spuggies and jackdaws and hedgehogs and frogs

[longboard]

On 3/25/2019 at 10:48 AM, SSoutherner said:

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

It's likely that the badgers you saw were adults.

IIRC, new born badgers are unlikely to have left their sett by this time of the year.

[SSoutherner]

10 hours ago, longboard said:

It's likely that the badgers you saw were adults.

IIRC, new born badgers are unlikely to have left their sett by this time of the year.

very small for adults - i have seen adult badgers close up (they wreck a combine when they go in one) and the roadside ones have been 1/2 to 2/3 the size i would have expected - i thought it was adolescents males setting off to leave home set looking for new territory / mates but i dont know badger society

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

I had an interesting bird-listening experience last night at dusk. 

Everytime I drive south, out of Salisbury on my way home, I pass a small wood which I know - and before the trees come fully into leaf - can see houses a heronry in some of the tree tops.  I believe it may have been there for possibly hundreds of years.  I have always thought I should turn off the main road, where a side road runs down the wood's west side, park up and take a better look.

Yesterday, at about 8pm, my wife, daughter and I made the effort to park there.  We enjoyed seeing the herons, with at least half a dozen nests in use.

However, when we walked down and turned right on another side road, along the northern edge of the forest, we became aware of an odd gargling sound - that's the only way to describe it! - coming from some of the tree tops.  Initially, we had no idea what it could be.  On closer investigation it transpired that some little egrets have taken to inhabiting - and I presume nesting - in part of the herons' 'patch' in the wood (other 'patches' are taken by rooks, crows and jackdaws); it was them!

If you google 'little egrets gargling call' you will get a YouTube bit with this on.  Hearing a few all doing this at the same time was really quite bizarre and spectacular!

[GUBRATS]

The ' sonics ' are back , costing me more in hog food than dog food ATM , on way home last night spotted one in the rd next to our street , picked him up and put him onto the green at the side , love the little beggars 

Edited April 26, 2019 by GUBRATS

[CanaBull]

Now the warmer weather is here, the local ‘smelly cats’ have become more active.  They’re like the hedgehogs back home, they have their nightly runs following the same route, which happens to go right past our front door and through our back yard.  Dogs not allowed out after 9!

And if you’ve never smelled one of these buggers, you’re lucky.

[Leeds Wire]

On 25/03/2019 at 09:54, 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 ..  

We've not had long tailed t_its in our garden for maybe 10 years but there's a family now nesting in our beech hedge. They are gorgeous.

[Leeds Wire]

On 21/04/2019 at 15:37, GUBRATS said:

The ' sonics ' are back , costing me more in hot food than dog food ATM , on way home last night spotted one in the rd next to our street , picked him up and put him onto the green at the side , love the little beggars 

Hedgehogs really need our help and they're coming out from hibernation about now.

https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/wildlife/inthewild/gardenhedgehogs

 

[GUBRATS]

1 hour ago, Leeds Wire said:

Hedgehogs really need our help and they're coming out from hibernation about now.

https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/wildlife/inthewild/gardenhedgehogs

 

Fairly sure I've had some hibernating in the garden over winter , had up to 4 different hogs visiting in 1 night last autumn , did spot a juvenile but didn't get the chance to grab him , hope he made it through , building a few hog ' huts ' this weekend as I really need to shift some of the junk in the garden , so hopefully can get some housed before I disturb them too much 

[Ullman]

Enjoyed watching a pair of lapwings performing their distinctive tumbling flight over the banks of the River Hull yesterday.

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

On 21/04/2019 at 15:55, CanaBull said:

Now the warmer weather is here, the local ‘smelly cats’ have become more active.  They’re like the hedgehogs back home, they have their nightly runs following the same route, which happens to go right past our front door and through our back yard.  Dogs not allowed out after 9!

And if you’ve never smelled one of these buggers, you’re lucky.

Is it really that bad,?

[CanaBull]

9 minutes ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

Is it really that bad,?

Think of the absolute worst smelling thing you could think of, you know, disused trawler with a rotting catch in the middle of August sort of thing.

Skunks eclipse that.

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

The Winchester Cathedral peregrines have hatched two of their four eggs within the last 48 hours.  You can follow the daily drama on a permanently switched on webcam, on the cathedral website (www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk)  Much better than EastEnders!

[Ullman]

9 hours ago, CanaBull said:

Think of the absolute worst smelling thing you could think of, you know, disused trawler with a rotting catch in the middle of August sort of thing.

Skunks eclipse that.

The worst thing I've ever smelt was the Hull Fish Meal and Oil Co. on St Andrew's Dock. It turned your stomach.

Are we talking that bad?

