040089675_1421e8ba15_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nhB4Br) (https://flic.kr/p/2nhB4Br)
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An extremely rare sighting for us, of a common bird, a (male) Bullfinch.
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I don't think bullfinches are all that common. They used to be, more so.
When I was a lad almost every summer we had a bullfinch's nest in our garden, usually in one of the two large horse chestnut trees. Over the years, I think they have become much less common (I note from the RSPB website they are on the "Amber" list) to the extent that I doubt that I see more than two or three a year these days.
I've just checked the April "sightings" board on the SE Essex RSPB website and there was only one sighting of a bullfinch recorded in the entire month.
Bullfinch is currently listed as an ‘amber’ species of conservation concern because of its recent breeding population decline.
Bullfinch numbers declined steeply during 1977–82 especially in farmland. The decline eased during the mid 1980s and has upturned since 2000. However, the UK numbers are currently 36% lower than in 1967.
From https://www.bto.org/understanding-birds/species-focus/bullfinch#:~:text=Bullfinch%20numbers%20declined%20steeply%20during,36%25%20lower%20than%20in%201967.
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We had a pair in the garden once last summer - but then we do live in leafy Rochdale.
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5k into yesterday's ride I spotted a white thing lolloping along the road in front of me. I wasn't sure what it was but pulled out my phone and grabbed a few photo's feeling fairly sure that nobody would believe what the small white blob was:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52048445524_7a60585b91_z.jpg)
30 seconds later and it was posing for photo's:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52048695260_47bbe4913a_z.jpg)
...and sniffing my shoes:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52048193946_3b0f99ab4f_z.jpg)
Not sure that it counts as a 'wild thing' as it seemed pretty friendly. After a while it got bored and wandered off across the road and disappeared into the hedgerow.
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Somebody's pet ferret it looks like
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Well it was about here: https://tinyurl.com/yc5fwmfs so a fair distance from anywhere.
One of my colleagues suggested that it had gone AWOL whilst ferreting.
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Yes - very similar to the pet ferret I had when I were a lad.
My understanding is that if female ferrets don't get pregnant when they are on heat then they sometimes pine and they go into a decline. So a lot of the time, because it's not necessarily that easy to get rid of lots of ferret kits, the owner of a pregnant female will just abandon her somewhere. A couple of year ago one took up residence in my younger son's woodshed and gave birth to a litter. The whole lot were removed to a ferret rescue place where my understanding was that they did quite well.
Edit: I just found this
Female ferrets (jills) come into season (oestrus) in spring and summer (March to September) as the day length begins
to increase. They will stay in season either until mated or until day length reduces again. When in oestrus, the vulva of
the jill will become swollen and they are receptive to mating. During this time they are subject to high levels of the
hormone oestrogen. This can suppress the production of red blood cells and lead to a life threatening anaemia.
Female ferrets can die from the subsequent anaemia unless brought back out of season. In the wild they are mated
which stops their season but results in pregnancy. This is obviously not ideal in captivity! How can we stop her
developing the anaemia and stop her cycling without having litter after litter of ferrets?
https://www.rvc.ac.uk/Media/Default/Beaumont%20Sainsbury%20Animal%20Hospital/documents/caring-for-your-ferret.pdf
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The pigeon that hangs around outside appears to think my rosemary plant is an appropriate perch for eating fatballs. :-\ I do need to get a better bird-feeding platform, though, as my current feeders don't have much of a perch.
(https://i.ibb.co/sFxd31S/20220504-173257.jpg) (https://ibb.co/vJy6zd5)
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A swift! I went to report it on the local RSPB site to find that someone had beaten me by 15 minutes - and they are about a mile to the west of me. Almost certainly the same bird.
Edit: on checking, that first sighting of a swift was at 8am, not pm.
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I was peering through my binocs at the beach down below me (I was standing on the top of the cliff at St. Catherine's Point on the Isle of Wight), when, across my field of view, a white-tailed sea eagle gently glided.
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I was peering through my binocs at the beach down below me (I was standing on the top of the cliff at St. Catherine's Point on the Isle of Wight), when, across my field of view, a white-tailed sea eagle gently glided.
Choice.
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MrsC and I were running the polling station in our village on Thursday.
At one point in the afternoon, we were joined by a swallow, which flew in through the open door, then had some difficulty getting out again.
Cue much opening of windows, fire escapes and so on.
Lovely to see one so close, but a bit worrying until it finally found a way out.
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Another cuckoo. I heard one yesterday almost exactly 1km south of where I saw one today, so quite probably the same bird.
I cuckooed at yesterday's bird and it came to find me, but I was hiding under the branches of an oak tree, which obscured much of my view of the sky, so I didn't actually see it, even though I heard its "throat-clearing" noise. it alighted in a willow tree about 20 yards away from where I was hiding.
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If you look under the rocks and plants.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52059872465_b0b9276ff3_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2njmsm2)
IMG_0378_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2njmsm2) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
The mealworm was acting like a sail and the ant was getting blown all over the shop. It didn't want to let go of its booty though.
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Yesterday, tbf. A couple of salmon resting under North Water Bridge.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52061510310_b706dfb2cf_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2njuRdJ)
Sam
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A pair of Herons in the field opposite, presumably after worms and voles.
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A family of long-tailed tits in the park today.
It seems that the parents have one brood per year and the whole family stays together for the season, the parents keeping an eye on the youngsters.
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About 20 swifts, which is lovely to see, wheeling and squealing overhead. Plus the obligatory buzzards and kites.
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A pair of goldfinches 🙂
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two of my last offroad rides have had some deer accompaniment, plus recently several hares, buzzards, herons, kestrels.
Unfortunately today I had to remove a dead sparrowhawk from the lawn. No idea why it had died, there wasn't a mark on it
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Jan and I drove out to Wallasea Island (nowhere near Liverpool) to have a look at the RSPB site. There was a fair bit of stuff there, the pick of which was probably a marsh harrier. We also saw a couple of avocets from a distance, and the more usual stuff. There were some linnets I think but we saw them at a distance.
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Yesterday, on my ride, I disturbed a pair of magpies killing a sparrow.
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Swifts, getting jiggy on the wing.
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Hares x 2 whilst mtb'ing around the droves. They're bloody quick :)
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Unfortunately today I had to remove a dead sparrowhawk from the lawn. No idea why it had died, there wasn't a mark on it
Flying into a window is a relatively common cause of dead birds close to the house
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Yes, we've had that happen, but no sign of it here, there's usually a big thunk and a imprint on the window.
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An owl, I think a tawny, this evening at Wakering Stairs. I watched it for a while and videoed it but it didn't get very close and a lot of the time I was looking and filming into the sun. About 5 minutes later I heard a nightingale, which I didn't see, but might have if I'd paid more attention because it started singing in one hawthorn and shortly afterwards was in another - assuming that there weren't two. It seems to me that there have been far more reports than usual of nightingales in Essex this year.
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Hedgehog in our garden. We suspected they had returned as in the spring we found a pile of wrapped up old bamboo leaves with a hedgehog shaped hole in the middle at the base of our phyllostachys stand, but it is nice to see one has found the old foraging route through our garden and the hole under the side fence has come in useful.
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Last evening, a fox on the far side of the field in front of the cottage.
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Curlews mobbing a buzzard.
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A grass snake! Lifted up the top of an old garden table that was lying on the ground and it was there sheltering underneath it. It was a big one too - must have been over a metre long. Really lovely specimen. Didn't hang around long enough for me to get a really good look though - quickly slithered off into the undergrowth.
An owl, I think a tawny, this evening at Wakering Stairs. I watched it for a while and videoed it but it didn't get very close and a lot of the time I was looking and filming into the sun. About 5 minutes later I heard a nightingale, which I didn't see, but might have if I'd paid more attention because it started singing in one hawthorn and shortly afterwards was in another - assuming that there weren't two. It seems to me that there have been far more reports than usual of nightingales in Essex this year.
I don't see them often but I hear tawny owls and nightingales a lot at the moment - I can hear a nightingale outside right now, in fact. Wouldn't be at all surprised if nightingale numbers were up based on how many I'm hearing regularly.
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Ten storks in a field and a green woodpecker.
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A small, 15cm, grass snake on the cycle and foot path at the bottom of our road.
Sent from my motorola edge 20 using Tapatalk
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Young fox passing through the garden this morning, and now a toad returning to the water fountain feature for the first time this year.
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In the middle of town yesterday, or rather above it, a hawk being mobbed by some crows. At first I took it for a smallish buzzard but the wings were all wrong and they rarely venture into urban areas anyway. I think it was actually a peregrine falcon. Apparently they nest on a tower in one of the university buildings, as well as in the Avon Gorge.
And last weekend heard but not seen a cuckoo, which means it's summer (Delius wasn't quite right he's forgiven because :P).
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I was out with a mate yesterday on the MTB near Belvoir Castle and spotted a crow attacking a magpie on the ground. It tried to fly off with it as we approached but dropped it. It was still alive but in a real mess and with hindsight I should have finished it off. I suspect the crow came back to do the deed once we had left.
Not a particularly pleasant experience but my mood soon improved by spotting a group of contented-looking calves 100m further on:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52093196643_23a43098e9_c.jpg)
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Cygnets!
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Cygnets%202.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Cygnets%201.jpg)
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A little Owl on a roadside gatepost.
It didn't stay when I stopped the bike.
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I saw a goldcrest on my morning walk, a little over arm's length away.
I was all :smug:
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First sighting of our pipistrelles tonight.
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Saw the first fox in our new area (was getting a lift home from the big boss after a works dinner) and there it was crossing the road.
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Saw the first fox in our new area (was getting a lift home from the big boss after a works dinner) and there it was crossing the road.
No doubt after a chicken...
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There were indeed bluetits nesting in our box, evidenced by the chicks peeking out of it during the course of today. I expect they’ll fledge overnight. Tomorrow and Saturday are forecast warm and dry, so hopefully they’ll get set before the cold on Sunday.
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Yesterday I found a tree bumblebee with damaged wings in the garden. Today I found three! One had no wings at all.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52102831268_437ca275f5_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2no9Cv3)
IMG_0610_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2no9Cv3) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Our garden is a bit sad on the bird front compared to our last place but today we had some new visitors
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52105220424_ec438cb64e.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nomSHo)IMG_0641_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2nomSHo) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Starlings seem to be recovering well atm.
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Damselflies by the river today.
No dragonflies yet.
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Sadly dead, a really lovely looking all chestnut fox cub by the side of the road.
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A large swarm of (presumably) bees flew over neighbouring gardens this arvo sending the fence erectors running for cover :o
And walking back from town tonight we saw a fox :)
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I have never seen a swarm of bees before. It was quite something.
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We once saw one on a section of wall near the seafront at Budliegh Salterton. Fascinating, as were the horrified reactions of passers-by who were at no risk whatsoever :-\
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One time I was visiting my sister's mother in law in Cambridge, and whilst I was there she got a phone call to come and catch a swarm of bees - apparently the local beekeeper's association had a hotline & callout rota for such things. Her car was in for service, so I got collared for transport.
The swarm was dangling out of a small tree in a garden, and the capture process was to gently lift up a cardboard box under the swarm, then nudge the bees gripping the tree with a stick until the swarm dropped into the box (or that's what it looked like from a safe distance).
The next step was to transport the bees, in the box, in the back of my car (small VW Polo hatchback, parcel shelf removed for bike transport reasons) to an available spare hive 5 miles off. Driving along, with 20 or 30 bees flying around in the car, plus the boxful, was "interesting".
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Yesterday whilst out on the MTB, various including heron stood on the path I was riding - flew off before i could get the camera out, damselflies at Wicken Fen, and saw and heard a sparrowhawk as I rode down another riverbank further on. Plenty of geese, swans, ducks, coots about
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The starlings brought the fledglings to our garden today. Which was lovely to watch. Less great was finding one dead later.
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Not seen but the blue tits have fledged their brood from the nest box on the shed today. Definitely seen, the robins have a healthy brood of 5 near to fledging chicks in the nest box on the garden fence. I had a great view of very yellow, very wide open “Feed me NOW” beaks as I mowed the lawn. Also saw a hare on my ride this evening, running along the lane verge. I love the way they move, so distinctive.
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When I was 5 or 6, the bees kept by some neighbours (a couple of houses and one street away) swarmed in a tree in our garden. I wasn't scared of the bee swarm but I was terrified when the neighbours came round in their beekeeping suits, smooth shiny white from head to toe with apparently no faces. It only made it worse when they spoke to me in human voices and claimed to be my neighbours. "Don't be scared, it's Mrs Apperley." I think the suits looked to me like spacesuits and as I knew actual astronauts wouldn't be in our garden, they must be some sort of space alien. And no faces!
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Curlews mobbing a buzzard.
We were at David gray at ovo hydro this week and he was collecting for curlews. Nice wee video of them before and during intermission
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At a BBQ on the River Wye in High Wycombe this afternoon, a heron landed in the river beside us, but surprised by the unusual number of people flew off again a few seconds later.
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Several of herons, deer and kestrels whilst wrangling my way through several km of nettles and thistles
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A badger which scuttled into the bushes on my approach near Wigginton at about 0230 this morning 😀
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Not sure if this video will work but some bumblebees seem quite keen to move in with us
(https://live.staticflickr.com/31337/52124368564_00060e3730.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nq41MJ)MVI_1033 (https://flic.kr/p/2nq41MJ) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Catching up on this thread after being away. 5 or 6 golden eagles where the wind rose up on the crest of the Pyrenees at Errozate. Aigle Royale indeed.
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Every year for the last 20 years we’ve seen pied wagtails on our neighbours roof. This year, we didn’t, but this evening we saw a single wagtail chick being fed by a parent on our back patio.
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Not sure if this video will work but some bumblebees seem quite keen to move in with us
(https://live.staticflickr.com/31337/52124368564_00060e3730.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nq41MJ)MVI_1033 (https://flic.kr/p/2nq41MJ) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
We’ve got some bees nesting in our roof, no idea what sort. A small colony, varied sizes.
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A couple of $CORVIDS giving a small birb of prey a hard time next to the M25 near South Mimms.
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When I was 5 or 6, the bees kept by some neighbours (a couple of houses and one street away) swarmed in a tree in our garden. I wasn't scared of the bee swarm but I was terrified when the neighbours came round in their beekeeping suits, smooth shiny white from head to toe with apparently no faces. It only made it worse when they spoke to me in human voices and claimed to be my neighbours. "Don't be scared, it's Mrs Apperley." I think the suits looked to me like spacesuits and as I knew actual astronauts wouldn't be in our garden, they must be some sort of space alien. And no faces!
I had a few hives on a very fine farm (which is all prepared to be built on it seems) in Rochford. The farmer, one Dan Squier, showed me round the old farmhouse once and it had sort of just been added to over several hundred years. In the centre was the remains, still standing and part of the house, of a very small cottage which he reckoned dated from the 14th or 15th century. The main house was 17th century. Amazing place.
But I digress. As befitted someone occupying such a fine house, he sent his issue to posh schools locally. One evening in midsummer I had been tending my hives and just as it was getting dark I knocked on the farmhouse door for some reason or other, still dressed in my overall and veil. A teenage boy answered the door and almost fell over in shock. I said something to him and he replied in a very plummy voice "Oh truly! I thought you were headless!"
Alas, poor Yorick...
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It's a bit of a jolt when people who might be expected to sound like the Wurzels (whatever the Essex equivalent is) sound like Eton. And vice versa!
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Rec Kites, lots of them. They're cutting the hayage in front of the house. I exect they'll cut the back field tomorrow. Mousaggeddon!
ETA anna fox sniffing around after the kites had gone. I think the first we’ve seen in that field in the 20 years we’ve lived here. Did once find a rabbits head in the garden tho, so knew they were around.
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Riding along a bridleway near moss end garden Village a young roebuck crossed ahead of me and bjorn notp 😀
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In a Metropolitan Line train waiting to enter Uxbridge terminus, a fox sunning and preening itself on the embankment opposite
We are currently suffering holes being dug and other people's rubbish in our garden, I suspect foxes as often see them daytimes.
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A very tired tree bumblebee, who did well on some honey and water. She did wave her legs at me quite a lot, even though I tried explaining that the stone was to stop her leaf being blown away, and the drink would make her feel better.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52145893489_9b9851271e_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nrXkp8)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52145675613_d1838ae7f9_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nrWdCD)
She flew off to investigate the campanulas after a bit of recovery time.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52145654616_55eb826ef0_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nrW7oC)
Sam
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Also an Early bumble bee and a common carder bee. Couldn't get photos, though, they were too fast. Especially the carder. It zoomed!
Sam
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Around sunset yesterday evening, a wonderful flock of screaming Shrewsbury swifts zooming around our accommodation at not much higher than rooftop level.
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The sound of swifts at dusk is honestly one of my favourite things in the world. It just makes my heart happy.
Sam
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On the subject of bees, here's what I found in our living room:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52150719111_bb6023b0bc_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nso4Tv)
IMG_1301_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2nso4Tv) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
A tree bumblebee wandering around with another bee attached to its back.
