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March 29, 2024, 03:53:10 PM

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Wildlife spotting

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

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Shoulders?-Stomach!


Spoon of Ploff


paruses

Lamb shank that hasn't gone off?

kalowski


Brian Freeze

Quote from: Spoon of Ploff on November 07, 2021, 03:59:39 PM
anyone want to guess what this is?



Fruit based mould? Pear?

Had some very similar looking growth on the inside of one of our carved pumpkins at the weekend.

Spoon of Ploff

Quote from: Brian Freeze on November 09, 2021, 12:47:11 AM
Fruit based mould? Pear?

Had some very similar looking growth on the inside of one of our carved pumpkins at the weekend.

spot on sir!

Buelligan

Was very sorry to find a dead slow worm on the mountain yesterday.  This time of year, all the little reptiles lie on the edge of tracks and roads, anywhere where there is warmth still trapped so's they can move about and hunt.  Of course, this is the kiss of death if a car comes along.  Anyway, this poor wee soul, about 20cm long, was only slightly punctured, so I got a very good look at him and was amazed to find two absolutely genuine vestigial front legs.  Having done a bit of reading, it seems some do have them, a thing I did not know.


Like this only on the front

Endicott

These two seem to be everywhere.




paruses

Just looking down into the garden and seeing a charm of 11 goldfinch hanging out. Good to see them back.


I'm jealous. In July, when I first put up a new feeder filled with nijer seeds, it didn't take long for the local goldfinch community to move in. Then they disappeared just as quickly after a few weeks and haven't been back since. If yours have returned perhaps there's hope that my crew will reappear too.

paruses

May well do. They seem very fickle. I did think of you when I saw them as I remembered your post. They behave the same in my garden too - either all in or all out

Having a fair few chaffinch too at the moment.

Really should keep some notes on this and see if there's a pattern - might as well suck all the fun out of it!

Spoon of Ploff

The Masonic Charitable Foundation have poisoned and ploughed the fields where I get most of my nature fix, and took most of the pictures I've posted in this thread. Place has been grassland/meadow since way before I got here (1997). It remains to be seen how this will effect the insect, mammal and bird life, but given the quantity and variety of flowering plants they've royally fucked I doubt it will be for the better.

Bit gutted to be honest.

Just been out into the garden to replenish the bird feeder and noticed a small, smooth, black stone half buried in the lawn. Looking around I found at least a dozen more, all similar in size and shape, and obviously taken from around the base of our water feature.

It's obviously squirrels as I've seen them burying stuff lately and assumed it was nuts as I know they cache food for the winter. I don't know if burying things that resemble food is common behaviour (there are references to it online) or if the squirrels round our way are just a bit thick.

.

Spoon of Ploff



lovely robin making friends on this morning's walk.

I know it's not wildlife but can we put this under "nature" so I've got an excuse to post this pic I took when loosing the dog (wildlife) out for a piss at 6.30 this morning?


holyzombiejesus

I spoke to the man who lives 8 doors up from us (but has a fenced off bowling green from when his house was a pub) and he told me that there's a huge badger sett a literal albeit hefty stones throw from my house. He said at the moment they're out on the green at about 6pm and after a while the foxes come out too. I haven't seen a single living fox since we moved here 7 years ago whereas when I lived in Whalley Range they were a nightly sight. He told me that because he gets up really early to walk his vegetarian dog (!) he sees allsorts, including a hare running down the middle of our road recently. I'm really jealous of him being able to just look out of his window and see the badgers though. I'm only about 30m away from his house but have never seen a thing. He says that badgers are the only animals that can eat hedgehogs which might explain why we've never seen one even though we live in quite open territory for them. If I take this sicky from work that I keep talking about, I'm definitely going to try and go exploring in the early hours.

paruses

Apart from cars they are the main natural predator of hedgehogs.

Funny how stuff can be hyper-localised. The equivalent of maybe 12 doors down from me has yellowhammer dripping from his trees at certain times of the year and I've never seen one in the garden or neighbouring gardens/trees.

Poobum

Quote from: Voltan (Man of Steel) on November 20, 2021, 02:45:08 PMI don't know if burying things that resemble food is common behaviour (there are references to it online) or if the squirrels round our way are just a bit thick.

If they're being watched they'll do fake caching, can't be advertising where their primest nuts are.

Quote from: Poobum on November 26, 2021, 09:38:03 AMIf they're being watched they'll do fake caching, can't be advertising where their primest nuts are.
So it's actually the squirrels who think I'm a bit thick. (They're not wrong, mind).

paruses

Lots of finches still knocking about the garden but was very ease to see the collared doves are back.

