Wildlife spotting 2 - tickety-boo

[Gurke and Hare]

It should do, it's just found a brand new massive pile of sunflower seeds that no other bird knows about yet.

[BlodwynPig]

It should do, it's just found a brand new massive pile of sunflower seeds that no other bird knows about yet.

Robins are always first to the feast. I have three (up from one in January). As soon as im out in the garden they will emerge from the ivy bush, waiting for their treats.

[Gurke and Hare]

Again, not wildlife, but I can also see a massive cock from the office window.

[Spoon of Ploff]

Bird bath action.

[Twit 2]

That Robin looks well chuffed.

It's got literally no expression on its face.

[Endicott]

Avocet and black-tailed godwit (I think?)

[Brian Freeze]

Mrs F has just messaged me to say that we've got frogs shagging in our little pond.

I am unbelievably chuffed with this.

[Brian Freeze]

No frogspawn though.

Wonder if they're not quite sexually mature enough yet as they could have come from spawn we hatched in there ourselves a couple of years ago.

Maybe next year. Mrs F saw eight in there on the first night and there's been at least three in there all week.

[Brian Freeze]

Heard a good woodpecker this morning banging away. Love that noise

[Brian Freeze]

Oh fucking hell I feel really really sick.

After all the frog action the other night I set up the wildlife camera yesterday morning to see if we could see owt hapening.

Just checked the SD card on the computer and the first video, half an hour after Id set it up is of a neighbourhood cat fishing out one of my green friends and eating it. Its awful. Don't think Ill be showing that round the breakfast table, but it really has sickened me.

[dissolute ocelot]

At the weekend I watched a grey squirrel up a tree methodically breaking off twigs with new growth and gnawing along them to eat the buds. I know they've got to eat, but give the trees a chance!

[Endicott]

Two green parrots rose-ringed parakeets in my local park. I thought I saw one last year but wasn't sure. Quite pleased there are two, one on its own would be lonely.

[jobotic]

Avocet and black-tailed godwit (I think?)

Lovely. Saw a few avocet the other day but not that many.

I was once at Cliffe Pools by the Thames and a massive flock flew above me, quite low down. Took me by surprise. Lovely birds.

[Endicott]

Lovely. Saw a few avocet the other day but not that many.

I was once at Cliffe Pools by the Thames and a massive flock flew above me, quite low down. Took me by surprise. Lovely birds.

Funny you should mention Cliffe Pools, that's its shore line in the background. I was near Coalhouse Fort.

[Gurke and Hare]

Would it be too late to put a nesting box for this year? And if not, can anyone recommend one that has a camera in it?

[jobotic]

Funny you should mention Cliffe Pools, that's its shore line in the background. I was near Coalhouse Fort.

Brilliant. Can you see Cliffe Fort from your side?

[Endicott]

Brilliant. Can you see Cliffe Fort from your side?

Yes. It's a bit to the right of that shot.

[Brian Freeze]

Forgot to mention -

The frogs done sex and have produced a couple of small clumps that appeared last week. What a rollercoaster of emotions we've been on. Keep everything crossed!

[Bennett Brauer]

Saw this year's first swallow in rainy Welshpool this morning - earlier than usual - then heard the first chiffchaff 15 minutes later.  Hi guys!

[Spoon of Ploff]

Pair of swans piling up reeds together on Doxey marsh this morning. Shall have to keep an eye on them.

[Endicott]

I went to Wallasea Island (not really an island) reserve a couple of weekends ago, and saw some hares. Not been lucky enough to see hares in the wild for years.

[Gurke and Hare]

Oh, I love hares.

The birds have all noticed that it's been spring, and there's suddenly loads more activity, lots of nesting material gathering going on. And exciting new feeder visitors today:



Had a coal tit visit the feeder this week too.

[Voltan (Man of Steel)]

Not many hares spotted on this site, eh readers? Lovely hare pics and seeing those goldfinches has reminded me to order some more sunflower hearts and niger seeds. Goldfinches seem to really love them (as do the bloody squirrels).

[Gurke and Hare]

(as do the bloody squirrels).

Embrace the squirrels! Since I moved here from London I've seen far fewer of them and I miss them. Haven't seen a single fox either.

Did see a chiffchaff when I went out for a walk on Monday evening though.

[dissolute ocelot]

Last night I saw a grey squirrel going through a bin behind an Edinburgh pub, while glaring at me. It had lost most of its tail, so I wonder if it was unable to climb trees, or had just found the life of the urban rat more convenient than that of being a tree-dwelling nut-and-bud-eater. I know some people characterise greys as little better than rats, so I felt it wasn't doing much to defend their image.

[Voltan (Man of Steel)]

Embrace the squirrels! Since I moved here from London I've seen far fewer of them and I miss them. Haven't seen a single fox either.

I'm not anti-squirrel by any means but they massively take the piss when I refill the feeders and they scoff the majority of the suet balls I put out. We quite often get see a fox in the garden and last week my dog got into a late night verbal altercation with an unseen adversary that, based on the growls I heard, was probably the badger I saw in the middle of our lawn the previous night.

[Endicott]

My problem isn't squirrels, they don't seem to have found my garden yet, but crows who carry the suet balls away, because I just had them on a tray in the open. It took them about a year to notice, then suddenly the balls just started disappearing very quickly. Then I got this, which will let small birds in but not the big ones. Or the squirrels.



edit - another chance to post this

[BlodwynPig]

Oh, I love hares.

What about gurkes?

[Voltan (Man of Steel)]

My problem isn't squirrels, they don't seem to have found my garden yet, but crows who carry the suet balls away, because I just had them on a tray in the open. It took them about a year to notice, then suddenly the balls just started disappearing very quickly. Then I got this, which will let small birds in but not the big ones. Or the squirrels.

Ooh, that's a good idea. I'll have a look for one of those.

[bgmnts]

Thick/pissed up kestrel decides to invade an owl nest with TWO owls in it:

https://youtu.be/__Gs_vMXMlY

Have to wonder what it was thinking, maybe starving I dunno. The part where it calmed down after the first scuffle and the owls were seemingly studying the kestrel unnerved me immensely.