Author Topic: Seen today (Read 1018244 times)

Flite · « **Reply #6575 on:** 01 September, 2023, 02:27:13 pm »

Over about 5 minutes I counted 5 hogs in the garden last night.
One having a drink from a saucer of water.
One in the feeder.
One by the yew hedge.
One by the riverside scrub
One charging round a building towards me so it could eat out of my hand as usual.
Add in one juvenile currently away getting rehab, and I think we are doing OK up here in the North Pennines.

T42 · « **Reply #6576 on:** 01 September, 2023, 04:58:13 pm »

Yesterday, on my way up a valley towards lunch, I passed a bunch of ducks on the canal bank, one of them apparently having a snooze in the sun in the middle of the cycle path. About three hours later I came back the same way and the duck was still there. Could have been dead, but with avian flu in some parts of France earlier this year I wasn't about to find out.

Later on, I went by a field with 30-odd storks in it, maybe getting ready to bugger off south. Some stay all year, some don't.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #6577 on:** 02 September, 2023, 01:16:28 am »

Birbs, various:

Common Cormorant about to raid the fish hatchery a hundred yards upriver by Mr Larrington, on Flickr

Horrible Gooses shouting abuse at the gulls by Mr Larrington, on Flickr

Gulls, answering back by Mr Larrington, on Flickr

Squadron of ducks searching for bread up the Jefferson River by Mr Larrington, on Flickr

Wowbagger · « **Reply #6578 on:** 03 September, 2023, 02:13:44 pm »

This chap dropped into Priory Park whilst I was there a few days ago. A juvenile, I think.

In other news, Jan and I have been Doing Things in the garden, and there are some very fine garden spiders having a lurk.

Basil · « **Reply #6579 on:** 03 September, 2023, 03:02:00 pm »

I was going to post yesterday, but didn't, that the swifts are still here. However, they appear to be absent today. Perhaps they've gone down near the river where it's cooler, and the flying insects are abundant.
I'll look for them again this evening and report back.

Basil · « **Reply #6580 on:** 03 September, 2023, 08:03:31 pm »

Nope. They've gone.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #6581 on:** 03 September, 2023, 10:43:53 pm »

I went to Two Tree Island in order to watch the sun set and I hoped to photograph a few birds on the scrape. But there were hardly any there, and the water level seems to have risen again so that almost all the what-are-normally-islands were not islands at all. Using binoculars, I could make out what I think were seven avocets, but they were far too far away/small to be able to get any kind of decent photo.

Perhaps I ought to make a trip there soon when dawn coincides with a high tide. Birds often fly in as the mud flats become submerged, and the sun would be in the right place to get some reasonable photos.

Bledlow · « **Reply #6582 on:** 05 September, 2023, 10:24:53 am »

A very small toad, on the allotment. I'm worried that it may be too small to make it through the winter. I usually see toads that size a few months earlier than this.

I saw one on the allotment a week or so ago which I have no worries about. Big fat bugger. I moved a plank & it had made a little burrow beneath it.

It's nice to see they're back. When Reading council reinforced the dam holding back the university lake, & over which a road runs, they built a wall where previously there'd been a hedge, thus blocking most of the route of frogs & toads between our allotments & the lake. There'd been many anurans on our site before that, & they disappeared for a few years. I saw three young frogs a few months ago, enjoying our little pond, but then nothing until now.

hbunnet · « **Reply #6583 on:** 05 September, 2023, 08:10:09 pm »

First of Pink Footed Geese from Iceland have arrived N of Aberdeen.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #6584 on:** 06 September, 2023, 02:18:21 am »

You shall have a fishy by Mr Larrington, on Flickr. Bonneville Dam on the Mighty Columbia.