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A swallow and a green finch near Selby :)
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On the subject of bees, here's what I found in our living room:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52150719111_bb6023b0bc_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nso4Tv)
IMG_1301_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2nso4Tv) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
A tree bumblebee wandering around with another bee attached to its back.
Mating?
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/animals/bees-wasps-and-ants/tree-bumblebee/
Sam
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On the subject of bees, here's what I found in our living room:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52150719111_bb6023b0bc_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nso4Tv)
IMG_1301_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2nso4Tv) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
A tree bumblebee wandering around with another bee attached to its back.
Mating?
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/animals/bees-wasps-and-ants/tree-bumblebee/
Sam
Thanks for that. I now know what was nesting in my blue tit box last year. I knew it was bumblebees but not which kind. They filled the nest box to the gunwales and I think it was the same that built overspill accommodation in the log store a few feet away unless I was blessed with two bumblebee nests in the one summer.
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I went out at about 4 this morning and was just watching some reed warblers by the river when I heard footsteps on the footbridge behind me. Lo and behold, a wowbadger was making its way towards me. I was a bit slow to react but managed a few photos.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52154787088_4729c59d73_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nsJVa3)PDR75498 (https://flic.kr/p/2nsJVa3) by PaulRide (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62297839@N05/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52155271180_764b51f998_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nsMp4s)PDR75500 (https://flic.kr/p/2nsMp4s) by PaulRide (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62297839@N05/), on Flickr
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(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52159054931_29d362aced_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nt7MQx)IMG_1425 (https://flic.kr/p/2nt7MQx) by benborp (https://www.flickr.com/photos/67561149@N08/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52159300679_25183ea724_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nt93Tz)IMG_1421 (https://flic.kr/p/2nt93Tz) by benborp (https://www.flickr.com/photos/67561149@N08/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52159075163_88e74c3a74_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nt7TRn)IMG_1413 (https://flic.kr/p/2nt7TRn) by benborp (https://www.flickr.com/photos/67561149@N08/), on Flickr
The parents were making regular tours of the kitchen and front room in search of food.
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Several kestrels, many buzzards, two red kites being mobbed by a crow, a yellowhammer*, a barn owl and a fallow deer - the last two unfortunately deceased road kill.
* I thought yellowhammers were winter visitors but I am 90% sure the bird that took flight from the field verge as I approached was a yellowhammer.
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Great photos, benborp!
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Yellowhammers are here all year round.
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Yellowhammers are here all year round.
Thank you. In which case I am 99.95% sure it was a yellowhammer! 😀
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^^^^agree, those are brilliant shots of the swallow family benborp!
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Two Red Kites, fighting for territory at 30m altitude. Several Scarlet Tiger moths and several Comma butterflies.
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Along the local river bank, usual mallards, coots, moorhens, plus a rat and a dormouse.
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Lapwings on Woodhead Pass, goldfinches in hedges and swallows everywhere. Funf act: the Polish word for lapwing is the same as the Russian for seagull. I don't think the birds are actually related though?
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RSPB field trip to Aylesbeare Common in East Devon last night. Not much about, but we did have wonderful views of a yellowhammer right at the top of a tree in glorious sunshine.
And later, after the sun had gone, a nightjar (the 'target' bird for the trip) flying very close and others chirring in the distance.
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Now the fields have been cut, a hare in the one behind the house.
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Hares relatively common around here, which is great.
Today (and irritatingly nothing on my bike-cam, I think I mis-pressed the start button) riding along merrily I had an otter wander across the road in front of me. I'm fairly sure it was a notter based on a field guide from the mammal society.
My first though on seeing the head emerge from the verge was badger, but then the rest of it appeared, low slung, sleek, long tail, chocolate brown fur. I was quite surprised how big it was.
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Nothing especially exciting at the EWT visitors' centre at Hanningfield: a couple of comma butterflies, a few much darker, smaller ones that were probably speckled wood but wouldn't sit still long enough for me to get a decent look. Lots of great crested grebes, quite a few greylag geese, a family of swans, a few terns and quite a few gulls, mostly herring gulls I think.
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On Sat
Minke whale
Atlantic Dolphins
Porpoises
Basking shark
White tailed sea eagle
Puffins
Guillemots
Skua
Razorbills
Gannets
Gulls of many types.
[edit] mind running away with me. What I thought were Boobies were actually Guillemots, a far more boring name.
[Edit] and now I'm told that Guillemots are locally called Boobies. So I did see Boobies after all.
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Boobies?
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At the Essex Wildlife Trust centre at Hanningfield yesterday they had a line of merchandise (cards, aprons and tea towels mostly) produced by a particular artist. They were under group titles "Tits", "Boobies", "Floaters", "Cocks", "Peckers" and "Honkers".
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Our witless squirrel has finally found the feeder. It's only taken him a month or so! Got back from the West Coast to find the feeder empty. So investigated the trail cam to see who was responsible...
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52193343941_696d5bd223_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nw9wLn)
Peek-a-boo! (https://flic.kr/p/2nw9wLn) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52193360373_db96677b88_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nw9BDF)
*Ngggh!* *Ngggh!* Can't open it! Too heavy! (https://flic.kr/p/2nw9BDF) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52193606494_bd3ef9a718_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nwaSP9)
Oh, perhaps if I get off the lid... (https://flic.kr/p/2nwaSP9) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52192340172_79e20f551b_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nw4oo1)
*Yay!* That worked! In now! (https://flic.kr/p/2nw4oo1) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52192339782_03c82da78a_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nw4ogh)
Nom! (https://flic.kr/p/2nw4ogh) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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Yay! you haz sqrl and badger.
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Nutkin! You naughty boy.
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Female blackcap on my bird feeder
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Not today, but yesterday evening on my ride - a mole scurrying (would scrabbling be a better word?) across the narrow tarmac lane from verge to verge. It’s the first time I have ever seen a mole in daylight and I did have to do a double take.
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I spotted my first plump ripe blackberries of the year this morning.
"Gosh that's early", I thought.
They normally start towards the end of Jul....Oh"
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A Mint Moth on some Marjoram, and a 10mm long froglet between the raised beds.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52218129539_e4f6dd1d8a_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nykyEg)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2nykyEg) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52216850687_b4c8650ca7_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nye1v6)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2nye1v6) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
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A Song Thrush, unusually, feasting on nice fat humbug snails on our patio. And at least half a dozen Peacock butterflies on a neighbours Buddleia.
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Out on the veg patch yesterday, a juvenile robin, not developed its red front yet and still with a trace of yellow around it's beak, but unmistakably a robin. Happy to sit and watch me from about 6ft away on a trellis as I pottered with a watering can
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The toad living in our fountain appeared this morning, hadn't seen it for a few days, wonder what it thinks about the heatwave!
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On the IOW last week, I spotted a flash of feathers, yellow feet forward, talons out, as a (presumed) Sparrow Hawk dived into a hedgerow in search of dinner.
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Today we had our 3rd damselfly visitor to our garden.
Except it wasn't a damselfly, it was our first dragonfly.
And I didn't hear Pingu saying from outside that it was actually a dragonfly and so I didn't go out and I missed it.
:'(
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Cycling to Mr Tesco's Emporium of Toothy Comestibles, along a leafy lane, a barn owl flew across in front of me > < that close. It was Very Exciting.
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I think we saw a peregrine flying over our holibobs accommodation.
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My first mouse spider! In our bath last night on the way to bed. We're pretty far north for these guys.
And he was there again this morning, after I went to all the trouble of fishing him out to go about his important spidery business. I can't have bath-obsessed spoods in the house, so out into the garden with him.
Look at that furry butt!
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52262386728_2ed8d71cb9_w.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nCfoMf)
Sam
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The only reason for a spider being in the bath is because it fell in and can't get out.
Leave an old towel or something draped over the edge and they'll bugger off and get on with being a spider.
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Thanks for that. It would never have occurred to me to leave a spider ladder without someone suggesting it.
Spiders go into baths for water as well as falling in sometimes. Sometimes they can get out. Sometimes they can't. This one could have got out if he'd really wanted to by climbing the bathmat, but was clearly having a fine time there.
So I moved him.
Sam
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Was actually Wednesday but eating dinner looked out the back window and saw a red kite cruising round the school field behind our house. Buzzards are common now but only the second kite I've seen over my house
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This lunchtime, watched the local raven mafia staking out a neighbour's hen-run. At 20 metres they looked exceedingly large and black. Natch, as soon as I opened the window to get a pic they buggered off.
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The Sparrowhawk we suspected of taking the Thrush fledgling. Sitting in the garden, there’s a sudden commotion in the Quince tree that is 2m from me. A squawking Sparrow flew out, followed by a larger bird, that then returned and briefly perched in the Quince, which let me identify it, before flying off. It was under that same tree where we found a load of feathers and down last week.
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And this, a Hornet Mimic Hoverfly, Volucella Zonaria, feeding on a Hebe. It’s about 25mm long. First one we’ve seen here in 20 years, and my wife gardens all day everyday (well has for the last 13 years since she retired). Maybe the heat…
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52267498029_b01401302a_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nCGAc8)Hornet? (https://flic.kr/p/2nCGAc8) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
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Not seen today, nor yesterday: swifts. Normally we don't have to wait long in the summer for them to go screaming past. If they've all gone already, it's quite a bit earlier that in previous years. I have seen the odd one into September before now.
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Likewise, lack of swifts worried me this week.
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Loads of geese and I mean maybe 70 to 100 in about 4 skeens. Did wonder if were migrating in our out but thought too early then they all decended onto a lake in the garden of a mansion near my allotment. Wonder if they had been out in the marshes overnight which are probably 5 miles as the crow/goose flies
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Some rather scrawny magpies around here atm. I wonder if the food supply is drying up.
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Pied wagtails. Nothing unusual about that I hear you say.
Indeed, there are generally 1 or two wagging around the park or car park most mornings. But today there were masses of them, 20 or so all quite close together. Some sort of meeting?
They're not flocking birds. I've never seen anything like that before.
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Likewise, lack of swifts worried me this week.
Yep, we commented today about a lack of swifts this year, just the odd one or two.
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Likewise, lack of swifts worried me this week.
Yep, we commented today about a lack of swifts this year, just the odd one or two.
We've had them - whether in similar numbers to previous years I don't know - but I suddenly noticed a couple of days ago that they weren't there. I checked my records. Last sighting last year was 16th August, 18th August 2020. So if they have gone, it's a fortnight or so early.
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Mine are back again.
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Common shrews, a couple of them in the border next to where I’m sat, fighting ove a bit of crust I threw in there.
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Still swifts here in Furrybootoon tonight.
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Buzzard over Hessle LEL control yesterday. We advised him to head north if he fancied snacking on freshly broiled cyclist.
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A small yellow bird, feasting on the blackfly on a Clematis in our garden. No idea what it was. Not Yellowhammer, not Siskin, not Yellow Wagtail, although it closely resembled one but with a shorter tail, and no wagging! Never seen one before. Wasn't a finch. May have had a dark "eyeborw". Lovely little thing.
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A hummingbird hawk moth.
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(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Deer%20Deer.jpg)
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A small yellow bird, feasting on the blackfly on a Clematis in our garden. No idea what it was. Not Yellowhammer, not Siskin, not Yellow Wagtail, although it closely resembled one but with a shorter tail, and no wagging! Never seen one before. Wasn't a finch. May have had a dark "eyeborw". Lovely little thing.
Puzzling! Greenfinches can look yellow:-
https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=fufl4unD&id=2C19A98100D0048BBA088E271C4B8A31945BC795&thid=OIP.fufl4unD1OrI1gpEjGDCnwHaE8&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2flive.staticflickr.com%2f65535%2f49469271311_1a35d59481.jpg&cdnurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR.7ee7e5e2e9c3d4eac8d60a448c60c29f%3frik%3dlcdblDGKSxwnjg%26pid%3dImgRaw%26r%3d0%26sres%3d1%26sresct%3d1%26srh%3d799%26srw%3d1198&exph=333&expw=499&q=Greenfinch+vs+Goldfinch&simid=607992147765387722&FORM=IRPRST&ck=325A1C371D24E4ADCC2EC1C37141C0FD&selectedIndex=0 (https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=fufl4unD&id=2C19A98100D0048BBA088E271C4B8A31945BC795&thid=OIP.fufl4unD1OrI1gpEjGDCnwHaE8&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2flive.staticflickr.com%2f65535%2f49469271311_1a35d59481.jpg&cdnurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR.7ee7e5e2e9c3d4eac8d60a448c60c29f%3frik%3dlcdblDGKSxwnjg%26pid%3dImgRaw%26r%3d0%26sres%3d1%26sresct%3d1%26srh%3d799%26srw%3d1198&exph=333&expw=499&q=Greenfinch+vs+Goldfinch&simid=607992147765387722&FORM=IRPRST&ck=325A1C371D24E4ADCC2EC1C37141C0FD&selectedIndex=0)
But maybe someone lost a canary?!
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A Hummingbird Hawk Moth
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52287025372_6aaff25611_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nEqEZs)Moth (https://flic.kr/p/2nEqEZs) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
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A small yellow bird, feasting on the blackfly on a Clematis in our garden. No idea what it was. Not Yellowhammer, not Siskin, not Yellow Wagtail, although it closely resembled one but with a shorter tail, and no wagging! Never seen one before. Wasn't a finch. May have had a dark "eyeborw". Lovely little thing.
Puzzling! Greenfinches can look yellow:-
https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=fufl4unD&id=2C19A98100D0048BBA088E271C4B8A31945BC795&thid=OIP.fufl4unD1OrI1gpEjGDCnwHaE8&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2flive.staticflickr.com%2f65535%2f49469271311_1a35d59481.jpg&cdnurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR.7ee7e5e2e9c3d4eac8d60a448c60c29f%3frik%3dlcdblDGKSxwnjg%26pid%3dImgRaw%26r%3d0%26sres%3d1%26sresct%3d1%26srh%3d799%26srw%3d1198&exph=333&expw=499&q=Greenfinch+vs+Goldfinch&simid=607992147765387722&FORM=IRPRST&ck=325A1C371D24E4ADCC2EC1C37141C0FD&selectedIndex=0 (https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=fufl4unD&id=2C19A98100D0048BBA088E271C4B8A31945BC795&thid=OIP.fufl4unD1OrI1gpEjGDCnwHaE8&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2flive.staticflickr.com%2f65535%2f49469271311_1a35d59481.jpg&cdnurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR.7ee7e5e2e9c3d4eac8d60a448c60c29f%3frik%3dlcdblDGKSxwnjg%26pid%3dImgRaw%26r%3d0%26sres%3d1%26sresct%3d1%26srh%3d799%26srw%3d1198&exph=333&expw=499&q=Greenfinch+vs+Goldfinch&simid=607992147765387722&FORM=IRPRST&ck=325A1C371D24E4ADCC2EC1C37141C0FD&selectedIndex=0)
But maybe someone lost a canary?!
It didn’t have a finches beak shape though, definitely an insect eater. And wrong “form” for a canary..
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Goldcrest?
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I wish! They are about in the nearby Wendover woods, but are top of the high canopy birds. I did look, but this was bigger, about the size of a Dunnock - or indeed the aforementioned Wagtail. I'll have to go through our bird books. Sadly we've not seen it again.
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Just witnessed a Sparrowhawk nabbing one of the resident sparrows right off our garden bird feeder.
It has since gone incredibly quiet out there!
Sent from my STF-L09 using Tapatalk
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Just witnessed a Sparrowhawk nabbing one of the resident sparrows right off our garden bird feeder.
It has since gone incredibly quiet out there!
Sent from my STF-L09 using Tapatalk
Surprised?
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One of these on one of our sunflowers. Any ideas?
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52295093445_1fde733285_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nF92ma)Moth? (https://flic.kr/p/2nF92ma) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
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Acronicta rumicis, the knot grass moth (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acronicta_rumicis) possibly.
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Acronicta rumicis, the knot grass moth (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acronicta_rumicis) possibly.
Yep, I just found that one too, and think you’re right. Never seen one before, for something supposedly common.
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Sparrowhawk, right outside the window.
It was very fat. Lots of sparrows and starlings round here.
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"But there wasn't as many as there was a while ago." Battle Of New Orleans (Johnny Horton (US) and Lonnie Donegan (UK)
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Gosh Peter. 1814?
You Silly Billy. :)
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Having a glass of wine tonight on the patio a hedgehog scurried past me to drink from the terracotta dish (rescued from a huge plant pot that broke) that we fill with water for wildlife.
I have connected the dish to the drip system for the patio plant pots so it gets at least some water whilst we are on holiday as the drought is predicted to go on through September.
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Gosh Peter. 1814?
You Silly Billy. :)
Right on both counts, Basil! You had to be there!!!
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Not seen, but heard, the first harbinger of autumn. The geese from the local reservoir did a honking sweep over the house this morning.
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A couple of nights ago I disturbed a pair of muntjacs whilst I was cycling along a bridleway.
