Wildlife spotting

[bgmnts]

Do rats kill animals usually? I thought they were opportunistic scavengers?

[paruses]

Corvid. Murderous buggers

Yes. It was just so surgical and I know they have strong and sharp beaks but I would have expected more plucking. The body was completely in tact.
And yea a rat doesn't really make sense.
Coming back round to the cartel warning if I am honest.

[Poirots BigGarlickyCorpse]

I've seen two stoats while out and about. One charged out towards the main road, then thought better of it and ran back up the bank. The second one made a dash across a country lane and vanished into the hedge. Definitely stoats - long bodies with long smooth tails and red coats.

Got house sparrows, a chaffinch and a robin in the back yard.

[Attila]

Saturday morning, Party Palace photo dump. Inspired because the vixen has started to bring her babies to the Palace the p ast couple of nights.

One of the three little'uns identified so far


Different kit


Baby fox kit -- it's about the same size as the fatter hedgehog that hangs around


Mum and baby eat together. The vixen is still really skittish, but the babies play around, sit down while eating, explore the garden


Mum in the morning



The old boy and a hedgehog


Hedgehog falling over


Hedgehog bulldozing another one out of a food bowl


Magpie taking off


Mapgie and kibble, #1000 in a series


These two show up together most mornings



Got loads of baby foxes at the kibble bowls, including many where they're sharing a bowl with the hedgehogs. I did wonder how long it would take for mum to bring them along.

[BlodwynPig]

Do rats kill animals usually? I thought they were opportunistic scavengers?

I read that hungry rats may chow down on living hedgehog legs, but generally ignore other animals if enough food about (see my pics of rat, mouse and hedgehog eating happily together)

[BlodwynPig]

speaking of magpies, the Aussie magpie has a fantastic voice and manner


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqSbDcks_uA

[Blue Jam]

My little home office space is a desk in front of a window which has a wire hanging down in front of it, and the smoller garden birds often use it as a perch for a fleeting few seconds at a time. Yesterday I saw a coal tit with a big black flying insect of some kind all crunched up in its beak which looked at me as if to say "Yeah, what?". It didn't hang around long enough for me to get a photo though.

Think I saw another goldfinch alight there too the other day. Perhaps I should get a webcam.

[Brian Freeze]

Still no legs on the tadpoles, I feel they should be carnivorous by now.
We still love watching them coming up upside-down for gulps at the surface. They normally do one or two, burp and then dive but there was one there for seconds the other day so I got a right eyeful. 

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Unafraid tame blackbird keeps hanging around outside the patio doors, waiting to be fed. He'll keep trying to shovel way too much seed into his beak and then fly off to his nest. Thinking of dubbing him Blacky, or maybe Blacky McBlackface.
I honestly didn't think that blackbirds did the whole "not scared of humans" thing. I thought only robins did that.

[Spoon of Ploff]

Had this bistud fly passed me and land in some nettles this morning:



I think its an Gasteruption jaculator... heh... jaculate

[Brian Freeze]

That's a beast and a half all right.

Had two herons flying lowish above the garden heading to their respective fishing quota this morning. As their paths crossed they called out to each other. It wasn't tuneful.

First time I think Ive heard them speak. I don't remember hearing them even when we lived near the heronry by Shire Hill.

[Fishfinger]

Beautiful. Had a jay (with crest erect) on the birdtable yesterday, which is a first. Didn't stick around to eat anything. Geez, well 24 starlings can't be wrong.

[Gurke and Hare]

Have you got fat balls? In my old flat a couple of jays would come to the feeder I had and gorge themselves on those.

[BlodwynPig]

Unafraid tame blackbird keeps hanging around outside the patio doors, waiting to be fed. He'll keep trying to shovel way too much seed into his beak and then fly off to his nest. Thinking of dubbing him Blacky, or maybe Blacky McBlackface.
I honestly didn't think that blackbirds did the whole "not scared of humans" thing. I thought only robins did that.

Yes the blackbirds in my garden are bold as brass and serenade me night and day. Got some funny night camera shots of them pulling all sorts of weird poses (some scary). Seem to be the only bird that will eat hedgehog food.

[Fishfinger]

Have you got fat balls? In my old flat a couple of jays would come to the feeder I had and gorge themselves on those.

Yeah, keep them stocked but not interested in this instance. Maybe it was a recon mission.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Yes the blackbirds in my garden are bold as brass and serenade me night and day. Got some funny night camera shots of them pulling all sorts of weird poses (some scary). Seem to be the only bird that will eat hedgehog food.

