Today's Wildlife Encounter

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Originally Posted by noel

Is that a different one to the usual suspects you've videoed? Have they got names yet?

My wildlife camera is currently pointing at the pond to see if we can spot frogs.

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In my tomato.pazzo youtube videos of my garden three squirrels are starring.
Aranci, the guy coming most often, orange fur. He also buries nuts into our lawn. Nuts courtesy of our neighbor Jan, great guy Jan, he even installed a nuts dispenser for them.
Browny, his "friend", slightly darker brownish fur.
Aranci and Browny occasionally dine together on our tree.
Blacky, their acquaintance, coming regularly but not very often.

I think today's guy was Blacky. Extremely curious about the mess on our patio. He climbed into my bike helmet that was standing on the table, realized it was a boring place with no food, ran away.

On pegging the washing out this morning (looked like a proper good drying day!) I heard a right cofuffle coming from the neighbours garden. On sticking my head over the garden gate these was a sparrowhawk stood on top of a starling who was not for giving up. Neighbour Keith and I watched on for about ten minutes as the starling tried its best to battle free, even getting on top of the sparrowhawk at one point, but the hawk was determined not to get pecked. Erstwhile a dozen or so jacdaws circled overheard awaiting an outcome!

I think I saw a pair of short-eared owls on this evening's run. On Birchenough hill a few hundred yards from the A54.

A single swallow on a telegraph wire during this mornings dog walk.

I saw it from some distance away first and was not sure, especially as its still March, but as I got closer I could see its long tuning fork shaped tail and it let me get right underneath it before it flew away.

Wonderful. I can't wait for tomorrow morning!

Nice. What's that they say about one swallow... Hopefully you'll see another tomorrow.

No swallow on this mornings walk with dogs. It was at least 10 degrees colder than yesterday morning with a brisk North-Easterly blowing.

I suspect my new swallow friend is tucked up under some eaves, rueing his early migration and wishing he had stayed in South Africa for a couple of more weeks!

Strapped my fishing rod to the bike and went up the valley for some trouting. Saw my first sand martins arrived and a kingfisher which are not common this far up the river.
If it hadn't been 10c colder and blowing a gale I could have mistaken today for spring.

Ey up Moley
No early season trout to report yet? I’m off out tomorrow on a similar venture. Spotted first bluebell out today, and regularly see our resident kingfisher. Chiff chaffs about now too.
Harv

Had a nice fish of 13inches which I returned, first trip of the season.

Which river Moley?

If it's a secret I won't tell anyone! ;)

The top end of the Towy. I have actually bought a ticket this year - I must be gettting old and honest in my advancing years - also I can't run away so fast now 😉.

A pair of herons on the hill today. They must be courting - how nice.

A common lizard (I'm guessing) spotted while we were walking up to the Cat & Fiddle. My google search tells me they come out of hibernation about this time of year.

On this mornings dog walk, around 25yds away in a field, I watched a Sparrow Hawk plucking a Collared Dove it had caught.

Three Crows were on the ground taking it in turns to try and steal the prize but each time the Sparrowhawk repelled them by jumping at them talons first.

I observed this for only 5 minutes, as I had to go, and walked off hoping that the Sparrowhawk would have been able to withstand the attack, with more Crows arriving, long enough to have a decent meal!

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Originally Posted by Llani Boy

No swallow on this mornings walk with dogs. It was at least 10 degrees colder than yesterday morning with a brisk North-Easterly blowing.

I suspect my new swallow friend is tucked up under some eaves, rueing his early migration and wishing he had stayed in South Africa for a couple of more weeks!

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My Swallow friend was back this morning on exactly the same spot on the telegraph wire as he was on 31st March.

He is still Billy no mates though, apart from me!

Last evening down Lathkill Dale saw 5 Dippers and 4 Grey Wagtails, one of which was being noisily chased away by one of the Dippers. Also a pair of Mandarins.

A Peregrine Falcon in full dive mode above Longstone Edge this evening.

Fantastic!

Bird photographer of the year finalists (including quite a few UK photographers): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-56654460

A sad sight on last nights walk on Longstone Edge was a number of dead rabbits on the road and verges in various stages of decomposition, some ripped apart by scavengers.

I then saw one crawling along and immediately noticed its swollen eyes.

Myxomatosis.

A horrible sight, and a few years ago I would have put it out of its misery but unfortunately in my old age I have become rather queasy about such things and couldn't do it.

It was the first thing I thought about on waking up this morning!

We used to have lots of rabbits in our garden which backs onto scrubby woodland. About 10 years ago there were lots with Myxomatosis and we haven't seen a rabbit here since then. Plenty of squirrels, pheasants and the occasional deer.

Whilst out walking in the woods last night we cam across 2 large stags, they weren't at all phased by us and just stood there, a lovely sight.

A Yellow Wagtail on a muddy pond near our house in Otley. I used to get confused by Grey Wagtails being so yellow, but when you see one of the Yellow Wagtails all is obvious.

First swallow of the year over our house. Some time behind LB's spot, or perhaps you're more observant.

And on the subject of rabbits. We have a few trying to make warrens around the garden. So far, the cat has killed three young ones. The dog is now very interested whenever the cat comes through the cat flap, having managed to eat half of one the other day.

My Swallow friend back on the same telegraph wire this morning.

Still waiting for his pals to arrive!

Six house martins today. Chirruping above the house.

Rescued four tortoiseshell butterflies and a wasp from inside the byre windows today, so hopefully chalking up some good karma for the summer ahead :D

Two mallards on our pond yesterday. Happily eating all the tadpoles and frogspawn seemingly. All part of a rich ecosystem - I should be pleased.

