Buzzard, taking off from the ground less than 20 metres from me, flying low for a while and then going up to land near the top of a tree.
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Buzzard, taking off from the ground less than 20 metres from me, flying low for a while and then going up to land near the top of a tree.
Stoats have a black tip on their tails.Quote:
Originally Posted by ba-ba
I've had one living in the byre for the last couple of years (think it may go on its hols during the summer months and returns for winter). I regularly see it walking in broad daylight around the garden, hauling captured voles and rabbits and leaving skulls all about the place :D . Cured our rodent problem nicely.
Watching dozens of bumble bees on the heathers in the back garden this morning when the heavens opened with a heavy, prolonged hail stone shower. Clever little critters all (well most) made a dash for the gaps in the dry stone wall behind. No sure why I was surprised - but I was!
On that note. We had a healthy looking rat picking up the bits under the bird feeders. It was there for ages, so I went and got our cat - avoiding her biting me as she was very busy snoozing at the time. She's now patiently sitting by the gap in the wall where it ran into. Good cat.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mossdog
Sadly, bird feeders, compost bins (even without cooked food) and keeping chicken are all associated with rat problems. I've 'designed' an anti-seed drip device (upturned metal dog bowl, lashed with wire) to hang underneath our bird feeder which has helped a bit, albeit a convenient perch for the wood pigeons and stock doves who are now able to gobble a bigger portion of the seeds. So you create one solution which leads to another problem GrrrH. I hear there was once an old woman who swallowed a fly.... :DQuote:
Originally Posted by noel
Barn owl on yesterday's run. About 6pm - so full sunlight. Near Turner's Pool beneath the Roaches.
Living where we do It’s easy to take all the wildlife we see for granted. Hereabouts as you’d expect curlews, lapwings and oyster catchers are ever present right now. Also golden plover if you know where to look. And there are always dippers and grey wagtails bobbing and weaving along the river. And kingfishers every now and then.
I’ve seen an otter playing in the Ribble near here once and we have a wild swimming spot, with a rock to dive off, that we call otter poo rock... due to the otter poo regularly found there, funnily enough :)
Stoats and weasels are quite common too and of course hares and stepping outside at night you can barely hear yourself think for all the owls hooting at each other
We regularly see barn owls, in one hunting area in particular, and there’s a little owl look out post on a barn just down the road that’s occupied at least half of the times we ever go past. We know some great places to find rarer beasts like ring ouzel and foxes but, due to trigger happy farmers and fell hound pack organisers, we try and keep our fox sightings to ourselves
Apparently a dotterel was seen on Ingleborough recently as it was passing through although I’ve never seen one myself. Hester saw a sparrow hawk preening itself on a dry stone wall on the corner of our little lane at the weekend
Oh and the house martins have just this week arrived. Better late than never
I've never seen an otter. I keep looking.
I was at Burton Mere (RSPB place on the Dee estuary) at the weekend and saw a cuckoo - I see one about every five years. Some avocets too - pretty.
I'm fairly lucky and seen plenty of otters over the years, usually when sitting fishing quietly but also in the river here by the caravan site. Got a resident weasel in the garden (usually living deep in the wood shed) and hedgehog and polecat Im pretty sure is here and hopefully with young.
My wife spotted four dotterel on top of Ingleborough yesterday evening (her picture not mine)
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E1N-_X9W...jpg&name=large
Great pic. I had a memorable moment on Great End during my BG round where we flushed a dozen or so dotterel out from virtually under our feet.
Surprisied to learn some have stopped over on Ingleborough.
A few days away fishing and in the wood I found a nest on the ground with eggs still inside (some broken). I thought it possibly a long tailed tit as it had a front door, but further research at home it proved to be a goldcrest nest. Probably fallen out of a tree.
Also saw a sparrowhawk taking prey to it's nest.
Another cuckoo sighting today. None for about 5 years and then two in three weeks! This one was on Gun Hill. It was being pursued by lots of little birds, seeing it off their patch.
Fantastic.Quote:
Originally Posted by noel
I've only ever seen one Cuckoo which was around 40 years ago while cycling in Glen Arroch on Skye on my way to catch the Kylerhea Ferry (summer only) over to Glenelg. Happy days!
Just had a couple of Weeks on Coll and Tiree (islands in the Hebrides off Mull) Saw a lot of Cuckoos on Coll. Regularly woken up by one at 4.30 in the morning.
On Tiree we heard a lot of Corncrakes, but the hide well. Then we were driving down a road and there were two in a field. First time I've ever seen one.
Nice islands, but not exactly mountainous. Great views of Rum and the other Small Isles.
Saw a Hare this evening in the Eden Valley. Not sure if they are rare (I doubt it), but I was told that they are becoming less common.
