Author Topic: Seen today (Read 1018389 times)

T42 · « **Reply #5675 on:** 05 August, 2020, 08:18:19 am »

<nasty>
A couple of days ago, on a car park, a car pulling in with a biggish bird dangling from the radiator grille. Old bent bloke got out for a look, started to pull it out, bird started to flap. Turned out it was caught by the head. He eventually got it out, and it just lay on the tarmac panting. I thought it was a wood pigeon, MrsT thought it was something bigger. Can't imagine it would live long after that.
</nasty>

andrew_s · « **Reply #5676 on:** 05 August, 2020, 08:45:41 pm »

on the way back from the pub last night, one badger and a (rural) fox

Wowbagger · « **Reply #5677 on:** 05 August, 2020, 10:18:38 pm »

Two more swifts tonight.

cycleman · « **Reply #5678 on:** 06 August, 2020, 09:07:14 am »

I saw a badger last night near Marlow

FifeingEejit · « **Reply #5679 on:** 06 August, 2020, 09:13:33 am »

A close encounter of the Bambi kind on Tuesday night.

Sent from my BKL-L09 using Tapatalk

CAMRAMan · « **Reply #5680 on:** 06 August, 2020, 06:23:52 pm »

A mallard trying to devour an uncooperative froglet. On the Grand Union Canal in Lapworth, Warwickshire.

andrew_s · « **Reply #5681 on:** 07 August, 2020, 01:27:51 am »

And another badger tonight.

Salvatore · « **Reply #5682 on:** 07 August, 2020, 02:37:04 pm »

Seen - but very nearly missed and squashed under my size 10s.

As it happened I realised it wasn't a fallen leaf after all, and as I was on my way to look for insects, I had my camera and macro lens with me. Froggy sat and posed motionless for long enough before hopping off into the long grass.

cycleman · « **Reply #5683 on:** 07 August, 2020, 07:08:50 pm »

2 water rats and 1rat along the g u canal

rafletcher · « **Reply #5684 on:** 08 August, 2020, 01:35:56 pm »

What I think is an Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillar. Nope, it’s the Privet Hawkmoth. It’s huge, close to 60mm

Caterpillar by Richard Fletcher, on Flickr

perpetual dan · « **Reply #5685 on:** 08 August, 2020, 07:07:04 pm »

A slow worm on the path about a minute from home. https://twitter.com/between_beyond/status/1292078252006289408?s=21

pcolbeck · « **Reply #5686 on:** 11 August, 2020, 08:38:55 am »

Twenty one starlings on and under our birdfeeder just now. What a noisy argumentative gang they are. Quite a few of them are immature with tails that are still fairly stubby.
They are having a communal bath three at a time in-between attacking the fat block. There wont be any water left in a few minutes

Recount: Twenty five

I wish they would stay still a bit more its hard to count them.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #5687 on:** 13 August, 2020, 09:22:46 pm »

A kingfisher in our local park.

I don't think I've had more than 10 sightings of a kingfisher there in 25 years. One of the anglers said that there were two there earlier on.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #5688 on:** 13 August, 2020, 10:56:43 pm »

Evening walks have revealed that there are crickets chirping around the place. We only seem to get them in hot summers. I think 1975 was one where we had on in our hearth at home. I particularly remember that summer as it was the year I qualified as a teacher. It was a hot, sunny summer but quite wet - ISTR that there were quite a few thunderstorms. Every evening we had a lot of visiting insects in the house - large, brightly coloured flies of type I have never seen since. I particularly remember the may blossom, and the evening before I started in my first teaching job, going trout fishing with my brother. The hawthorn berries were just ripening and it was something to behold.

andrew_s · « **Reply #5689 on:** 14 August, 2020, 11:36:58 pm »

Another badger of the way back from the (different) pub last night.

That's 6 in 4 weeks, which is a higher strike rate than I remember ever getting before the Bovine TB badger cukillers did their thing.

rafletcher · « **Reply #5690 on:** 16 August, 2020, 09:00:49 am »

On our a Friday afternoon walk, we saw a couple of hares, a juvenile Muntjac, and a flock of 50 or so small, pale bellied, birds with the typical finch / tit dipping and rising flight. And like Wow, we’ve seen a few crickets in the garden.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #5691 on:** 18 August, 2020, 11:27:29 pm »

Yesterday and again today: a solitary swift swooping low over Penny's garden and those of her neighbours.

rafletcher · « **Reply #5692 on:** 21 August, 2020, 03:09:38 pm »

Whilst driving slowly into the village, because parked cars, a Kestrel appearing from behind and to the right, stalling briefly in front, then veering off to the left. All at an altitude of perhaps 3m, and with a small creature (a chick I think from the dangling leg) clutched in its claws.

benborp · « **Reply #5693 on:** 28 August, 2020, 09:41:02 pm »

This morning a juvenile wood pigeon flew off after two days of being fed, watered and sheltered from the local prowling vats.
This evening took a brief spin out on a lake in the canoe. The highlight was drifting on the wind around a bluff where we disturbed a kingfisher in a contretemps with a small waterfowl. They both scarpered and then the kingfisher returned and settled on a protruding tree root and watched as we drifted past 3 to 4 metres away. After thirty seconds or so he made a high speed pass over the lake.

Pingu · « **Reply #5694 on:** 01 September, 2020, 10:51:49 pm »

We got a good view of an otter on the commute this morning

Pingu · « **Reply #5695 on:** 06 September, 2020, 06:20:55 pm »

Cranes and a great white egret at Loch of Strathbeg.

rafletcher · « **Reply #5696 on:** 06 September, 2020, 07:07:15 pm »

Signs of the end of summer here in Leafy Bucks... I guess at 3-400 swallows on the phone lines this afternoon.

Swallows by Richard Fletcher, on Flickr

Basil · « **Reply #5697 on:** 07 September, 2020, 09:25:29 am »

Swallows are still doing their high speed, low level acrobatics at the cricket field this morning, so hopefully ours won't be leaving just yet.

Pingu · « **Reply #5698 on:** 07 September, 2020, 05:39:30 pm »

Quote from: Wowbagger on 18 August, 2020, 11:27:29 pm

Yesterday and again today: a solitary swift swooping low over Penny's garden and those of her neighbours.

We saw a swift flying around over our garden this afternoon.

pcolbeck · « **Reply #5699 on:** 08 September, 2020, 06:00:01 am »

Bats in the garden just now. Its just just before dawn. Also heard the local tawny owl hooting from a tree a coupel of gardens over.