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Posted

84087d1363808029-acid-monkey-easter-edit

 

The bit about the Golden Grahams is true. He got a load past their sell by date. He also used them to lace traps for rats and squirrels. At least they breakfasted before they snuffed it.


Posted

No it's Quadruple muricide now. 4 in 4 days. 

Bearman in his shed:

 

"I'm from a fishing family. Trawlermen are like pirates with biscuits." - Lucy Beaumont.

Posted

Why it's not such a great idea to use cheese...

 

 

Watchable for the squeamish!  :D

                                         "You've only won one trophy SINCE 1985"
                                             
Posted

Just has a gold crest in the garden. Think it was stunned as it was just hopping around. Very small and cute. Got a couple of decent photos

Posted

Every time the weather warms up a touch and the sun comes out our pond is a sea of angry rampant male frogs.

Obviously the girls have decided it's far too cold for that sort of thing and haven't arrived yet.

The boys just fight amongst themselves more.

  • 1 month later...
Posted (edited)

Living in an urban environment I'm often amazed at the wide variety of birds attracted to my bird feeder. I've had the usual house/hedge sparrow,chaffinch, robin, blue/great ###### but this spring has also seen a coal ######, a flock (charm) of goldfinch, a sparrowhawk catching and eating a rodent and today I was chuffed to see a siskin enjoying the nijer seeds along with the goldfinches. We even have a resident wood pigeon who patrols underneath the feeders hoovering up any overspills. The rain doesn't seem to bother them, it's been raining nonstop since 11am but all the regulars still come to dine.

I see I've fallen foul of the swear filter

Edited by Moose
  • 4 months later...
Posted

The wife saw a buzzard on the fence yesterday but before she got chance to take a picture it flew off. This morning though there was just a massive pile of pigeon feathers in the back. Pretty sure it wasn't a cat as usually if a cat gets something there's bits left over.

Posted

The wife saw a buzzard on the fence yesterday but before she got chance to take a picture it flew off. This morning though there was just a massive pile of pigeon feathers in the back. Pretty sure it wasn't a cat as usually if a cat gets something there's bits left over.

Impressive if it was a buzzard and a shame she didn't get a snap of it but the pile of feathers was almost certainly left by a sparrowhawk.

 

The sparrowhawks are beautiful birds and extremely low and fast when hunting doves, pigeons and the like.

 

Sparrowhawk%20%20%20Sept%2010%20055.jpg

                                         "You've only won one trophy SINCE 1985"
                                             
Posted

Impressive if it was a buzzard and a shame she didn't get a snap of it but the pile of feathers was almost certainly left by a sparrowhawk.

 

The sparrowhawks are beautiful birds and extremely low and fast when hunting doves, pigeons and the like.

 

Sparrowhawk%20%20%20Sept%2010%20055.jpg

I saw a sparrowhawk hit a pigeon mid-air once, a very impressive ball of feathers just erupted.  Quite a punch those fairly small birds have.

"When in deadly danger, when beset by doubt; run in little circles, wave your arms and shout"

Posted

I saw a sparrowhawk hit a pigeon mid-air once, a very impressive ball of feathers just erupted. Quite a punch those fairly small birds have.

You could well be right I've actually just found the pigeon and it is in almost exactly the same state as the one in that picture.

  • 4 weeks later...
Posted

Walking the dog around the lake at Golden Acre Park this morning, I got several fantastic views of a pair of kingfishers. They were flitting in and out of the bushes at the lakeside, then darting back and two across the lake in full view. Maybe they were moving home or something, but I've never had a better view of the stunning little birds.

 

There were also about 20 female goosanders on the lake who looked to be building nests, but there were no males at all to be seen. Very odd.  

 

For good measure I also caught sight of the resident jays, as well as a nuthatch, a treecreeper and a kestrel.  Not bad considering I wasn't out looking for anything. 

