Seen today

[rafletcher]

No idea what we saw today. It was a raptor, that’s for sure. It was perched on the arm of a bench close to the bird feeders, then did the sparrowhawk thing of chasing after one of the sparrows, twisting in flight. Then it perched on the fence briefly, but I signally failed to get a photo. What puzzles us is what it was. If I had to compare, I say its colouring was not unlike a pigeon’s - slate grey wings and back and a kind of buff breast. No barring that I could see - we have had sparrowhawks in the past, and this was comparable in size but not colouring.

OTOH I do know that out front perched in the tree of the hedgerow opposite was a song thrush. It’s been singing there on and off since December. Delightful.

[pcolbeck]

On Monday in and above Farndale. Black grouse laughing at us, curlew and an amazing close up view of a lapwing display flight.

[spesh]

A red-legged partridge - not something I'd ever expect to see in an urban setting, TBH.

[JonBuoy]

On Monday in and above Farndale. Black grouse laughing at us, curlew and an amazing close up view of a lapwing display flight.

I was watching a lapwing doing its crazy flying stuff on the moors above Sheffield last week.  There was a guy in a RSPB landrover admiring it too.  I mentioned Jonathan Livingston Seagull to him and was surprised when he hadn't heard of it - I just assumed that it was required reading for people working for the RSPB.

[JefO]

Saw a short eared owl at very close range. If it had stayed still I would never have seen it, but as I walked the Canewdon seawall footpath it flew off from the salt marshes a few feet away. Magnificent. Also half a dozen buzzards circled overhead, as I made my way over open fields.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Not seen

I'm off island, and of course, it is now when a pod of humpback whales decide to cruise past the island, in sight of the shore.

Oh and now the orcas are joining in.

There is a shoal of herring moving down the coast; humpbacks, minke, orca are following it.

All I can do is watch the videos!

[JellyLegs]

Son came downstairs at 1am yesterday morning to find the dog snarling at the back door and the PIR light at the top of the garden on.  He opened the back window and heard snuffling so crept out to take a look.  Hedgehog in the middle of the garden. First one I have found in our garden in at least 15 years and only the second live one I have found in the last decade.  I need to be careful when I clear all the bush cuttings piled in the corner as I suspect he/she is underneath somewhere.  I won’t do any clearing until spring has very definitely sprung and hedgehog and any hoglets have moved on.

[JefO]

Our Robins fledged today

[Tim Hall]

Got home to my Rural Idyll the other day to see a Red Kite at roof top height as I drove in. Swirling and wheeling, like, umm, a kite, as it dodged the attentions of two unhappy and fierce crows.

[Snakehips]

Got home to my Rural Idyll the other day to see a Red Kite at roof top height as I drove in. Swirling and wheeling, like, umm, a kite, as it dodged the attentions of two unhappy and fierce crows.

I saw the same thing over my garden a couple of days ago. On the same day and same place  I saw and heard a skylark. Neither bird unusual in my area , we have Richmond Park, Bushy Park and Home Park all within a mile, but they usually stay in the parks and don't come to visit me at home.

[Steph]

Got home to my Rural Idyll the other day to see a Red Kite at roof top height as I drove in. Swirling and wheeling, like, umm, a kite, as it dodged the attentions of two unhappy and fierce crows.

Tim lives not that far from me. Last year, when I went to top up the bird feeder in my back garden, there was a kite only about ten feet above me. This lunchtime, as I waited for a bus, there was another kite heading South.

[JefO]

My wife and I went to a place we had never heard of before yesterday, "Eridge Rocks".
Quite close to where we were staying on a short break, it is about 5 miles north of Rotherfield in Sussex.
We saw and got photos of Siskin and Lesser Redpoll, both firsts for me, I think we saw a pair of Dartford Warblers too, plus several species more commonly seen (by us). Also extremely noteworthy was a Goshawk, which hunted very close to us.
Sussex Wildlife Trust own the land which is made accessible by a good network of footpaths, and they don't charge to park in the car park. The rocks themselves are very interesting and reminded me of the sandstone rock park in Yorkshire called Brimham Rocks.
The paths were wet (not unreasonable, given the amount of recent rainfall), but not terribly so, and even in normal shoes (and socks) I was able to use the paths without getting wet socks if I was careful.
I was surprised at the difference in species commonly seen there (North Sussex), to those commonly seen closer to home, here in South Essex maybe 35-40 miles apart.

[Wowbagger]

Swallows reported in Essex today, firstly by my brother who saw two at Henningfield Reservoir, and secondly on the SE Essex RSPB website, at Gunners Park, Shoebury.

[Jaded]

A black squirrel.

[Wowbagger]

Pembrokeshire week for us. I went for a bike ride this morning and saw red kites, a buzzard, some ravens, a wheatear and swallows. Also, lots of jackdaws where we are staying. I can hear them through the thick wall of the derelict farm building attached to our accommodation.