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I think I have a wasps nest in the willow stump. There's loads of them all over the growth as keeps growing from the stump
It's a 100 foot from house so they can stay as far as I'm although do need to trim the willow back as it's got too big again but will have to wait or try and do at dusk
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What I assume is a juvenile squirrel from a second litter, brought in courtesy of our cat.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52316297791_d48eeb4d9e_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nH1GEk)Prey (https://flic.kr/p/2nH1GEk) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
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Numerous herons whilst cycling across the fens yesterday, fishing the drainage ditches at the field edges. Also a badger crossing one of the many bridges over waterways on the approach to Goole from the south. It was an inky black moonless night and I heard his claws scratching at the road surface as he ran before I saw him. Their gait always makes me giggle. It looks so ungainly.
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What I assume is a juvenile squirrel from a second litter, brought in courtesy of our cat.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52316297791_d48eeb4d9e_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nH1GEk)Prey (https://flic.kr/p/2nH1GEk) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
It looks like an edible dormouse to me.
Does your location match the distribution "confined in UK to Chilterns and adjacent woodlands mostly within 35km of Tring"?
If so, or approximately so, it may be worth reporting to your local wildlife people.
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We’re around 5km from Tring - so yes! It’s the second one she’s had this year. We’ve been here 22 years and those are the first we’ve seen - though the local hardware stores sell glis glis traps.
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Not seen, but heard, the first harbinger of autumn. The geese from the local reservoir did a honking sweep over the house this morning.
On Sunday evening, above the Severn estuary, I saw a flock of ducks land in a field then about ten minutes later a flock of geese landed and chased them out! It was a field that had recently been harvested so I presume they were eating spilt grain, or maybe it was insects?
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I think I have a wasps nest in the willow stump. There's loads of them all over the growth as keeps growing from the stump
It's a 100 foot from house so they can stay as far as I'm although do need to trim the willow back as it's got too big again but will have to wait or try and do at dusk
We usually have a nest or two in the house walls every summer - half-timbered house. You can get sprays with an injector nozzle to slaughter them with but they're no real trouble: if they come inside they usually go out again, especially if you wave something large & bright such as an A4 pad at them. We usually just let them go about their business. On year they left us a present in the loft: https://pbase.com/johnewing/for_sale_or_rent
By and large we like wasps - they're intelligent. One year after having dinner in the garden a wasp settled on the edge of a dish that had contained some egg-based dish MrsT had made. Over the next half-hour we watched that beastie carefully carve out small chunks of egg and ferry them 20-odd metres into the barn, back and forth without a pause. Towards the end we were practically cheering it on.
Hornets are different. Around ten years ago we had them nesting in the gap between two floors. That was a different kettle of fish: they came down into the kitchen between the beams by the dozen and we were whacking them out of the air à la Serena Williams. The fire brigade dealt with them for us.
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If you can tolerate a wasps' nest then it's best to do so. By winter the whole lot will have died, apart from the hibernating queens, and they don't re-occupy old nests. Paper cells don't have the reusability that beeswax ones do.
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And another on the kitchen floor this morning….. this one much more edible dormouse-lik, possibly because it was a male, whereas the first one was the female. It also weighed more.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52332069067_018c8a60fa_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nJpwUT)Dormouse redux (https://flic.kr/p/2nJpwUT) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
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If you can tolerate a wasps' nest then it's best to do so. By winter the whole lot will have died, apart from the hibernating queens, and they don't re-occupy old nests. Paper cells don't have the reusability that beeswax ones do.
Yeah they're no bother. I may have been wrong on the nest. Last weekend our hedge which has ivy in was crawling with wasps and bees
We did have one nest in our kitchen roof i had to get rid off as their exit was basically underneath my very young daughters bedroom window. When we had building work they took the empty nest out for us and was amazing
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They are, aren't they? When we got the one I made that gallery of we put it in the Inlaw Maw's glass cabinet in the lounge. >10 years later we still have it, but if you touch it it crumbles under your fingers.
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An elephant hawk-moth larva. I didn't realise what it was as I approached it on the lawn this morning and was already rootling in my poo bag pocket. Yes. It was huge.
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Whiplash double-take there, thinking colostomy but then I thought nah, dog.
Meanwhile with autumn drawing on I've realized that I've seen precious few lizards this year, maybe half a dozen tops. I guess they don't like being desiccated.
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https://photos.app.goo.gl/FJRZyCGHbbRe3vwN8
I saw this little fella and wondered what it is . It is nearly the same colour as my trike :)
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Sycamore moth?
https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=GTS5tqW3&id=C438E9A7A82C11937BEA7A75BB86556852E4D006&thid=OIP.GTS5tqW3-g0NnFz40If8mgHaE6&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR.1934b9b6a5b7fa0d0d9c5cf8d087fc9a%3frik%3dBtDkUmhVhrt1eg%26riu%3dhttp%253a%252f%252f1.bp.blogspot.com%252f-7AqGILpj84k%252fU-iIKifiSCI%252fAAAAAAAAA8s%252fy4SpSHc-PI8%252fs1600%252fDSC_0592%252b(1).JPG%26ehk%3dqwJ6LMcaRMShEgOGR%252fGxVqJQBjsoaJLomSpB9Mf7%252bjI%253d%26risl%3d%26pid%3dImgRaw%26r%3d0&exph=1062&expw=1600&q=Sycamore+Moth+Caterpillar&simid=608017917607818804&FORM=IRPRST&ck=35D149D514223337FDB2C301C17A3DD4&selectedIndex=6 (https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=GTS5tqW3&id=C438E9A7A82C11937BEA7A75BB86556852E4D006&thid=OIP.GTS5tqW3-g0NnFz40If8mgHaE6&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR.1934b9b6a5b7fa0d0d9c5cf8d087fc9a%3frik%3dBtDkUmhVhrt1eg%26riu%3dhttp%253a%252f%252f1.bp.blogspot.com%252f-7AqGILpj84k%252fU-iIKifiSCI%252fAAAAAAAAA8s%252fy4SpSHc-PI8%252fs1600%252fDSC_0592%252b(1).JPG%26ehk%3dqwJ6LMcaRMShEgOGR%252fGxVqJQBjsoaJLomSpB9Mf7%252bjI%253d%26risl%3d%26pid%3dImgRaw%26r%3d0&exph=1062&expw=1600&q=Sycamore+Moth+Caterpillar&simid=608017917607818804&FORM=IRPRST&ck=35D149D514223337FDB2C301C17A3DD4&selectedIndex=6)
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Rather odd but for the last week or so have had several times a day a crow or a magpie coming and attacking my office windows. It's a ground floor and has reflective foil so they can't see me if I move slowly
Don't know if it's a reflection of themselves they're attacking, or probably is as just went and looked in and you can't see anything inside but have a very good reflection. It's odd that it's started happening with at least two birds of different species
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Crow and magpie are pretty much the same species, brain-wise!
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Our rented Derbyshire cottage has a goodly selection of birds. Over the past couple of days, from the dining table, we have seen robins, great tits, blue tits, wrens, goldfinches, chaffinches and a blackcap. Also there is what appears to be a vole occupying a dry-stone wall, which has obviously been named the Vole in the Wall.
There are house martins an, after dark, bats.
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Crow was back again. This time it took a stone with it when itleft. They often dig through the stones outside my window for tasty morsels
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Our gite in Provence had jays which seemed to be filling the same niche that jackdaws do round here. Granted it was in a wooded area but we are near woods in the UK and I have very rarely seen a jay. These French ones would appear in touching distance outside the window trying to get grapes from the vines covering the terrace.
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Crow was back again. This time it took a stone with it when itleft. They often dig through the stones outside my window for tasty morsels
I noticed the other day that the path we take to the next village had quite a few walnut shells on it but no nearby nut-trees. The crows & ravens bring them there and drop them from a height to break them open. Clever beasts.
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A baby grey squirrel - quite unusual, around here anyway, I think as they don’t generally come out much until they are nearly as large as the adults. This one was on its first foray out. I saw that it was struggling somewhat on the monkey puzzle tree, and just as I was thinking “you’re going to fall off”, it did :( Quite a drop too, 20 feet or more I think.
I went out on the balcony for a look and thankfully it was OK - and eventually climbed back up after a bit of a cuddle from mum:
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/cevvsc3tppgoida/20220919_081458.mov?dl=0 (https://dl.dropbox.com/s/cevvsc3tppgoida/20220919_081458.mov?dl=0)
After a short time back in the nest, it followed its parent down the tree again - and fell off again! From even higher up this time. Mum takes a different approach to the return trip:
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/tjr2nz8dlzh1dhf/IMG_5672.mov?dl=0 (https://dl.dropbox.com/s/tjr2nz8dlzh1dhf/IMG_5672.mov?dl=0)
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Sqrls (several), bluebirbs (faahsands), a small but perfectly formed lizard and a squadron of vautours or similar just outside Oakdale CA. At least ten of 'em, one of which seemed to have his beady eye on me.
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A Pallid Harrier. A what? An average of 2 sightings per year in the UK, I believe. One was seen and photographed and posted on Facebook on Friday, and it was confirmed as a Pallid Harrier by people who know about these things. Yesterday I went to the area it had been seen (about a 20 minute walk from where I'm staying). I saw one obvious twitcher and little else.
This morning I went back - the tide allowed me get there via the beach. There were already people visible on the road through the golf course (not moving, so not golfers). As I was getting closer, I saw 3 people pointing very long lenses at a point above my head, and silhouetted against the sky was a bird of prey. The three twitchers, who had come the hundred miles or so from Glasgow that morning, confirmed that it was indeed the Pallid Harrier I had seen.
I stayed about an hour chatting to various twitchers, gazing into the distance - at one point it was on a very distant fence post and visible using a powerful telescope, and from time to time it would fly about a bit, but little more than a distant spot unless you had powerful binoculars.
As I was making my way back via a headland, a bird flashed past me, about 30 ft away before disappearing into some trees some distance ahead, and I'm pretty sure it was the one. I got a good view and it matched pictures online (although most but not all pictures are from below and I saw it from above).
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Wow. Fantastic.
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Pallid harrier makes me think one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse has become a Goth.
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A Pallid Harrier. A what? An average of 2 sightings per year in the UK, I believe.
A bit more often than that, these days.
Point of Lag (D&G) Friday (https://twitter.com/DGBirdNews/status/1576180447683674113), Kent & Dorset Tuesday, Norfolk 13th Sept, Yorkshire 11th Sept, Staffs 10th Sept, Surrey 2nd Sept, Ayrshire 29 Aug ...
I suspect that it's mostly better identification, with digital cameras allowing close scrutiny of the plumage details, and more details readily available on exactly what to look for.
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A small number of avocets, some godwits, a few wigeon and a swallow.
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A hornet, no idea if Asian or not was driving a customers van back to them and it flew in so I managed to open window a bit more and off it popped. Bloody huge thing
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Whereabouts was that? You are Essex-based, aren't you?
I saw in the local rag that some pest control/beekeeper type removed an enormous Asian hornet's nest from a sycamore tree in Rayleigh last week. Probably too late in the season to have stopped next year's queens all buggering off and finding somewhere to hibernate though.
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A whooper swan in Furryboottoon.
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A sparrow hawk perched on the back of one of our garden chairs just now.
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Not sure what I saw tonight. A huge, really huge, flock of birds about the shape and size of swifts, high up, but heading north? Huh?
I've not seen anything like that before here.
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https://dl.dropbox.com/s/tjr2nz8dlzh1dhf/IMG_5672.mov?dl=0 (https://dl.dropbox.com/s/tjr2nz8dlzh1dhf/IMG_5672.mov?dl=0)
That little one has an equally inept sibling. Both are a little bigger than that now, and I watched them emerge from the nest this morning and go through their warm-up routine up and down the monkey-puzzle and the false acacia just behind it. Then the inevitable: another fall, this time from close to the top of the acacia, which is a hell of a drop. A few seconds sitting still on the ground, attentively watched from above by its sibling, and off it scarpered. They can fall a great height as long as they land OK,
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Whereabouts was that? You are Essex-based, aren't you?
I saw in the local rag that some pest control/beekeeper type removed an enormous Asian hornet's nest from a sycamore tree in Rayleigh last week. Probably too late in the season to have stopped next year's queens all buggering off and finding somewhere to hibernate though.
Colchester, near the A12/A120 junction
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A hornet, no idea if Asian or not was driving a customers van back to them and it flew in so I managed to open window a bit more and off it popped. Bloody huge thing
A normal british hornet, in the pub :).
(https://dl.dropbox.com/s/1jdnuj3s59y05h7/hornet.jpg?dl=0)
The Asian hornets are black with a single yellow segment (https://www.ahat.org.uk/identification), and yellow legs
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An Anemone.
First time I've seen one. Growing on the leaf of some seaweed. Gorgeous green and purple colours.
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A song thrush has visited my garden on several occasions today. It must be at least a decade since I last saw one.
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Not today, but I have only just returned from Holkham, where we chanced upon some shore larks. We were told there were currently 12 in the UK and we watched at least four of them from a distance.
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A fleeting glimpse of a grey wagtail in Priory Park.
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I went out today despite the occasionally shite weather, and dropped in at Barnes, the WWT wetlands centre in London. Mix of ducks, a couple of siskins, and... the best views I have ever had of a bittern.
He came out to the edge of the reeds, and posed, turning round occasionally, for around twenty minutes. Drooped a wing every so often, struck an odd pose with wings spread and neck fully extended with all the feathers fluffed out, then flew to another reed patch. His plumage was absolutely fresh and pristine, and he was utterly gorgeous. I felt blessed.
I still laughed when he landed, as he had clearly misjudged the depth of the water and had to scrabble to get back up onto drier reedery, before disappearing into the foliage.
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A pair of Egyptian Geese in my neck of the woods have a new family. I saw at least two chicks as I cycled along the by the side of the Thames. Wrong time of year for that sort of thing surely.
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This, halfway through a forest on Monday:
(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/173139471.jpg)
Not your usual woody denizen. Looks like someone dumped their garden waste and it took.
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When we came home the other day from a week on the Isle of Wight we found a mouse, deceased, in the middle of the rug in front of the fireplace. Since we don't have a cat and the house had been locked up for a week it must have just wandered on to the rug and expired. Still, at least it was in plain view - unlike the one that shuffled of its mortal coil under the fridge. We eventually located that one by the smell.
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A Painted Lady flitting around the garden. Seems unusual for mid November.
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Having put the feeders up last weekend, we’ve had the usual blue tits, great tits, chaffinches, goldfinches and sparrows. Plus a couple of collared doves, a few starlings (which are unusual since their roost of the 30m leylandii in our neighbours garden was removed 10 years ago) and today a greater spotted woodpecker on our (wooden) pergola next to the peanut feeder. Plus (it being some 15C today) a couple of solitary bumblebees.
Hopefully the colder weather due in a weeks time will kill off the remaining wasps under our neighbours soffit, we’ve had a couple of dopey ones crawling on the bathroom floor in the night…..
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We saw a goldcrest near our manor yesterday, which was nice.
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We saw a goldcrest near our manor yesterday, which was nice.
We supposedly have lots of them, and a pub of the same name, nearby. But as they inhabit the canopy of Wendover Woods, and said canopy is around 30m high, casual sightings are unlikely.
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Yesterday while walking my dog down the Odet from Quimper (I live 100 metres from the estuary), I met a group of birdwatchers on the towpath I use. They were looking at a pair of spoonbills (spatules), and a group of cattle egrettes (aigrettes garde boeufs). There were also cormorants and little egrets (aigrettes sarcelles) around and these are normal, as are herons. I have seen all of these nearer the coast, but not the spoonbills or cattle egrets within a dog's walk from the house.
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Female blackcap on the feeders.
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Yesterday while walking my dog down the Odet from Quimper (I live 100 metres from the estuary), I met a group of birdwatchers on the towpath I use. They were looking at a pair of spoonbills (spatules), and a group of cattle egrettes (aigrettes garde boeufs). There were also cormorants and little egrets (aigrettes sarcelles) around and these are normal, as are herons. I have seen all of these nearer the coast, but not the spoonbills or cattle egrets within a dog's walk from the house.
That's nifty. I've only once seen little egrets over this side, but then it was a whole flock. OTOH I have seen Sarcelles. Bleh.
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Jan and I were walking in the park this morning. A flock of small birds descended into a nearby cherry tree, which was still mostly with leaves, albeit yellowing ones. I could hear them and felt pretty sure that the majority were blue and long-tailed tits.
However.
I looked up and saw two goldcrests amongst the foliage. I desperately tried to get my phone camera to snap them, to no avail. Then, within a couple of yards of us, these two tiny slivers of avian life went at each other, hammer and tongs, and gently spiralled towards the ground whilst continuing to attack one another. When they reached the ground they separated and then flitted back up into the tree.
And I, of course, totally failed to get my phone camera working in time to capture it.
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One green woodpecker, one heron, one egret. The heron & the egret were sharing a fallen tree in the middle of a lake by the road. I circled back to try & get a pic but Sod's Law of Impromptu Bird Photography applied, viz: you'll be lucky, mate: first the heron then the egret buggered off. T42's Law of etc.: get the wretched camera out before you look for a place to shoot from.
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A large and not shy rat on the canal path.
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2 baby newts, one on the back step, one on the patio.
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Flock of Canada geese down in a field, milling about as if it was Villaines-La-Juhel and they were looking for the bloke to stamp their cards.
