spuggies and jackdaws and hedgehogs and frogs

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

Not me I should add....

 

Edited December 29, 2024 by Les Tonks Sidestep

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

On 29/12/2024 at 11:52, Les Tonks Sidestep said:

Not me I should add....

 

I presume the writer of this piece lives on the North Yorkshire coast - to be precise, Ravenscar...!

[Sidi Fidi Gold]

On 29/12/2024 at 11:52, Les Tonks Sidestep said:

Not me I should add....

 

Someday everyone has to Face the Raven.

[ivans82]

Don`t know about where you live but West Cumbria is awash with Buzzards and Little Egrets seem to be more common than usual .

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

6 hours ago, ivans82 said:

Don`t know about where you live but West Cumbria is awash with Buzzards and Little Egrets seem to be more common than usual .

Thanks for that interesting observation, ivans82.  

I gave up watching programmes like Springwatch when I got a bit fed up with what seemed to me to be a constant doom-and-gloom wildlife theme running through them.  Of course I understand that climate change is affecting some species badly.  However, individual species of birds and other wildlife have always come and gone.  It would be nice to reflect, just once in while, on species that seem to be doing well.

That brings me to buzzards and little egrets.  When I was a kid in the 1950s, we lived in rural Gloucestershire, a few miles outside Bristol.  Every other year, we made the long, three-day journey to holiday in Aberdeen, where all my four grandparents were still alive and living, as were many family friends of my mum and dad.  I was already becoming a keen birdwatcher, and two species told me we had really got to the Highlands, as we climbed out of Dumbartonshire into Argyll.  One was the hooded crow; the other was the buzzard.  Why the buzzard?  Well, we never saw them in England, certainly not in rural Gloucestershire.  I think their becoming commonplace throughout, I think, all England is a phenomenon of the last fifty years - a real success story.

The little egret's spectacular drive north from Meditarranean France is even more noteworthy, in terms of speed.  I think that you will find that the levels of them (and buzzards) that you are seeing now, ivans82, is, in reality, your new 'normal'.

Coming next are red kites (albeit with the RSPB's helping hand a few years ago, initially in the Chilterns) and others of the egret and related families.  Look out for - probably in this chronological order - great white egrets and cattle egrets with maybe the glossy ibis not too far behind that.  Then, I think (and again with a helping hand), it will be white storks.

[ivans82]

Strangely enough Red Kites are non existant in West Cumbria certainly around the fells/woods near the western lakes . I think the RSPB released some birds around the Penrith area and the NE but non nearer home . Might take a few years to spread out my way .

[JonM]

In the past 5 days, I've seen

- A barn owl, in our field.

- A (great spotted) woodpecker, hammering away on the pole which carries the electricity cable to the house.

- A black grouse, above Swaledale (looks quite different to the much more common red grouse reared for shooting).

- A hedgehog. I was tidying up leaves, dead stuff from plants, weeds etc. in the garden and the pile of stuff I picked up turned out to be the nest of a hibernating hedgehog. Always had them in previous gardens, hadn't seen one here, so very pleased to know it's there. Covered it back up and added some extra straw for insulation. It's survived being covered in snow for over a week (and temperatures below 0 for a week). It seemed a pretty decent size, so I think it'll be OK.

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

3 hours ago, JonM said:

In the past 5 days, I've seen

- A barn owl, in our field.

- A (great spotted) woodpecker, hammering away on the pole which carries the electricity cable to the house.

- A black grouse, above Swaledale (looks quite different to the much more common red grouse reared for shooting).

- A hedgehog. I was tidying up leaves, dead stuff from plants, weeds etc. in the garden and the pile of stuff I picked up turned out to be the nest of a hibernating hedgehog. Always had them in previous gardens, hadn't seen one here, so very pleased to know it's there. Covered it back up and added some extra straw for insulation. It's survived being covered in snow for over a week (and temperatures below 0 for a week). It seemed a pretty decent size, so I think it'll be OK.

Three summers ago we had a family holiday back on our old stamping ground of the Craven part of the Dales (Mrs WWD is Skipton born and raised and I worked there for many years)  One evening, we met up with old friends from the 'other' Ingleton, where we used to live after leaving Craven; it's in lower Teesdale.  We met at a pub on Leyburn market square and had an enjoyable meal and conversation.  

As Mrs WWD and I headed south, at dusk, to our holiday cottage near Skipton, we were amazed and delighted by the number of barn owls we saw in Upper Wharfedale; I think it was six in total.

More recently, in fact two weeks ago, I was reminded that bird-watching can occur at any time.  One evening, I was travelling to play in an away table tennis match in the Chalke Valley near Salisbury and a barn owl flew along the road in front of me.  Two days later, I had the same experience when fetching my daughter home from Winchester to spend the weekend with us.

Black grouse males meet in the spring for mating displays; the activity is called 'lekking'; maybe your black grouse will be taking part in one of those near where you saw it, Jon M.  I was once lucky enough to be taken to one of those, soon after dawn, as I recall in Littondale.  It was a great sight, with the females (greyhens) hanging around at the periphery of the 'lek' site, presumably to show, in due course, their appreciation of the 'winners' in the time honoured way of the animal kingdom!

