A random thread for the wildlife stuff - you know the drill

[Gattopardo]

Foxes are cool, we have a couple under the summer house. At least some wildlife benefits in urban environments. They're not vermin, the population size is regulated by food availability and vehicular predation. They mostly don't bother cats, they're not competing for territory or food, so unless either party feels threatened or the foxes are really, really hungry, there's not much point in fighting, they both risk serious injury. Foxes would rather eat smaller stuff with fewer claws and teeth. Cats would rather eat stuff from the supermarket.

They don't need extra food or shelter, they're wild animals. I wouldn't worry about them. Foxes and squirrels in other parts of the world have to put up with far colder temperatures.

Saw foxy again today, went back to the food bowl to check.  Watched fox play with plastic bag.  To quick for me to get the camera out and on a tripod to photograph with 100-300 minolta lens I got the other day on my sony A200.

[Beardy]

We’ve got a pair of Redwings feeding in one of the holly bushes in our front garden and I’m trying to get a decent picture of them. Between a too short lens, their tooing and frowing and people walking or driving past it’s proving a bit of a challenge.

[Pingu]

Redwing you say? 


IMG_0268_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

There's loads in town with loadsa fieldfares just now. They've come into the city because the countryside is covered in snow.

[Beardy]

That’s a lot better than I managed Pingu, please tell me you used a very expensive camera and a huge lens. There was a second pair in the holly bush later this afternoon as well.

[Mrs Pingu]

That’s a lot better than I managed Pingu, please tell me you used a very expensive camera and a huge lens. There was a second pair in the holly bush later this afternoon as well.

If you click on the link under the photie to go to the Flickr site and then click on the 'i' for information it will tell you all sorts: camera model, lens length (but not model), aperture,  speed etc

ETA actually if you click the link and it opens it in a web browser then the info is just under the photo somewhere, no need to click on any 'i'

[Cudzoziemiec]

Good photo Pingu.

[Beardy]

The redwings are back and they’re currently teasing me with a wonderful pose of all 4 looking towards where the camera would be. I really wish I had a longer lens.

[pcolbeck]

One (at least) of the blackbirds that frequent out garden has learned to operate the sprung loaded seed feeder.
It's one of those feeders that has a weight perch so if a large bird lands on it it slides down and covers the feeding hole.
The blackbird either flutters or bounces on the perch to get the seed out.
We do put food out for blackbirds on the bird table but this one seems proud of its new skill.

[Jaded]

Bison ranger would be a very cool job title, and it's great to have this reintroduction.

Sounds like an enhanced job title for a Toilet Cleaner in the West Midlands.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Woves v bison video here: https://youtu.be/yfSjkDH78Ug
And a daylight one here: https://youtu.be/LXIBVVAoLEI which shows the bison herding the wolves away. It's a bit like crowd control police tactics...
I have a feeling it will be a very long time, if ever, till we get to see this in Britain!

[hellymedic]

D heard a thud in his shed, went outside and found a very small bird on the ground.
Brought it into the house, immobile but breathing.
Worked hard to keep Big Tom away.
Decided to feed it sugar water, then took it back to the shed.
D says bird then started flapping so he let it fly away.

Might be a blue tit. Tiny about 7cm but fully-fledged.

[Steph]

Tossers. Are they all cabbies?
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/beavers-rewilding-shoot-anglers-fishing-b1805101.html

[Cudzoziemiec]

We associate red kites with the Chilterns and Wales, but they used to swoop around London, cleaning up carcasses and taking food from people's hands. As I can say the black ones still do in Indian cities!
https://theconversation.com/red-kites-and-ravens-swooped-through-elizabethan-london-and-helped-keep-the-city-clean-155768

[Basil]

We associate red kites with the Chilterns and Wales,

There are more around my mum's place in Reading than there are around Llandysul.   And there are loads around Llandysul.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Actually in Reading? That's interesting. Makes sense though, as they clearly don't fear humans and we do provide a ready source of meals via takeaways and squashed pigeons (occasionally but only rarely distinguishable one from the other).

[Basil]

Don't know about the whole of Reading.  Might be just Earley, but there really are loads of them.

[Kim]

Given that Reading's an easy bike ride from Red Kite Central (ie. Watlington) and birds don't need to use granny rings it's not surprising that they might pop over for a bit of urban shitehawkery from time to time.

[hellymedic]

The Earley birds catch the worms... IGMC

[fuzzy]

I live in Marlow which is only a few miles east of reading and I can sit in my lounge and sometimes watch 15+ Red Kite riding the thermals over the town.

[matthew]

I get the same view from the water treatment works at Bray, though less so in Bracknell.

[Mrs Pingu]

Finally managed to get a photo of a long tailed tit. Wee buggers never sit still!
IMG_1146_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

[salar55]

Some birds don't need the bird feeders , did not want to disturb it, pic thro window with phone.

[slowfen]

We’ve had sparrow hawks take birds of the feeders, it life

[fuzzy]

Had two firsts for us yesterday- our first Redwing whilst doing a recce to the Covid jab location and a femal Blackcap on our bird bath

[mzjo]

"Les grues ont passé" This afternoon I saw two big groups (flights?) pass over Limoges heading up north. That is usually the sign that the wintry weather is finished. (For us commoners grue is a generic term for any group of birds flying at altitude in V formation - the actual bird type might not be a grue!.