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Some sparrows on our bird feeder, which probably means food may be starting to get scarce for them as haven't had any for ages. Did strip and clean the feeder a few weeks back just to be safe with bird flu
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A couple of unusual things, at least for us. Two red kites mobbing a kestrel over the field opposite. Usually it’s crows mobbing the kites. And, on the ground beneath our feeders, a pied wagtail.
Our local chaffinches seem to have an outbreak of papilloma virus, but since they can’t get onto the feeders - ineptitude on their part - it shouldn’t spread to other species.
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Finally managed to get a (not very good) pic of a goldcrest today.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52584846347_8d81a9ca59_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2o7K5MR)
Goldcrest (Regulus regulus) (https://flic.kr/p/2o7K5MR) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Some sparrows on our bird feeder, which probably means food may be starting to get scarce for them as haven't had any for ages. Did strip and clean the feeder a few weeks back just to be safe with bird flu
Don't eat from the same feeder as the birds - you'll be fine.
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Along with the usuals blue- and great tits, sparrows, robins and goldfinches we had a lesser spotted woodpecker and a blackcap, both female.
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Today we had a male and female blackcap on the feeders at the same time. And a little later a rat cleaning up dropped food, although this is usually the preserve of squirrels, pigeons and chaffinches - the latter aren’t generally too good at perching on the seed feeders.
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Red crested Woodpecker yesterday. Not often seen in the garden.
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Red crested Woodpecker yesterday. Not often seen in the garden.
Given it’s a native of North America that rarity is not a surprise!
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Possibly greater spotted, whose male has a red patch on the neck - they visit gardens. Green woodpecker might visit what a stately home might call a garden but would be rare in a "normal" one. But it has a beautiful red stripe on its head - all sexes.
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Today we had a male and female blackcap on the feeders at the same time. And a little later a rat cleaning up dropped food, although this is usually the preserve of squirrels, pigeons and chaffinches - the latter aren’t generally too good at perching on the seed feeders.
May depend on your perches, I got some ring perches to go on ours, as apparently some birds like to sit face on, while others prefer side on. The chaffinches seem happy enough with them.
https://www.reallywildbirdfood.co.uk/feeder-accessories/perch-rings-for-ring-pull--feeders/rpr-
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We've Squirell Busters (very neccessary where we are), so essentially ring perches. I think it's just a preference. Some robins will perch, other wont.
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Ouch...
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/prolapse.jpg)
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^ouch indeed
I went out to the tractor field to see if a barn owl would put in an appearance. While I waited, a flock of canada geese flew over, led by a mute swan. I also had a chiffchaff perch next to me. After nearly an hour, a owl appeared briefly. By then it was really too dark for photos, but that rarely stops me trying.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52611291699_316710a436_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oa5C5c)wolly (https://flic.kr/p/2oa5C5c) by PaulRide (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62297839@N05/), on Flickr
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Brilliant! Thanks.
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Brilliant is right - it's tremendous. Not just catching the owl, but the entire picture: competition material.
---o0o---
Yesterday as I was fighting the wind along the Marne-Rhine canal I saw a soot-black duck-shaped bird with a partly-yellow bill taking off from the water. Annoyingly I had to navigate round a brace of dog-walkers a second or two later, and when I looked back it was gone. Oiseaux.net suggests it was a Black Scoter (https://www.oiseaux.net/birds/black.scoter.html).
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Yesterday as I was fighting the wind along the Marne-Rhine canal I saw a soot-black duck-shaped bird with a partly-yellow bill taking off from the water. Annoyingly I had to navigate round a brace of dog-walkers a second or two later, and when I looked back it was gone. Oiseaux.net suggests it was a Black Scoter (https://www.oiseaux.net/birds/black.scoter.html).
Unlikely.
Much more likely to be a blackish farmyard/park mallard type duck (https://as2.ftcdn.net/v2/jpg/02/31/55/23/1000_F_231552373_BoaSvLr4AZamexupEz8IF3VrR3rB5tN7.jpg).
Scoters are almost entirely a maritime species at this time of year, and the Black Scoter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_scoter) is a North American species anyway, as the latin name implies. There's the similar Common Scoter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_scoter), with a small amount of yellow, but even that's unlikely in an inland area.
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Yesterday as I was fighting the wind along the Marne-Rhine canal I saw a soot-black duck-shaped bird with a partly-yellow bill taking off from the water. Annoyingly I had to navigate round a brace of dog-walkers a second or two later, and when I looked back it was gone. Oiseaux.net suggests it was a Black Scoter (https://www.oiseaux.net/birds/black.scoter.html).
Unlikely.
Much more likely to be a blackish farmyard/park mallard type duck (https://as2.ftcdn.net/v2/jpg/02/31/55/23/1000_F_231552373_BoaSvLr4AZamexupEz8IF3VrR3rB5tN7.jpg).
Scoters are almost entirely a maritime species at this time of year, and the Black Scoter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_scoter) is a North American species anyway, as the latin name implies. There's the similar Common Scoter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_scoter), with a small amount of yellow, but even that's unlikely in an inland area.
I thought it a bit of a stretch too, but that page I referenced has a distribution map that covers most of the northern hemisphere; and even though we are ~500k from the sea here I see gulls almost every time I ride along the canal. The thing was dead black, too, apart from the very striking yellow on the bill.
The weather has been so half-arsed lately I wouldn't be surprised to see an off-course vulture.
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I thought it a bit of a stretch too, but that page I referenced has a distribution map that covers most of the northern hemisphere
The distribution map in your link was well dodgy.
It's whole countries only, so the population around the Bering Strait colours the whole of Russia, and adding in the odd vagrant colours the UK, France etc.
There are more meaningful distribution maps in the wikipedia pages I linked.
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ISWYM. I'll keep an eye out next time I'm down that way but I've been riding along there for the last 25 years and that's the first time I've seen anything like it. Mallard, swans, herons & gulls are common as get out and Canada geese are not unusual lately.
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Yesterday lunchtime, in our back garden, a male bullfinch.
A few minutes later, a pair of great spotted woodpeckers on the top of the telegraph pole, also in the back garden.
We get both infrequently, but I'm not sure we've ever had a pair of woodpeckers.
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I regularly see up to a dozen deer in fields on my way to work. Over the last week about a dozen migratory swans (Whooper or Berwick) have taken over an area of one of the deer’s fields.
Much nearer the road I have had a huge heron fly along side me twice this week, and got to within about 3 metres of a barn owl hunting in the ditch alongside the road, twice as well.
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I have just witnessed a pair of foxes on my neighbour's (gently sloping) shed roof having three attempts at producing the next generation.
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A slightly better view today
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52631299459_c993c0d48e_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obRaFz)
Barn owl (https://flic.kr/p/2obRaFz) by PaulRide (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62297839@N05/), on Flickr
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Nice!
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and again last night
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52633851347_93d0774175_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oc5fgD)g (https://flic.kr/p/2oc5fgD) by PaulRide (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62297839@N05/), on Flickr
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An excellent shot, Paul, beautiful.
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Beautiful
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Absolutely beautiful frosty walk this afternoon. Tilly flushed a really big hare that shot through a gap in the hedge and down the hill.
We are really lucky there are loads of hares round the village.
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Lovely wol that.
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Just been watching a quartet of ravens - two adults & their fully-grown offspring - teasing the life out of next door's chickens, A getting chased by the dominant cock while B, C and D make off with grub, then A nipping in for his when the cock catches on and goes charging after them. Hens all wandering about with an air of "not my problem".
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40+ Redwings outside in the sun, frantically turning over oak leaves...
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Well, it's New Year - turn over a new leaf and al that. You had any fieldfares?
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Suffering from lack of zeal, I decided to have coffee and cake instead of going out for a ride. My indolence was rewarded by the sight of a female blackcap drinking from the bird bath. I might just sit around for a bit longer.
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Cool. We had a male blackcap nomming the apples I put out.
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A Great Egret gliding down the length of the stream that threads our valley. Must be hard up for grub if it's forced to look in there.
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A huge Reeves's pheasant that decided to join in our ride by trotting along the road with us for several hundred yards. Extremely tame, and probably escaped from somewhere. Stunning bird.
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Three different species of owl in one day is good going.
Barn Owl perched on a post near home as I was driving to an event around dawn.
Short-eared Owl hunting on a fell in daylight as I drove home.
Tawny Owl calling and then doing a flypast of the back door this evening.
Just need the Little Owls to put in an appearance.....
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I saw three different barn owls yesterday, either side of Yad Moss.
(and a deer on the old railway near MSG today)
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I think it was a mink this morning swimming along in the canal.
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Couple of days ago, in Ely (Cambs)
A pristine red admiral. (May be should be in signs of spring)
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Saw a kestrel hunting next to the runway when I landed at Schipol this morning.
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Three separate Brimstone butterflies, in various parts of North Hampshire
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There was a bumper crop of red kites out and about today looking to pick off the stragglers on the Rutland and Beyond audax. I particularly enjoyed watching one soaring a hedgeline at the top of Horse Hill, Goadby.
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A Skylark in Home Park (Hampton Court). Heard its characteristic sound, then spotted it in the clear blue sky just in time to watch its descent.
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Excellent wol pix back there.
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Some saddle cows
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/saddle_cows.jpg)
A few local wobblies
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/wobblies.jpg)
and a sore cow. Spoilered.
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/sore_cow.jpg)
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A group of at least ten buzzards flying over the garden. Never seen that many together before.
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A nuthatch outside our window on a visit to Heidelberg.
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A convoy of marching caterpillars, must have been over 60, quite cool. Hopefully this link to video works
https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/52715324960/in/datetaken/
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A convoy of marching caterpillars, must have been over 60, quite cool. Hopefully this link to video works
https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/52715324960/in/datetaken/
Linky worky :thumbsup: and my! that's a lot of 'pillars - not in Aberdeen I take it.
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Wow. I've never seen anything like that before.
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A group of at least ten buzzards flying over the garden. Never seen that many together before.
We used to see a big group like that sometimes circling above the old castle hill in Malton presumably catching a nice thermal. Haven't seen more than three or four together for years though and just usually solo's or a pair.
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A convoy of marching caterpillars, must have been over 60, quite cool. Hopefully this link to video works
https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/52715324960/in/datetaken/
Pine processionary caterpillars. Presumably you are in the med area somewhere.
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We are just up the coast from Benidorm.
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Three days ago, as I stood in my back garden, a red kite at about 15 feet above me. Today, from the bus, another over Riverside, where the FNRTTC approaches the airport.
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A convoy of marching caterpillars, must have been over 60, quite cool. Hopefully this link to video works
https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/52715324960/in/datetaken/
We have oak processionary caterpillars in Germany and their hairs make you terribly itchy. There are warning signs on a lot of the trees around here.
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Grey Wagtail in Eastrop Park, noticeable, ironically because of its yellow underside
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Grey Wagtail in Eastrop Park, noticeable, ironically because of its yellow underside
Ha! I always think that. (Watch out for the yellow ones - they're green!)
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Nuthatch at the feeder - and this is urban Rochdale. Also the usual suspects, dunnocks, robin, doves and pigeons and tits, though mercifully not 30p Lee. Last week a rare but beautiful glimpse of bullfinches. Obviously squirrels and rats, all trying to make a living. Oh, and a thrush, which was a bit of a bonus. They sing in the season and we see one perched on a tree, a lot, but it's rare to see one ground feeding here. It's lovely to think that things like nuthatches and bullfinches are around all the time in such an urban setting but you need to be lucky to see them!
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Grey Wagtail in Eastrop Park, noticeable, ironically because of its yellow underside
Ha! I always think that. (Watch out for the yellow ones - they're green!)
For the colour thread?
And sticking with colours, a robin's breast isn't red, it's orange. At least to my eyes. Including the one I saw dead but perfectly intact on the pavement yesterday.
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Not seen by me, and not seen today, but last night a fellow bass at choir told me that when he visited Wallasea island nature reserve at the weekend, he saw a stoat in full ermine livery. That must be pretty unusual this far south, I would have thought.
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possibly a polecat ferret? They can be white.
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This morning a pair of long-tailed tits visited my garden. I was on a work call with a colleague - I hope he understood my excitement as I rushed to the window to double check that they really were long-tailed tits and not the usual blue tits/sparrows/etc.
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This morning a pair of long-tailed tits visited my garden. I was on a work call with a colleague - I hope he understood my excitement as I rushed to the window to double check that they really were long-tailed tits and not the usual blue tits/sparrows/etc.
Last weekend we visited some friends in Dorset. As we walked in to their back room I saw half a dozen Long Tails on their feeders. They(the friends, not the tits) were somewhat surprised by my exited reaction.
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Yesterday, admittedly: the sun came out, I wandered down to the tractor field and there was a owl again.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52734273182_a1f3b8e650_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2okWWbA) (https://flic.kr/p/2okWWbA) by PaulRide (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62297839@N05/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52734794226_e0ff16940e_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2okZB57) (https://flic.kr/p/2okZB57) by PaulRide (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62297839@N05/), on Flickr
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Some excellent photography going on there, Paul :thumbsup:
Focal length, shutter speed, aperture pls?
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Thanks Jurek! I was using Mike's old magic drainpipe, an 80-200mm canon lens at full extension, with a canon 7d2 hanging off the back. I also used a 1.4x teleconverter. And for good measure, a 2x teleconverter as well. So roughly 560mm focal length, 1/1000s and somewhere around f9.5 at iso800.
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A lovely huge barn owl flying down the lane just outside our front gate when I was walking Tilly yesterday teatime. There are several barn owls round the village but that's the first time I have seen one in the lane since the field was set aside for about ten years (these days its wheat).
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In recent days, we've see a variety of birds on our feeders, the usual throngs of goldfich, blue and great tits, some sparrows and chaffinches. Less regularly, but far more often in past years, long tailed tits, and the occasional wagtail (scavenging), greenfinch and black cap.
This morning, on the fence about 3m from the back door, and 2 m from the feeders, a sparrowhawk. Lovely.
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After several sparse years due to disease, the greenfinches are making a re-appearance.
Fingers crossed.
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It seems to be barn owl season judging by recent posts. Great photos too.
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possibly a polecat ferret? They can be white.
No, he mentioned the black tail. And ferret tend to be albino. Also, this is an island nature reserve with hardly any human habitation. I think it's less likely that a ferret would be there than a stoat in winter coat.
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Two hares hunkered down in the big field down the road.
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An owl flying alongside the lane in broad daylight.
Sent from my motorola edge 20 using Tapatalk
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Ms Vixen Fox paid another visit to my residence at 1215 today, getting right up to the kitchen patio door.
Suspect she might grok the cat flap soon…
Cat flap is big enough for 7kg of Big Tom and she seems slim enough to get through…
Ms Fox reappeared at 13.45 and was witnessed by D.
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possibly a polecat ferret? They can be white.
No, he mentioned the black tail. And ferret tend to be albino. Also, this is an island nature reserve with hardly any human habitation. I think it's less likely that a ferret would be there than a stoat in winter coat.
Ah, fair enough! I was in the dark about the black tail - if you see what I mean!
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https://mastodon.social/@wowbagger@c.im/110038396881791894
(https://files.mastodon.social/cache/media_attachments/files/110/038/396/771/511/662/original/2a2ed8d980f5b102.png)
What I'm told is a turkey tail fungus, on an old pear stump in My Good Friend Penelope's garden.
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A healthy-looking Rattus norvegicus scampering along the bike path under the Crooked Billet roundabout on Monday.
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https://www.iwradio.co.uk/news/isle-of-wight-news/bear-spotted-on-brading-marshes-first-isle-of-wight-grizzly-sighting-since-1966/
:jurek:
;)
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A healthy-looking Rattus norvegicus scampering along the bike path under the Crooked Billet roundabout on Monday.
I was remarking to a friend how the sliding safety doors on the Jubilee Line extension prevented us being entertained by rodents, just the other day...
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Mme Fx is not nocturnal.
I observed her in the garden at 13.10 BST today. She seemed to startle the cats, who were sunning themselves on the other side of a shrub.
Mme Fox LOVES playing with next-door neighbours' foam balls but they have thwarted her movements but blocking off a hole in the fence.
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Juvenile cormorant in the river this morning. Confused me somewhat when it went up into a tree and displayed its white under parts. Checked the book on return which confirmed that's what juveniles look like.
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I visited my cousin in Emberton yesterday and we had a stroll around the country park. The river Great Ouse ouses past a reasonnable-sized lake, which is probably a flooded gravel pit.
There are otters there - a mother and two kitts. Cousin showed me a video she took of two of them, waliking across the ice late last November. Naturally, we didn's see any, other than on her video. Exciting stuff! I've never seen otters outside the Scottish islands (Mull, Benbecula and Scalpay).
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Others report seeing them here, but I've not.
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On a 10 mile bike ride (Barling mini-loop) from home:
buzzard being mobbed by herring gull and carrion crow - this was over urban/suburban Southend
numerous chiffchaffs
five swallows (huzzah!) near Bolts Farm, my usual go-to spot for swallow sightings, but much earlier than usual this year
another chiffchaff near the chalk pit behind Barling Church
grey heron flying over the lake
Cetti's warbler making noise briefly. I saw what may well have been it emerging from the bushes from which the noise emanated, but it remained silent after it disappeared into an adjacent hawthorn thicket
song thrush singing near the Barling Road - I didn't see that one.
