Seen today

[RJ]

Almost a week ago now, but 2 honey buzzards heading north along the coast towards Denmark.

[Pingu]

Some lively dolphin action this evening: synchronised jumping, fish throwing & bow wave riding 

[Steph]

Some Red Sea fishy stuff. Crap throwaway camera.

[fuzzy]

On this mornings ride to work I disturbed a Green Woodpecker which was ground feeding in the hedgerow adjacent to the Winter Hill road. It launched itself into the and flew off with the Green Woodpecker equivalant of "Oh Bugger Oh Bugger Oh Bugger!"

A short while later as I rode throught he meadows between Cookham and Maidenhead, I looked to my left and, no more than a yard away was a Buzzard perched on a fence post looking straight at me.

One of us was thinking "Christ on a bike, that was close!". The other was thinking "Are you eyeballing me son? Youe bettah stop eyeballing me or I'm gonna rip your eyes out and skullf***k you to death!"

I think the Buzzard had a bit of attitude

[tiermat]

On the way home last night I saw more swans and three ickle cygnets.

Aren't they really cute?

Also saw hundreds of rabbits.

[Bledlow]

Yesterday - a dead rat, in our garden tool store. I should check the trap in there more often. I realised it was there because of the smell. Had to leave the door propped open all day, & take out the deckchair, to air.

Well, at least the trap works. Next step is to close off the bottom of the compost bin. It's open to the ground, so worms can get in to finish off the compost, but now I have some 13mm galvanised wire mesh, which should keep rats out without obstructing worms.

[Jaded]

On my ride yesterday I saw an hare! I've not seen one for many years. It lazily crossed the road in front of me.

[Bledlow]

What part of the world are you in? I sometimes see 'em on rides, especially when we wander into northern parts of Hampshire, but also in the open parts of Oxfordshire.

[Pingu]

On my ride yesterday I saw an hare! I've not seen one for many years. It lazily crossed the road in front of me.

Brown or blue?

[clarion]

A pair of swans on the Regent Canal, elegantly entwining their necks.  Looked like a wonderful expression of love (for those wishing to anthropomorphise).

[Jaded]

What part of the world are you in? I sometimes see 'em on rides, especially when we wander into northern parts of Hampshire, but also in the open parts of Oxfordshire.

Deepest Gloucestershire.

[delthebike]

Goose's that are looses!

[Ham]

Seen today, Eh?


How about "Not seen today?" One of Mrs Ham's shoes left by open back door, nicked by a freakin' fox cub. Know it had to be that as one of Miss Ham's trainers was deposited at the end of the garden, suitably gnawed.

Grrr

[Juan Martín]

Rookfest. Whilst out this afternoon I cycled past a field near Bethersden that contained literally hundreds of rooks, spread out fairly evenly across the field. I supposed that there was a mass hatching of insects or somethng like that and that the rooks were feeding, but there didn't seem to be a similar number on the adjoining fields. I cannot remember seeing this before and thought it rather odd.

[clarion]

I watched swallows skim the tops of a field of grain while waiting for the Clarion to regroup outside Chichester.  Amazing how low they fly.

Unidentified tern over the canal basin.

[JStone]

Bonxie attack!



Great Skua on Conachair, St Kilda, 5 June

[Crumbling Nick]

I watched swallows skim the tops of a field of grain while waiting for the Clarion to regroup outside Chichester.  Amazing how low they fly.

Unidentified tern over the canal basin.

There's something special about swallows flying low, usually over pastures in HoE, that I find irresistible. It's partly about seeing them from above, lighting the subtle steel-blue upper plumage. It's also partly about a flight pattern that allows me to follow the birds with binoculars despite a narrow field of view.

But... how the hell do they manage to fly that low, and hunt for the insects they feed on, who presumably are quite clever at not being eaten alive, while making it all look so effortless?

So far this year, I've hardly seen any swallows hunting low over the fields. Is that a local aberration?

[Butterfly]

On Tuesday we saw a Jay and a Magpie sitting next to each other companionably on a garden wall near Wallington.

[TheLurker]

Scarlet Tiger moth this evening about 5pm.  Who knew we had such stunning things here in dull old Blighty?

Somone else's picture.

[tiermat]

Last night, on the way from work, I saw:
7 swans
3 cygnets
5 ducks
3 moorhens
and a heron!

On the way in this morning I saw
4 swans
no cygnets (didn't pass their hangout)
6 ducks
and a heron, again, probably the same one, but in a different place.

[Riggers]

At long long last … Swifts. Only half a dozen, but they finally made it.

[L CC]

On my ride yesterday I saw an hare! I've not seen one for many years. It lazily crossed the road in front of me.

They're common as muck, here. Rarely did I commute without seeing one. Now I'm in Town I don't. Just rabbits.

Rookfest. Whilst out this afternoon I cycled past a field near Bethersden that contained literally hundreds of rooks, spread out fairly evenly across the field. I supposed that there was a mass hatching of insects or somethng like that and that the rooks were feeding, but there didn't seem to be a similar number on the adjoining fields. I cannot remember seeing this before and thought it rather odd.

They're hunting for leatherjackets. Daddylonglegs larvae. Usually crows, rather than rooks, though.

[Sergeant Pluck]

An Arctic tern - in the wilds of Chiswick Business Park. It flew quite slowly up and down the lake, hovering beautifully at one stage.

[marcusjb]

Bonxie attack!



Great Skua on Conachair, St Kilda, 5 June

Great photo. They are pretty terrifying up there (been onto the islands twice and been 'attacked' both times).

Fabulous!

[Pingu]

Heard a chiffchaff