Author Topic: Seen today (Read 1018689 times)

fuzzy · « **Reply #4625 on:** 01 August, 2016, 09:43:13 am »

Bunnies galore, a several of Magpies and a Green Woodpecker

David Martin · « **Reply #4626 on:** 01 August, 2016, 10:33:53 am »

Went on a bat hunt last night in the tunnels at Glenfarg. Couple of roosting Brown Long Eared bats, many Pipistrelles flying about. Heard what were probably Daubentons on the bat detector.

Steph · « **Reply #4627 on:** 04 August, 2016, 01:00:07 am »

Hobby coming back from the grocery run (me, not the falcon)

Wowbagger · « **Reply #4628 on:** 04 August, 2016, 08:45:20 am »

A fox. I heard it before I saw it. There was a loud "thump" and my immediate thought was that it was a fox jumping onto a high fence. I think it had been chased there because it came tearing out of the garden in question and hurtled round a corner before disappearing.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #4629 on:** 04 August, 2016, 12:00:52 pm »

Quote from: Steph on 04 August, 2016, 01:00:07 am

Hobby coming back from the grocery run (me, not the falcon)

I know some people say shopping is their hobby, but is putting the shopping away really so fascinating? Or were you playing a table-top football game?

rafletcher · « **Reply #4630 on:** 04 August, 2016, 05:54:29 pm »

The newly local buzzard, perched on the 5m high stump of a dead black poplar in the field opposite.

cycleman · « **Reply #4631 on:** 04 August, 2016, 08:40:53 pm »

A buzzard over Cookham

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #4632 on:** 04 August, 2016, 08:46:14 pm »

Now if it was a cook over Leighton Buzzard...

Pingu · « **Reply #4633 on:** 04 August, 2016, 08:48:42 pm »

Enjoy the buzzards while you can: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/04/buzzard-licence-kill-slaughter-wildlife-natural-world

Wombat · « **Reply #4634 on:** 05 August, 2016, 10:35:37 am »

Fucking bastards. I make no apology for foul language. How about a licence to slaughter ignorant judges for the harm they are doing, then?

TheLurker · « **Reply #4635 on:** 06 August, 2016, 09:31:47 am »

Fieldfares? In _August_? I'd expect them in October(ish) not now.

Saw what looked very like two fieldfares this morning whilst out for a pootle on my bike. Definitely weren't thrushes or juvenile starlings. Anyone know of a.n.other bird that resembles a fieldfare that is more likely to be seen in August?

In other news. At least twelve long-tailed tits on the fat-ball feeder in the garden yesterday afternoon. This is the first year they've been a near constant presence. In previous years they were only, infrequent, winter visitors.

Si · « **Reply #4636 on:** 06 August, 2016, 11:25:56 am »

This week, first time ever I've seen a red kite in England (north Buckinghamshire)

Also, in the same field a couple of hares and a couple of what I think were grouse (do you get them in Bucks?).

TheLurker · « **Reply #4637 on:** 06 August, 2016, 05:45:52 pm »

Quote from: Si on 06 August, 2016, 11:25:56 am

This week, first time ever I've seen a red kite in England (north Buckinghamshire)

Also, in the same field a couple of hares and a couple of what I think were grouse (do you get them in Bucks?).

I would think more likely to be a variety of partridge than grouse, but we're coming up to the "Glorious" 12th so p'raps all the "grice" have flown south to avoid getting bumped off by chinless wonders with shotguns?

Pingu · « **Reply #4638 on:** 06 August, 2016, 10:52:08 pm »

Within the first 10k of today's ride: some buzzards, a kestrel, grey wagtails anna stoat.

Later, a couple of deer and loads more buzzards.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #4639 on:** 08 August, 2016, 05:51:43 pm »

Quote from: TheLurker on 06 August, 2016, 09:31:47 am

Fieldfares? In _August_? I'd expect them in October(ish) not now.

Saw what looked very like two fieldfares this morning whilst out for a pootle on my bike. Definitely weren't thrushes or juvenile starlings. Anyone know of a.n.other bird that resembles a fieldfare that is more likely to be seen in August?

In other news. At least twelve long-tailed tits on the fat-ball feeder in the garden yesterday afternoon. This is the first year they've been a near constant presence. In previous years they were only, infrequent, winter visitors.

