Author Topic: Seen today (Read 1018286 times)

Wombat · « **Reply #2675 on:** 14 June, 2012, 12:34:56 pm »

Its the rails of yer Brooks saddle....

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #2676 on:** 14 June, 2012, 01:17:19 pm »

Visited my friend Kirstie's alpacas and met the new Cria called Mabel.

She's a real sweetie, very friendly already!

Pingu · « **Reply #2677 on:** 14 June, 2012, 01:20:19 pm »

I suspect somebody's gonna squeee!

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #2678 on:** 14 June, 2012, 05:19:23 pm »

Squeeee!
AH, if you're visiting again, could you make a recording of the humming?

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #2679 on:** 14 June, 2012, 06:28:31 pm »

I visit them weekly but have not yet heard one hum. Seen them spitting though!

Feline · « **Reply #2680 on:** 14 June, 2012, 07:12:47 pm »

Oh they are awesome!
There are a few around these parts of Somerset too, but I haven't seen baby ones so far. Very cute!

Chris S · « **Reply #2681 on:** 14 June, 2012, 08:34:58 pm »

Take some Custard Creams. Then they'll hum. They LOVE custard creams.

Tim Hall · « **Reply #2682 on:** 14 June, 2012, 08:48:15 pm »

Cycling home today, something caught my eye in a tree overhanging the road. Closer inspection revealed it to be an owl, looking at me with a startled expression. Brown chest with dark stripes. Before I could snap it on my phone, a car came past and scared it off.

What flavour owl was it? Barn owls seem to have the wrong colouring. Little owl looks closer.

Chris S · « **Reply #2683 on:** 14 June, 2012, 08:54:24 pm »

How big? Tawny owls are small, Long or Short eared owls are bigger, but similar colouring.

Peter · « **Reply #2684 on:** 14 June, 2012, 08:54:30 pm »

Tim, how big was it? If you are thinking it was the size of a barn owl, then it could have been a tawny owl. A little owl is only about the size of a blackbird and is more likely to be perched on a fence-post.

Edit XP with Chris

Tim Hall · « **Reply #2685 on:** 14 June, 2012, 09:12:22 pm »

Ooh about yay big. A lot bigger than a black bird. No where near as big as a European Eagle Owl (I've had one of them land on my arm at a display). Say about Barn Owl sized.

<fx:googles>

Tawny is more likely then, seeing it was in darkest Surrey.

Rig of Jarkness · « **Reply #2686 on:** 17 June, 2012, 10:20:21 am »

Seen in the past 2 weeks whilst on holiday in Dumfries & Galloway. Two great views of kingfishers fishing, also osprey, peregrine, pied flycatchers, cuckoo, willow tit, snipe, red squirrels, and numerous nuthatches and red kites. And unfortunately one grey squirrel visiting the garden where we were staying in New Galloway so that doesn't bode well at all. We've reported the sighting to the Scottish Wildlife Trust hopefully they'll be able to trap it and take it away.

itinerant · « **Reply #2687 on:** 17 June, 2012, 10:23:46 pm »

Dragged my lardy backside and cobweb covered bike out into the wintery weather this morning for a drag into the biting wind up on to the Pennines to be greeted with a fantastic sight. Right on the very top of the climb from Brighouse/Outlane past the Nont Sarahs and past the turn off to Scammonden a big bird was swooping over the road. As I got closer I realised it was a short eared owl hunting across the verges and the road. Me and the lady in front of me virtually ground to a halt as we watched this magnificent sight for 5 minutes. It eventually went off across the moors. It made the freezing feet and the aching legs worthwhile.

Peter · « **Reply #2688 on:** 18 June, 2012, 12:11:18 am »

I'm not far away in Milnrow, Itinerant, and I've never come up Nont Sarah's from your side without it being into the teeth of a gale! Maybe short-eared owls are on the rise; I saw one earlier in the year over here on the massive new i~~ndustrial estate~~ enterprise park at Kingsway. It was hunting in the middle of the afternoon before settling down in the grass, not a bit bothered. Never seen one before.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #2689 on:** 18 June, 2012, 12:34:12 am »

We had a lovely view of a short-eared owl on the island of Flodda a couple of weeks ago.

Juan Martín · « **Reply #2690 on:** 18 June, 2012, 10:17:38 am »

Over weekend (but just identified) a Wood Warbler. I think

On a visit to the gardens at Sissinghurst yesterday I noticed a board where are posted recent wildlife sightings. Amongst which was an Osprey. That seems a little unlikely for Kent - or can someone advise me otherwise...

Wowbagger · « **Reply #2691 on:** 19 June, 2012, 11:48:34 pm »

They turn up occasionally in southern England. I think they are normally juveniles. There was one at Hanningfield Reservoir a few years ago which hung round for quite some time. More recently, we were approaching Poole Harbour on a train and I had a very clear, but somewhat brief, sighting of a large bird of prey which I was sure was an osprey, sitting on a post. A quick google told me that one had been sighted a few times in that vicinity during the days leading up to my sighting, so I counted that.

docsquid · « **Reply #2692 on:** 20 June, 2012, 04:01:05 pm »

Yesterday we saw a dingy skipper butterfly in our meadow for the first time. This is one of our target species, and we have been trying to get it across to our meadow for a couple of years. First sighting yesterday!

Lots and lots of common blue butterflies too including evidence they are breeding in the meadow, which is also very good news.

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #2693 on:** 20 June, 2012, 04:32:06 pm »

Removed from the dog's jaws - a dead bat. I don't imagine for a moment she caught it herself, just found it in the garden. Next door's cat is a mega hunter so he's probably to blame. It was much smaller than I expected!

Tim Hall · « **Reply #2694 on:** 20 June, 2012, 09:59:44 pm »

During yesterday evening's pootle, a brace of what I presume were ostriches. Or possibly emus.

Sergeant Pluck · « **Reply #2695 on:** 20 June, 2012, 10:54:36 pm »

Right, 30 minutes ago in SW London, hence getting dark but still a bit of light left: a HUGE insect, well over 2” long, with a heavy body like a fat moth suspended, hanging tail down, from large wings. At first I thought it was a bird, flying very oddly, but it must have some kind of enormous moth. What could it have been? I’m sure I could hear its wings flapping, and my hearing’s not the best

Wowbagger · « **Reply #2696 on:** 20 June, 2012, 11:00:41 pm »

Quote from: Sergeant Pluck on 20 June, 2012, 10:54:36 pm

Right, 30 minutes ago in SW London, hence getting dark but still a bit of light left: a HUGE insect, well over 2” long, with a heavy body like a fat moth suspended, hanging tail down, from large wings. At first I thought it was a bird, flying very oddly, but it must have some kind of enormous moth. What could it have been? I’m sure I could hear its wings flapping, and my hearing’s not the best

Mole cricket?