[CanaBull]

1 hour ago, Ullman said:

The worst thing I've ever smelt was the Hull Fish Meal and Oil Co. on St Andrew's Dock. It turned your stomach.

Are we talking that bad?

Yup.  Skunks are the size of a small cat, have bad eyesight and stumpy legs, they can’t run from threats or see them from a distance, they would be really easy target.  Try to imagine a smell so foul it keeps hungry bears away.

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

11 hours ago, CanaBull said:

Think of the absolute worst smelling thing you could think of, you know, disused trawler with a rotting catch in the middle of August sort of thing.

Skunks eclipse that.

So it's even worse than the smell of financial corruption at Saracens RUFC?....must be bad

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

On ‎26‎/‎04‎/‎2019 at 08:15, Wiltshire Warrior Dragon said:

The Winchester Cathedral peregrines have hatched two of their four eggs within the last 48 hours.  You can follow the daily drama on a permanently switched on webcam, on the cathedral website (www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk)  Much better than EastEnders!

All four eggs now hatched.  This is where it gets exhausting for Mr and Mrs P!

[ivans82]

On 25/04/2019 at 18:45, Leeds Wire said:

We've not had long tailed t_its in our garden for maybe 10 years but there's a family now nesting in our beech hedge. They are gorgeous.

You are very lucky there , keep an eye out though , i do nest surveys for the BTO and a lot of these nests get predated because the adult birds are very noisy and animated when feeding young and attract predators .Good luck .

[GUBRATS]

Last year had some robins nest in some old plastic filing trays in the garage , meant I couldn't go in it for a month 

[bobbruce]

12 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

Last year had some robins nest in some old plastic filing trays in the garage , meant I couldn't go in it for a month 

Is that what you told the tax man

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

Yesterday evening at about 8pm, I was sat at my computer reading comments on this forum, looked up and out of the window - lo and behold - my first swift of the year.  Summer really must be here!

[GUBRATS]

10 hours ago, Wiltshire Warrior Dragon said:

Yesterday evening at about 8pm, I was sat at my computer reading comments on this forum, looked up and out of the window - lo and behold - my first swift of the year.  Summer really must be here!

Yesterday evening at about 9pm I was sat at my computer reading comments on this forum , looked up and out of the window - lo and behold - ' Marble ' , the cat from across the cul de sac eating the bloody hedgehogs food , just spotted the little get again tonight , going to have to sort out something to stop it getting to it 

[Steve May]

I am wondering if the ungodly screeching sounds coming from high up in the trees in my back garden are a barn owl.

Is it likely to be?

I’ve heard tawny owls - male and female - out there many times and I saw one once.   But I didn’t think barn owls liked woodland.  

Whatever it is, it’s loud!

[DavidM]

20 hours ago, GUBRATS said:

Yesterday evening at about 9pm I was sat at my computer reading comments on this forum , looked up and out of the window - lo and behold - ' Marble ' , the cat from across the cul de sac eating the bloody hedgehogs food , just spotted the little get again tonight , going to have to sort out something to stop it getting to it 

Cats either side of me . Detest the sly odious  creatures . Especially when you’re a bird lover . And they always wanna do their business in your garden . I got a cat repellent thing on amazon and one was sitting on it .

on the happier side I finally got my pal Reggie robin to eat from my hand yesterday after much training 

Edited May 2, 2019 by DavidM

[GUBRATS]

12 hours ago, DavidM said:

Cats either side of me . Detest the sly odious  creatures . Especially when you’re a bird lover . And they always wanna do their business in your garden . I got a cat repellent thing on amazon and one was sitting on it .

on the happier side I finally got my pal Reggie robin to eat from my hand yesterday after much training 

Funny last night , the wife let the dog out for a pee without checking if the coast was clear with regards the hog food , sonic was munching away and immediately froze , the dozy dog didn't even notice him , until he eventually decided to make a run for it , then he kept a responsible distance as sonic toddler off 

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

On ‎01‎/‎05‎/‎2019 at 23:09, Steve May said:

I am wondering if the ungodly screeching sounds coming from high up in the trees in my back garden are a barn owl.

Is it likely to be?

I’ve heard tawny owls - male and female - out there many times and I saw one once.   But I didn’t think barn owls liked woodland.  

Whatever it is, it’s loud!

I suspect, SM, that there are some birds that like a mix of woodland and open countryside, and in particular, where the two meet.  Barn owls might be in that category.  An 'ungodly screech' does sound quite barn owl-ish.

Near where I live is the New Forest, and one of the best nearby places to see (or more likely hear) nightjars in summer is where the heathland meets the woodland.  They ground nest on the heathland, but the males roost in trees, and the species likes the point where heath and woods meet because it is particularly rich in moths, a favourite food.