On the subject of hedgehogs, one was in the garden an hour ago. Went out again just now and it's still in the same spot. I presume it's waiting until dark before making a move. It isn't dead or anything, I've seen it move.

[BlodwynPig]

On the subject of hedgehogs, one was in the garden an hour ago. Went out again just now and it's still in the same spot. I presume it's waiting until dark before making a move. It isn't dead or anything, I've seen it move.

I can only hear mine in the daylight, but would love to see it 'live'. Rat and mouse seem to have gone/died :(

[Twit 2]

I just tore my feet up walking about 35 miles of the Norfolk Coast path over 2 days. Started at Hunstanton, camped on dunes near Holkham, made it as far as Cley before feet just totally gave up. I saw so many fackin' birds, you wouldn't believe it. The sickening affluence inland was even bearable, if you put your fingers in your ears when passing people talking about property prices and just looked left at the salt marshes and the vastness. Lots of birds of prey though. Marsh harriers a-go-go!

[paruses]

Got two blackbird nests in the garden at the moment as well as sparrows in eves. Had this young visitor an hour ago into the utility room.

[Attila]

Recent stuff from the camera -- lots of baby fox photos lately.

Fox kit and hedgehog


Blackbird taking off


Baby fox takes a drink


Smallest of the babies, sat in a bowl, whilst eating. Weapons-grade cuteness


Fox baby and hedgehog


Baby fox yapping a hedgehog


Crow flying away


Magpie flying


I really like it when the camera manages to catch the birds flying away, and especially in their pre-launch positions.










































FOXY!

[Gurke and Hare]

Yesterday's expedition



Great spotted woodpecker



New goldfinch



Rat checking out a wood pigeon

[Fishfinger]

Lovely pics all.

[Spoon of Ploff]

Not far from here Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers have set up shop high up in a Horse Chestnut tree. They don't half make a racket.. I was listening for about 20 minutes and they didn't let up. Any other birds nesting in the tree must be well pissed off.


^{noisy bastards}

Anyway - here's a taste of what it sounds like: https://youtu.be/N_QdCgesTi4?t=52

[BlodwynPig]

Got two blackbird nests in the garden at the moment as well as sparrows in eves. Had this young visitor an hour ago into the utility room.

I have to come clean. I've been using this photo, pretending its me holding the bird (our thumbs are similar) - to fool family and friends that I've tamed a baby blackbird.

Lock me up.

[BlodwynPig]

Only death once more - the Canadian geese had 8 young this year, today only 1 left. Yesterday two dead magpies at the edge of the road. Fucking car cunts. Hopefully the goslings were taken by natural predators and not cunt's dog.

[Spoon of Ploff]

I take it back re. the woodpeckers... just a couple of trees over a family of kestrels (sparrow hawks? i dunno) were squawking the place down yesterday. all four of them need reporting to the council or something. here's one of them chowing down on something meaty


^{nature red in beak and claw}

[bgmnts]

I have a tree literally a few feet from my window, the magpies are constantly rowing. Actually got woken up by them on Sunday and had to go out on the balcony to tell them to settle down. They did for a few minutes but started up again. Bastards.

[paruses]

I have to come clean. I've been using this photo, pretending its me holding the bird (our thumbs are similar) - to fool family and friends that I've tamed a baby blackbird.

Lock me up.

No problem. If you need any stunt work doing that's thumb related PM me.

Had a good wildlife afternoon on Sunday. Went for a swim in a lake up in the forestry and heard loads of wood warblers. There were a few waders on the opposite shore but I couldn't make them out. Highlight was two (small) pearl bordered fritillary pili-pala (butterflies - both excellent words but the Welsh edge it for mouthfeel) and a really distinct green veined white. Really good to see something different even though orange tips and all the rest are lovely.

Blackbird family doing well too showing the young ones how to forage (hunt?)

[gilbertharding]

No photos, sorry - but in the last month I've seen:

Albino squirrel near West Malling
Turtle on the Medway in Maidstone
Grey Seal (ditto)
Fallow deer at Kings Wood, Challock

And many many more...

[paruses]

Wildlife cam question: I got an Apeman a week ago and put 6 batteries in 4xbrand new Duracell 2xno-mark from the battery box but showing strong charge on my little charger thing. I put it on test and set date and picture type etc. Switched it off and left it on the worktop.
On Sunday I decided to give it a trial run so switched it back on (test). It makes the bling sound. A picture appears for half a second then it makes the bling sound again and shuts down.

Anyone else had this issue? From what people have said batteries tend to last long time.
Shall I just cut my losses and get _Amazon to send a replacement?