Author Topic: Seen today (Read 1018413 times)

rafletcher · « **Reply #6125 on:** 18 April, 2022, 04:45:17 pm »

Three Robin chicks in our nest box. A shame that, for a second year running, we have no Blue Tits in the other. Last year the nest was a abandoned. I’ve not checked this year yet.

campagman · « **Reply #6126 on:** 18 April, 2022, 09:19:08 pm »

I saw a goldfinch I think, I remember it's red face but not the yellow on the wings. Very unusual for my garden. I also have some blackbirds building a nest in the rear garden which I'm very pleased about. I don't feed the birds at all because a lot of my neighbors had cats which were regularly seen walking through, so I didn't want to encourage the birds. Now I have noticed the nest building I have also noticed less cats. Are grey squirrels a danger to nesting birds?

Feanor · « **Reply #6127 on:** 19 April, 2022, 11:10:57 am »

Our fatball thief has been caught red-pawed...

I have a badger. This makes me unreasonably happy.
It came back a couple of hours later, presumably it had to go and move goalposts in the meantime.

Badger Badger by Ron Lowe, on Flickr

Pingu · « **Reply #6128 on:** 19 April, 2022, 11:12:04 am »

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #6129 on:** 19 April, 2022, 07:17:42 pm »

Aw, coooool!

Sergeant Pluck · « **Reply #6130 on:** 19 April, 2022, 09:21:19 pm »

Excellent photo, Feanor!

Kim · « **Reply #6131 on:** 20 April, 2022, 12:37:32 am »

Funny looking squirrel...

Wowbagger · « **Reply #6132 on:** 20 April, 2022, 08:53:35 pm »

Quote from: Kim on 20 April, 2022, 12:37:32 am

Funny looking squirrel...

*imagines Jurek trying to usher a hostile badger from his abode*

Jurek · « **Reply #6133 on:** 20 April, 2022, 09:02:17 pm »

Quote from: Wowbagger on 20 April, 2022, 08:53:35 pm

Quote from: Kim on 20 April, 2022, 12:37:32 am
Funny looking squirrel...

*imagines Jurek trying to usher a hostile badger from his abode*

This isn't generally a problem. I have trained as a badger crisis negotiator.

rafletcher · « **Reply #6134 on:** 22 April, 2022, 09:45:26 am »

An empty nest box. Seems the Robin chicks were predated, though we could see no evidence of how that might have been. Maybe it'll get reused.

Sergeant Pluck · « **Reply #6135 on:** 23 April, 2022, 12:32:08 pm »

The so-called dwarf elephant ear (current height: 2m) produced a strangely shaped leaf, which turned into this:

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #6136 on:** 24 April, 2022, 08:42:00 am »

We saw our first ever crossbill y'day. Unfortunately it was deceased.

Jaded · « **Reply #6137 on:** 24 April, 2022, 07:03:38 pm »

On a walk this evening.

Sergeant Pluck · « **Reply #6138 on:** 24 April, 2022, 07:32:06 pm »

Very nice Jaded, esp the fox, who looks fairly chunky.

T42 · « **Reply #6139 on:** 28 April, 2022, 03:15:49 pm »

Red squirrel on our kitchen windowsill.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #6140 on:** 28 April, 2022, 08:57:27 pm »

I got a very nice video of a cuckoo doing his stuff. I think there may well have been a nightingale in the vicinity as well, as I heard a few clucks, whirrs and chirrups but he never really got started into full-throated ease.

Pingu · « **Reply #6141 on:** 28 April, 2022, 09:09:40 pm »

I'm smiling like a boy who has just seen his first beaver.

Basil · « **Reply #6142 on:** 28 April, 2022, 09:27:19 pm »

Quote from: Pingu on 28 April, 2022, 09:09:40 pm

I'm smiling like a boy who has just seen his first beaver.

PaulR · « **Reply #6143 on:** 30 April, 2022, 10:28:19 am »

One of four hares that were mucking about by the river this morning.

rafletcher · « **Reply #6144 on:** 02 May, 2022, 08:41:33 am »

An extremely rare sighting for us, of a common bird, a (male) Bullfinch.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #6145 on:** 02 May, 2022, 11:36:32 pm »

I don't think bullfinches are all that common. They used to be, more so.

When I was a lad almost every summer we had a bullfinch's nest in our garden, usually in one of the two large horse chestnut trees. Over the years, I think they have become much less common (I note from the RSPB website they are on the "Amber" list) to the extent that I doubt that I see more than two or three a year these days.

I've just checked the April "sightings" board on the SE Essex RSPB website and there was only one sighting of a bullfinch recorded in the entire month.

Quote

Bullfinch is currently listed as an ‘amber’ species of conservation concern because of its recent breeding population decline.
Bullfinch numbers declined steeply during 1977–82 especially in farmland. The decline eased during the mid 1980s and has upturned since 2000. However, the UK numbers are currently 36% lower than in 1967.

From https://www.bto.org/understanding-birds/species-focus/bullfinch#:~:text=Bullfinch%20numbers%20declined%20steeply%20during,36%25%20lower%20than%20in%201967.

Peter · « **Reply #6146 on:** 02 May, 2022, 11:45:56 pm »

We had a pair in the garden once last summer - but then we do live in leafy Rochdale.

JonBuoy · « **Reply #6147 on:** 03 May, 2022, 08:50:41 pm »

5k into yesterday's ride I spotted a white thing lolloping along the road in front of me. I wasn't sure what it was but pulled out my phone and grabbed a few photo's feeling fairly sure that nobody would believe what the small white blob was:

30 seconds later and it was posing for photo's:

...and sniffing my shoes:

Not sure that it counts as a 'wild thing' as it seemed pretty friendly. After a while it got bored and wandered off across the road and disappeared into the hedgerow.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #6148 on:** 03 May, 2022, 08:55:18 pm »

Somebody's pet ferret it looks like

JonBuoy · « **Reply #6149 on:** 03 May, 2022, 09:39:40 pm »

Well it was about here: https://tinyurl.com/yc5fwmfs so a fair distance from anywhere.

One of my colleagues suggested that it had gone AWOL whilst ferreting.