A random thread for the wildlife stuff - you know the drill

[peliroja]

Oh, no! Poor Morphy. I hope it's a nice one and that they remember his his 4 o'clock chew.

[Ruth]

One of my colleagues adopted a norphaned baby Djog a while ago.  It's thriving 

[nicknack]

Lots of very high pitched squeaking yesterday. Wandered outside and found a very small wren sat just outside the door. Obviously a new one. When I bent down to have a closer look it flew off to next to our shed. So I thought, "It can fly so it'll be ok". I hadn't realised next door's cat was lurking behind the shed. I don't know why it bothered. It must have been a very small snack for it. Perhaps it was getting its own back on the avian kingdom for the magpies that constantly taunt it.

[Wowbagger]

Oh, no! Poor Morphy. I hope it's a nice one and that they remember his his 4 o'clock chew.

He seemed fine when we went to get him. No idea what purgatory he had to put up with in the intervening period though. 

[essexian]

We have a bit of a wildlife garden…. Partly by design but mostly due to the fact that we both hate gardening! Thus, it’s no surprise that we attract a load of squirrels into the garden and during the summer, a pair of hedgehogs. They are great at keeping the slug population down and are happy to eat the cat biscuits we leave out for the two stray cats we also feed.

Anyway, this year the hogs produced a hoglet which we have had great pleasure in watching grow. However, last evening we noticed the hoglet in the garden at 6pm: that’s really early as they don’t normally come out until sunset. We put some fresh food down for it but s/he didn’t seem to be interested.

Just before lunch today, I noted that the hoglet was in the garden again. S/he made it as far as the car where s/he just sat shaking. A quick google and a phone call to our local wildlife centre later, I was off with the hoglet to the Rescue Centre….catching every red light on the way!

The Rescue Centre said that he was of an okay weight, was reactive in the way they would expect but was dehydrated. With some feeding up s/he should recover. It seems that the hoglets don’t do well in the hot weather and that they have had a few in this week already.

I am glad there are people out there who help like this. I hate seeing animals suffer so was happy to leave a donation. If anyone else would like to do so, see*

http://thebwrc.com/?page_id=671



*Other rescue centres are available

[Bledlow]

Dead little thrush on the pavement. Adult flew away as I approached.

[hellymedic]

Eeek!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-28884087

[Wowbagger]

I have discovered a benefit of slugs.

Morphy crapped on what passes for a lawn the other day. When I was pottering down the garden I thought "Blimey! What's wrong with that dog's bowels?" but when I looked a little closer it was a couple of dozen slugs all tucking in. The following morning all the dogshit had gone.

[spesh]

5,000 wasps found in St Cross bedroom 

[Kim]

I have discovered a benefit of slugs.

Morphy crapped on what passes for a lawn the other day. When I was pottering down the garden I thought "Blimey! What's wrong with that dog's bowels?" but when I looked a little closer it was a couple of dozen slugs all tucking in. The following morning all the dogshit had gone.

And the morning after that the dog ate all the slugs?

[Mr Larrington]

Sign beside I-70 just inside Utah this morning:

EAGLES ON HIGHWAY

Somehow I don't think they're referring to Don Henley, Joe Walsh et al.

[andrewc]

Free cat with every mortgage http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/11062485/Bank-gives-free-cats-to-customers-who-take-mortgages.html

[Basil]

Coo.  Heavy meckle birds in Brum!  There's one by here somewhere singing the rif to Kashmir.  In a much higher key obv.

[Mr Larrington]

Loose moose gets stuck in Siemens office in Dresden.

A Polish møøse, apparently.  This is what happens when you open up the EU to Johnny Eastern European (cont. UKIP's manifesto).

[bumper]

For the past 4-5 years, I've been busy cultivating a nettle patch in the back garden hoping to get some butterflies to lay on them. The nettle patch has caused much amusement to certain nobbers that have seen them, I'm constantly having my leg pulled about them 'not being garden flowers' blah, blah, blah!

I was going to get the weed killer on them a few weeks ago, they've not seen a single bloody caterpillar! My garden is always full of different butterflies visiting the flowers, the woodland across the way also encourages more unusual species.

Success!