Certainly not rare around here Travs. I saw two today. However there were not many about in March, when they are said to go mad, but they seem to be making up for it now. Probably the weather is to blame.
Whilst on the subject I have seen more Wrens than ever this year. I think it is probably because this year the leaves have been so slow and late to emerge that they are easily seen flitting about with less cover.
The birch tree in a neighbour's garden is owned by a very loquacious blackbird. Go out any evening, and he will be perched on a thin branch near the top of the tree, telling anyone who listens what sort of a day he has had. He has a wide vocabulary; I wish I could understand blackbirdese.
Damn great goshawk (female I presume) flew over us this evening eyeing up our chickens, ducks, geese. It was hotly pursued off the territory by the resident crow, I hate carrion crows but sometimes the devil you know....etc.
The Mayblossom on the Hawthorn that adorn the slopes of Lathkill Dale below the pub has finally come out on the last day in May.
Have never seen it so late but still as beautiful as it always is.
It is coming out here too, not peaked yet but looks wonderful.
Lathkill Dale must have a cool microclimate. I have been admiring the hawthorn blossom around here for about two weeks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Llani Boy
A squadron of Swifts giving a fantastic air display over the village this evening whilst at the same time giving the full sound effects.
Running up Macclesfield Old Road from Derbyshire Bridge (returning from Shining Tor) I saw some walkers looking at something through binoculars. Stopped and they pointed out a Short Eared Owl hunting over Goyt Moss. A Peak District first for me. Lots of Orchids - even above 500m.
Two of the usual red squirrels in my garden at the same time!
One eating nuts we left on the patio, just out my garden window door.
The other eating nuts we left on the feeding station at the cherry tree.
I still always wonder to what extent they are aware it's us leaving those nuts there for them, on purpose.
Never mind the body size and shape is identical to mice/rats.
Still very pretty.
Nice. I've seen one years ago not far from there. I wasn't up on owls at the time, but later identified it as a short-eared thanks to it being so close I could see the colour of its eyes!
Looks like one, never seen one myself but most people mistake the common grey wagtails for yellow wagtails because the grey are also yellow!
But that certainly looks like a genuine yellow wagtails 👍.
Me and the dog (on loan for the weekend) went to investigate a right kerfuffle going on in a stand of spike grass this morning, only to see a pack (?) of stoats bounce out and away, all in one long line, train and carriages like. Eight in total, so presumably the female (jill?) and this year's offspring.
Stoats! I love 'em. Perpetually up to no-good, but with a roguish sense of humour, which always elicits a smile - unless you happen to be the victim of their attention.
I would love to see that, never seen a family of stoats together hunting.
Nice. There's obviously a lot going on there. I wonder what all the tail wagging near the start is about.
A ring ouzel today while we were climbing at Stanage right-hand end. It's only the second I've ever seen and was looking very un-exotic: just pootling about seemingly unperturbed by the loads of people walking and climbing.
Spent last night sleeping out on Old Cote Moor, with great birdlife. The highlight was seeing a Merlin.
This was bettered today by seeing an Otter in the River Wharfe just downstream from Otley. I've seen Otters in Scotland and Wales so an English first for me.
An otter - very cool.
My highlight today was a stoat just about to cross the road before seeing me walking and diving back into the undergrowth.
Bird in garden today: spotted flycatcher I think - I didn't have the binoculars handy. It did exactly what my bird book said it would - sitting on a high perch (phone wire) in an upright position with a slightly long tail, and then making sudden sorties to catch flies.
A male sparrowhawk perched on top of the washing line post in our garden. I guess he was attracted by all the small birds using the numerous feeding stations around the garden. Stunning yellow eyes.
It's strange but i had a regular sparrowhawk at the garden in Cov.... but i've yet to see any bird of prey at all in the Lakes yet (save for a buzzard above the car on the M6)
Just back from a bivvy out last might on the summit of Carrock Fell. after 'yomping' an approximation of the Old Crown Round (Mosedale start/fin). While waiting for the trickle of water to fill my water bottles, at the boggy areas on the south-east corner of the top, I was buzzed by a couple of these...Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
https://live.staticflickr.com/7598/2...152d06e5_b.jpg
They seemed really tame, landing on the cotton-grass and heather thereabouts. I think I've got the ID correct. Times like that when a mobile (with a camera) would have been handy!
Yes, I saw that in the description. I've never seen such as 'waspy' coloured dragonfly before either, which particularly caught my attention.Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
I've just emailed the Cumbrian Wildlife Trust to inquire as to whether it could possibly have been a w/f darter.
Or register on iRecord to have it collated and checked by experts.
https://www.brc.ac.uk/irecord/
A Skylark
I'm amazed...