Author Topic: Seen today (Read 1014493 times)

Wowbagger · « **Reply #5050 on:** 11 January, 2018, 06:43:57 pm »

Quote from: Sergeant Pluck on 05 January, 2018, 02:58:38 pm

Quote from: Sergeant Pluck on 19 December, 2017, 01:47:25 pm
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.

rafletcher · « **Reply #5051 on:** 19 January, 2018, 08:37:20 pm »

A Buzzard, at about 10ft Range - it was on the verge as I cycled past, presumably on some food.

Butterfly · « **Reply #5052 on:** 23 January, 2018, 10:56:35 am »

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.

ElyDave · « **Reply #5053 on:** 23 January, 2018, 02:51:35 pm »

Quote from: rafletcher on 19 January, 2018, 08:37:20 pm

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

Kim · « **Reply #5054 on:** 23 January, 2018, 04:06:20 pm »

Quote from: Butterfly on 23 January, 2018, 10:56:35 am

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.

Sergeant Pluck · « **Reply #5055 on:** 27 January, 2018, 02:36:36 pm »

Quote from: Wowbagger on 11 January, 2018, 06:43:57 pm

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.

Deano · « **Reply #5056 on:** 28 January, 2018, 10:10:41 pm »

A couple of hares and loads of kestrels round t'Moors.

Plus a kingfisher down Cocker Beck

Tim Hall · « **Reply #5057 on:** 29 January, 2018, 05:13:06 pm »

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.

matthew · « **Reply #5058 on:** 29 January, 2018, 05:28:47 pm »

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.

ElyDave · « **Reply #5059 on:** 30 January, 2018, 08:22:24 am »

Quote from: Tim Hall on 29 January, 2018, 05:13:06 pm

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

Wowbagger · « **Reply #5060 on:** 30 January, 2018, 12:23:09 pm »

Quote from: ElyDave on 30 January, 2018, 08:22:24 am

Quote from: Tim Hall on 29 January, 2018, 05:13:06 pm
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...

ElyDave · « **Reply #5061 on:** 31 January, 2018, 10:12:42 pm »

Quote from: Wowbagger on 30 January, 2018, 12:23:09 pm

Quote from: ElyDave on 30 January, 2018, 08:22:24 am
Quote from: Tim Hall on 29 January, 2018, 05:13:06 pm
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?

Basil · « **Reply #5062 on:** 31 January, 2018, 11:03:17 pm »

A cormorant, flying along the Teifi with a small fish in it's beak.

Pingu · « **Reply #5063 on:** 03 February, 2018, 06:31:36 pm »

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.

IMG_7199_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

rafletcher · « **Reply #5064 on:** 05 February, 2018, 10:33:40 am »

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

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

).

Wowbagger · « **Reply #5065 on:** 21 February, 2018, 08:20:24 pm »

I watched a brother of the angle play and land a handsome common carp - probably about 12lb I reckon.

Basil · « **Reply #5066 on:** 21 February, 2018, 08:29:39 pm »

Quote from: Wowbagger on 21 February, 2018, 08:20:24 pm

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.

Andrij · « **Reply #5067 on:** 22 February, 2018, 09:52:29 am »

A rat, while cycling home through Limehouse last night.

rafletcher · « **Reply #5068 on:** 25 February, 2018, 09:58:29 pm »

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.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #5069 on:** 25 February, 2018, 10:39:39 pm »

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.

rafletcher · « **Reply #5070 on:** 02 March, 2018, 01:51:10 pm »

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.

SteveC · « **Reply #5071 on:** 02 March, 2018, 01:57:43 pm »

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.

Snakehips · « **Reply #5072 on:** 02 March, 2018, 03:42:43 pm »

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.

Pingu · « **Reply #5073 on:** 02 March, 2018, 05:23:13 pm »

Some fieldfares in a neighbour's garden. A rare sight in town.

noisycrank · « **Reply #5074 on:** 02 March, 2018, 07:08:19 pm »

It is March so two Brown Hares showing nicely against the snow and a buzzard