spuggies and jackdaws and hedgehogs and frogs

[ivans82]

Haven`t come across any Brimstone butterflies yet but saw a few ladybirds yesterday , the worlds gone mad .

[Bedford Roughyed]

Sad news.  Just a coincidence the are he disappeared in.  

 

[Bedford Roughyed]

 

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

I struggle to think of any bird species that, in this country, is covered by so many live webcams as the peregrine falcon!

A quick, far from comprehensive, scan through google suggest that venues with cameras that are, or soon will be, live, include Derby, Chichester, Winchester and Salisbury Cathedrals, St John's Church, Bath, and Nottingham Trent University, as well as places in Manchester and Rochdale.

Apparently the Norwich Cathedral female laid an egg yesterday, and her Winchester counterpart has done likewise, either earlier today or yesterday.  The birds' liking for cathedrals and churches is not really surprising.  There will be good nooks and crannies, safely away from any predators there might be at a lower level (though not sure what they might be, to be honest!) and an endless stream of tasty, slower flying pigeons that can be dive-bombed with ease!

[CanaBull]

13 minutes ago, Wiltshire Warrior Dragon said:

I struggle to think of any bird species that, in this country, is covered by so many live webcams as the peregrine falcon!

A quick, far from comprehensive, scan through google suggest that venues with cameras that are, or soon will be, live, include Derby, Chichester, Winchester and Salisbury Cathedrals, St John's Church, Bath, and Nottingham Trent University, as well as places in Manchester and Rochdale.

Apparently the Norwich Cathedral female laid an egg yesterday, and her Winchester counterpart has done likewise, either earlier today or yesterday.  The birds' liking for cathedrals and churches is not really surprising.  There will be good nooks and crannies, safely away from any predators there might be at a lower level (though not sure what they might be, to be honest!) and an endless stream of tasty, slower flying pigeons that can be dive-bombed with ease!

This article from last year digs into the physics of a peregrines stoop.  Amazing birds.

https://physicsworld.com/a/falcons-high-speed-dive-generates-forces-needed-to-catch-agile-prey/

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

14 hours ago, CanaBull said:

This article from last year digs into the physics of a peregrines stoop.  Amazing birds.

https://physicsworld.com/a/falcons-high-speed-dive-generates-forces-needed-to-catch-agile-prey/

Thanks for the link, CB - an interesting piece.

The Winchester Cathedral female has just been moving about on the nest (a gravel filled tray) and eating some of the gravel.  I wondered if she was laying a second egg at one point, but no; she has just hopped back up on to her 'look out' perch, which is the wall a foot or so above her nest, and there is still just the one egg.  Apparently, so I have read, they lay about four eggs over a period of a few days and only then start incubating them.  I didn't realise that they could leave the first egg 'cold', as it were for a few days.

[CanaBull]

There was a study done a couple of years ago where they trained peregrines to stoop consistently in front of face of a dam.  Using high speed and high resolution cameras that had finally got to the standard to be able to capture its shape at such speeds they were able to then model that in a wind tunnel.

They found that the birds had such exquisite control of their skin muscles, they could vary specific feather areas on their bodies to correct airflow separation, thereby reducing drag and increasing speed to maximize the aerodynamic forces that also maxed out their manoeuvring control.  Just stunning stuff.

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

10.50pm and I am about to shut down my computer for the night.  So, one last look at the Winchester Cathedral peregrine live webcam, and I see that Mrs P is, as last night, not sat on her solitary egg, but rather sat a couple of feet above it on the stone parapet, watching the world go by.  I wonder how long they sleep and how much they hunt at night, when - particularly at this time of year - there will be spring migrants moving north under cover of darkness.

[Damien]

10 hours ago, CanaBull said:

There was a study done a couple of years ago where they trained peregrines to stoop consistently in front of face of a dam.  Using high speed and high resolution cameras that had finally got to the standard to be able to capture its shape at such speeds they were able to then model that in a wind tunnel.

They found that the birds had such exquisite control of their skin muscles, they could vary specific feather areas on their bodies to correct airflow separation, thereby reducing drag and increasing speed to maximize the aerodynamic forces that also maxed out their manoeuvring control.  Just stunning stuff.

