Author Topic: Seen today (Read 1018270 times)

rogerzilla · « **Reply #2025 on:** 15 July, 2011, 08:07:27 pm »

zOMG AndyK, that's some colour saturation!

The green woodpecker has now been spotted, so we have two woodpeckers in the 'hood.

rogerzilla · « **Reply #2026 on:** 15 July, 2011, 08:08:28 pm »

Quote from: Kirst on 12 July, 2011, 08:29:43 pm

My mum says there are two or three sparrows in her garden which come down into the hen run and steal feathers from the ground. They fly up to the fence with them and sit for a while turning the feathers over and over in their beaks. Some of them they discard and then try another one, some of them they fly away with.

The last time we brushed the moulting cat we put all the loose fur outside. The birds wouldn't touch it

They are quite happy with my hair or rabbit fur.

AndyK · « **Reply #2027 on:** 15 July, 2011, 08:29:40 pm »

Quote from: rogerzilla on 15 July, 2011, 08:07:27 pm

zOMG AndyK, that's some colour saturation!

The green woodpecker has now been spotted, so we have two woodpeckers in the 'hood.

That's Hipstamatic on the iPhone.

mike · « **Reply #2028 on:** 17 July, 2011, 08:46:21 pm »

one from last weekend, mrs mike and the ~~money pit~~ horse

(she was nearly - but not quite - last

)

Tim Hall · « **Reply #2029 on:** 17 July, 2011, 09:37:44 pm »

A kestrel or a sparrowhawk, not sure which.

Big deal you say...

So we were on a treasure hunt, which took us to Buncton Chapel at Wiston. It's a tiny Saxon chapel up on the hill, along a muddy path. As we got near some people passed us and asked if we were going to the church. We explained we were in pursuit of clues. They asked that we leave the door open so that the "big bird" inside could escape.

It was perched high up in the rafters, flying back and forth as I tried to get a picture on my phone, but no joy. Dark upper, barred lower parts, I think. Can't remember the wing shape.

What was most likely the next was outside the chapel, a pile of sticks wedged between a down pipe and a corner of wall, next to an open window, which must have been how it got in.

clarion · « **Reply #2030 on:** 18 July, 2011, 10:41:43 am »

In Watlington at the weekend, so unsurprisingly we saw loads of red kites. Not actually more than we have in previous years - the maximum I saw at one time was less than a dozen.

Riding to the site on Friday evening, we stumbled upon a kite which had decided to go for a dead rabbit on the verge. Unfortunately, after it had committed, we appeared one direction, and a car the other. The kite dropped the rabbit into the road and flew off at high speed. But it's very rare that you get to see a bird taking prey at such close quarters.

clarion · « **Reply #2031 on:** 18 July, 2011, 10:45:35 am »

Also seen: A whole load of swifts down very low taking insects. We are told this is a bad sign, weather-wise. A few swallows mixed in with them, which I thought didn't happen, but the view of the tails was definitely clear enough to verify. We had loads of earwigs, some of which were unwise enough to try to get under TGL's mat at night

And various other insects, including a rather pretty orangey-red one.

Fi · « **Reply #2032 on:** 20 July, 2011, 02:32:51 pm »

Clearing round the pond this morning, I came across a lickle grass snake which slithered out and away.

border-rider · « **Reply #2033 on:** 21 July, 2011, 03:21:53 pm »

A juvenile green woodpecker in the tree outside my window

It's the first green I've seen here

Rig of Jarkness · « **Reply #2034 on:** 22 July, 2011, 07:03:09 am »

Seen on the way home from work yesterday, a tree sparrow. Not something I can say very often !

Rhys W · « **Reply #2035 on:** 22 July, 2011, 09:36:36 am »

Cycling back along the Taff Trail in the rain at 11pm last night I swerved because the large leaf I was about to ride over was looking back at me! I tilted my light down and rode slowly because the path was crawling with toads.

I think they were toads, they were squat and slow-moving, not long-legged and jumpy like frogs.

Bledlow · « **Reply #2036 on:** 22 July, 2011, 09:01:47 pm »

In & around stratfield Saye, North Hampshire, while cycling this afternoon:

A fallow doe & fawn crossing the Devil's Highway a short distance in front of us.
A hen partridge trying to distract us from her chicks (Mrs B spotted the chicks, but I missed 'em).
A roe deer crossing the road.
Kites.

