Author Topic: Seen today (Read 1019546 times)

fuzzy · « **Reply #2375 on:** 17 February, 2012, 07:10:44 pm »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 15 February, 2012, 02:49:38 pm

A heron in a drainage canal(?) at Heathrow, two moorhens at Reading Calcot, and a bird the shape and size of a buzzard but with a very pale underside - some variant? All on Sunday through a coach window.

Red Kite perhaps- like these I saw from my back garden a couple of days ago-

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #2376 on:** 17 February, 2012, 07:52:00 pm »

Paler underside than that and with a pale bar across the wings, near the ends. Unfortunately I didn't see the tail, it was just landing on a telephone pole or something similar. I think it was probably just a buzzard.

Snakehips · « **Reply #2377 on:** 17 February, 2012, 09:05:18 pm »

Three Little Grebe on the Thames near Richmond.

Peter · « **Reply #2378 on:** 19 February, 2012, 11:53:36 pm »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 17 February, 2012, 07:52:00 pm

Paler underside than that and with a pale bar across the wings, near the ends. Unfortunately I didn't see the tail, it was just landing on a telephone pole or something similar. I think it was probably just a buzzard.

Almost certainly a buzzard. There's a good underside view here:-

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/buzzard/index.aspx

Steph · « **Reply #2379 on:** 21 February, 2012, 06:21:12 pm »

Nice set of ducks: teal, widgeon, pochard, tufted, mallard, gadwall, shoveller, pintail and shelduck. Peregrine falcon and very, very close female sparrowhawk. Redpolls.

And a bittern in flight. Yes, I was at Barnes reserve again.

Rig of Jarkness · « **Reply #2380 on:** 21 February, 2012, 06:34:51 pm »

Edinburgh YACFers may wish to hear that a bittern has been hanging about Duddingston Loch for several weeks now. There's also regular sightings of otters from those trying to see the bittern.

Snakehips · « **Reply #2381 on:** 21 February, 2012, 06:35:27 pm »

There are currently loads of teal, gadwall, and shoveller on the waters near the wetlands , i.e. the Lonsdale Leg o mutton and the Thames itself.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #2382 on:** 21 February, 2012, 11:59:42 pm »

Either a frog or a toad. I don't know what species and all the guides I can find are American, but it was a couple of inches long with pale brown, smooth looking skin. It was jumping along the pavement near a stone wall this evening. A bit early in the year I'd have thought, but it was warm today for Feb and was raining.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #2383 on:** 22 February, 2012, 10:45:08 am »

If jumping, it was probably a frog. Toads have much shorter back legs and generally crawl around the place.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #2384 on:** 22 February, 2012, 11:00:41 am »

Don't toads usually have warty skin whereas frogs have smooth skin, or is that too much of a generalisation?

Not that I'm suggesting WARRTY riders are toads, of course!

Wowbagger · « **Reply #2385 on:** 22 February, 2012, 11:09:19 am »

Usually, yes.

fuzzy · « **Reply #2386 on:** 22 February, 2012, 12:03:41 pm »

Whilst driving in to work this morning I was forced into an emergency stop by a Red Kite in kamakazi mode hoovering up a small item of road kill. Awesome aerobatics.

why1040 · « **Reply #2387 on:** 22 February, 2012, 05:53:19 pm »

Coming home from that London last night, along the last 10 minutes or so of my journey, I managed:

3 muntjacks trying to cross the a40-separately
A horde of rabbits of the wild variety
Two foxes, one of whom looked really young-late cub? It was red, but looked awfully juvenile for February!
A hare
3 cats
and the white rabbit that appears to live near us somewhere and which randomly turns up on our street now and then. No idea if it's just a regular escapee or one that's gone wild.

Today I've only managed a low-flying kite and the two pigs that are constantly escaping onto West Hyde Lane...they're cute, but highly irritating, especially as horses are scared of pigs!

Kim · « **Reply #2388 on:** 22 February, 2012, 09:01:09 pm »

Aston ASBO Geese. They barely lived up to their name, and the one that did try it on was quickly defeated by a harsh glaring-at from barakta, who is used to much harder, Stockport Scally Geese.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #2389 on:** 22 February, 2012, 09:09:03 pm »

Quote from: why1040 on 22 February, 2012, 05:53:19 pm

a low-flying kite

I saw one of them today - a paper one in a little girl's hand!

Feanor · « **Reply #2390 on:** 22 February, 2012, 09:12:17 pm »

A friend has a young son, and when he was around 3 or 4 was taken to feed the ducks.
There are some fairly big and fairly agressive geese at the duckpond, which were as tall as the kid.
His dad would sho them away with his foot.

Junior had obviously been watching, because when a goose approached, and started trying to grab the food from his hand, he took an *almighty* swing at it with his foot, and *hoofed* the thing back into the pond!

This had the entire assembled audience in uproar.

Andyf · « **Reply #2391 on:** 22 February, 2012, 09:20:57 pm »

A Very F***ing Expesive Bus that cost a £1 million !!!!!!!!!!!!......yep the only new Roadmaster bus still with the Red garage plates, on it's test runs

Snakehips · « **Reply #2392 on:** 24 February, 2012, 03:52:50 pm »

A sizeable collection of Wigeon on the Long Water , Home Park , Hampton Court.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #2393 on:** 24 February, 2012, 07:55:44 pm »

A red admiral.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #2394 on:** 24 February, 2012, 08:03:10 pm »

Of the Soviet navy?

Pingu · « **Reply #2395 on:** 24 February, 2012, 08:47:19 pm »

Dolphins yesterday.

ran doner · « **Reply #2396 on:** 25 February, 2012, 09:15:33 pm »

New Forest Pigs Hoovering

Wowbagger · « **Reply #2397 on:** 25 February, 2012, 10:16:58 pm »

A buzzard above Aldham, soaring nicely in a thermal.

A sparrow hawk near Chappell, its wing tips almost touching the tarmac.

Pingu · « **Reply #2398 on:** 26 February, 2012, 02:23:45 pm »

Must've seen >20 buzzards today on 55km ride.

Heard a yellowhammer.

Rig of Jarkness · « **Reply #2399 on:** 26 February, 2012, 04:55:55 pm »

A redpoll and a brambling in the garden this morning, both the first visits we've seen this winter. Lots of singing from dunnocks, chaffinches and robins.

Author Topic: Seen today (Read 1019546 times)

fuzzy

fuzzy