Author Topic: Seen today (Read 1018908 times)

Peter · « **Reply #2850 on:** 28 September, 2012, 10:28:54 am »

L, I've finally got around to reading the Pooh books after having them quoted at my by wife and daughter for years. They are absolutely marvellous and the drawings are perfect. The ending of the House At Pooh Corner is so sad (for me) in that it presages Christopher being sent to boarding school, where he had a hard time because of the books. I'll have to put that out of my mind when I re-read them, which will be often!

tiermat · « **Reply #2851 on:** 28 September, 2012, 10:36:00 am »

As well as having one follow us, we heard one twitting with no twoo in reply in a filed as we approached Thrintoft.

Just as I was getting other people to listen for it, a cow moo'd, spoiling it somewhat (and making it funny as people thought I meant the cow was an owl....)

Perfect night last night for avian escort.

I had a fleeting glance of a bat earlier in the ride.

Peter · « **Reply #2852 on:** 28 September, 2012, 10:41:12 am »

P, I wonder if it's regional? I see owls commonly on rides all over The North but the experiences of them flying along with me (there have been a few) have all been in the lower Swaledale area. Maybe it's the same wol each time!

why1040 · « **Reply #2853 on:** 28 September, 2012, 07:50:01 pm »

I saw an incredibly ickle bunnywabbit on the road today, if he keeps running out in front of cars that way, he'll end up getting hit by someone!

A rat ran out in front of my car in broad daylight. Big bugger, thought it was a cat at first! No wonder my horse stuff keeps getting broken into, I bet they can break into cars if they want to!

andrew_s · « **Reply #2854 on:** 29 September, 2012, 12:56:36 am »

Quote from: RJ on 28 September, 2012, 09:25:42 am

wol.

File under Strigidae

Tytonidae, more likely

Bledlow · « **Reply #2855 on:** 29 September, 2012, 06:40:24 pm »

Quote from: rogerzilla on 27 September, 2012, 06:46:28 pm

A very unseasonable dead badger on the road into work.

Saw a fresh one of them yesterday.

And today, Mrs B spotted a crow wrestling to pull a pear off a tree. It eventually succeeded, & flew off with its prize. She was impressed. We also saw a rat in the grounds of Reading university which wasn't at all bothered by us watching it from a few feet away.

Innumerable squirrels fussing around on the ground, some apparently burying things.

An owl flew low over us on the Reading CTC WER 10 days ago.

Peter · « **Reply #2856 on:** 29 September, 2012, 08:23:37 pm »

Over Rochdale, lenticular clouds.

Also saw some late swallows. Anyone else got them this far north?

Feanor · « **Reply #2857 on:** 30 September, 2012, 06:34:46 pm »

Yesterday on our epic 200k:

Early-morning twilight through Glen Isla revealed many Buzzards, a Kestrel, some furtive deer, and a Red Squirrel.

Nothing much during the day, as the wildlife hides from the fierce mid-day sun.

Evening twilight through Glenshee there was a large herd of deer down off the hills, an indicator of the approach of winter.
The stags were a little further up the glen, strutting about and bellowing.
Kind of like getting a skinfull in before going to chase the herd of girls lower down the glen, in the hope of a Sneaky Rut.
Got some good views of them against the sky, with their antlers on show.

In the dark along Glen Isla, an owl ( a barn owl most likely , according to our Wildlife Correspondant ) swooped across the road in front of us, caught in the bike lights.
And a bat at some point.

Ian123 · « **Reply #2858 on:** 30 September, 2012, 07:11:02 pm »

Actually spotted yesterday squirrels in priory park while we were on route to southend for a ride along the seafront to shoebury east beach. Bike Southend were doing something for youngsters in the park so we enquired about getting our new bikes postcoded so thats all sorted now

Pingu · « **Reply #2859 on:** 30 September, 2012, 07:36:34 pm »

Quote from: Peter on 29 September, 2012, 08:23:37 pm

Also saw some late swallows. Anyone else got them this far north?

I saw some in Aberdeenshire last weekend, but I don't remember seeing any yesterday.

Riggers · « **Reply #2860 on:** 01 October, 2012, 01:21:26 pm »

Tons of ~~Swifts swishing and swooping~~ House Martins hovering and a-hoovering up lots of insects in the glorious sunshine on Saturday.

And a Stoat on Sunday. Or it might have been a Weasel.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #2861 on:** 01 October, 2012, 01:28:07 pm »

Are you sure they were swifts and not swallows/house martins, Riggersers?