Nature is unbelievable at times.

[CanaBull]

1 hour ago, Damien said:

Nature is unbelievable at times.

For sure, I don’t think I ever stop getting a little bit giddy about the science of these animals; always new stuff to learn, it’s awesome!

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

Breaking news - but I hope not literally! - is that the Winchester Cathedral peregrine laid another egg this morning.

[RoyBoy295]

We have these nesting nearby, always riding the wind in summer above the house, very rarely moving their wings. Great to watch the pair in summer with their chicks having their first flights.

 

[Moose]

Red Kites 

[RoyBoy295]

im sure they are buzzards

[Farmduck]

31 minutes ago, Moose said:

Red Kites 

Tail's wrong?

[Farmduck]

Common buzzard  http://animalia-life.club/other/common-buzzard.html

 

[westlondonfan]

On 2/14/2019 at 10:47 PM, CanaBull said:

Used to think it was pretty neat getting buzzed by pipistrelles at dusk while finishing up on the crags at Otley and Caley.  Amazing creatures!

Spent time in Sri Lanka as well where there were the massive fruit bats, they were like Jack Russell’s flapping frame tents!

I have been to Sri Lanka too. There is a place where the road to Kandy (?) crosses a river and there are literally hundreds of huge fruit bats in the trees on both sides of the road.

[longboard]

4 hours ago, RoyBoy295 said:

im sure they are buzzards

Correct.

[CanaBull]

3 hours ago, westlondonfan said:

I have been to Sri Lanka too. There is a place where the road to Kandy (?) crosses a river and there are literally hundreds of huge fruit bats in the trees on both sides of the road.

I remember being quite taken aback at their size.  Loved the country as well, I don’t think I’ve ever seen as many shades of green, beautiful.

[longboard]

4 hours ago, RoyBoy295 said:

im sure they are buzzards

IIRC, this is the time of year that male buzzards attempt to impress their mates by putting on display flights involving swooping, climbing up again, then swooping.... Some people call it roller coaster flying.

[ivans82]

while out walking Saturday came across a pair of long tailed #### nesting and a robin building its nest , things seem to be about 2 to 3 weeks ahead of last year probably due to the mild weather . Also heard the first Chiffchaffs of the season ..  

[SSoutherner]

Have seen an awful lot of dead juvenile badgers on the road sides recently - guess it must be "leaving home and setting off to look for a mate" season. Between Oxford & Warwick yesterday I must have seen over a dozen

[Ullman]

On 3/25/2019 at 9:54 AM, ivans82 said:

while out walking Saturday came across a pair of long tailed #### nesting and a robin building its nest , things seem to be about 2 to 3 weeks ahead of last year probably due to the mild weather . Also heard the first Chiffchaffs of the season ..  

Heard a chiffchaff at Howdendyke today. First one I've heard too. Further down the road at Faxfleet there were a couple of crows escorting a buzzard of their patch. It didn't stick around to debate the issue.

Seen lots of yellowhammers this week too. The males are a fine sight when the sun catches their spring plumage.

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

On ‎3‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 9:54 AM, ivans82 said:

while out walking Saturday came across a pair of long tailed #### nesting and a robin building its nest , things seem to be about 2 to 3 weeks ahead of last year probably due to the mild weather . Also heard the first Chiffchaffs of the season ..  

I agree that things seem earlier this year - no 'Beast from the East', I suppose.  I heard my first chiffchaff on Friday.  Hampshire has its first ospreys passing through to more northerly parts.  More oddly, a glossy ibis has turned up in Romsey!

The Winchester Cathedral peregrine is now incubating its eggs (four of them) in earnest.  By contrast, no eggs on the Salisbury Cathedral nest yet; not even sure the peregrines hanging around there have managed to make a mating pair yet. 

I believe Wells Cathedral is hosting some ravens, which seems to be a species that is doing well and spreading its range.  I see them occasionally in the New Forest.  Does anybody else notice them more often that previously?

[ivans82]

Pair of Ospreys hanging around the nest at Bassenthwaite lake in Cumbria , to be met with what else but snow .