Author Topic: Seen today (Read 1018235 times)

Salvatore · « **Reply #6450 on:** 18 April, 2023, 02:02:41 pm »

At 7:25 yesyerday evening, an otter running across the beach and into the sea, followed by another one. I was about half a football pitch away. I watched their heads as they swam away. Then I followed their tracks to the spot where they had emerged from the rocks onto the sand. I'll be looking out for them for the rest of the time I'm here.

Incidentally it's a beach where there were occasional sightings of Gavin Maxwell taking an otter for a walk on a lead some time in the 20th century.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #6451 on:** 18 April, 2023, 06:24:49 pm »

A hawk, about the size of a buzzard but different colouration, standing on a man's head. It then hopped onto another's wrist, then to the head of a third man. All five humans in the party had hats or caps and most had thick gauntlets.

Also two swallows (it's not summer yet!) on a wire in Stanton Prior, and a sparrowhawk cruising lazily.

Salvatore · « **Reply #6452 on:** 20 April, 2023, 05:29:07 am »

A bumper day yesterday.
- a godwit, not sure whether bar-tailed or black-tailed.
Possibly juvenile. It didn't move from its chosen stone for about 40 minutes.
- a pair of shelduck
- an adder slithering at the foot of a cliff where it meets the shingle. I watched it for several minutes
- a roe deer I surprised on steps up from the beach. It leapt over a wall then turned so we had a staring contest for a minute or so.

Pictures and videos to follow but not for a week or so.

PS the otters I saw on Monday failed to appear yesterday evening, and my stake-out was in vain

rafletcher · « **Reply #6453 on:** 20 April, 2023, 03:40:44 pm »

A pair of Mallards and a Peacock butterfly.

T42 · « **Reply #6454 on:** 20 April, 2023, 04:27:10 pm »

Catastrophized hedgehog showing he had guts.

Flite · « **Reply #6455 on:** 20 April, 2023, 06:25:35 pm »

Water Vole Poo, so they have survived the winter.

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #6456 on:** 21 April, 2023, 04:15:45 pm »

I am sure it was a kite (German Milan) flying over my Milan velomobile on the way back from work.

We see buzzards and kestrels the whole time but this looked a very different shape and had the wedge tail. It looked dark brown.

Edit - just found a website which says the Schwarzmilan has been seen in Niederrhein. Cool!

T42 · « **Reply #6457 on:** 22 April, 2023, 02:41:33 pm »

Raven having a go at a slow worm at the edge of the local cycle path this morning. My presence interrupted its fun but probably not for long.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #6458 on:** 22 April, 2023, 11:30:14 pm »

Quote from: Auntie Helen on 21 April, 2023, 04:15:45 pm

I am sure it was a kite (German Milan) flying over my Milan velomobile on the way back from work.

We see buzzards and kestrels the whole time but this looked a very different shape and had the wedge tail. It looked dark brown.

Edit - just found a website which says the Schwarzmilan has been seen in Niederrhein. Cool!

I recall that we saw black kites aplenty when we did our Mosel ride all those years ago.

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #6459 on:** 23 April, 2023, 06:16:50 am »

Quote from: Wowbagger on 22 April, 2023, 11:30:14 pm

Quote from: Auntie Helen on 21 April, 2023, 04:15:45 pm
I am sure it was a kite (German Milan) flying over my Milan velomobile on the way back from work.

We see buzzards and kestrels the whole time but this looked a very different shape and had the wedge tail. It looked dark brown.

Edit - just found a website which says the Schwarzmilan has been seen in Niederrhein. Cool!

I recall that we saw black kites aplenty when we did our Mosel ride all those years ago.

Yes, and I’ve seen red kites elsewhere in Germany but I’d never seen a black kite where I lived before. Klaus says he hasn’t seen one before, so an unusual visitor this far north.

T42 · « **Reply #6460 on:** 23 April, 2023, 10:38:28 am »

They're all black in silhouette. We see kites pretty well all the year round, but they're probably all red. Beautiful birds.

rafletcher · « **Reply #6461 on:** 23 April, 2023, 04:07:49 pm »

The mouse that hides under the parasol base we use to support our bird feeders

Mouse by Richard Fletcher, on Flickr

And a small blue butterfly

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #6462 on:** 24 April, 2023, 05:58:55 pm »

Two large-ish deer in a small patch of scrubby wood on Friday, pretending I couldn't see them. Having looked at the British Deer Society, I think they might have been sika, but I'm not at all certain.

rafletcher · « **Reply #6463 on:** 24 April, 2023, 09:01:12 pm »

Two herons and an egret in the (rather wet) field opposite our cottage.