Some years ago Mrs. Wow and I were on tour in Germany with Auntie Helen. It was June and we were on the Rhine. We stopped one afternoon for tea and cake (!) and a thrush-like bird approached and was clearly after our cake crumbs. I thought it looked like a fieldfare but, as you have observed, fieldfares are winter visitors.

Except they are not! In that part of Germany they are there all the year round! We are accustomed in this country to seeing the fieldfares that migrate from Siberia and are very wary of humans. This German one was as tame as a robin - which seem to be rather uncommon on the continent and are therefore wary of humans! The black redstart seems to occupy the same niche in some places I have been.

I wonder whether you are observing some climate-change related behaviour pattern adaptation. In other news, Jan and I watched a pair of house martins flying up and down Westcliff sea front on 20th November 1976.

rafletcher · « **Reply #4640 on:** 09 August, 2016, 08:08:53 am »

Not seen, but heard. A skein of geese honking loudly directly overhead at around 5:30 this morning. That woke us up! A sign that summer is drawing to a close.

Nuncio · « **Reply #4641 on:** 10 August, 2016, 09:09:26 am »

One of the peregrine fledglings was sitting on the ledge below my window. I was alerted to it by its screeching. By pressing my head and looking down, I could see it, about 2 to 3 feet away. It was looking around and up, screeching most of the time. I couldn't tell if it was looking at me or looking to see if it's calls were attracting oits mother. After two or three minutes it flew off.

fuzzy · « **Reply #4642 on:** 10 August, 2016, 09:40:18 am »

Quote from: rafletcher on 09 August, 2016, 08:08:53 am

Not seen, but heard. A skein of geese honking loudly directly overhead at around 5:30 this morning. That woke us up! A sign that summer is drawing to a close.

Summer drawing to a close? It hasn't even started here $:-\$

Nuncio · « **Reply #4643 on:** 10 August, 2016, 10:30:54 am »

Peregrine update. It's all going on here*

Since the sighting we've had a pigeon-feather cascade (not unusual) and the sight of one of the smaller birds taking a lump of something from the large one in flight.

*Outside the window, there's not much going on inside.

HeltorChasca · « **Reply #4644 on:** 10 August, 2016, 05:00:32 pm »

Pair of displaying peregrines above client's garden today. I felt pretty insignificant. Even more so! (Not my photos)

Crumbling Nick · « **Reply #4645 on:** 11 August, 2016, 10:39:40 pm »

One big and very edible-looking rabbit crossed in a hurry a few metres in front of the bike in one of the local lanes. It was followed by a smaller mammal with a surprisingly bushy tail, revealed when it decided to go back into the hedge to avoid me. Presumably it decided that we were too close to a collision course to gamble. Seemingly it opted for personal survival rather than lunch for the kids. I reckoned that without the hesitation the (presumed) mustelid would have crossed ahead of me with room to spare, and a reasonable chance of catching bunny.

Kim · « **Reply #4646 on:** 11 August, 2016, 10:51:17 pm »

A bird - that probably wasn't any sort of buzzard - flapping away as it shat on my face, the bastard. Had to use most of my remaining water to wash it off. It's enough to make a racing crouch seem like a good idea.

Also an escaped horse in the process of being rounded up, with absolutely no help from the impatient motorists. Once they'd got a rope on it and it didn't seem necessary to wait in the middle of the road some way back to stop WVM behind getting ideas, I kept a low profile and walked the bike past on the opposite verge.

cycleman · « **Reply #4647 on:** 12 August, 2016, 07:09:38 am »

It's supposed to be good luck to have a bird shitting on you apparently. I will stick to my usual bad luck

rafletcher · « **Reply #4648 on:** 12 August, 2016, 02:39:03 pm »

A kestrel unusually perched on a phone line, scanning the adjacent field. And over the last coupl of days, a leaf-cutter bee making a "nest" - well forming it's cells - in a hole in an old piece of oak post we have as a garden "feature". Fascinating.

Here she is in the process of sealing a cell.

And now she's completed one "burrow" and has started on the one beloiw...

And now the job is finished, and she's off to pastured new..

rafletcher · « **Reply #4649 on:** 14 August, 2016, 09:35:08 pm »

About 40-50 swallows wheeling about, with a sparrowhawk in their midst. Amazing agility.

Author Topic: Seen today (Read 1018689 times)

fuzzy

fuzzy