Author Topic: A random thread for the wildlife stuff - you know the drill (Read 135317 times)

perpetual dan · « **Reply #600 on:** 22 May, 2021, 02:12:41 pm »

I’ve just seen one of the local mogs eating from the ground level bird food I’ve put out.

Pingu · « **Reply #601 on:** 22 May, 2021, 02:31:01 pm »

Ours will eat fat balls and dried mealworms

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #602 on:** 11 June, 2021, 07:06:48 pm »

Well it's been all the excitement at Pingu Towers this evening. There's been a pair of common gulls nesting on a chimney can on the flat across the road, and tonight I spotted a commotion where they were trying to fend off some $bigger gulls (Pingu will be along in a bit to confirm and with pics after he's made tea I expect), which is not unusual except then I saw them flying onto the dormer snd peering down the roof behind it.
Then toddling precariously up the slate roof a little tiny spotted pom-pom appears. A chick has fallen from the nest!
And then over the next 10 mins of commotion another 2 fling themselves out too!
Now one of them is on the ground, soon to be either cat (ours are in thankfully) or herring gull food I imagine.... can't see how they are going to survive...
Scenes of wildlife peril.

Pingu · « **Reply #603 on:** 11 June, 2021, 09:19:26 pm »

IMG_3043_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

IMG_3050_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

IMG_3064_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

IMG_3066_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

IMG_3069_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

IMG_3076_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

perpetual dan · « **Reply #604 on:** 11 June, 2021, 09:36:41 pm »

Jurek · « **Reply #605 on:** 11 June, 2021, 09:36:41 pm »

Quote from: Pingu on 11 June, 2021, 09:19:26 pm

IMG_3043_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

IMG_3050_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

IMG_3064_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

IMG_3066_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

IMG_3069_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

IMG_3076_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

Are they babies?
Or on the menu?

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #606 on:** 11 June, 2021, 09:52:41 pm »

They are babies of the adults in the shot.
On the menu for anything else.

rogerzilla · « **Reply #607 on:** 16 June, 2021, 12:52:48 pm »

My starlings flew yesterday. They've been nesting under the roof tiles and making a right racket from dawn to dusk, with the adults popping in every two minutes with grubs.

Suddenly, yesterday morning, all was quiet. I found one chap (brown, but the size of an adult) on the patio trying to work out how to use his wings. Luckily Dumpy Cat, who was lounging a few yards away, is not in the least interested in hunting (Tigs will grab and eat every scrap of a bird in 2 minutes flat, given the chance, but he was out somewhere). It hid in the pile of pallets behind the shed but had gone later.

At 7.30 yesterday, the whole family was sat on the TV aerial

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #608 on:** 25 June, 2021, 11:35:13 am »

We have a lot of small birds in the garden. Sparrows (at risk now, not so common), goldfinches, greenfinches, chaffinches, blackbirds, collared doves. I'm sure I've missed a few. Oh, and migrating redwings, for a week.

They have eaten 35l of birdseed since January. Good thing the local farmer's supply shop sells in bulk.

andrewc · « **Reply #609 on:** 29 June, 2021, 08:17:10 am »

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/21/tasmanian-devils-wipe-out-thousands-of-penguins-maria-island-australia

You'd think after their experiences with rabbits, cane toads etc that the Aussies would have some semblance of clue about introducing a new species to an island.

Kim · « **Reply #610 on:** 29 June, 2021, 01:08:50 pm »

Quote from: mrcharly-YHT on 29 April, 2021, 04:07:24 pm

a 20l bin full of birdseed

That's almost as much as you'd find in the boot of Mrs-barakta's-mum's car.

Peter · « **Reply #611 on:** 29 June, 2021, 01:39:15 pm »

@ Mrs Pingu

Just seen your amazing pictures of the gull chicks. That one of the baby hurling itself off the chimney is heart-stopping. Gulls seem to get full-size feet as soon as they are out of the egg - a bit like a labrador, which seems to be born with full-size skin!

It's tough being a baby bird - I've buried two failed blackbird chicks from the back yard, this year. The mother survived a road collision, though. I found it motionless on the pavement and I moved it to a secluded space (to bury when I got back from the shop), when I got back it had gone, with no sign of predation. It hopped over to the seed as usual a little later!

Keep them coming, your stuff is always interesting!

Peter

nicknack · « **Reply #612 on:** 02 July, 2021, 11:01:48 am »

Whilst idly scrolling through yacf I heard a commotion behind the tele in the corner. Bloody wood pigeon. It must have strolled in through the back door since that was the only one open. It plainly hadn't grasped the concept of transparent stuff that you can't fly through and spent a while battering itself against the window before I finally managed to shoo it out.
Amazingly, it doesn't appear to have crapped anywhere.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #613 on:** 08 July, 2021, 02:00:58 pm »

I saw a hedgehog this morning on my walk, which was quite a surprise. I haven't seen a live one in person in Furrtbootoon for decades. The last one I saw IRL was on the way home from the pub in the middle of Bruges a couple of years ago.

andrewc · « **Reply #614 on:** 08 July, 2021, 02:20:52 pm »

My parents found 3 small hedgehogs in their suburban Liverpool garden last week. One has since died.

toontra · « **Reply #615 on:** 08 July, 2021, 05:04:58 pm »

Very few swallows at our place on the Angus coast this year. Usually many nesting pairs, and I can watch their ariel feeding for hours.
This year only a single pair

delthebike · « **Reply #616 on:** 08 July, 2021, 05:23:44 pm »

Helped a mother duck and ducklings, seven or eight of 'em, cross the road in Wickford by using myself as a human shield and stopping the motor traffic. Meanwhile John Random bicycle rider ushered said fowl to the side of the road and three ladies walking joined in the ushering.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #617 on:** 08 July, 2021, 05:29:32 pm »

Top job

Asterix, the former Gaul. · « **Reply #618 on:** 11 July, 2021, 12:42:11 pm »

Thousands of fish dropped from plane to restock Utah lakes
This gives a new meaning to ~~flying fish~~ life, the universe and everything - wildlife authorities in Utah are restocking lakes with fish by dropping them out of a plane.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #619 on:** 07 September, 2021, 10:55:40 pm »

Craneflies. Never seen so many of the things in one place!
And they're huge!

Also, we still have bats in the new patch, which is good as I'd wondered if the houses might not be old and draughty enough to support them.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #620 on:** 05 November, 2021, 05:47:05 pm »

Dear cats, will you please stop shitting on the lawn? Plenty of shrubs in the garden you could make your deposits under.

Kim · « **Reply #621 on:** 17 November, 2021, 10:18:19 pm »

Excellent use of the old Australian Safety Boots™ there: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-australia-59324637

Wowbagger · « **Reply #622 on:** 19 November, 2021, 09:19:56 pm »

That won an award of some sort in 2016. Amazing photo.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #623 on:** 19 November, 2021, 11:14:57 pm »

Yes it is but they've ruined it with such a lot of touching up, IMO.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #624 on:** 20 November, 2021, 10:15:27 am »

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 19 November, 2021, 11:14:57 pm

Yes it is but they've ruined it with such a lot of touching up, IMO.

I thought the same, but I don't have the photography expertise to be able to put a finger on what has been done.