Swifts tend to head south about a month earlier than the others. http://www.southendrspb.co.uk/sight99/sept12.htm shows that there were only 6 sighings of swifts by Southend RSPB members in the whole of September. Last year, the last recorded sighing of a swift was on 18th September. http://www.southendrspb.co.uk/sight99/migration.htm

I saw quite a few house martins yesterday, and there were probably some swallows amongst them, but I wasn't so sure of the swallows.

Riggers · « **Reply #2862 on:** 01 October, 2012, 01:31:54 pm »

They'd have been House Martins I reckon then, if that's the case!

Wowbagger · « **Reply #2863 on:** 01 October, 2012, 01:35:15 pm »

Here are some swifts behaving typically.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Rd3NlfbA7yQ&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/Rd3NlfbA7yQ&rel=1</a>

And swallows/house martins.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/F-c5252RAVs&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/F-c5252RAVs&rel=1</a>

Curiously, swifts are not related to the martins/swallows, but an entirely separate species.

Pingu · « **Reply #2864 on:** 01 October, 2012, 06:38:10 pm »

Yesterday I removed a ladybird from Mrs P's face. It was green rather than red (the ladybird, that is). Does that mean it wasn't ripe?

graculus · « **Reply #2865 on:** 06 October, 2012, 09:31:00 pm »

Saw a small slow worm on NCN 8 between Bangor and Caernafon, about 1/4 second before I ran it over. It lay still for a few seconds, then slithered off apparently unscathed with full flexibility and tongue flicking the air. Much relief on my part (and presumably that of the ~~snake~~ legless lizard).

(edited for zoological correctness)

Peter · « **Reply #2866 on:** 07 October, 2012, 01:25:41 am »

On Venetian Nights 200: 5 separate jays. Appropriately, ride is organised by JayP. of this parish.

pcolbeck · « **Reply #2867 on:** 07 October, 2012, 05:32:26 pm »

Two very bold rats on the grass verge just outside our village today at 3:30pm . You normally only see rats at dusk or in the dark.

Bledlow · « **Reply #2868 on:** 07 October, 2012, 07:35:07 pm »

Mrs B & I saw a rat in the grounds of Reading University recently in broad daylight. It was pretty relaxed about our presence until we stood & stared at it from less than two metres away. It got a bit uncomfortable with this after a while & sauntered off into cover.

Today, just a green woodpecker & a couple of muntjacs, looking like an adult female & a youngster. And, of course, the usual magpies, pigeons, assorted ducks, geese, swans, grebes, etc.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #2869 on:** 07 October, 2012, 08:47:48 pm »

No house martins and no swallows.

why1040 · « **Reply #2870 on:** 07 October, 2012, 09:34:37 pm »

While driving to the yard this morning, I ~~hit~~ was hit by a ninja squirrel! The darn thing jumped/fell out of the tree just as I was driving under it and landed on my bonnet. As I was doing around 45mph (it's a 60 zone) at the time, I didn't have much time to react, but it was definitely still alive when it bounced back off. I didn't see any extra squirrelly bodies when I drove back the same way a few hours later, so fingers crossed!

Kim · « **Reply #2871 on:** 07 October, 2012, 09:59:45 pm »

It's still clinging to the underside of your car, biding its time...

Kim · « **Reply #2872 on:** 08 October, 2012, 02:50:03 pm »

Neighbour's kitten, desperate to sneak into our house while I was signing for a parcel. He was thwarted by the size of the gaps in the picket fence, which have inexplicably shrunk over the last few weeks.

why1040 · « **Reply #2873 on:** 08 October, 2012, 07:05:03 pm »

Horrendous when that happens, isn't it?

My first dog (a dachshund) couldn't understand how the gap under my parents' bed suddenly shrunk and she couldn't get under it...as she discovered when she thwocked into the side chasing a ball

Wowbagger · « **Reply #2874 on:** 08 October, 2012, 08:23:57 pm »

In the park today, Jan noticed honey bees. They are clearly nesting in an old bungalow style building which seems not to be used any more, although the last I knew it was kitted out as offices. The had found their way into the brickwork but there was no sign of them inside the building. The wall they were entering through has built in stationery cupboards inside it. I wonder if they have made a nest in the cupboard, or within the brickwork. If it's the latter , they won't be removed without demolishing the wall.

There were quite a few of them and they were carrying plenty of pale yellow/white pollen. I suspect that they are harvesting a crop from ivy, which comes into flower at this time of year.