 

[JonM]

5 hours ago, Wiltshire Warrior Dragon said:

 As Mrs WWD and I headed south, at dusk, to our holiday cottage near Skipton, we were amazed and delighted by the number of barn owls we saw in Upper Wharfedale; I think it was six in total.

I see barn owls fairly often if I go out at the appropriate time of day. Never as many as six, but do sometimes see 3 or 4 in the space of a few miles. This one is notable because it appears to be spending hours each day hunting over my meadow, which I'm very happy about.

[Ullman]

Little egret in Lambwath Stream at Benningholme this morning, not far from where I saw a pair of them a couple of days ago along with a couple of kestrels, a buzzard and a small flock of fieldfares.

[Padge]

We have not been seeing as many garden birds recently, chatting with a neighbour the other day and he pointed to kestrel hovering just over our houses. Seems he's been hanging around for a while. The kestrel not the neighbour.

Edited February 19 by Padge

[Red Willow]

Blue ###### is sleeping in our bird box again so hoping it nests.

[ivans82]

Lapwings which are becoming scarcer in West Cumbria have arrived back in their usual field today so good news . Another couple of pairs usually use another field near me but haven`t checked on them yet . Little egrets still here , thought they would have headed back home by now .

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

8 minutes ago, ivans82 said:

Lapwings which are becoming scarcer in West Cumbria have arrived back in their usual field today so good news . Another couple of pairs usually use another field near me but haven`t checked on them yet . Little egrets still here , thought they would have headed back home by now .

I think you may find, ivans82, that West Cumbria is now home.

[Red Willow]

Sparrowhawk in the garden.

[ivans82]

19 hours ago, Wiltshire Warrior Dragon said:

I think you may find, ivans82, that West Cumbria is now home.

During autumn/winter but no known reports of any breeding up here . Thats why i thought they would have left for their breeding grounds .

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

4 hours ago, ivans82 said:

During autumn/winter but no known reports of any breeding up here . Thats why i thought they would have left for their breeding grounds .

Don't underestimate the speed with which this species is moving north through the UK.  The first recorded breeding in this country was in 1996 in Dorset.  The RSPB reckons that the UK now has between 660 and 740 breeding pairs.  That's a massive increase in under 30 years.

On a French holiday in about 1993, I saw one for the first time and was really excited.  I still enjoy seeing them, as they are such strikingly beautiful birds, but there isn't the excitement of novelty or rarity any more.  I see them all around this bit of South Wiltshire, even in Salisbury, including by canalised becks in the city centre.  On the outskirts of Salisbury, at Britford Woods, they have joined herons, who have nested there for generations, possibly centuries, so that some of the treetops now boast egret nests too.  They really are part of the UK bird landscape now.

I suppose new ones need to find their own space in which to breed, so, logically enough, will head a bit further north to do so.  Alternatively, I imagine some that have moved north - and to or towards the coast - for winter, will just decide not to bother heading south when spring comes.

That's what I predict is happening where you are, ivans82.

[ivans82]

If i see any about in breeding season i will try and track a nesting pair down .

[Futtocks]

Storrington in West Sussex named UK’s first European stork village.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/17/storrington-in-west-sussex-named-uk-first-european-stork-village 

The Saxons knew the West Sussex village of Storrington as Estorchestone, the “abode of the storks”. But the graceful white birds disappeared from its skies more than 600 years ago, when they became extinct in Britain. Now, after the white stork’s successful return, Storrington and the nearby Knepp estate have been designated a “European stork village”.

[Sidi Fidi Gold]

I went for a walk this morning, to somewhere known to me and my mates when we were kids as " the swamps" its basically a strip of marshy land between 2 becks, which in itself lies smack in the middle of some farmland. When we were kids, we were regularly chased off by the farmer, he once came marching down the field, towards us, shot gun under one arm and 2 Alsatians straining at the lead in the other, I've never been as scared in my life, I ran as though my life depended on, for all I knew he'd let the dogs loose, I didn't look back to find out, believe me, a few years later when the House Martins released " Me and the Farmer" it really did resonate with me.

Anyway back on topic, anybody that knows Fev, there's a dirt track that goes from the top of Nuns Lane to the back of Purston Park, halfway down this dirt track, there's a " public right of way" which takes you straight across the farmers field down to Went Beck, from there, there's 3 small wooden foot bridges that takes you across the beck and the boggiest parts of the marsh and onto a footpath which runs parallel to a small wooded area about 20mtr wide by about 150mtr long.

So I went on this walk and took my binoculars to see if I could see anything, I saw Blue, Great and Long Tailed Ts, I saw Wren, Blackbird, Jackdaw, Crow and Wood Pigeon, I saw a Buzzard and Red Kite which we tend to see a lot more locally nowadays, last but not least I saw a Little Egret, this is the first one I've ever seen locally, so well worth the trip.