Mousey! by Mr Larrington, on Flickr. On the steps leading to the viewing wossname an Bridal Veil Falls, Oregon.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #6585 on:** 07 September, 2023, 01:13:38 am »

Young gulls go for it by Mr Larrington, on Flickr

Seabirb disappointed by lack of people scoffing chips in the vicinity by Mr Larrington, on Flickr

Fort Stevens State Park, near Warrenton OR

rafletcher · « **Reply #6586 on:** 07 September, 2023, 04:38:03 pm »

A Speckled Wood butterfly, and a leaf cutter bee in action on one of our roses.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #6587 on:** 16 September, 2023, 06:49:43 pm »

A couple of field mice, several voles, a few orb weaver spiders and even a fornicating slug couple. Slugs are hermaphrodite and their penises come out of their heads – they are literal dickheads!

Tim Hall · « **Reply #6588 on:** 17 September, 2023, 06:25:30 pm »

No pics, sorry, but as we turned the final corner to the SEECRIT BUNKER at the end of our trip today, there was a flurry of birdlife. First three magpies took them the air, having been gathered round something on the ground. That something looked like a bundle of feathers. I then twigged it was a dead pigeon, one clue being the Sparrow Hawk that was still scoffing it. Sparrow Hawk saw us and took off too.

Pingu · « **Reply #6589 on:** 20 September, 2023, 09:26:49 pm »

Fleeing a sparrowhawk can be dangerous.

IMG_5918_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #6590 on:** 21 September, 2023, 02:22:30 am »

Longview WA seems terribly keen on sqrls to the extent that they not only have a giant wooden carving of a sqrl in the middle of town but also (at least) four bridges to allow said sqrls to cross the road without being smooshed by a three ton pickup. The sqrl bridges may be seen at here: https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=48852.msg2841685#msg2841685

Sqrl, Longview by Mr Larrington, on Flickr

Sqrl, Longview by Mr Larrington, on Flickr

These are both the same sqrl, FWIW, up one of the trees with one of the bridges attached. To it. They also have ducks and many Horrible Gooses:

Horrible Gooses, Longview by Mr Larrington, on Flickr

Horrible Goose with an evil glint in his eye, Longview by Mr Larrington, on Flickr

Wowbagger · « **Reply #6591 on:** 28 September, 2023, 10:59:30 pm »

Seen today, but not by me: a large flock of brent geese in Old Leigh. They can have only recently returned rom Siberia.

PaulR · « **Reply #6592 on:** 01 October, 2023, 09:35:15 pm »

Went out to pick bullaces on the hillside above the Thame today and saw a pair of wheatears hopping about on a ploughed field, showing off their white arses when they took flight.

Pingu · « **Reply #6593 on:** 01 October, 2023, 10:24:47 pm »

Front door buzzards.

Common buzzard (Buteo buteo) by The Pingus, on Flickr

Snakehips · « **Reply #6594 on:** 08 October, 2023, 06:54:23 pm »

This little specimen has been hanging around on its own for some time in Bushy Park, Hampton Court. It obligingly came close to the bank today. I think it's a female Lesser Scaup.

Snakehips · « **Reply #6595 on:** 09 October, 2023, 10:46:47 am »

Seen yesterday but not by me. According to the London Bird Club Wiki hundreds of Redwing were seen at various places in the London area.

andrew_s · « **Reply #6596 on:** 09 October, 2023, 10:29:41 pm »

Redwings have just showed up here too:- 3 on Friday, followed by about 1000 today, and also the first fieldfares (~150), according to theglosterbirder.

andyoxon · « **Reply #6597 on:** 14 October, 2023, 09:34:55 am »

This is a first. Just had a fox trot up to the patio door windows and look in, but didn't see me sitting at the table about 2metres away.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #6598 on:** 14 October, 2023, 11:20:32 am »

Cool

JonBuoy · « **Reply #6599 on:** 14 October, 2023, 06:22:48 pm »

I spotted a kingfisher this afternoon 😍

I was riding along the canal towpath just south of Loughborough with a head full of negative thoughts about the approach of winter/badly adjusted bike gears/sore hips etc when I spotted an emerald flash flitting over the surface of the water. It perched on a branch briefly then disappeared before I could get my phone out to take a rubbish photo. This is only the second time that I have seen one and the other one was maybe ten years ago and in almost the exact same spot. It cheered me up no end 👍