RobertW · « **Reply #6464 on:** 25 April, 2023, 12:56:50 pm »

Acutally only heard : my first Nightingale of the year struggling to be heard over the traffic at my local hotspot west of Chichester. Must try again earlier/later in the day when there is less background noise.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #6465 on:** 25 April, 2023, 10:20:46 pm »

Over the weekend in lovely Pembrokeshire: a fair bit of wildlife but nothing especially out of the ordinary, save for the number of swallows. Given that it's obviously far too early in the season for any youngsters to be about yet, I have never seen so many swallows in one area as we saw yesterday whilst driving out to Strumble Head. It makes me wonder where they all nest.

The place we were staying at, here, had quite a few, and some rather nice derelict outbuildings for them to nest in. There were also jackdaws nesting in one building adjacent to our cottage.

Basil · « **Reply #6466 on:** 26 April, 2023, 07:22:38 pm »

Saw my first swifts of the season today.
I shall be interested see if they are still around tomorrow.
Last year we saw them, but they then disappeared for a few days. We figured they were on their way further north, but had stopped off with us for a feed on our insects.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #6467 on:** 30 April, 2023, 06:27:57 pm »

I've just seen my first swift of the year! I think the first I saw last year was on 6th May.

Basil · « **Reply #6468 on:** 30 April, 2023, 07:07:02 pm »

Quote from: Basil on 26 April, 2023, 07:22:38 pm

Saw my first swifts of the season today.
I shall be interested see if they are still around tomorrow.
Last year we saw them, but they then disappeared for a few days. We figured they were on their way further north, but had stopped off with us for a feed on our insects.

Yes they disappeared and we have had no swifts for 4 days.
Where is our gang?

Wowbagger · « **Reply #6469 on:** 30 April, 2023, 08:04:17 pm »

Quote from: Wowbagger on 25 April, 2023, 10:20:46 pm

Over the weekend in lovely Pembrokeshire: a fair bit of wildlife but nothing especially out of the ordinary, save for the number of swallows. Given that it's obviously far too early in the season for any youngsters to be about yet, I have never seen so many swallows in one area as we saw yesterday whilst driving out to Strumble Head. It makes me wonder where they all nest.

The place we were staying at, here, had quite a few, and some rather nice derelict outbuildings for them to nest in. There were also jackdaws nesting in one building adjacent to our cottage.

Quote from: Basil on 30 April, 2023, 07:07:02 pm

Quote from: Basil on 26 April, 2023, 07:22:38 pm
Saw my first swifts of the season today.
I shall be interested see if they are still around tomorrow.
Last year we saw them, but they then disappeared for a few days. We figured they were on their way further north, but had stopped off with us for a feed on our insects.

Yes they disappeared and we have had no swifts for 4 days.
Where is our gang?

I was thinking about those swallows since last week. It seemed to me that there were far too many of them for the farm buildings in the vicinity of Strumble Head. I think they might have just arrived, and that coastal point is where they first hit land and convene for onward travel.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #6470 on:** 03 May, 2023, 03:23:12 pm »

There was a flock (neither airborne nor on the ground) of brent geese this morning just west of the jetty at Two tree Island, about 40 birds I reckon. I would have expected then to have left for Siberia before now, but it's cold enough that they don't need to bother. Besides, it would be very hard work at the moment as there has been a brisk north-easterly for days.

JonBuoy · « **Reply #6471 on:** 04 May, 2023, 07:46:57 pm »

A couple of days ago I spotted a decent sized snail 1.5m up a small holly bush. I wasn't sure whether it was suicidal (either a 'jumper' or hoping to be spotted and eaten by something) or merely masochistic but it seemed to me to be a strange place to find a snail.

T42 · « **Reply #6472 on:** 05 May, 2023, 11:30:16 am »

Hornetish thing the size of my little finger investigating the house timbers this morning just outside my office window; and a while ago a Swallowtail butterfly on a neighbour's lilac.

sam · « **Reply #6473 on:** 05 May, 2023, 11:36:45 am »

I didn't sign up for this

It was just supposed to be a trim

Coat check

I'm getting that back, right?

graculus · « **Reply #6474 on:** 05 May, 2023, 11:47:14 am »

'Something for the weekend, sir?'

Author Topic: Seen today (Read 1018235 times)

sam