I've had lots of black peacock caterpillars over the past couple of weeks, they've all vanished. I'm guessing they're pupating somewhere.

I've also had some Comma caterpillars too, they're currently in pupa form too. I can actually see these. They hang from the nettles like dead leaves

The ridicule has been worth it, I'll be checking them everyday when I can. They'll be out in a couple of weeks. The nettle patch is staying

[Ruth]

Bumper, you are an absolute wildlife hero 

[Mrs Pingu]

^ wot she said

[bumper]

I'll pretend you're both being sincere 

I've hardened to ridicule about my nettles anyway. I never would've thought people would find my nettle patch so hilarious, even my wife*

Just wish I'd still got my macro gear. The Comma chrysalis have little white spots on them, looks like mother of pearl on dead leaf. They even wiggle with the wind. Nature is ACE!

*shes been educated bored to death today, she's had a guided tour

[Bledlow]

Not quite wildlife.

There's a war underway in & around our back garden. There was noisy violence in the night, & one of the protagonists appeared this morning looking around cautiously, which is a big change from the previous arrogance.

The participants are believed to be -
Alfie. Fairly hefty ginger lad. Lives next door but one with his mate Oscar. When they first started hanging around they were very timid & stuck together, but they've grown in confidence (& musculature) since then, especially Alfie, who's usually out alone nowadays.

Two others whose names I don't know, but who I think live in the next street.
1. Small but chunky, young & black. Has been seen sparring with Alfie, & has tried to sneak into our house a few times. Ran out of the back door once when I took him by surprise.
2. Shaggy old geezer. Used to stalk around as if he owned the place, & cowed the others with a look. I'm pretty sure one of the others has taken him down a peg (perhaps that's what we heard last night), judging by his demeanour this morning. Tried to get in our back door on Friday, which he'd never done before. Alfie was glaring at him & making threatening gestures at the time, but backed off when Mr Shaggy faced up to him.

[Wowbagger]

We have a touchingly loyal dog.

This morning I decided to join Jan and Morphy and make my first journey to the park since damaging my leg 4 weeks ago. I bit off more than I could chew. When we got to the park Jan took him on the usual longer route whereas I made straight to the car park and phoned Dez and asked him to come and pick me up.

Morphy hadn't noticed my absence initially, but when he realised I wasn't with them he hung back, looked for me, and didn't want to carry on with Jan alone. Eventually he just sat down and refused to move, but fortunately he did so at a point from which Jan could see me. When she told him where I was he dragged her over to me. Even then, after he had seen me getting in the car, he was fairly reluctant to come home.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

You have a touchingly loyal dog. Jan doesn't. 

[Wowbagger]

You have a touchingly loyal dog. Jan doesn't. 

Oh, he's just the same if ever we get split up on a walk. He always wants to wait for the one whom he perceives is lagging behind. Quite often we drop in our local shop for milk on the way back from the park. It's that close to home that there's no point in the one with the dog waiting, and I normally hold his lead because he's a really strong, big dog and he has never learned not to pull, so Jan usually goes in for the milk. He won't let me get far along the road before he's hanging back and looking over his shoulder for the missing pack member!

[Biff]

Beware- carrot thieves at large!

[spesh]

http://io9.com/watch-this-leopard-dive-bomb-an-impala-from-an-impossib-1639527349

<Brian Blessed> DIVE!!! </Brian Blessed>

[T42]

You have a touchingly loyal dog. Jan doesn't. 

Oh, he's just the same if ever we get split up on a walk. He always wants to wait for the one whom he perceives is lagging behind. Quite often we drop in our local shop for milk on the way back from the park. It's that close to home that there's no point in the one with the dog waiting, and I normally hold his lead because he's a really strong, big dog and he has never learned not to pull, so Jan usually goes in for the milk. He won't let me get far along the road before he's hanging back and looking over his shoulder for the missing pack member!

Year ago outside a bank in Stuttgart I saw a Great Dane, lying with his chin and a paw on the step and gazing at a bloke inside.  It didn't move a millimetre until he came out, by which time a bunch of folk were standing in a ring marvelling.  When he did come out the dog got up and greeted him with a lick, and everyone clapped.

Never seen anything like that since.