Posted

Walking the dog around the lake at Golden Acre Park this morning, I got several fantastic views of a pair of kingfishers. They were flitting in and out of the bushes at the lakeside, then darting back and two across the lake in full view. Maybe they were moving home or something, but I've never had a better view of the stunning little birds.

 

There were also about 20 female goosanders on the lake who looked to be building nests, but there were no males at all to be seen. Very odd.  

 

For good measure I also caught sight of the resident jays, as well as a nuthatch, a treecreeper and a kestrel.  Not bad considering I wasn't out looking for anything. 

 

Some good stuff there LeW. With regards to the goosanders, it's not really the time of year for nest building, as spring is well and truly gone. Perhaps they were chumping. In autumn and winter you will often see groups of female goosanders with a small number, or no males present. Always good to see kingfishers.

Posted

Walking the dog around the lake at Golden Acre Park this morning, I got several fantastic views of a pair of kingfishers. They were flitting in and out of the bushes at the lakeside, then darting back and two across the lake in full view. Maybe they were moving home or something, but I've never had a better view of the stunning little birds.

 

There were also about 20 female goosanders on the lake who looked to be building nests, but there were no males at all to be seen. Very odd.  

 

For good measure I also caught sight of the resident jays, as well as a nuthatch, a treecreeper and a kestrel.  Not bad considering I wasn't out looking for anything. 

I've only been to GAP once or twice in the last few years after previously going quite frequently.

 

I dunno why but I really do want to see a kingfisher. Not so much a bucket list but one of those mini buckets restaurant's serve chips in.

Posted

If by "goosanders" you mean mergansers, there is a possible explanation for the apparent lack of males - eclipse plumage. Many ducks, mallards in particular, only display distinctive male plumage in the lead-up to breeding. In the "off-season" they revert to a duller colour pattern, often similar to the plainer female colours.

 

Another possibility, given the time of year, is that juvenile males haven't reached a breeding season yet and haven't adopted full male plumage.

Posted

If by "goosanders" you mean mergansers, there is a possible explanation for the apparent lack of males - eclipse plumage. Many ducks, mallards in particular, only display distinctive male plumage in the lead-up to breeding. In the "off-season" they revert to a duller colour pattern, often similar to the plainer female colours.

 

Another possibility, given the time of year, is that juvenile males haven't reached a breeding season yet and haven't adopted full male plumage.

 

Yes, the male goosander (mergus merganser) are less distinctive outside the breeding season and their colouring is closer to the females and juveniles, though there differences. Sometimes people here confuse them with the red breasted merganser, which is seen far less often inland.

 

Goosander have spread southwards through Britain in my lifetime and breed a lot further south than they used to do. They migrate south in the autumn/winter.

Posted

I've only been to GAP once or twice in the last few years after previously going quite frequently.

 

I dunno why but I really do want to see a kingfisher. Not so much a bucket list but one of those mini buckets restaurant's serve chips in.

They were there again today, in exactly the same place. There were a few twitchers and photographers around too so maybe the word is out that they are 'showing'.

 

If you look on THIS map, they seem to be nesting right at the bottom of the pointy bit at the southern end of the lake. Get yourself down there!

Posted

Saw the first fieldfares of this autumn a couple of days ago,.

"I'm from a fishing family. Trawlermen are like pirates with biscuits." - Lucy Beaumont.

Posted

Really pleased to see a grey wagtail at South Dalton mere this morning. Don't see them too often.

"I'm from a fishing family. Trawlermen are like pirates with biscuits." - Lucy Beaumont.

Posted

Pretty sure we're getting hedgehogs in the back garden, judging by the 'messages' being left on the lawn.

 

Black and tarry in appearance?

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

There's a right commotion in our garden this morning, with a flock of redwing trying to devour the ripe rowan berries.  Our resident blackbirds are not happy about it at all.

 

I'll try and get some photos but I can't promise anything, as none of them seem to want to stand still for a picture... 

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