Not a bad haul for an hour out.
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I saw a couple (literally) of swallows on Saturday. Most surprising!
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As mentioned in the commuting thread, Tuesday I saw a flash of colour that was a kingfisher over a flooded roadside ditch near Rusper.
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A pair of Egyptian Geese with nine young by the Thames
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(https://pbase.com/image/173521290.jpg)
Boar's foot by the path to the next village.
(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/173521291.jpg)
Someone's tapping birch sap.
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Two brimstone butterflies :) and a bumblebee :)
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A pair of Jackdaws with nesting material, and half a dozen swallows.
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I saw this birb on a post in the Thames at bray and wondered what it is. Anyone have any ideas?
https://photos.app.goo.gl/PSEdwKn31y7rGU5Y8
Sorry for the poor picture :)
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I saw this birb on a post in the Thames at bray and wondered what it is. Anyone have any ideas?
https://photos.app.goo.gl/PSEdwKn31y7rGU5Y8
Sorry for the poor picture :)
It's a juvenile cormorant.
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And judging by it's attitude, a Brexit supporter.
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;D ,it looked to me like it had a down curved beek .Good to know what it is thanks :)
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(yesterday actually) - a flock of Avocets on the Bracklesham side of Medmerry. They seemed happily roosting on a little ring-fenced island and then decided to take off in an aerial display. There was also a black-backed gull mobbing an oystercatcher that had strayed onto land I presume it had earmarked for its nest.
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This afternoon, at some bird seed we put on our lawn - we got the seed from our neighbour, and the small birds didn’t like it in the feeders - a magpie and three jackdaws, the latter looking magnificent.
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My first sighting of a green woodpecker on an early morning ride at Bradgate park today, I’ve been hearing them for several weeks now.
A
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I continue to hear a green woodpecker from our garden. I heard what I assume to be the same bird in the churchyard this afternoon. Whilst I was in the park I saw and heard a blackcap - the first this spring for me.
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Remember kids, violence never solved anything.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52819525281_b98e916279_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ottSEn)
IMG_3683_01-1 (https://flic.kr/p/2ottSEn) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52818950942_36fef50bbd_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2otqVVY)
IMG_3688_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2otqVVY) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52818950967_956f5c4ddf_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2otqVWp)
IMG_3690_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2otqVWp) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52819702924_35d5d6d2cf_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2otuMtb)
IMG_3691_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2otuMtb) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Robins are thugs.
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Robin Hood-lum?
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A short-eared owl south of Lechlade. Initially thought it was a barn owl, but it was slightly darker and its flight pattern was not a barn owl's smooth glide. Researched YouTube footage of both species flying to be certain. First time I have ever confirmed a sighting of a short-eared owl.
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At 7:25 yesyerday evening, an otter running across the beach and into the sea, followed by another one. I was about half a football pitch away. I watched their heads as they swam away. Then I followed their tracks to the spot where they had emerged from the rocks onto the sand. I'll be looking out for them for the rest of the time I'm here.
Incidentally it's a beach where there were occasional sightings of Gavin Maxwell taking an otter for a walk on a lead some time in the 20th century.
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A hawk, about the size of a buzzard but different colouration, standing on a man's head. It then hopped onto another's wrist, then to the head of a third man. All five humans in the party had hats or caps and most had thick gauntlets.
Also two swallows (it's not summer yet!) on a wire in Stanton Prior, and a sparrowhawk cruising lazily.
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A bumper day yesterday.
- a godwit, not sure whether bar-tailed or black-tailed.
Possibly juvenile. It didn't move from its chosen stone for about 40 minutes.
- a pair of shelduck
- an adder slithering at the foot of a cliff where it meets the shingle. I watched it for several minutes
- a roe deer I surprised on steps up from the beach. It leapt over a wall then turned so we had a staring contest for a minute or so.
Pictures and videos to follow but not for a week or so.
PS the otters I saw on Monday failed to appear yesterday evening, and my stake-out was in vain
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A pair of Mallards and a Peacock butterfly.
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Catastrophized hedgehog showing he had guts.
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Water Vole Poo, so they have survived the winter.
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I am sure it was a kite (German Milan) flying over my Milan velomobile on the way back from work.
We see buzzards and kestrels the whole time but this looked a very different shape and had the wedge tail. It looked dark brown.
Edit - just found a website which says the Schwarzmilan has been seen in Niederrhein. Cool!
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Raven having a go at a slow worm at the edge of the local cycle path this morning. My presence interrupted its fun but probably not for long.
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I am sure it was a kite (German Milan) flying over my Milan velomobile on the way back from work.
We see buzzards and kestrels the whole time but this looked a very different shape and had the wedge tail. It looked dark brown.
Edit - just found a website which says the Schwarzmilan has been seen in Niederrhein. Cool!
I recall that we saw black kites aplenty when we did our Mosel ride all those years ago.
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I am sure it was a kite (German Milan) flying over my Milan velomobile on the way back from work.
We see buzzards and kestrels the whole time but this looked a very different shape and had the wedge tail. It looked dark brown.
Edit - just found a website which says the Schwarzmilan has been seen in Niederrhein. Cool!
I recall that we saw black kites aplenty when we did our Mosel ride all those years ago.
Yes, and I’ve seen red kites elsewhere in Germany but I’d never seen a black kite where I lived before. Klaus says he hasn’t seen one before, so an unusual visitor this far north.
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They're all black in silhouette. We see kites pretty well all the year round, but they're probably all red. Beautiful birds.
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The mouse that hides under the parasol base we use to support our bird feeders
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52840044873_b52c1170b9_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ovi3qr)Mouse (https://flic.kr/p/2ovi3qr) by Richard Fletcher (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156993878@N08/), on Flickr
And a small blue butterfly
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Two large-ish deer in a small patch of scrubby wood on Friday, pretending I couldn't see them. Having looked at the British Deer Society, I think they might have been sika, but I'm not at all certain.
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Two herons and an egret in the (rather wet) field opposite our cottage.
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Acutally only heard : my first Nightingale of the year struggling to be heard over the traffic at my local hotspot west of Chichester. Must try again earlier/later in the day when there is less background noise.
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Over the weekend in lovely Pembrokeshire: a fair bit of wildlife but nothing especially out of the ordinary, save for the number of swallows. Given that it's obviously far too early in the season for any youngsters to be about yet, I have never seen so many swallows in one area as we saw yesterday whilst driving out to Strumble Head. It makes me wonder where they all nest.
The place we were staying at, here (http://streetmap.co.uk/map?X=198950&Y=235765&A=Y&Z=120), had quite a few, and some rather nice derelict outbuildings for them to nest in. There were also jackdaws nesting in one building adjacent to our cottage.
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Saw my first swifts of the season today.
I shall be interested see if they are still around tomorrow.
Last year we saw them, but they then disappeared for a few days. We figured they were on their way further north, but had stopped off with us for a feed on our insects.
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I've just seen my first swift of the year! I think the first I saw last year was on 6th May.
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Saw my first swifts of the season today.
I shall be interested see if they are still around tomorrow.
Last year we saw them, but they then disappeared for a few days. We figured they were on their way further north, but had stopped off with us for a feed on our insects.
Yes they disappeared and we have had no swifts for 4 days.
Where is our gang?
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Over the weekend in lovely Pembrokeshire: a fair bit of wildlife but nothing especially out of the ordinary, save for the number of swallows. Given that it's obviously far too early in the season for any youngsters to be about yet, I have never seen so many swallows in one area as we saw yesterday whilst driving out to Strumble Head. It makes me wonder where they all nest.
The place we were staying at, here (http://streetmap.co.uk/map?X=198950&Y=235765&A=Y&Z=120), had quite a few, and some rather nice derelict outbuildings for them to nest in. There were also jackdaws nesting in one building adjacent to our cottage.
Saw my first swifts of the season today.
I shall be interested see if they are still around tomorrow.
Last year we saw them, but they then disappeared for a few days. We figured they were on their way further north, but had stopped off with us for a feed on our insects.
Yes they disappeared and we have had no swifts for 4 days.
Where is our gang?
I was thinking about those swallows since last week. It seemed to me that there were far too many of them for the farm buildings in the vicinity of Strumble Head. I think they might have just arrived, and that coastal point is where they first hit land and convene for onward travel.
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There was a flock (neither airborne nor on the ground) of brent geese this morning just west of the jetty at Two tree Island, about 40 birds I reckon. I would have expected then to have left for Siberia before now, but it's cold enough that they don't need to bother. Besides, it would be very hard work at the moment as there has been a brisk north-easterly for days.
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A couple of days ago I spotted a decent sized snail 1.5m up a small holly bush. I wasn't sure whether it was suicidal (either a 'jumper' or hoping to be spotted and eaten by something) or merely masochistic but it seemed to me to be a strange place to find a snail.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52869830817_916a08c822.jpg)
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Hornetish thing the size of my little finger investigating the house timbers this morning just outside my office window; and a while ago a Swallowtail butterfly on a neighbour's lilac.
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(https://i.imgur.com/TZs2i5Y.jpg)
I didn't sign up for this
(https://i.imgur.com/O1eGZoz.jpg)
It was just supposed to be a trim
(https://i.imgur.com/BV7jTT5.jpg)
Coat check
(https://i.imgur.com/jWfyXXk.jpg)
I'm getting that back, right?
(https://i.imgur.com/fvgApdn.jpg)
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'Something for the weekend, sir?'
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(https://i.imgur.com/JvJNLbn.jpg)
I assume they're getting it on.
This is most distasteful.
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A sparrowhawk, on the parking area opposite our house, with a sparrow from the adjacent hedge in its claws.
ETA And again today, this time on the wing over the back field. Plus some swifts.
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More heard than seen. Scene-setting, we live in an 1840’s terrace, the wall height in the bedroom at the front being 7’. The window too is at 6’. At about 6am, we were awakened by several very loud ‘CAW’ noises. That being a jackdaw, which in my stupor I assumed would be on the roof or gutter, and that the next I would hear was feet on slate. Not a bit of it - instead there were 5 or 6 loud knocks on the glass, from the jackdaw pecking it! It must have somehow balanced on the clematis the runs under the window. Quite startling.
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And this afternoon a hare - we know they’re there but they’re quite elusive, a skylark, first of the year and a blue tit, caterpillar in beak, going in to the nest box at the bottom of the garden.
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More heard than seen. Scene-setting, we live in an 1840’s terrace, the wall height in the bedroom at the front being 7’. The window too is at 6’. At about 6am, we were awakened by several very loud ‘CAW’ noises. That being a jackdaw, which in my stupor I assumed would be on the roof or gutter, and that the next I would hear was feet on slate. Not a bit of it - instead there were 5 or 6 loud knocks on the glass, from the jackdaw pecking it! It must have somehow balanced on the clematis the runs under the window. Quite startling.
No sign of Boris Karloff?
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More heard than seen. Scene-setting, we live in an 1840’s terrace, the wall height in the bedroom at the front being 7’. The window too is at 6’. At about 6am, we were awakened by several very loud ‘CAW’ noises. That being a jackdaw, which in my stupor I assumed would be on the roof or gutter, and that the next I would hear was feet on slate. Not a bit of it - instead there were 5 or 6 loud knocks on the glass, from the jackdaw pecking it! It must have somehow balanced on the clematis the runs under the window. Quite startling.
No sign of Boris Karloff?
Thus quoth the Raven, as my wife said.
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More heard than seen. Scene-setting, we live in an 1840’s terrace, the wall height in the bedroom at the front being 7’. The window too is at 6’. At about 6am, we were awakened by several very loud ‘CAW’ noises. That being a jackdaw, which in my stupor I assumed would be on the roof or gutter, and that the next I would hear was feet on slate. Not a bit of it - instead there were 5 or 6 loud knocks on the glass, from the jackdaw pecking it! It must have somehow balanced on the clematis the runs under the window. Quite startling.
No sign of Boris Karloff?
Thus quoth the Raven, as my wife said.
Simon of that ilk? Haven't read any of his for years, must give him another go.
Meanwhile, I haz just ushered this engine of doom out of my office:
(https://pbase.com/image/173615683.jpg)
3 to 4 cm long.
And anent ravens, yesterday I watched as one scrambled from our roof-ridge with much cawing to intercept a heron that was gliding by, completely aloof. I don't think it flapped its wings once, while the raven went spare behind it before dropping away as it banked towards the village stream. Duty done, honour saved on both sides.
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First swifts of the year.
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Just now, a fox at the far side of the field in front of our house, so about 100m away. We rarely see them.
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(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52899893755_2cfd970989_h.jpg)
grass snake
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Yesterday morning, but I had a peek into the nest box, and saw around half a dozen very freshly hatched bluetits. No parent(s) in evidence, but there must be at least one, judging from the occasional crescendo of cheeps heard spordaically throughout the day.
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Two white fallow deer in a herd of about 30 that crossed the road single file as I approached on the bike. Not that unusual, white being a recognised colouring for fallow deer, but the first I remember seeing for several years.
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grass snake
What a beauty!
I've never seen one - no verified records for many years in Co Durham, and it's not for lack of looking.
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That one was near Tewkesbury – quite a long way from Durham!
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That one was near Tewkesbury – quite a long way from Durham!
Still great to see one.
We seem to have lost it up here - but we have got good populations of adders locally.
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A very good couple of hours at Fingringhoe Wick (Essex Wildlife Trust). We heard lots of the usual stuff plus nightingales and garden warblers, and saw a turtle dove. Lovely weather.
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Two nice sightings while doing a bit in the garden today.
Our new bee hotel has residents. :thumbsup:
I found a slow worm while clearing away some pots. Eventually I managed to persuade it into a seed tray, so it could be moved onto some vegetation as opposed to the concrete path in a gully.
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What a treat I just had. 8)
We have a shallow dish, about 12" diameter and 1" deep, which is the water bowl for the tortoise. I was making a cuppa when I looked out the back door and saw a starling and a male sparrow having a bath. When they got out another male sparrow had a splash about, until a youngish magpie came down and scared him off. When the magpie flew away another male sparrow came down for a bathe.
We rarely get sparrows around here, hence the treat.
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:thumbsup:
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First starling fledgling of the year :thumbsup:
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At a local pond: ducklings and moorchicks, but also a couple of herring gulls.
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Not seen but heard. The jackdaw chicks in the nests in the eves of our outhouse have been audible for some time now. But they're getting louder. Each time a parent flies in, there is a right cacophony. They'll be fledging soon.
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(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/173661337.jpg)
Mama stork w. future chicks.
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About 30 jackdaws and 10 red kites, plus a kestrel. The field (of grass for animal feed) opposite our cottage is being cut. I expect the (much larger) one behind will also be cut soon.
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Three little frogs in the very small pond on our allotment.
I saw three a few weeks ago - once. Then two for a while, then one. I feared something was munching its way through them. Then I started seeing two again, & today there were three. Oh, frabjous day! I think the've just been hiding.
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I actually saw the snake last month but a lot more people saw it this evening 2 minutes from the end of Springwatch.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52938812640_7bc9aa794b_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oE2fCY)
Click on the thumbnail below for a 36-second youtube video of the same adder.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52868530070_33903e074b_t.jpg) (https://youtu.be/lV1HVVI-Hwg)
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Just saw it! Nice. (I finally have a tenuous claim to fame :) )
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Saw a small young trout (or sewin - never understood the difference) leap to take some insect or other.
This is something I'd see pretty regularly until last year, when I never saw it at all, which was somewhat worrying.
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Seven Starling fledglings in a row on my garage roof, whilst parents go to a pellet feeder on the wall below and provide nigh on instant gratification. (with fast turnaround).
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The number of starling fledglings is increasing exponentially here. Sunday = 2 fledglings, yesterday = 7, today = 15. By the end of the week they'll be standing on Zanzibar.
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-essex-65786066
Yesterday, and not seen by me, sadly. Dolphins in the River Crouch estuary. The church in the background is instantly recognisable to those who have been there: Canewdon. The church tower is an especially bulky one.
My best guess is that the dolphins were about here: http://streetmap.co.uk/map?X=587420&Y=196445&A=Y&Z=120
Edit: it seems this isn't the first time: I found a video on FB from 18th May of 4 harbour porpoises in the same stretch of the Crouch.
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Opened a cutlery drawer and lo and behold, a shiny black female false widow. My paranoia is growing. Infamy, infamy............ ::-)
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A Red Kite above the A12 between Boreham and Hatfield Peverel, the first I have seen east of Chelmsford.
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Washed up dead whale on yesterday's walk in Angus.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52947756916_e3f2b541ab_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oEP6sC)
IMG_4441_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2oEP6sC) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Brother David sent me this message this morning:
Went fishing yesterday at irrigation res near Witham. Saw osprey, buzzard, kite and kestrel. Caught 2 trout and 6 perch. Osprey dived into water twice but caught 0.