BlodwynPig

Sad news, dead wood pigeon on the lawn this morning after the heavy storm last night. Was surprised how light it was, it felt like a plastic replica. It's death pose was very peaceful though. No signs of injury.

Quote from: paruses on November 27, 2021, 12:54:27 PMLots of finches still knocking about the garden but was very ease to see the collared doves are back.

Still haven't seen one in our garden for months :(

Brian Freeze

Quote from: Voltan (Man of Steel) on November 25, 2021, 09:45:24 PMI know it's not wildlife but can we put this under "nature" so I've got an excuse to post this pic I took when loosing the dog (wildlife) out for a piss at 6.30 this morning?



Love that photo despite the lack of wildlife. How did you take it?

Had a close encounter with a heron this morning, what a fucking beak on it.

Also plenty owl hooting in the mornings and evenings.

Quote from: Brian Freeze on November 28, 2021, 08:48:11 AMLove that photo despite the lack of wildlife. How did you take it?

Cheers. I just borrowed my partner's SLR and zoom lens but I can't really take any credit. Neither of us know much about photography and I had to look online to see what settings you're supposed to use. Normally I just keep everything on auto, point, press and hope for the best.

Spoon of Ploff

Quote from: Brian Freeze on November 28, 2021, 08:48:11 AMAlso plenty owl hooting in the mornings and evenings.

only recently discovered that the 'too-wit too-woo' sound of a tawny owl is actually made by two tawny owls... with the females doing the 'too-wit' part and the males doing the 'too-woos'

loads of robins about this morning, also saw a nuthatch for the first time

Brian Freeze

Bloody big Barn Owl at ten to ten this morning and it did not give a shit, just flying about and all that. Very very cool.

holyzombiejesus

Quote from: Spoon of Ploff on November 28, 2021, 11:51:08 AMloads of robins about this morning, also saw a nuthatch for the first time

They're ace, aren't they? I saw my first one a few weeks back and it's always at the feeders now. They look almost piscine, so streamlined. It's been snowing heavily today and had loads of robins, tits (blue, great and coal), goldfinches and the nuthatch at the sunflower seeds. Corvids fuck up the seed feeders by grabbing the bottom and flying up a bit with it in their talons so all the seed falls out. They emptied one in about 20 minutes today but at least the thrushes and blackbirds got to have a peck at the leftovers. Going to get my fat balls out in the back garden tomorrow.

I think my favourites are still the goldfinches though. I still supress a gasp when I see them sometimes. Going to try and differentiate between more of the little brown birds this winter.

ZoyzaSorris

Quote from: Buelligan on November 09, 2021, 02:10:37 PMWas very sorry to find a dead slow worm on the mountain yesterday.  This time of year, all the little reptiles lie on the edge of tracks and roads, anywhere where there is warmth still trapped so's they can move about and hunt.  Of course, this is the kiss of death if a car comes along.  Anyway, this poor wee soul, about 20cm long, was only slightly punctured, so I got a very good look at him and was amazed to find two absolutely genuine vestigial front legs.  Having done a bit of reading, it seems some do have them, a thing I did not know.


Like this only on the front

Could it have been the rather lovely Chalcides striatus (western three-toed skink) ? They look very much like a slow worm with tiny legs (though they do also have a back pair) and are very much found in the Pyrenean region.
Chalcides striatus

Twonty Gostelow

Quote from: holyzombiejesus on November 28, 2021, 09:38:08 PM
Quote from: Spoon of Ploff on November 28, 2021, 11:51:08 AMloads of robins about this morning, also saw a nuthatch for the first time
They're ace, aren't they? I saw my first one a few weeks back and it's always at the feeders now. They look almost piscine, so streamlined.

Luckily get them on our feeders as well, always feeding upside down. I sometimes think of them as thieves in old-style black eye masks. One of the loveliest liquid calls from the trees as well.

We're currently getting visits on the lawn from jays. We usually see them in nearby oak trees but apparently this autumn has been a bad season for acorns, so they're obviously more in need of other food sources.

Buelligan

Quote from: ZoyzaSorris on November 29, 2021, 10:28:33 AMCould it have been the rather lovely Chalcides striatus (western three-toed skink) ? They look very much like a slow worm with tiny legs (though they do also have a back pair) and are very much found in the Pyrenean region.
Chalcides striatus


Dear god, I think it could, everything in that image is precisely what I saw.  Knew nothing of these little darlings until you said.  How incredibly interesting (and sad).  I was tempted to bring him home and bottle him in alcohol (for the purposes of further study) but felt it would not be respectful of his wishes.

I did look hard for another pair of legs, the ones I saw were minuscule, I didn't want to pry.

I shall read more on these skinks now, thank you.