Author Topic: Seen today (Read 1018375 times)

Wombat · « **Reply #3925 on:** 12 February, 2015, 08:20:03 am »

2 live badgers, on the road back from Winchester last night. They were both (separately) scurrying to safety, so they should still be alive. This may not be a rare event, but in all my 62 and a bit years I have never seen a live badger before, so I was very pleased. Sick and tired of seeing splatted ones...

Pingu · « **Reply #3926 on:** 12 February, 2015, 03:41:11 pm »

Otter in the harbour just now

That's the first time I've seen it

Riggers · « **Reply #3927 on:** 13 February, 2015, 12:18:42 pm »

^ Top Trumps!

Pingu · « **Reply #3928 on:** 15 February, 2015, 09:40:21 pm »

Snowdrops & skylarks

Another dead badger

Snakehips · « **Reply #3929 on:** 27 February, 2015, 02:06:21 pm »

Wheeling my bike across the bridge at Teddington Lock I heard some thrashing about in the water. To my delight, when I glanced down, I saw the Great Crested Grebe 'penguin dance'.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #3930 on:** 27 February, 2015, 06:12:53 pm »

Quote from: Snakehips on 27 February, 2015, 02:06:21 pm

Wheeling my bike across the bridge at Teddington Lock I heard some thrashing about in the water. To my delight, when I glanced down, I saw the Great Crested Grebe 'penguin dance'.

Well, it is Pingu's birthday

Pingu · « **Reply #3931 on:** 27 February, 2015, 08:34:18 pm »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 27 February, 2015, 06:12:53 pm

Quote from: Snakehips on 27 February, 2015, 02:06:21 pm
Wheeling my bike across the bridge at Teddington Lock I heard some thrashing about in the water. To my delight, when I glanced down, I saw the Great Crested Grebe 'penguin dance'.

Well, it is Pingu's birthday

Feanor · « **Reply #3932 on:** 27 February, 2015, 09:48:29 pm »

Quote from: Pingu on 15 February, 2015, 09:40:21 pm

Snowdrops & skylarks Another dead badger

Yes, I found another dead Badger at the roadside on my 50k loop yesterday.
I'd say I see a dead badger on >50% of my rides.
I've never seen a live badger.

It got me thinking ( the way these things do when you are cycling alone ).
I was thinking about the statistics: the relationship between the number of dead species spotted by the roadside versus the live spotted number of that species, and how that relates to the population of the species.

It's probably quite a complex relationship; variables will include nocturnal / not nocturnal, shyness, etc etc.

But anecdotally, I see *some* dead rabbits / hodgehegs / muselids / sqrls.
But I also see a fair amount of live ones too.
I'm thinking of a regression line between the dead-count and live-count of these I have seen.
It will vary according to the variables I mentioned.

But Badgers seem to be serious outliers in my dataset.

SteveC · « **Reply #3933 on:** 28 February, 2015, 08:22:06 am »

Badgers is of course nocturnal.
We have lots round here but I see maybe one or two live ones a year.
Roadkill--plenty

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #3934 on:** 28 February, 2015, 11:20:52 am »

Back in my Audaxing days my ride reports always included a dead badger count. I think my record was four on a 200.

PeterM sotp is entirely responsible for this unhealthy obsession.

Kim · « **Reply #3935 on:** 28 February, 2015, 01:48:25 pm »

Quote from: Feanor on 27 February, 2015, 09:48:29 pm

I've never seen a live badger.

That's what I said a couple of hours before a badger attack on a FNRttS...

(The novelty roadkill count is an important part of ride reports.)

Pingu · « **Reply #3936 on:** 28 February, 2015, 05:38:26 pm »

Hunners o' geese, skylarks, ubiquitous buzzards, couple of kestrels and a couple of red kites

No new dead badgers to report.

Feanor · « **Reply #3937 on:** 28 February, 2015, 06:07:05 pm »

I do sometimes wonder if they have come a cropper at the hands of Farmer Giles and his Shuvvel of Spang, and then tossed onto the roadside to make it look like roadkill.

