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March 28, 2024, 12:08:52 PM

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Wildlife spotting

Started by Twit 2, August 06, 2018, 12:59:58 PM

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Quote from: paruses on October 23, 2020, 12:07:45 PM

Broke up a fight between a house sparrow and a goldfinch the other day. I don't know what had been said but they were really  going at it out on the road. Madness.

How was that manifesting itself? Like, was it in mid-air?

Buelligan

Quote from: Menu on October 23, 2020, 12:19:42 PM
Have you seen any of these?

Impossible for me I'm afraid.  Even reading what you wrote has injured me.

Slug karma strikes again.

Menu

Quote from: Buelligan on October 23, 2020, 12:38:24 PM
Impossible for me I'm afraid.  Even reading what you wrote has injured me.


Ah I forgot you were in France. There are less harrowing stories included as well of course. But as the charity is for baby orphans all the stories at least begin with heartache. I can't articulate it very well but it's like, what's the point of anything? If that poor little elephant's whole universe was only extreme pain and suffering, how can we deal with that? His whole existence was distress. I can't get my head around that. Why bother with any part of my shitty life once I become aware of that sort all-encompassing pain. That was his whole universe.

paruses

Quote from: Menu on October 23, 2020, 12:23:27 PM
How was that manifesting itself? Like, was it in mid-air?

I assume it had all kicked off mid-air as I was looking out of the kitchen window and saw them come down onto the top of a wall, then tumble to the pavement and roll around in true flat-roofed pub car park brawl fashion.

Menu

Quote from: paruses on October 23, 2020, 01:10:39 PM
I assume it had all kicked off mid-air as I was looking out of the kitchen window and saw them come down onto the top of a wall, then tumble to the pavement and roll around in true flat-roofed pub car park brawl fashion.

Ha!

Menu

Quote from: Menu on October 23, 2020, 01:03:00 PM
Ah I forgot you were in France. There are less harrowing stories included as well of course. But as the charity is for baby orphans all the stories at least begin with heartache. I can't articulate it very well but it's like, what's the point of anything? If that poor little elephant's whole universe was only extreme pain and suffering, how can we deal with that? His whole existence was distress. I can't get my head around that. Why bother with any part of my shitty life once I become aware of that sort all-encompassing pain. That was his whole universe.

I hope this hasn't made me seem insane. I know it comes across like it. I just couldn't get over that little elephant. I think it's the helplessness of watching it thousands of miles away and 15 years after he died.

BlodwynPig

A PhD I was co-supervising working on biogas production from agricultural residue spent a totally pointless month while I was away examining the possibility of using enzymes secreted by some giant African or tropical slug to enhance biodegradation. Not saying it was completely ridiculous, but it was in the context of his fucking PhD.

Attila

Photodump incoming, but the past few days have been some real crackers at the party palace -- new guests, and lots of juvenile hedgehogs from a late nesting.

New cat visitor



These two youths started showing up about a week ago.



Here they are with mum





You looking at ME?



Another new visitor



The new babies have no fear of Gus





Three babies




One baby is really adventurous, and spends a lot of time trying to get into the fox bowl



Scratching an itch (also, here's mum and all three babies)



Mum and 3 babies





Foxy



Mr Attila made a gif a couple months back of two hedgehogs caught in their courting dance, and I suspect these three babies are the result. It's not unusual to have autumn litters, although it can be a concern if they're too small before they hibernate. However, the party palace is well stocked, and there's a hedgehog house in our garden -- as well as what we suspect is a hedgehog estate in our neighbours' garden, as the HH come into the palace through a hole that it's in the fence about a meter or so away from the party palace. So they have plenty of warm shelter and grub, and it's been pretty mild so far.

Apologies if I've gone way over the tolerable photo limit -- I'm worked off my feet with this crap blended learning bolloxks at the university, and save sifting through the palacecam for weekends now...

bgmnts

Haha that fox gurning just make me laugh every time!