The last time I would have visited this place would have been 1981 when I was 11 or 12 and you would see Reed Buntings, Yellowhammers, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and Reed Warblers, I saw non of these this time, obviously Reed Warbler's won't have arrived yet and it may be a few weeks early to hear any of the others singing yet. Anyway I'm certainly going to visit again over the coming weeks, maybe this week again, I will keep you informed on any developments.

P.S at 55 years old, if the farmer comes with his dogs, I don't fancy my chances much.

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

3 hours ago, Sidi Fidi Gold said:

I went for a walk this morning, to somewhere known to me and my mates when we were kids as " the swamps" its basically a strip of marshy land between 2 becks, which in itself lies smack in the middle of some farmland. When we were kids, we were regularly chased off by the farmer, he once came marching down the field, towards us, shot gun under one arm and 2 Alsatians straining at the lead in the other, I've never been as scared in my life, I ran as though my life depended on, for all I knew he'd let the dogs loose, I didn't look back to find out, believe me, a few years later when the House Martins released " Me and the Farmer" it really did resonate with me.

Anyway back on topic, anybody that knows Fev, there's a dirt track that goes from the top of Nuns Lane to the back of Purston Park, halfway down this dirt track, there's a " public right of way" which takes you straight across the farmers field down to Went Beck, from there, there's 3 small wooden foot bridges that takes you across the beck and the boggiest parts of the marsh and onto a footpath which runs parallel to a small wooded area about 20mtr wide by about 150mtr long.

So I went on this walk and took my binoculars to see if I could see anything, I saw Blue, Great and Long Tailed Ts, I saw Wren, Blackbird, Jackdaw, Crow and Wood Pigeon, I saw a Buzzard and Red Kite which we tend to see a lot more locally nowadays, last but not least I saw a Little Egret, this is the first one I've ever seen locally, so well worth the trip.

The last time I would have visited this place would have been 1981 when I was 11 or 12 and you would see Reed Buntings, Yellowhammers, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and Reed Warblers, I saw non of these this time, obviously Reed Warbler's won't have arrived yet and it may be a few weeks early to hear any of the others singing yet. Anyway I'm certainly going to visit again over the coming weeks, maybe this week again, I will keep you informed on any developments.

P.S at 55 years old, if the farmer comes with his dogs, I don't fancy my chances much.

We were walking along the River Went between Ackworth and the A639 last weekend and saw a Little Egret - possibly the same one? We've also seen one on Wash Dyke near the Scout Hut/Cobblers pub on the A645 in Pontefract 

[Sidi Fidi Gold]

14 hours ago, Les Tonks Sidestep said:

We were walking along the River Went between Ackworth and the A639 last weekend and saw a Little Egret - possibly the same one? We've also seen one on Wash Dyke near the Scout Hut/Cobblers pub on the A645 in Pontefract 

Could well be.

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

On 18/03/2025 at 14:02, Sidi Fidi Gold said:

I went for a walk this morning, to somewhere known to me and my mates when we were kids as " the swamps" its basically a strip of marshy land between 2 becks, which in itself lies smack in the middle of some farmland. When we were kids, we were regularly chased off by the farmer, he once came marching down the field, towards us, shot gun under one arm and 2 Alsatians straining at the lead in the other, I've never been as scared in my life, I ran as though my life depended on, for all I knew he'd let the dogs loose, I didn't look back to find out, believe me, a few years later when the House Martins released " Me and the Farmer" it really did resonate with me.

Anyway back on topic, anybody that knows Fev, there's a dirt track that goes from the top of Nuns Lane to the back of Purston Park, halfway down this dirt track, there's a " public right of way" which takes you straight across the farmers field down to Went Beck, from there, there's 3 small wooden foot bridges that takes you across the beck and the boggiest parts of the marsh and onto a footpath which runs parallel to a small wooded area about 20mtr wide by about 150mtr long.

So I went on this walk and took my binoculars to see if I could see anything, I saw Blue, Great and Long Tailed Ts, I saw Wren, Blackbird, Jackdaw, Crow and Wood Pigeon, I saw a Buzzard and Red Kite which we tend to see a lot more locally nowadays, last but not least I saw a Little Egret, this is the first one I've ever seen locally, so well worth the trip.

The last time I would have visited this place would have been 1981 when I was 11 or 12 and you would see Reed Buntings, Yellowhammers, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and Reed Warblers, I saw non of these this time, obviously Reed Warbler's won't have arrived yet and it may be a few weeks early to hear any of the others singing yet. Anyway I'm certainly going to visit again over the coming weeks, maybe this week again, I will keep you informed on any developments.

P.S at 55 years old, if the farmer comes with his dogs, I don't fancy my chances much.

What a brilliant, lovely post, SFG.  Many thanks for it!

[Sidi Fidi Gold]

1 hour ago, Wiltshire Warrior Dragon said:

What a brilliant, lovely post, SFG.  Many thanks for it!

Thanks for that, I only intended to post about seeing a Little Egret but ended up rambling on a bit,

[Futtocks]

Allow me to destroy the productivity of quite a few of you in the short term: https://www.featherbase.info/en/home