I think a few tadpoles got away hiding away among the leaves.

Talking of Mallards you have reminded me Noel that on this evenings dog walk we disturbed a pair of them on a farm track. They both flew off and then I heard a clatter and could see that the female was on the floor in front of a five bar gate walking backwards in circles.
The gate had mesh attached to it which the male had cleared, and was stood waiting the other side, but she had obviously crashed into it.

We sat quietly for a few minutes and eventually she waddled forwards under the gate and after a few quacks with her mate they both flew off into the sunset, hopefully to live happily ever after!

On todays bike ride a Wren flew out of a moss covered wall and straight through the spokes of my front wheel.

I never felt a thing and fortunately no puff of feathers!

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Originally Posted by Llani Boy

On todays bike ride a Wren flew out of a moss covered wall and straight through the spokes of my front wheel.

I never felt a thing and fortunately no puff of feathers!

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Two wrens sitting on a wall.
I bet you couldn't fly through a bike wheel without hitting it.
I bet I could.
Bet you couldn't, I bet you three ants and a caterpillar dinner.
Right, you're on; here comes a slow old cyclist - I'm going for it....!!

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Originally Posted by molehill

Two wrens sitting on a wall.
I bet you couldn't fly through a bike wheel without hitting it.
I bet I could.
Bet you couldn't, I bet you three ants and a caterpillar dinner.
Right, you're on; here comes a slow old cyclist - I'm going for it....!!

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:):):)

Yes. And I was going uphill!

A Jay this morning in the Hafren Forest only trumped by my first Cuckoo of 2021 above Llandinam in Cwm Ffrwd yesterday. Heard but unsurprisingly not seen. I was annoyed that in my rush to catch the bus I had forgotten my field glasses and as it was calling for about 10 minutes I'd have had a good chance of spotting it.

I was even more annoyed I'd forgotten them, when, about an hour later when up on the Llandinam Hills between the two windfarms, what a visual and aural act of vandalism they are, I saw on a reedy field what I thought was a flock of Lapwings. About 30 of them, they all lifted together about 6 feet and settled down again. I thought, as I tried to find my phone, that they looked a bit small and before I could get a photo they were off on the wind and out of sight. I could see that they were definitely not Lapwings as their wings were pointed and smaller. Looking at my book I think they were Little Ringed Plover's but the habitat is not quite right although there was a small llyn nearby.

In my early teens during my egg collecting days, and before the windfarms, those hills were full of Curlew and Lapwing at this time of year but none to be seen. Plenty of Skylark though.

A lovely walk back to Llani, taking in some of Glyndwrs Way, of just over 15 miles, 2'620 feet in dead on 5hrs.


Anyway a lovely

Heard my first cuckoo yesterday - such a lovely sound, such a bizarre life story.

Pair of common terns flying over the river Soar near Stanford-on-Soar, making a lot of noise; were they upset by my presence? [I was on a public footpath.] I hadn't realised that terns use inland waters.

In my early teens during my egg collecting days, and before the windfarms, those hills were full of Curlew and Lapwing at this time of year but none to be seen. Plenty of Skylark though.

I know your thoughts on badgers are much the same as mine, but most cannot accept what predators they are and how destructive when their population increases. This is a resume of a study I read last week regards the lapwing - the nests all had cameras on them so no doubts about the culprit.

“Take, for example, Auchnerran farm in Aberdeenshire, owned by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust and managed for biodiversity. This year alone, two-thirds of the lapwing nests have already been destroyed by badgers. This is a property that is farmed for biodiversity. Similarly, at the trust’s property in Allerton, Leicestershire, there have been no hedgehogs for seven years and no waders for 10 years because of predators”.

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Originally Posted by molehill

I know your thoughts on badgers are much the same as mine, but most cannot accept what predators they are and how destructive when their population increases. This is a resume of a study I read last week regards the lapwing - the nests all had cameras on them so no doubts about the culprit.

“Take, for example, Auchnerran farm in Aberdeenshire, owned by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust and managed for biodiversity. This year alone, two-thirds of the lapwing nests have already been destroyed by badgers. This is a property that is farmed for biodiversity. Similarly, at the trust’s property in Allerton, Leicestershire, there have been no hedgehogs for seven years and no waders for 10 years because of predators”.

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The problem is that the "townies" think they are lovely cuddly creatures, aided and abetted by the likes of Chris Packham.

I really enjoy Spring/Winterwatch on television, apart from its love in with badgers. I'm sure that some of the presenters, and certainly Iolo, would have similar views to us on the badger but dare not reveal them as the BBC would drop them before you could say Jack Robinson!

I find Iolo a pretty sensible and pragmatic bloke regards wildlife, but as you say, one word out of place these days and you haven't a job anymore.

Pied flycatcher in the garden this afternoon - one of those birds that's meant to be common, but I very rarely see. It was checking out a tit nesting box. I thought we had blue tits in there, so maybe it moved on - looking for another suitable nesting site.

A falcon of some ilk darted across in front of me with a sparrow in its talons as i was driving over the Chevin today.

Watching the bird table this evening, two sparrowhawks came rattling round, (one stopped and sat on the tortoise pen), soon pursued by a crow that took umbrage at the insurgence into it's territory.
All too quick to follow closely with lots of whizzing about, but they all went home hungry.

Had a stoat take a tour round the garden last night, before hopping into the field behind, spotted from the upstairs window.

I had to check online to determine it as a stoat not a weasel, as it turns out that the joke "Weasels are weasily recognised, whereas Stoats are stoatly different" is not a useful way to delineate between the two.

I’m going to use that one on our 6yr old tonight. I’ll let you know how it goes..