Pingu · « **Reply #3938 on:** 28 February, 2015, 06:18:36 pm »

Me too.

Ruthie · « **Reply #3939 on:** 28 February, 2015, 06:19:36 pm »

Riding with mcshroom last week we came across seven little dead moles at the side of the road

Tiny little flexible noses, amazingly engineered little feet, and the softest black jackets in the world.

No way that was accidental.

Feanor · « **Reply #3940 on:** 28 February, 2015, 07:19:36 pm »

Cows can jump.
Not very well, but they can have a fair go at it.

On today's ride, I managed to startle a small herd of cows in a fenced-off area outside their byre.
Spooked, they turned and ran back inside as I passed.
Except one, who ran in the wrong direction, and was confronted with a fence.
Just a normal farm fence, nothing fancy.

It launched itself in the manner of a racehorse, front legs clearing the fence well. Insufficient thrust meant it's belly failed to fully clear the fence, and it came down hard demolishing that section of fence. One hind leg cleared the wreckage, but the other became briefly entangled. However, it's forward momentum dragged it free and it came to an undignified stop a few metres into the next field.

SteveC · « **Reply #3941 on:** 28 February, 2015, 08:05:14 pm »

Quote from: Feanor on 28 February, 2015, 06:07:05 pm

I do sometimes wonder if they have come a cropper at the hands of Farmer Giles and his Shuvvel of Spang, and then tossed onto the roadside to make it look like roadkill.

Very common rumour in these parts...

Pingu · « **Reply #3942 on:** 28 February, 2015, 08:50:02 pm »

Quote from: Ruthie on 28 February, 2015, 06:19:36 pm

Riding with mcshroom last week we came across seven little dead moles at the side of the road

Tiny little flexible noses, amazingly engineered little feet, and the softest black jackets in the world.

No way that was accidental.

I've seen the same kind of mass slaughter:

(click to show/hide)

Basil · « **Reply #3943 on:** 03 March, 2015, 07:29:18 pm »

A pheasant. In Mordor.
In Modor Central to be more precise. Platform 10.
Well, on the rails at platform 10.

And extremely dead.
Carried in by a train after a strike somewhere more rural?
Probably.

Kim · « **Reply #3944 on:** 03 March, 2015, 07:37:05 pm »

Well it might have just wandered in and been choked by the diseasel fumes...

Basil · « **Reply #3945 on:** 03 March, 2015, 07:58:45 pm »

Worryingly, that's what nearly happened to my 90 y.o. mum, who I'd spent lunch time ferrying from the Lichfield train to the ~~Reading~~ Leamington/bus/Reading train.

Does the re-furb not include crap air extraction, ffs?

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #3946 on:** 03 March, 2015, 09:35:12 pm »

An Urban Badger, trundling up Wallwood Road E11 like an animated hearthrug before turning right into a front garden. Only my third live badger since records began.

cycleman · « **Reply #3947 on:** 04 March, 2015, 06:25:59 pm »

I saw a skylark today near Hurst this morning. Singing it,s little heart out as it ascended towards the heavens

.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #3948 on:** 05 March, 2015, 09:51:03 am »

Quote from: Basil on 03 March, 2015, 07:29:18 pm

A pheasant. In Mordor.
In Modor Central to be more precise. Platform 10.
Well, on the rails at platform 10.

And extremely dead.
Carried in by a train after a strike somewhere more rural?
Probably.

Or dropped by an Uruk-hai after a day's shooting?

Wowbagger · « **Reply #3949 on:** 05 March, 2015, 08:11:42 pm »

This morning: a stoat. It had not mounted a woodpecker. Also, a dunnock singing away as though spring were coming, and my first skylark of the year. Plus, a large number of assorted wading birds and ducks, the most easily identifiable being a little egret, some curlews, oystercatchers and redshank.