Author Topic: Seen today (Read 1012820 times)

cycleman · « **Reply #5025 on:** 22 November, 2017, 07:30:25 pm »

A Jay , a buzzard , a massive flock of rooks and several squirrels

Kim · « **Reply #5026 on:** 22 November, 2017, 11:57:17 pm »

Mk 1 shitehawk. Flying backwards.

andyoxon · « **Reply #5027 on:** 03 December, 2017, 05:09:10 pm »

Green woodpecker, tree creeper around Aoxon towers.

runsoncake · « **Reply #5028 on:** 05 December, 2017, 05:24:45 pm »

Very torpid slowworm on Little Haven slipway. NOT an animal you would expect to see in December!

David Martin · « **Reply #5029 on:** 06 December, 2017, 06:12:10 pm »

That is why it was a very slow worm.

rafletcher · « **Reply #5030 on:** 13 December, 2017, 03:30:26 pm »

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.

cycleman · « **Reply #5031 on:** 13 December, 2017, 06:23:43 pm »

A Jay , a green woodpecker and a kingfisher today

Flite · « **Reply #5032 on:** 14 December, 2017, 07:47:01 pm »

21 Black Grouse (3 blackcock and 18 greyhens) and about 30 fieldfares.

Pingu · « **Reply #5033 on:** 16 December, 2017, 03:03:19 pm »

Female blackcap on the feeders - a first for us.

slowfen · « **Reply #5034 on:** 16 December, 2017, 03:06:05 pm »

mistle thrush in our mistletoe

hellymedic · « **Reply #5035 on:** 16 December, 2017, 03:15:43 pm »

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.

Sergeant Pluck · « **Reply #5036 on:** 16 December, 2017, 03:31:48 pm »

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.

Jurek · « **Reply #5037 on:** 16 December, 2017, 03:40:23 pm »

Quote from: Sergeant Pluck on 16 December, 2017, 03:31:48 pm

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.

Sergeant Pluck · « **Reply #5038 on:** 16 December, 2017, 04:53:02 pm »

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.

T42 · « **Reply #5039 on:** 16 December, 2017, 05:08:38 pm »

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.

Sergeant Pluck · « **Reply #5040 on:** 16 December, 2017, 05:24:07 pm »

Quote from: T42 on 16 December, 2017, 05:08:38 pm

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.

Sergeant Pluck · « **Reply #5041 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?

Wowbagger · « **Reply #5042 on:** 21 December, 2017, 01:12:30 pm »

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.

Pingu · « **Reply #5043 on:** 22 December, 2017, 11:09:55 am »

Otter in the harbour just now

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #5044 on:** 26 December, 2017, 02:07:20 pm »

Just had a red kite circling Fort Larrington; first time I've seen one in these parts.

Sergeant Pluck · « **Reply #5045 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?

Pingu · « **Reply #5046 on:** 06 January, 2018, 03:34:29 pm »

Hundreds of geese about today in the Northron wastes. Also some curlews in a field.

Snakehips · « **Reply #5047 on:** 08 January, 2018, 04:12:52 pm »

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.

fuaran · « **Reply #5048 on:** 08 January, 2018, 04:28:37 pm »

A treecreeper, creeping up a tree. First one I've seen in years.

cycleman · « **Reply #5049 on:** 08 January, 2018, 06:40:56 pm »

Magpies ,pigeons,blackbirds,a pair of wagtails,a crow,some rooks two buzzards and some red kites