I don't know where this reservoir is that he fishes, but I'm guessing that it's this one: http://streetmap.co.uk/map?X=580000&Y=215375&A=Y&Z=120
I know he talks about "Lord Rayleigh's Farm" and so far as I can tell, his land is in the Terling area.
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A bit of excitement for me this morning (Pingu was still in bed), our first GSW visitor to our feeders, a female.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52953182815_84c28dd197_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oFhUoB)IMG_4492_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2oFhUoB) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Somewhat bizarrely a partially disemboweled Glis Glis on out patio. Spotted out the back door window, but not mentioned to my wife, who was still in bed drinking her tea. Later she texted that she’d found entrails on the patio. But no attached Glis Glis. I suppose it’s possible a Red Kite collected it, but they usually avoid the relatively small garden. And later, she found a similarly deceased rat on the lawn. Our cat generally just kills things, so this was very odd. Up there wit( the rabbit head we found about 15 years ago - though that was probably a fox.
ETA on a lighter note the song thrush singing from the ridge of the house across the road.
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Brother David sent me this message this morning:
Went fishing yesterday at irrigation res near Witham. Saw osprey, buzzard, kite and kestrel. Caught 2 trout and 6 perch. Osprey dived into water twice but caught 0.
I don't know where this reservoir is that he fishes, but I'm guessing that it's this one: http://streetmap.co.uk/map?X=580000&Y=215375&A=Y&Z=120
I know he talks about "Lord Rayleigh's Farm" and so far as I can tell, his land is in the Terling area.
I don't think you'd be far wrong with the location Wow, all the birds you mentioned are fairly common round those parts with the exception of the osprey which I've not heard reported. I'm obviously not saying he didn't but would be unusual
We do have a resident Harris hawk in the area
Edited just looked on our local wildlife Facebook group and folk I know not to be idiots and indeed knowledgeable have 3 years back mentioned both osprey and white tailed eagles passing by
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We see many many of the owners of this type of feather, but I think this is the first we've found in 20 years.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52958164426_0ab03d1f8c_z.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52958164436_4ac3aa6943_z.jpg)
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Brother David sent me this message this morning:
Went fishing yesterday at irrigation res near Witham. Saw osprey, buzzard, kite and kestrel. Caught 2 trout and 6 perch. Osprey dived into water twice but caught 0.
I don't know where this reservoir is that he fishes, but I'm guessing that it's this one: http://streetmap.co.uk/map?X=580000&Y=215375&A=Y&Z=120
I know he talks about "Lord Rayleigh's Farm" and so far as I can tell, his land is in the Terling area.
I don't think you'd be far wrong with the location Wow, all the birds you mentioned are fairly common round those parts with the exception of the osprey which I've not heard reported. I'm obviously not saying he didn't but would be unusual
We do have a resident Harris hawk in the area
Edited just looked on our local wildlife Facebook group and folk I know not to be idiots and indeed knowledgeable have 3 years back mentioned both osprey and white tailed eagles passing by
He did say that the only osprey he had seen previously was on Hanningfield reservoir, where he spent 42 years as a water company chemist, and regularly fished for trout there.
I have only seen ospreys in two places: the Loch of Lowes, in 1993, when they were nesting there and the young had fledged, which was lovely, and much more recently when we had a cycle tour of Dorset and as our train passed Poole harbour, there was one standing on a post.
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(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/173661337.jpg)
Mama stork w. future chicks.
Never mind swallows, it's storks that make a summer.
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Just heard a wol. :thumbsup:
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(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/173661337.jpg)
Mama stork w. future chicks.
Never mind swallows, it's storks that make a summer.
One town I ride through every so often had over 40 occupied stork nests this spring.
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Driving back Mr Tesco's Emporium of Toothy Comestibles towards my Rural Idyll, a tawny owl sitting in the road, looking at me. I stopped the motor, the owl looked at me a bit more then flew away.
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Upon exiting the pub last evening I was politely accosted by a young fellow who requested my assistance in removing a large bug from his car. He didn't know what it was and was bothered that it might get in and interfere with his driving. Upon inspection, it turned out to be a rather magnificent stag beetle. It was just sitting on his windscreen wiper minding its own business. I plucked it off and, after a few moments of it being admired whilst resting on my hand, I placed it on nearby tree. I should have taken a pic but forgot in the excitement. I haven't seen one in decades.
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This morning, a hedgehog walking across the lawn.
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Sadly no pics as only had not very good phone camera on me. Saturday afternoon, after an al fresco lunch by the river, our attention was drawn to a clacking sound neither Merlin nor BirdNet could identify. Then we saw that there were several large brown birds on a island in the Guadiana, two of which were engaged in a striking dance and making all the noise. So a mating ritual or a male dominance display probably, until one gave up and flew away. With the help of our trusty Lars Jonsson we identified them as Purple Heron, which we've not seen before. The clacking sound is similar to that made by storks - very common here - but higher pitched. We're located in Extremadura and here the River Guadiana marks the Spanish-Portuguese border. It was a fantastic show I feel very privileged to have witnessed.
BTW as recent converts to Merlin, thanks to this forum, we're really enjoying identifying the varieties of birds hereabouts, even if some are heard but not seen. It'd be even more useful to us if it gave the latin names for cross-referencing between languages and local names. Maybe that's a function I've yet to find how to enable.
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A badger about 15 miles out of Le Mans - near Cures. Never seen a badger in France before.
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The look Mr Fox gave me when I told him through the bathroom window to bugger off out of my garden suggests he has a future as a Tory MP.
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The largest flock of swifts so far this year zooming overhead. I reckon there were at least 30 of them.
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This morning out fairly early on the path by river near my house. Rabbit running towards me which is odd as I'm walking my greyhound so normally rabbits keep a good distance.
Then a second of so later all becomes clear as a fox comes loping after the rabbit. They both disappeared up a side track which isn't really accessible to humans and didn't hear anything so suspect fox wasn't successful in chase.
I had been considering letting chickens have some more free ranging but having seen fox effectively going behind my house I'll keep them safe and secure
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A badger about 15 miles out of Le Mans - near Cures. Never seen a badger in France before.
Used to be a common site in France during the summer:
(https://thejerseypocket.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/hinault2_display_image.jpg)
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Yeah - one won The Tour five times.
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Seen today? Yes , but not by me. Somewhere in this pic there is a bird. Can anybody see it? Can anybody tell me what it is please?
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/79/a5/4a/79a54a8b74a02ca6a0d3ca68ae5bed45.jpg)
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...Can anybody tell me what it is please?...
Small and blurred :)
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Canary.
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Not so much seen, as heard.
So many birds in the garden, all feeding their young.
This time of year, we spend more on fatballs+birdseed than we do on cat+dog food.
They are getting through about 6 fatballs a day.
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Yeah, our bird food is getting hammered too.
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I was woken up by one of the cats this morning at 0545 .on investigation I found she had cornered a green woodpecker In the lounge. How she managed to catch it I have no idea but I'm pleased to report that I was able to release it apparently unharmed much to the cats disappointment :)
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Walking the dog this morning through the snicket next to our house. There is a six foot fence on one side the ends in an enclosure for an external oil boiler for a cottage.
The cottage has a flat roof extension at this point.
On the fence was sat a squirrel which was looking at us. On the boiler enclosure was the cat belonging to the cottage doing that weird lying down thing they do where they fold their legs under themselves.
The squirrel looked at me and the dog for a second then ran back towards the cottage along the fence took a flying leap then landed on the cats back and used it as a vaulting horse to make a second leap onto the flat roof before jumping into a tree.
Not sure who was more surprised, me the dog or the cat.
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Curlew shouted at me on the way to work. I wouldn't have thought it was wild in the right way out here but clearly, yes it is.
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Heard first, then seen, a circling kestrel.
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A load of gift-wrapped willow(?) trees:
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/NQxoPMOHCbTDUUrW7-gp_5If77jPQTpahqK-0OA-NKE-2048x1536.jpg)
https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/NQxoPMOHCbTDUUrW7-gp_5If77jPQTpahqK-0OA-NKE-2048x1536.jpg
All thanks to these things which are apparently Ermine Moths:
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/8nQbjC21P5B3Mg27AFt2zyIRyKDekSttuBk2PGhsPUw-2048x1536.jpg)
https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/8nQbjC21P5B3Mg27AFt2zyIRyKDekSttuBk2PGhsPUw-2048x1536.jpg
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Large raptor seen on Westcliff sea front this evening, being mobbed by herring gulls.
Pretty crap photo:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AIL4fc8BUE0-jUuhvwU43PQDpLb1wxr2HU4UoQw38shrtqxYPB3rxKuFL4A0NMNu0zBihDINL2IteQ2WMJuKA-RRnAOzlzswpYjuv-1BB4I1LmErFUff1nZT=w2400)
I'm inclined towards female hen harrier.
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On ride yesterday, nothing unusual, just the commonplace storks and swans, and one displaced seagull being chased by a throng of bully-boy crows. Oh, and a few buzzards but they're as common as get out.
Heard a wol around 4 am. Got up & closed window.
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Gosh, the swifts are loud this evening. They've come together into a large flock which is screaming so loud that I had to turn down the treble on my hearing aids as it was painful on the dog walk.
Are they gathering for the great bugger off? :(
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Gosh, the swifts are loud this evening. They've come together into a large flock which is screaming so loud that I had to turn down the treble on my hearing aids as it was painful on the dog walk.
Are they gathering for the great bugger off? :(
I reckon they'll be gone in about 3 to 4 weeks, sadly. The swift season doesn't last long.
This spring was the first time I recall seeing one in April - the evening of 30th.
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They've usually gone by the time we get back from our holibobs. So they go in the last two weeks of August up here.
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On advice, due to the sap possibly causing severe skin irritation, I chopped down a Prickly Lettuce which I had allowed to mature in order to identify just what is was. However, in doing so, I disturbed a quantity of vivid green crickets (thinks). Another example of how interconnected everything is.
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Flying ants, and on the back of that about 50 swallows.
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Flying ants, and on the back of that about 50 swallows.
'Flying ant day' is often whilst my daughter (and, in more recent years, myself) are camping at Wimbledon
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Encountered a pair of badgers strolling down my road here in KT2 at about 10:30 last night.
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Hummingbird hawk moth yesterday
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Not unusual, but the location's new.
Mrs B & I were walking to Tesco this morning & she spotted a muntjac watching us.
That's the big Tesco in Napier Road, Reading. There's a little strip of semi-wooded land between the car park & the river with a path & some benches. The muntjac was there. Looked rather relaxed.
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Obviously just finished it's weekly shopping :D
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Early Morning garden visitor
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53066757457_426a4c9fe3_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oRk1b6)P7241181 (2) (https://flic.kr/p/2oRk1b6) by ian (https://www.flickr.com/photos/acf_windy/), on Flickr
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:thumbsup:
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A pair of pigeons (one of which was predominantly white) cavorting on the ridge of a house within sight of my bedroom.
The romantic goings-on reached a climax before they flew off (caught on video).
ETA: And here's the video https://youtu.be/-zfCkPT5vpA
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53074029017_17430b7228_z.jpg)
(https://flic.kr/p/2oRYgKP)
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On my ride home this morning, a deer, dead by the roadside and eviscerated. Judging by the opened abdomen and the black void within it had been got at by wild boar.
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No wolves in your neck of the woods?
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Or audaxers...
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On arriving at the correct road in Writtle, I had been trying to recall which house Mike lived in, when I saw him crossing the road with a cloth in his hand. He had a pygmy shrew in there, which he'd rescued from his cat. It seemed unharmed and he released it back into the leaf litter at the base of the hawthorn hedge. It's years since I saw a shrew. I'm not certain I've seen a live one before.
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A hornet, seen it or one of its mates a few time recently. It's European rather then Asian and was just pottering around compost heap and enjoying a banana skin in there
Did despair slightly when googling to check Asian or European the language being used of murder hornets that can kill in one sting. So can a bee/wasp/normal hornet if your allergic.
I know the Asian Hornets need to be dealt with but the inflammatory language it just further distances us from wildlife around us.
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Obviously just finished it's weekly shopping :D
Must have used the footbridge, then. I don't think it could keep its shopping dry if it swam.
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I think this is a Lion's Mane.
Or something like that.
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Lions%20Mane%20Aug%2005%202023.jpg)
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Something in the middle of the bridleway out of the woods caught my eye on this evening's MTB ride. It looked like a leaf but didn't move like a leaf. I stopped and went back to investigate and found this:
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/zjmwClEmbFFtMaoKd3s6h-NTqRj_0wJHSrsZ_piy9Xk-2048x1536.jpg)
It sat there as I approached but hopped off into the undergrowth as I reached out my hand to add a sense of scale :(
They were combining the adjacent field so its family may well be appearing in your next Hovis loaf :sick:
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Yesterday.
A stroll around Two Tree Island with My Pal Mel. We stopped in the bus shelter which doubles up as a bird hide at the west end of the island and spent quite a few minutes watching the lagoon and it avians.
Quite a few black tailed godwits and redshanks, living beak-by-fowl;
the usual smattering of gulls;
the amusing site of an avocet trying to chase away a shelduck. In my experience, shelduck usually come in pairs, or at least, even-numbered groups, but this was a lone shelduck. The avocet adopted its aggressive position and homed in on the shelduck as long as its back was turned, but as soon as the shelduck turned to face the avocet, it backed off. A while later, on a small island, I noticed something moving. It could have been a bit of paper waving around in the breeze, but its movements became regular and I realised that it was a small-duck sized creature preening itself. Mel had his binoculars with him and he lent them to me, and I realised that there were two such creatures and they were juvenile avocets. Not long afterwards we spotted a third, that had been wading around some distance away. So there has been at least one successful pair of breeding avocets at Two Tree Island this year. A few years back, there were lots, but then large numbers of black-headed gulls moved in to breed, and the avocet numbers dwindled to next to nothing.
A warbler on some hogweed, but I couldn't decide whether it was a willow warbler or a chiffchaff. it made no sounds that gave itself away.
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Flying ants, and on the back of that about 50 swallows.
'Flying ant day' is often whilst my daughter (and, in more recent years, myself) are camping at Wimbledon
It's today in this part of South Wales. Natural History Museum website states that "This annual swarming event usually occurs in July or August and coincides with a period of hot and humid weather" and that it's a season with peaks rather than a single day. It also quotes a study that "found that ants only flew on days when it was warm, not windy and conditions had improved compared to the previous day. There is also anecdotal evidence that flying ant days often occur after some summer rain." That all checks out here today.
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Spotted two flying ants today, so perhaps it will be swarm day tomorrow here.
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Last Thursday I went to Brownsea Island without my Scouts but with my Young Lady. We had planned to go the day before en masse but the howling gale meant no ferries.
Anyhoo, as I got off the ferry, the Jolly Boatman spotted my Big Camera and sidled up to me.
"You looking for red squirrels? Up behind the church. Top tip". He may have winked.
We made our way to the church. Sitting on the wall was a red squirrel. Hurrah. After a bit more squirrel watching we had a look round the church. Inside it on the door was a sign warning people to be careful closing it as bats may be roosting in the stonework of the door frame. And there was a single snoozing bat.
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I found this little thumbling on my way home yesterday, stopped in the middle of the road. I assume that the car that had overtaken me had surprised the family as they were crossing the road. Scooped him up for his close-up and left him on the verge. I did think about putting him in the top tube bag and then getting St Tiggywinkles to look after him, but thought that mum couldn't have been too far off.
(https://i.ibb.co/Nt1mXJQ/5c2e592e-a4f2-4b67-b795-71f961b9cabd.jpg)
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I found this little thumbling on my way home yesterday, stopped in the middle of the road. I assume that the car that had overtaken me had surprised the family as they were crossing the road. Scooped him up for his close-up and left him on the verge. I did think about putting him in the top tube bag and then getting St Tiggywinkles to look after him, but thought that mum couldn't have been too far off.
I think he's a baby vole.
(https://i.ibb.co/Nt1mXJQ/5c2e592e-a4f2-4b67-b795-71f961b9cabd.jpg)
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(https://cdn.masto.host/tootwales/media_attachments/files/110/870/397/030/123/715/original/ec43ee517d58e5cb.jpeg)
Is any specific type of grasshopper, or is it simply a grasshopper?
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(https://www.field-studies-council.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/OP54-Grasshoppers-1129x1600.jpg)
One of the above?
Or has Llandysul suffered a plague of locusts?
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(https://cdn.masto.host/tootwales/media_attachments/files/110/870/397/030/123/715/original/ec43ee517d58e5cb.jpeg)
Is any specific type of grasshopper, or is it simply a grasshopper?
It’s not just any grasshopper; it’s a Common Field Grasshopper.
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Today we saw minke whales in the Minch. Not easy to photograph!