YahudaMoon · « **Reply #2037 on:** 22 July, 2011, 09:09:13 pm »

Yesterday. A dead badger , dead fox

Alive fox

an a bird of prey with a wing span of about 1 metre in Staffordshire. No idea what kind of bird it was ? Speckled in colour I think ?

border-rider · « **Reply #2038 on:** 23 July, 2011, 07:51:49 pm »

A thrush, in my hand.

Tam caught it but I managed to get it off him undamaged but shocked. Half an hour in a cardboard box in the shade and it was good to go

Then at about 4 pm a huuuuge bat was trying to get into the eaves. Obv. set its alarm clock wrong.

clarion · « **Reply #2039 on:** 24 July, 2011, 07:43:51 am »

Deer deer.

Literally. Yesterday in Richmond Park, I saw a group of deer sat seemingly content near the western cafe. People were posing for photos near them. I was very surprised by their docility.

There was another group on the northern side of the park. Again very near people. I expect that humans are so common in RP that its not worth running away from them any more.

More characteristically, as I was heading out to meet Butterfly on the last part of her ride home from Brighton, I was climbing How Lane to Chipstead, when a deer popped out of the hedge on the left. It was quite startled, but fortunately was quite small. It ran up the road a bit, then darted up the bank into the bushes on the right. But it carried on up the hill, from the sounds of rustling.

Shortly after, I saw a badger scuttling into the bank. I was a bit slow to get m'gun out.

Several bats up there too, and all the way through Chipstead. Shame when I passed through Woodmansterne it was still passably light, as apparently that's a good place for batwatching.

Rig of Jarkness · « **Reply #2040 on:** 26 July, 2011, 06:57:54 pm »

On my ride home today, a stoat, a roe deer, and 2 buzzards

border-rider · « **Reply #2041 on:** 27 July, 2011, 05:20:07 pm »

A pyramidal orchid (never seen one before so I went back with a camera)

and this area of lumps in the ground. I've been puzzling over these, so today I had a closer look and I reckon they're a huge number of ancient ants' nests. They cover an area of several hundred square metres. That's a lorra, lorra ants...

rower40 · « **Reply #2042 on:** 28 July, 2011, 06:29:55 am »

Three woodpeckers. Green body and wings, grey throat, red head. I am hopeless at identifying birds (stop sniggering at the back) so I googled these.

border-rider · « **Reply #2043 on:** 02 August, 2011, 06:44:20 pm »

Yesterday

An eagle - I think a golden eagle - on a rock by the road to Abergwesyn

Obviously an escapee as it had traces on

Adrian · « **Reply #2044 on:** 05 August, 2011, 07:33:16 pm »

Day before yesterday a Marsh Harrier

RJ · « **Reply #2045 on:** 06 August, 2011, 08:30:33 pm »

Buzzards, a sparrowhawk, single herons, and a stoat.

Pingu · « **Reply #2046 on:** 06 August, 2011, 08:44:26 pm »

Mrs P was bemoaning the lack of birds when a deer (prob. roe) appeared on the road in front of us

Bledlow · « **Reply #2047 on:** 06 August, 2011, 09:08:09 pm »

Two days ago - frogs! Loadsanloads of ickle babby froglets, hopping around Caversham, on a path near the Thames.

rogerzilla · « **Reply #2048 on:** 07 August, 2011, 07:58:48 am »

Seen on holiday: three red squirrels on Brownsea Island (the greys can't swim far enough to drive them out, heh) goldcrest, yellowhammer, a lot of buzzards and some unidentified smaller bird of prey, probably a hobby or marsh harrier. Lots of gulls including a great black-backed gull with a fish in its mouth and a high speed cormorant. And lots of (now endangered) starlings at Stonehenge. The last time I saw a starling was in April, and that was in Hyde Park!

why1040 · « **Reply #2049 on:** 07 August, 2011, 09:57:51 am »

Yesterday I saw a white (presumably escaped pet) rabbit in someone's front garden on the way to the stables. By the time I'd stopped and come over to have a look it had scarpered!

Other than that, our normal pair of red kites were out in force and we had hundreds of housemartins watching me jump with the pony!

Author Topic: Seen today (Read 1018270 times)

AndyK

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