Author Topic: Seen today  (Read 999463 times)

Re: Seen today
« Reply #5125 on: 30 April, 2018, 07:23:47 am »
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.
"No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everybody on the couch."

Basil

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Re: Seen today
« Reply #5126 on: 30 April, 2018, 11:01:22 am »
First swallow of the year for me this morning.
Admission.  I'm actually not that fussed about cake.

Re: Seen today
« Reply #5127 on: 30 April, 2018, 07:15:24 pm »
I saw my first several swallows yesterday, darting about low over the river.


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Re: Seen today
« Reply #5128 on: 01 May, 2018, 01:33:27 pm »
Seen in black park lake just to the north of slough  :)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/mjWdAUqDodCPpFcj2
the slower you go the more you see

Re: Seen today
« Reply #5129 on: 02 May, 2018, 11:35:19 am »
Not seen, sadly, “our” Robin chicks. Empty nest, presumably predated, probably by rats as it was close to our compost heap  :-\
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Re: Seen today
« Reply #5130 on: 04 May, 2018, 08:43:00 pm »
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   :)
the slower you go the more you see

Wowbagger

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Re: Seen today
« Reply #5131 on: 07 May, 2018, 09:55:06 pm »


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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Seen today
« Reply #5132 on: 07 May, 2018, 10:02:22 pm »
Digging over the compost heap earlier I found a slow worm. Also, spotted our frog while watering in the dark.


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Cudzoziemiec

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Re: Seen today
« Reply #5133 on: 08 May, 2018, 01:47:59 pm »
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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Pingu

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Re: Seen today
« Reply #5134 on: 13 May, 2018, 09:00:23 pm »
Swifts are back  :thumbsup:

Re: Seen today
« Reply #5135 on: 13 May, 2018, 10:04:52 pm »
I saw a skylark at its nest today, singing away, as I ran by.


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Riggers

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Re: Seen today
« Reply #5136 on: 14 May, 2018, 02:04:57 pm »
We've got nothing down here in Brighton. No Swifts, Swallows, House Martins. Nothing. Quite worrying really.
Certainly never seen cycling south of Sussex

Andrij

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Re: Seen today
« Reply #5137 on: 16 May, 2018, 10:38:54 am »
Riding home last night through Plaistow, around 20:30, a cat fox (!) sitting on a garden fence watching traffic go by.
;D  Andrij.  I pronounce you Complete and Utter GIT   :thumbsup:

Cudzoziemiec

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Re: Seen today
« Reply #5138 on: 16 May, 2018, 10:46:31 am »
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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Andrij

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Re: Seen today
« Reply #5139 on: 16 May, 2018, 10:53:14 am »
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.)
;D  Andrij.  I pronounce you Complete and Utter GIT   :thumbsup:

hellymedic

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Re: Seen today
« Reply #5140 on: 16 May, 2018, 01:57:22 pm »
Foxes hereabouts are around at just about any time of day or night.

Pingu

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Re: Seen today
« Reply #5141 on: 17 May, 2018, 07:25:21 pm »
Saw a peregrine carrying what appeared to be a pigeon in the centre of FurryBootToon  :)

ElyDave

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Re: Seen today
« Reply #5142 on: 21 May, 2018, 10:41:34 am »
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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Cudzoziemiec

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Re: Seen today
« Reply #5143 on: 21 May, 2018, 11:04:20 am »
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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Auntie Helen

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Re: Seen today
« Reply #5144 on: 21 May, 2018, 05:00:06 pm »
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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Wowbagger

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Re: Seen today
« Reply #5145 on: 21 May, 2018, 05:10:33 pm »
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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Re: Seen today
« Reply #5146 on: 21 May, 2018, 07:11:38 pm »
Thousands of May flies along the Thames near Windsor this afternoon .exactly how many thousands I did not bother to count  : :)
the slower you go the more you see

Jaded

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Re: Seen today
« Reply #5147 on: 23 May, 2018, 08:17:27 am »
It is simpler than it looks.

Riggers

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Re: Seen today
« Reply #5148 on: 25 May, 2018, 10:16:51 am »
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.
Certainly never seen cycling south of Sussex

Pingu

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Re: Seen today
« Reply #5149 on: 25 May, 2018, 06:58:35 pm »
Fledgling robin in the garden.