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Aug%2017%202023%20minke.jpg)
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Lots of waders at Two Tree island. Hundreds of black-tailed godwits, quite a few avocets, handful of redshank - although there may have been a lot more, but they were much less conspicuous than the others, two teal, a few egrets and quite a few black-headed gulls mostly in winter plumage now. I'll try and add some photos.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AIL4fc8JDFYnvjsDYZpUREJpLKb5IjVg5vmQEsjP8nKBeZjaWysqCLLcDbntcSM0zR2UXDgVfyMQ-qo38NRKDV3oUEQOsoe5SOZjmsI7Yd3QtN-zmlwetT63=w2400)
Avocet family. The three youngsters, not almost fully grown but still showing juvenile plumage, are having a snooze whilst parent (don't know which - only one seemed to be in attendance today) is nipping round the back of the vegetation to see off the godwit that has made the mistake of straying too close.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AIL4fc-ZxTzWyFB9hc2kwp3e0V66YTlJ8bSVVwvKs1B9JxMw80wFheJTfeQIeqKzX6ozfZf3CVCUdBZbRq5KUg3gcbbUQ91_io57yx8_PZhINyb1UoeEKEKO=w2400)
Worralorragodwits.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AIL4fc_Fdx_v6dis5bYG8trZBnPlf9-QfrMITsMrO-u_3-xjHF7f0pbh6Qy-sJMp6rQ3EQVFenqJZ6B_yhhohhMt53xcEjDik-CWpOikIJ2ge5C0hjMfB4vx=w2400)
Hadleigh Castle. I don't think Constable ever saw it from that viewpoint.
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Not-very-grey sqrls at Fort Atkinson NE this morning:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53149246299_828e91e249_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oYBMev)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53149536273_edb9ee0898_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oYDgr4)
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Snuck up on this bunny-wunny at Fort Buford State Historic Site near Williston ND this morning:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53155720221_2beeb6197b_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oZbXGR)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53155720211_3921515f06_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oZbXGF)
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Our neighbour has a couple of camera traps in his back garden. Last night they caught a hedgehog! We’ve not spotted one in our garden for about 20 years.
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Over about 5 minutes I counted 5 hogs in the garden last night.
One having a drink from a saucer of water.
One in the feeder.
One by the yew hedge.
One by the riverside scrub
One charging round a building towards me so it could eat out of my hand as usual.
Add in one juvenile currently away getting rehab, and I think we are doing OK up here in the North Pennines.
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Yesterday, on my way up a valley towards lunch, I passed a bunch of ducks on the canal bank, one of them apparently having a snooze in the sun in the middle of the cycle path. About three hours later I came back the same way and the duck was still there. Could have been dead, but with avian flu in some parts of France earlier this year I wasn't about to find out.
Later on, I went by a field with 30-odd storks in it, maybe getting ready to bugger off south. Some stay all year, some don't.
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Birbs, various:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53158309683_85f96e6c75_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oZqesK)
Common Cormorant about to raid the fish hatchery a hundred yards upriver (https://flic.kr/p/2oZqesK) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53158243320_e8142d4098_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oZpTJy)
Horrible Gooses shouting abuse at the gulls (https://flic.kr/p/2oZpTJy) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53158243330_3c2a9a52f1_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oZpTJJ)
Gulls, answering back (https://flic.kr/p/2oZpTJJ) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53158244455_db062630f2_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oZpU58)
Squadron of ducks searching for bread up the Jefferson River (https://flic.kr/p/2oZpU58) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
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(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AIL4fc-N6t2ZV1KT_5yrxi91z8P6JF2Y-Nzb7WlsgZz944dCeM7Z4R3xkOpAwvn9etwArBr71Jw2y2mIe9IcUEO8CuB_yGjmnn9raSlbz9YzGWdiTKsgIOvJ=w2400)
This chap dropped into Priory Park whilst I was there a few days ago. A juvenile, I think.
In other news, Jan and I have been Doing Things in the garden, and there are some very fine garden spiders having a lurk.
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I was going to post yesterday, but didn't, that the swifts are still here. However, they appear to be absent today. Perhaps they've gone down near the river where it's cooler, and the flying insects are abundant.
I'll look for them again this evening and report back.
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Nope. They've gone. :(
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I went to Two Tree Island in order to watch the sun set and I hoped to photograph a few birds on the scrape. But there were hardly any there, and the water level seems to have risen again so that almost all the what-are-normally-islands were not islands at all. Using binoculars, I could make out what I think were seven avocets, but they were far too far away/small to be able to get any kind of decent photo.
Perhaps I ought to make a trip there soon when dawn coincides with a high tide. Birds often fly in as the mud flats become submerged, and the sun would be in the right place to get some reasonable photos.
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A very small toad, on the allotment. I'm worried that it may be too small to make it through the winter. I usually see toads that size a few months earlier than this.
I saw one on the allotment a week or so ago which I have no worries about. Big fat bugger. I moved a plank & it had made a little burrow beneath it.
It's nice to see they're back. When Reading council reinforced the dam holding back the university lake, & over which a road runs, they built a wall where previously there'd been a hedge, thus blocking most of the route of frogs & toads between our allotments & the lake. There'd been many anurans on our site before that, & they disappeared for a few years. I saw three young frogs a few months ago, enjoying our little pond, but then nothing until now.
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First of Pink Footed Geese from Iceland have arrived N of Aberdeen.
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(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53167755445_bc78c25161_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2p1fDmH)
You shall have a fishy (https://flic.kr/p/2p1fDmH) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr. Bonneville Dam on the Mighty Columbia.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53167755910_fe048116b9_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2p1fDuJ)
Mousey! (https://flic.kr/p/2p1fDuJ) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr. On the steps leading to the viewing wossname an Bridal Veil Falls, Oregon.
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(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53168888177_32cb98ff4b_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2p1ms5z)
Young gulls go for it (https://flic.kr/p/2p1ms5z) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53168888017_f764e7f48b_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2p1ms2P)
Seabirb disappointed by lack of people scoffing chips in the vicinity (https://flic.kr/p/2p1ms2P) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
Fort Stevens State Park, near Warrenton OR
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A Speckled Wood butterfly, and a leaf cutter bee in action on one of our roses.
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A couple of field mice, several voles, a few orb weaver spiders and even a fornicating slug couple. Slugs are hermaphrodite and their penises come out of their heads – they are literal dickheads!
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53191754155_54c9e4fa4c_c.jpg)
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No pics, sorry, but as we turned the final corner to the SEECRIT BUNKER at the end of our trip today, there was a flurry of birdlife. First three magpies took them the air, having been gathered round something on the ground. That something looked like a bundle of feathers. I then twigged it was a dead pigeon, one clue being the Sparrow Hawk that was still scoffing it. Sparrow Hawk saw us and took off too.
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Fleeing a sparrowhawk can be dangerous.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53200903142_69fa9d66d7_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2p4bx1J)
IMG_5918_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2p4bx1J) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Longview WA seems terribly keen on sqrls to the extent that they not only have a giant wooden carving of a sqrl in the middle of town but also (at least) four bridges to allow said sqrls to cross the road without being smooshed by a three ton pickup. The sqrl bridges may be seen at here: https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=48852.msg2841685#msg2841685
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53202560634_d1bf585790_c.jpg)
(https://flic.kr/p/2p4k2Jb)Sqrl, Longview (https://flic.kr/p/2p4k2Jb) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53202478013_5d5611d22e_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2p4jBaF)
Sqrl, Longview (https://flic.kr/p/2p4jBaF) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
These are both the same sqrl, FWIW, up one of the trees with one of the bridges attached. To it. They also have ducks and many Horrible Gooses:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53202254616_16dbbd7f69_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2p4isL1)
Horrible Gooses, Longview (https://flic.kr/p/2p4isL1) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53202478078_8c8d915cd1_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2p4jBbN)
Horrible Gooses, Longview (https://flic.kr/p/2p4jBbN) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53202590180_f995639652_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2p4kbvA)
Horrible Goose with an evil glint in his eye, Longview (https://flic.kr/p/2p4kbvA) by Mr Larrington (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_larrington/), on Flickr
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Seen today, but not by me: a large flock of brent geese in Old Leigh. They can have only recently returned rom Siberia.
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Went out to pick bullaces on the hillside above the Thame today and saw a pair of wheatears hopping about on a ploughed field, showing off their white arses when they took flight.
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Front door buzzards.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53226591246_7d7d4ed6eb_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2p6scc5)
Common buzzard (Buteo buteo) (https://flic.kr/p/2p6scc5) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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This little specimen has been hanging around on its own for some time in Bushy Park, Hampton Court. It obligingly came close to the bank today. I think it's a female Lesser Scaup.
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ac/b5/9e/acb59e9bc6a70e54a3f4f48247d3afbc.jpg)
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Seen yesterday but not by me. According to the London Bird Club Wiki hundreds of Redwing were seen at various places in the London area.
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Redwings have just showed up here too:- 3 on Friday, followed by about 1000 today, and also the first fieldfares (~150), according to theglosterbirder.
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This is a first. Just had a fox trot up to the patio door windows and look in, but didn't see me sitting at the table about 2metres away.
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8) Cool
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I spotted a kingfisher this afternoon 😍
I was riding along the canal towpath just south of Loughborough with a head full of negative thoughts about the approach of winter/badly adjusted bike gears/sore hips etc when I spotted an emerald flash flitting over the surface of the water. It perched on a branch briefly then disappeared before I could get my phone out to take a rubbish photo. This is only the second time that I have seen one and the other one was maybe ten years ago and in almost the exact same spot. It cheered me up no end 👍
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Nice :)
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At least fourteen (14) magpies on the roof over the road.
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A white phesant
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Squirrels frenetically burying acorns /planting oak trees in the garden.
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I took a short wander down to the local burn to check the water levels this arvo. They were disappointingly low, but I did see a dipper - a first for that location :thumbsup:
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A kingfisher at Medmerry. The tide was as high as I have ever seen it and it was foraging along the flanks of the sea defences. Not the bird I was expecting to see - which was the first winter arrivals of Brent Geese - who were skulking in a large puddle in a field somewhere away from the sea.
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A fox and a rainbow...
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Dead%20fox%20rainbow.jpg)
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Ugh.
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Yes, not pleasant. Never seen a fox around here before.
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A hummingbird hawk-moth on lavender in the garden.
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A fox and a rainbow...
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Dead%20fox%20rainbow.jpg)
Some thicko/sicko gillie/s gibbet?
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Saw a live fox running across 4 lanes of traffic this morning, with a sizeable prize in it's jaws.
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A great flock of goose-/heron-sized birds flying in V formation from east to west. MrsT pronounced them Swedish Cranes, IOW cranes.
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A fox and a rainbow...
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Dead%20fox%20rainbow.jpg)
Some thicko/sicko gillie/s gibbet?
Oh a croft, where the crofter would probably not be in the top 10 Most Pleasant Crofters 2023.
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Something(s) were very active in my garden during the early hours of this morning.
As evidenced by NOISES and my PIR floodlights having been activated for much of the latter part of night.
Couldn't find any evidence of what it might've been, before darkness fell this evening.
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A fox and a rainbow...
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Dead%20fox%20rainbow.jpg)
Some thicko/sicko gillie/s gibbet?
Oh a croft, where the crofter would probably not be in the top 10 Most Pleasant Crofters 2023.
:sick: Reminds me of those notices saying "Guard dogs keep out" - as if dogs could read.
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A rather mangey (?) rat under our bird feeders.
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Heard and got a brief glimpse of this season's waxwings.
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A fox crossing the road and pouncing on some form of rodent, as we walked back from the canal.
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Dead badger in field, already looking the worse for wear; crows in attendance.
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Front door buzzards.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53226591246_7d7d4ed6eb_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2p6scc5)
Common buzzard (Buteo buteo) (https://flic.kr/p/2p6scc5) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Great photo.
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Male Blackcap eating Honeysuckle Berries.
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Heard and got a brief glimpse of this season's waxwings.
Any redwings or fieldfares yet? I've missed them the last few years here in Lancashire.
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Heard and got a brief glimpse of this season's waxwings.
Any redwings or fieldfares yet? I've missed them the last few years here in Lancashire.
Yes :)
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Looking forward to them!
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A red admiral outside the window of the room I use when I'm working at home.
I know they are one of our hardier butterflies, but this is the middle of November!
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A flock of waxwings flew over the house at lunchtime.
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Male blackcap nomming the last apple on a neighbour's tree.
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Egrets and herons are common by the estuary of the Odet at Quimper. Last year there were spoonbills. Today I saw a couple of spoonbills when I was walking my dog. This is within half a kilometre of the house as the weather is rather revolting. Even Nemo the dog who is a griffon and likes jumping into cold sea water wasn't all that bothered when we only had a short walk.
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Heard and got a brief glimpse of this season's waxwings.
Any redwings or fieldfares yet? I've missed them the last few years here in Lancashire.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53379896358_4793edde2a_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pjZVsE)
IMG_6318_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2pjZVsE) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53379896378_a476869678_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pjZVt1)
IMG_6337_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2pjZVt1) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53379723011_5641e6fd67_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pjZ2VV)
IMG_6349_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2pjZ2VV) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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I saw a mini flock (half a dozen? A dozen?) of what i think were fieldfares chattering in a tree and then flying across the road to another, in the middle of Edinburgh today.
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Half a dozen great egrets in a meadow halfway through a neighbouring village, and a couple of kites on the hunt a km further on, flying low and head down.
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On Saturday night, a deer wandering around the road leading to the Somerset side of the Clifton Suspension Bridge. It seemed a bit confused by the cars on the road, then ran into a side street but just stood there in the shadows. I think it was a roe deer; looked too large for a muntjac, driver said it had a white bum (I was in the back of the car and didn't see this) and apparently roe deer are moving into urban areas. It's kind of suburban village there.
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A minute ago, a kingfisher flying along the Basingstoke canal (in primary position), under Blacksmith's Bridge, and heading towards Aldershot.
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A line of deer grazing on a ridge, the usual geese, ducks & a swan along the Marne/Rhine canal. A possible great egret landing in the distance; might have been a stork but the way it stood once down was wrong.
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A magpie that looked like it had a small bird (it was plucking whatever it was) a bit later followed by a buzzard. Not sure if the magpie had nicked the buzzard's lunch or what...
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Nice view of a sparrowhawk from the kitchen window at work. As I was on the top (second) floor it was rather closer than you usually see them.
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Very close up, a little egret.
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@ pingu
Only just seen your fieldfare and redwing. Beautiful, thanks! Still not seen any here in Manchesterford.
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@ pingu
Only just seen your fieldfare and redwing. Beautiful, thanks! Still not seen any here in Manchesterford.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53422462651_848aec5f42_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2poL5Wg)
IMG_6535_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2poL5Wg) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Some less frequent visitors to the feeders. Jackdaw, squirrel and rat taking the overflow off the floor from where the mob (charm? Huh) of a dozen Goldfinches had dropped it. A greenfinch, and a first for this season, 5 or 6 Long Tailed Tits. They are, quite literally, very flighty.
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I suppose this counts... Right now there is a stink bug walking along my office wall in the direction of my bookshelves, high up on the far side of my desk where I can't possibly reach it with my ½-water-bottle+brevet-card stink-bug-capture device.
Still it's better there than where it was 10 minutes ago, to wit on the collar of my sweater.
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No doubt drawn by the finches and tits on the feeders, a (presumably, as it seemed quite inept) juvenile Sparrowhawk. First saw it appearing out of the bush by the fence, then shortly after perching on top of the barbecue tears close to said feeders.
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First squirrels of the year in Mrs P's brother's garden.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53435505040_69382e9fe1_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ppUVZ3)
IMG_6622_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2ppUVZ3) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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It's the first year the goldfish have not hibernated. Should I feed them?
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To the cat? ;)
---o0o---
This morning, a beautiful dead fox beside the local cycle track. Shame.
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Blackcap for the first time this winter.
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Five red kites. They're pretty common round here but that's the first time I've seen that many away from a red kite feeding centre. They were all gently wheeling across the sky. Not long ago at the same(-ish) location Salvatore and I saw 2, but that turned into aerial combat. These 5 were just in a loose association.
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Male blackcap in our garden nomming apples this afternoon.
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A murmuration[ (youtube) (https://youtu.be/da-yBFVQBhM?si=3KjkAHe0pMtyIidC) this evening. Like yesterday evening, the show finished on the dot at
16:45 16:25.
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A male siskin today, which was nice.
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A murmuration[ (youtube) (https://youtu.be/da-yBFVQBhM?si=3KjkAHe0pMtyIidC) this evening. Like yesterday evening, the show finished on the dot at 16:45.
Starlings by Casio.
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A murmuration[ (youtube) (https://youtu.be/da-yBFVQBhM?si=3KjkAHe0pMtyIidC) this evening. Like yesterday evening, the show finished on the dot at 16:45 16:25.
Starlings by Casio.
16:23 this evening.
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Two urban foxes on the lean-to roof when I pulled back the landing window curtains this morning. The older one scarpered before I could take a picture, but the younger one hung around for a bit. It had been in a fight at some point in the past - I initially thought it had a bit of a squint in its left eye, but when approached the landing window, I could see that the eyeball was missing.
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A flock of Waxwing feasting on mistletoe berries in Bushy Park near the Hampton Court gate.
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A blackbird heading east with 5 parakeets following it in close formation. I was reminded of a airshow fly past ;D
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For the double-barrelled welterweight championship of the Crooked Billet roundabout: Pica pica vs. Rattus rattus!!