Buelligan

Quote from: Attila on October 31, 2020, 03:50:18 PM
Photodump incoming, but the past few days have been some real crackers at the party palace -- new guests, and lots of juvenile hedgehogs from a late nesting.

Mr Attila made a gif a couple months back of two hedgehogs caught in their courting dance, and I suspect these three babies are the result. It's not unusual to have autumn litters, although it can be a concern if they're too small before they hibernate. However, the party palace is well stocked, and there's a hedgehog house in our garden -- as well as what we suspect is a hedgehog estate in our neighbours' garden, as the HH come into the palace through a hole that it's in the fence about a meter or so away from the party palace. So they have plenty of warm shelter and grub, and it's been pretty mild so far.

Apologies if I've gone way over the tolerable photo limit -- I'm worked off my feet with this crap blended learning bolloxks at the university, and save sifting through the palacecam for weekends now...

It's fantastic, no need to apologise!  The heggie pics especially, though the unbridled joy somewhat polluted by the cruelty to brassicas on open display, someone should be ashamed.  I suspect it's not you. 

Attila

Quote from: bgmnts on October 31, 2020, 03:57:09 PM
Haha that fox gurning just make me laugh every time!

Heh -- that's a new one from last night -- we get a goofy derp-fox quite often.

Quote from: Buelligan on October 31, 2020, 03:58:40 PM
It's fantastic, no need to apologise!  The heggie pics especially, though the unbridled joy somewhat polluted by the open cruelty to brassicas, someone should be ashamed.  I suspect it's not you. 

Those cabbages! Mr Attila planted way too many black-leaf cabbages (which are super tasty) and never got those ones into the allotment this year. I freely point the finger at him in blame.

Hope the photos bring lots of cheers anyway -- they can get pretty samey, but it's still nice to see the critters chowing down. The tiny ones really surprised me; they seem to have a great time climbing over everything out there and playing around.

Last night's batch also featured a really beaten up, war-horse of an older fox I've never seen before, but none of his photos came out as clearly as the others.

The Cloud of Unknowing

A couple of months ago a friend and her mum heard a horrible tortured screeching coming from the back garden that went on for over a minute. They eventually went out half-expecting to find a cat with a rat, but instead saw one of their regular hedgehog visitors with a twitching fat toad in its mouth. Ban these sick killers.

BlodwynPig

Quote from: Attila on October 31, 2020, 04:03:23 PM
Heh -- that's a new one from last night -- we get a goofy derp-fox quite often.

Those cabbages! Mr Attila planted way too many black-leaf cabbages (which are super tasty) and never got those ones into the allotment this year. I freely point the finger at him in blame.

Hope the photos bring lots of cheers anyway -- they can get pretty samey, but it's still nice to see the critters chowing down. The tiny ones really surprised me; they seem to have a great time climbing over everything out there and playing around.

Last night's batch also featured a really beaten up, war-horse of an older fox I've never seen before, but none of his photos came out as clearly as the others.

I see you got round to fixing the day and month but not the year! wishful thinking.

I wish Horace had a partner and the promise of young hedgehogs. I don't know how long he's been in the garden, but there have been rumours for years. He is awake again and eating, but only a few nibbles and the mouse eats most of it now.

Menu


Menu

Quote from: Attila on October 31, 2020, 03:50:18 PM


Apologies if I've gone way over the tolerable photo limit -- I'm worked off my feet with this crap blended learning bolloxks at the university, and save sifting through the palacecam for weekends now...

Loved it, thank you. It's so pleasing to see hedgehogs thriving. God bless you.

Menu

Quote from: The Cloud of Unknowing on October 31, 2020, 05:32:00 PM
A couple of months ago a friend and her mum heard a horrible tortured screeching coming from the back garden that went on for over a minute. They eventually went out half-expecting to find a cat with a rat, but instead saw one of their regular hedgehog visitors with a twitching fat toad in its mouth. Ban these sick killers.

Poor Mr Toad. At least he died doing what he loved. Being eaten by a hedgehog.


