Seen today

[anth]

No today, but over the weekend I was back in the north-east (Scotland) to see me mam.

Saturday was seal day near Newburgh (around 200 on the beach)











Sunday saw an early morning spin around the town I grew up in (Ellon) and into the woods where I played as a kid. Never once saw a red squirrel in there before in all the years I wandered about in there. Saw at least half a dozen in the space of ten minutes...





Saw a grey squirrel on the walk into work this morning and that got the proper 'meh' treatment after the reds yesterday.

[Mrs Pingu]

And I thought I was doing well with 8 seals at the Bridge of Don...
What focal length were you using to get your grey seal shots anth?

[anth]

And I thought I was doing well with 8 seals at the Bridge of Don...
What focal length were you using to get your grey seal shots anth?

You need to get yourself to Newburgh... There's a short walk from the golf club to see the seals from the other side of the water (which we normally do), or a longer walk on the peripherary of the Forvie Reserve that took us here. There are usually maybe 15-20, this was exceptional.

We managed to get within about 30 yards. Any closer and they got a little spooked - and we'd got to that point very very slowly. We sat for about 45 minutes just watching and snapping away - the noise from them was incredible. 200mm for the close-ups - some are cropped down, others left full size.

Seriously, your seal fetish needs to be sated with a trip!

EDIT: there are certain times of year, when there are young pups, that you're not allowed to walk round this side as well.

[Tourist Tony]

A great white egret, in the half flooded field 3/4 mile from my regular sunday pub, along with 70-80 wigeon, 50 teal, a dozen or so shoveler, some canada geese, a couple of herons

Great white? There's a rarity! Whereabouts was that?

[andrew_s]

Ashleworth Ham, here

I ride past pretty much whenever I go to the pub by a non-direct route. It's the second time I've seen one whilst riding past, though this time I knew about it in advance.

They aren't as rare as they used to be. There's been half a dozen floating round the country for most of the year. When I started back in the mid 70s there was onto about one every other year, and not for very long either.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Was the one on the left telling jokes?

[Pingu]

Was the one on the left telling jokes?

Toilet humour - something to do with the privy seal.

[anth]

A grey wagtail down by the Water of Leith on a lunchtime wander:

[Tourist Tony]

Ashleworth Ham, here

I ride past pretty much whenever I go to the pub by a non-direct route. It's the second time I've seen one whilst riding past, though this time I knew about it in advance.

They aren't as rare as they used to be. There's been half a dozen floating round the country for most of the year. When I started back in the mid 70s there was onto about one every other year, and not for very long either.

Damn, far too far away for me

[Moloko]

Lots of pheasants. One cock pheasant seemed to be almost tame and almost nonplussed at me being 3ft away.
Lots of red deer and rabbits.

[Pingu]

I saw two black pheasants on Sunday. A bit of a contrast with how colourful the males look at the moment.

[PaulR]

Ashleworth Ham, here

I ride past pretty much whenever I go to the pub by a non-direct route. It's the second time I've seen one whilst riding past, though this time I knew about it in advance.

They aren't as rare as they used to be. There's been half a dozen floating round the country for most of the year. When I started back in the mid 70s there was onto about one every other year, and not for very long either.

I've just been on the phone to my mother (in Glos) who said she had just been over to see a GWE at Ashleworth.  I expressed suprise but then remembered that someone here had mentioned seeing one, and lo and behold it's this same one. 
What a fine bird it is too!

[Cudzoziemiec]

Wild boar in the forest, shortly before dusk. Six or seven of them. They all turned to look at me as I stood stock still. After about a minute they decided I was harmless and turned round to continue eating. Then they all ran off in the opposite direction. First I've ever seen.

[border-rider]

FIIIGHT !

A sparrowhawk took one of our resident jackdaws this morning.  She had it on the ground and was just about start butchering it when the cavalry arrived.  A couple of jackdaws went straight in and started pecking the hawk, and about 100 more streamed out of the barn and wheeled overhead, making the most unholy noise and filling the sky.

In the end the hawk gave it up as a bad job and exited, pursued by an angry mob...

The original jackdaw flew away.

[andrew_s]

3 (separate) barn owls tonight, and quite a number of bats, type unknown

[Mr Larrington]

Seeing urban foxes is not unusual in my part of the world, even in daylight, but they're usually to be seen bolting into gardens and so forth.  The other day, though, there was one trotting unconcernedly across Sainsbury's car park at about 3 pm.

[Tim Hall]

Out on a pre breakfast spin, I was concentrating on picking a line between potholes, while being aware that a car was approaching from behind, when a deer broke loose from the woods and ran across the road in front almost under my front wheel. A bit close.

Earlier I saw some cows. In a field. 

Yes, Mrs. Hall was similarly unimpressed, but there were English Longhorns.  I do like those traditional breeds.

[Mr Larrington]

Some time over Easter Lt. Col. Larrington and I were sitting in his conservatory when a brown blur and a crashing of bushes signalled that a hen pheasant had failed to set down in his back garden.  Never seen a pheasant around those parts save as part of a Dinner.

[SteveC]

A goldfinch on the nyjer feeder on the patio.

This isn't so unusual, except that they've been missing since the bad weather.
 

S

[Pingu]

On Saturday: several seals & a deer on the island at Bridge of Don, loadsa buzzards, larks, heard yellowhammers, bonkers lapwings, shelducks & hundreds of eiders on a beach.

And I saw a blue tit flying out of the nest box I put up a couple of months ago, so fingers crossed.

[clarion]

I wandered out to the shop earlier, and spotted a fox in the car park.  Spotted me, too, and seemed to lope off.  But when I got back, it was still wandering about.

[border-rider]

A huuuuge owl pellet in the yard.  That must be one big owl 

[Riggers]

It's a football from your next door neighbour's Mallers. Throw it back.

[JJ]

Day before yesterday really, but anyhow.

A BIG pod of dolphins fishing in between supertankers in the Bosphorus. (back home now  )

[plum]

What was it that I saw the other day while riding about?

Looked like a sausage dog version of a mouse, long extended body, about 10 inches total, didn't look like it had much of a tail. Bright orange!?