Magpie is convinced there is a Lunch to be found under those dead leaves. Rat is equally convinced that any Lunch thereabouts belongs to him only. Pagga ensues.
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Heard rather than seen, the sound of a muntjac galloping down the village road.
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Lots of fieldfares and redwings here now. The fields will be covered in snow so we'll have an influx from farmland.
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Another (presumably overwintering in the woodpile) wasp in the house. This one didn’t sting me.
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For the double-barrelled welterweight championship of the Crooked Billet roundabout: Pica pica vs. Rattus rattus!!
Magpie is convinced there is a Lunch to be found under those dead leaves. Rat is equally convinced that any Lunch thereabouts belongs to him only. Pagga ensues.
And the winner was...?
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A pair of waxwings perched at the top of a tree, surrounded by by a dozen or so twitchers armed with binoculars and huge telephoto lenses. Apparently waxwings are Very Unusual in these parts.
I wouldn't have known they were waxwings if I hadn't stopped and asked a couple of twitchers.
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On the way to the pie shop at lunchtime: 2 drumming GSWs (one seen, the other just heard) and a red squirrel 🐿 :)
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Last year I saw loads of great tits and hardly any blue tits. This year it is the other way around... is that a local phenomenon (North Hampshire) or something others have noticed.
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Lots of water birds, settling down at dusk, at Slimbridge.
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Slimbridge%201.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Slimbridge%202.jpg)
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/Slimbridge%203.jpg)
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Three Muntjac running across our neighbour's lawn heading for the adjacent field.
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A bird sitting on our fence.
It was a Sparrowhawk. It stayed for 10 to 15 minutes until a huge hairy cat started walking nonchalantly in its direction. The bird let it get close before skimming gracefully away.
I’ve never seen a sparrowhawk before.
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Three curlew arrived today, two lapwing last week.
The black and red grouse are here year round.
The Upland Assemblage is assembling!
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Today was a siskin day on the sunflower hearts.
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For the double-barrelled welterweight championship of the Crooked Billet roundabout: Pica pica vs. Rattus rattus!!
Magpie is convinced there is a Lunch to be found under those dead leaves. Rat is equally convinced that any Lunch thereabouts belongs to him only. Pagga ensues.
Sorry to be a belated killjoy/pedant, but I think the Hon. Mem. will find that the away team was rattus norvegicus. Rattus rattus is, I understand, virtually extinct in the UK, largely down to the more successful invasive species supplanting it.
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Redpoll, lots of goldcrests and possibly a firecrest.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53533195460_db944c493a_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pyxBWC)
Goldcrest (Regulus regulus) (https://flic.kr/p/2pyxBWC) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
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Splendid photo!
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Terrific. Like the wren, it's name is far bigger than the bird.
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Fantastic, Pingu. They are so fast moving and active, quite an achievement to get such a good image.
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Obviously it's not unusual to spot a pied wagtail. They're pretty common around here.
But usually they're just wandering around in the park and car park and only hop-fly short distances to move along a bit.
Today was the first time I've seen one sitting up on the appex of our roof, and singing. I've never heard one singing before.
Spring, innit?
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A dunnock singing to itself - and me - in a beech tree above the charging point at Radcliffe on Trent.
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Yesterday, three roe deer and, better, a big brown hare.
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Peerless white duck by the Marne-Rhine canal yesterday
(https://pbase.com/image/174372497.jpg)
Courtesy of Blown Highlights'Я'Us
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Two linnets, only yards apart, happily singing in the sun, near the beach today.
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Two Robins (presumably a pair) having sex. In my garden.
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Two linnets, only yards apart, happily singing in the sun, near the beach today.
Which reminds me: yesterday I heard, then saw, two jays skreeking their fool heads off at nothing in particular. Or each other. Noisy buggers.
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two jays skreeking their fool heads off at nothing in particular. Or each other. Noisy buggers.
Old married couple?
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In the River Beal today - a group of what I assume to be melanistic mallards, though I read that they might be a cross-breed? Deep browny-black body with "standard" green head for four or five of them and one black with some white throat and head feathers. I think there is a term for whiteness in otherwise white birds but I've forgotten what it is (Steph to the phone, please!). All the birds were slightly larger than the "usual" mallards. A wonderful sight.
https://www.bing.com/th?id=OIP.yf856AARSXpjw3n7O6kk6QHaHa&w=99&h=94&c=8&rs=1&qlt=90&o=6&dpr=1.5&pid=3.1&rm=2 (https://www.bing.com/th?id=OIP.yf856AARSXpjw3n7O6kk6QHaHa&w=99&h=94&c=8&rs=1&qlt=90&o=6&dpr=1.5&pid=3.1&rm=2)
and
https://www.bing.com/th?id=OIP.hoSZY6oJ9EiA8vPXrOQEgQHaFj&w=139&h=104&c=8&rs=1&qlt=90&o=6&dpr=1.5&pid=3.1&rm=2 (https://www.bing.com/th?id=OIP.hoSZY6oJ9EiA8vPXrOQEgQHaFj&w=139&h=104&c=8&rs=1&qlt=90&o=6&dpr=1.5&pid=3.1&rm=2)
(file pictures, not mine)
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...I think there is a term for whiteness...
Leucistic.
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That's it, thanks!
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Sparrows in the garden as we were having lunch. Then a sparrowhawk. Then nothing.
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Two male and one female bullfinch taking turns to bathe in the top of the water butt in our urban back yard. Doesn't get much better!
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Not today, but Monday, we had an electric picnic boat out on the braods from Martham.
Many Marsh Harrier sightings, including seeing two males having an aerial battle over a female, who observed from above. Saw another female Marsh Harrier perched in a tree, on the bank within 20ft of us as we slowly (2mph) and quietly eased past. She looked at us through the side windows of the boat, turning her head as we went.
Two pairs of Great Crested Grebes, (mainly grey lag) Geese, Reed Bunting, wagtails, Great White Egret, Little Egret, 2 Grey Herons, Buzzard, a good few swans.
Heard Cettis Warblers, Bearded Reedling, and Bitterns.
After we had returned the boat, (4hours went in a flash!) we drove to Horsey Gap and observed 300+ seals on the beach.
An incredible day.
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Fulmars, curlew, cuddy ducks & dolfish in Furrybootoon.
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A rat. Opposite the Hippodrome in Bristol.
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A load of Brent geese swimming about on the incoming tide at Westcliff sea front.
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3 curlews in one field. is this unusual ?
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Saw about 100 curlews in a local field this week, so depends where you live!
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Heard but not seen: a greater spotted woodpecker repeatedly drumming in the trees in Kelsale.
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4:00am this morning, the first hedgehog of the year traversing our patio.
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We've had a hoggie that has refused to hibernate this winter.
We picked him up in mid December - a late hoglet and too underweight to hibernate and come out the other side.
One of our local rehabbers cleared him of parasites and got him up to 825gm, so he was released back into our garden during a mild spell in January, with a cosy nest box and support feeding and water and the expectation that he would go into hibernation when it got colder.
But he has been trundling around ever since. Making good use of the food and water, sometimes sleeping in the nest box, but obviously he has also built himself some other nests round and about. When we had light snow I tracked him quite a long way up the riverbank and back.
Nabbed him from the nest box the other day and weighed him 850gm, so he is in fine form ready for when the females re-emerge...
Just didn't read the manual
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Watched a presumably poorly crow that's been hanging around for a couple of days getting pecked to death (I didn't watch the whole thing, obv) by another couple of crows this morning. Not really what I needed with the current state of affairs.
We also seem to have an ailing magpie hanging around too :-\
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Heard but not seen: a greater spotted woodpecker repeatedly drumming in the trees in Kelsale.
Probably ditto, but I'm not sure how to distinguish between woodpecker types just by their drumming, and it was in the south of Edinburgh. First time I've been certain I heard one since I lived in Manchester, perhaps 15 years ago :)
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How to tell the difference between great and lesser spotted woodpeckers dumming
https://www.northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk/blog/wildlife-trusts/woodland-drummers
Green woodpeckers genarally don't drum.
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Lessers are very rare in the UK, though.
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No idea what we saw today. It was a raptor, that’s for sure. It was perched on the arm of a bench close to the bird feeders, then did the sparrowhawk thing of chasing after one of the sparrows, twisting in flight. Then it perched on the fence briefly, but I signally failed to get a photo. What puzzles us is what it was. If I had to compare, I say its colouring was not unlike a pigeon’s - slate grey wings and back and a kind of buff breast. No barring that I could see - we have had sparrowhawks in the past, and this was comparable in size but not colouring.
OTOH I do know that out front perched in the tree of the hedgerow opposite was a song thrush. It’s been singing there on and off since December. Delightful.
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On Monday in and above Farndale. Black grouse laughing at us, curlew and an amazing close up view of a lapwing display flight.
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A red-legged partridge - not something I'd ever expect to see in an urban setting, TBH.
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On Monday in and above Farndale. Black grouse laughing at us, curlew and an amazing close up view of a lapwing display flight.
I was watching a lapwing doing its crazy flying stuff on the moors above Sheffield last week. There was a guy in a RSPB landrover admiring it too. I mentioned Jonathan Livingston Seagull to him and was surprised when he hadn't heard of it - I just assumed that it was required reading for people working for the RSPB.
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Saw a short eared owl at very close range. If it had stayed still I would never have seen it, but as I walked the Canewdon seawall footpath it flew off from the salt marshes a few feet away. Magnificent. Also half a dozen buzzards circled overhead, as I made my way over open fields.
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Not seen
I'm off island, and of course, it is now when a pod of humpback whales decide to cruise past the island, in sight of the shore.
Oh and now the orcas are joining in.
There is a shoal of herring moving down the coast; humpbacks, minke, orca are following it.
All I can do is watch the videos!
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Son came downstairs at 1am yesterday morning to find the dog snarling at the back door and the PIR light at the top of the garden on. He opened the back window and heard snuffling so crept out to take a look. Hedgehog in the middle of the garden. First one I have found in our garden in at least 15 years and only the second live one I have found in the last decade. I need to be careful when I clear all the bush cuttings piled in the corner as I suspect he/she is underneath somewhere. I won’t do any clearing until spring has very definitely sprung and hedgehog and any hoglets have moved on.
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Our Robins fledged today
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Got home to my Rural Idyll the other day to see a Red Kite at roof top height as I drove in. Swirling and wheeling, like, umm, a kite, as it dodged the attentions of two unhappy and fierce crows.
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Got home to my Rural Idyll the other day to see a Red Kite at roof top height as I drove in. Swirling and wheeling, like, umm, a kite, as it dodged the attentions of two unhappy and fierce crows.
I saw the same thing over my garden a couple of days ago. On the same day and same place I saw and heard a skylark. Neither bird unusual in my area , we have Richmond Park, Bushy Park and Home Park all within a mile, but they usually stay in the parks and don't come to visit me at home.
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Got home to my Rural Idyll the other day to see a Red Kite at roof top height as I drove in. Swirling and wheeling, like, umm, a kite, as it dodged the attentions of two unhappy and fierce crows.
Tim lives not that far from me. Last year, when I went to top up the bird feeder in my back garden, there was a kite only about ten feet above me. This lunchtime, as I waited for a bus, there was another kite heading South.
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My wife and I went to a place we had never heard of before yesterday, "Eridge Rocks".
Quite close to where we were staying on a short break, it is about 5 miles north of Rotherfield in Sussex.
We saw and got photos of Siskin and Lesser Redpoll, both firsts for me, I think we saw a pair of Dartford Warblers too, plus several species more commonly seen (by us). Also extremely noteworthy was a Goshawk, which hunted very close to us.
Sussex Wildlife Trust own the land which is made accessible by a good network of footpaths, and they don't charge to park in the car park. The rocks themselves are very interesting and reminded me of the sandstone rock park in Yorkshire called Brimham Rocks.
The paths were wet (not unreasonable, given the amount of recent rainfall), but not terribly so, and even in normal shoes (and socks) I was able to use the paths without getting wet socks if I was careful.
I was surprised at the difference in species commonly seen there (North Sussex), to those commonly seen closer to home, here in South Essex maybe 35-40 miles apart.
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Swallows reported in Essex today, firstly by my brother who saw two at Henningfield Reservoir, and secondly on the SE Essex RSPB website, at Gunners Park, Shoebury.
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A black squirrel.
(http://www.alfiecat.co.uk/yetacf/black_squirrel.jpg)
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Pembrokeshire week for us. I went for a bike ride this morning and saw red kites, a buzzard, some ravens, a wheatear and swallows. Also, lots of jackdaws where we are staying. I can hear them through the thick wall of the derelict farm building attached to our accommodation.
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Last night, for the second time in 25 years, we saw a hedgehog in our garden. A nice fat healthy looking one too. And this morning I saw our resident Kestrel on a wire. And the first dead mouse of the season in the kitchen, courtesy of Phoebe the killer cat.
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And remarkably, last night around 10 the hedgehog was seen 100ft away from before - this time only 15ft from our back door. Put down some cat food but evidence suggests the cat ate it! Will try again tonight with some of her least favourite food (contains liver).
ETA: Remarkably it was back again tonight and ate the whole bowl of food 👍
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Marsh Harrier on the Benfleet to Leigh seawall, Benfleet end.
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Was confronted by some free ranging turkeys yesterday. Also saw a red kite, a stoat, courting crows, and something that was the size of and moved like a stoat, but was the colour of a grey squirrel. No idea what that was. Up the back of Fettery, on the distillery road, at the Christmas tree farm.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53670858724_b93c6bb071_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pLHbrb)
Sam
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I have noticed on recent journeys that I have seen many more kites from the car window than I have buzzards.
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Two storks flew overhead this afternoon.
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Here in the shadow of the Chilterns, a pair of swallows and a buzzard.
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Alas I didn't have a camera with me, but as I walked back from our garage with an axe yesterday (the garage is in a different street from our house) I stepped over a trickle of water that runs across the lane most of the winter, possibly because of the number of tiny springs in the small limestone ridge we live on, and spotted some movement. It was a large freshwater shrimp, in the middle of the road.
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On today's ride: first, a buzzard being mobbed by lapwings then a red kite mobbed by oystercatchers.
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A pair of otters in the sea. Nuncio spotted them running across the beach into the sea. They swam about a bit, dived and surfed, then swam off down the coast.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53690701682_cb2e945e28_z.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/gp/johnspooner/9os7G406L4)
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Nice
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A large emperor moth, sitting on the pavement in the drizzle, trying to shake its wings dry.
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On yesterday evening's pootle along the towpath there was more action than usual at the swan's nest. Seven cygnets that I was told had hatched the previous day. Two very proud and protective parents.
(https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/XB4a4104MPnJB6KxPG2k9FzpS4F4qdyKh5a0HHJqFcE-2048x1560.jpg)
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While I was riding up the long hill, a short-eared owl was hunting over the fell. Possibly the male of a pair I saw a while ago. I watched till it went over a fold in the hill, then as I rode on it was sitting on a fence post near the road waiting for me!
Going down the other side, I was unaware of a rider behind me as I jinked and stopped to make sure a red squirrel sitting on the verge didn't decide to cross the road. I doubt the other rider even saw it.
After coffee and scone at the Hemmel (highly recommended), I set off back up the hill and saw 3 reds chasing each other about. And a second viewing of the SEO.
Most of the Upland Assemblage present and abundant.
And the sand martins are back!
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Yesterday, but 4 goldfinches just outside our back garden. We're also seeing a wren quite regularly pottering around amongst the plant pots on our decking, plus loads more blue tits than we ever saw when we lived down in York.
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Popped down to the river after work on Wednesday
(https://live.staticflickr.com/31337/53695239882_96ae436a1a_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pNS96Y)22f204cbb0bf41278f4189ae080ccd75 (https://flic.kr/p/2pNS96Y) by PaulRide (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62297839@N05/), on Flickr
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The swifts are back. :D
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The swifts are back. :D
So are the Hobbies. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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I have yet to see a swift over my garden this year, but I'm told they are around and about.
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(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczNlAcTe8LaMG5yvJJOpIfEqKRUXtFIiJSZ_RaJHq02Ic_L2opo30g2yqQ78xvNccBun6KBlYwOI9Tvt-PPJDVqj7wJZ8Hd3R1fKX7By8owy83EgOSXG=w2400)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczMvRuC-bsFGaExrKzTZV3RpbLq9jKlRJh28hSfKhWdGUt2RoYdX4vYRO7bA3qPwbHykDaACz6Wb40esuvgLomOSpxZucTzx8ggIVaj2hNjpbXd97mgs=w2400)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczO8uFZnW2O9WvZpI4xNB1Wg5mA7-U7f2TtOirEKald80uhB_pQtTTqMASQkHZGVIF0CFblPWXfVv4Gr0f8Bj0oFQ_rdCaugkSGMRqWp7DTLBa9hcpOR=w2400)
Some photos from Two Tree Island this morning. The last is of an avocet seeing off a corvid.
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Good photos Wow. I like the middle one - has it spotted its reflection?
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I came across this character on the canal towpath this afternoon. I'm guessing its puddle has dried up and it was making for the canal. Anyway that's where it hopped after I'd snapped it to my satisfaction.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53716249095_a13652ed4b_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pQHPpM)