Buelligan

A strange wistful day today, sun.  Old sun saying goodbye.  Up on the roof cleaning stonecrop and moss off the pantiles, has to be done though I hate to kill them.  Leaving ferns though, bit botanist but can't help myself.  Found the sky burial of a swallow.  Laid in the mossy runnel, wings folded, waiting.  Sun shodō brushed against the bronze.  Overhead skeins of southbound geese cried.

Attila

Sunday afternoon go through some photos.

The tiny autumn hedgehogs have grown nice and fat, for anyone worried about their size previously.

These are all from the past week or so.

Lately one of them has been treating the water bowl like his personal bathtub



For weeks, one of the tinies has been trying to see what is in the fox plate; in the past week, he's succeeded in getting up there. It's like the Space Needle restaurant for hedgehogs this past week.



Also, I knew they'd made it up there cos of all of the hedgehog shit along the rim of the bowl. Thanks, Tiggy-wink.

They have no fear of Mr Gus, as seen in this sample of h'pig and cat together




Early morning, but light enough for once to get some proper colour pictures of the little greedy pigs.










One of them was romping around in the leaves last night as I was refilling the bowls, and Mr Gus looked on. These recent little ones, now youths, have been out there before when I've cleaned and filled the bowls. I have to doublecheck, because if it's dark and I reach into the party palace to collect their bowl, it's sometimes got a hedgehog sat in it.





Fishfinger

Nice. Thanks for bumping this. I've been reading the old posts after being given a wildlife camera by a dear friend recently. So far I have probably identified the kitty who night-shits in the garden, and not much else. But I think some daylight captures would be good. The birds are hungry and busy.

BlodwynPig

I've got a rat now, brown rat. Doesn't look that menacing at all. I thought it was the mouse at first but then noticed how huge it was compared to the mouse. Looks more like a stoat than a rat though.

bgmnts

Oh no where's Gurny the Fox??

Attila

Quote from: bgmnts on November 29, 2020, 02:20:52 PM
Oh no where's Gurny the Fox??

He and his mates are still around, no worries! There were a lot of pictures of them looking very wet from recent night rains, but no huurrrrr-faces looking up towards the camera in the last lot.

BlodwynPig

My favourite blackbird, dead from window. I lifted his still warm body carefully and respectfully and dumped him in the bin.

Actually hoping its not the same one who serenaded me in those early spring lockdown mornings.

Blue Jam

Quote from: bgmnts on July 24, 2020, 09:33:53 PM
I have come to the conclusion that otters don't actually exist.

My faith in otters was restored today when I became an OFFISHUL OTTER-SPOTTER:



Finally caught the legend of Dunsapie Loch! Looked a lot better through my chazza shop binoculars, saw the otter chucking a little fish into its little jaws, fucking magic.

Video here- I swear it is an otter, honest:

https://youtu.be/TXaiCaRvxK4

The breeding pair of swans and their five cygs weren't around but I walked down to the lower loch and noticed a couple of absolute units strutting about among the other swans, a lot bigger and bit more placid and confident than the rest. Check out this fearless mutha who swaggered right up to me when I rustled my packet of pumpkin seeds:



Then I spotted the five cygs in the water nearby, hanging out with their new pals while getting their big boy plumage:



They grow up so fast huh?

Spotted loads of cheeky little robins too. A good day.


BlodwynPig

Did the swan eat the pumpkin seeds? The two that are in the lake now snubbed all foods and preferred burrowing into the bank side. Although the day I didn't have food they came snorting and snapping for it.

Blue Jam

Yes, the swans and cygs are mad for pumpkin seeds, but there was a family throwing out lots of lentils so I refrained from opening my second packet as loads of cuntbeaks started swooping down and it was getting a bit Hitchcockian.

The well-loved swans of Embra won't starve, don't worry.

Blue Jam

Some much better footage of ma wee pals here:

https://youtu.be/7LYTZGUYVuo

Animal gladiators. Otters may have sharp little teeth but swans are hardnuts.

BlodwynPig