Weasily recognised.Quote:
Originally Posted by Grouse
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Weasily recognised.Quote:
Originally Posted by Grouse
First vulture of the year, think it was a griffon.
Also a lesser spotted springer spaniel, can you see him?!
Debbie
www.pyrenees-haven.com
It's rare I don't see a Red Kite on my commute home via Harewood but today I was treated to the sights of 18 of these fantastic birds :)
Also seen on way home, several Sand Martins :cool:
They will be all over the place as soon as election campaigning swings into gear!Quote:
Originally Posted by Pyrenees Haven
Having vultures campaigning at your door is one thing that Griffen is another :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by The Navigator
Loads of Chiffchaffs suddenly arrived around our part of the Peak.
Highlight of this evening's walk by the river was definitely a pair of Woodcock :cool:
Willow warblers in song round here too.Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoffB
First swallow! (Doesn't mean it's summer...)
I know the first grouse always puts a smile on margarines faceQuote:
Originally Posted by Grouse
Tawny Owl by Bottoms res Longdendale.
Been through the Black Grouse Reinstatement project area above Cotterdale today on an OTH recce.
Came back and told my wife of my amazement at the litter trays that they've got scattered everywhere, "Just like cat litter trays, and the most amazing thing is that the grouse actually seem to be using them - most of them had a fair bit of grouse crap in them! How do you think they get the grouse to use them?"
She fixed me with her best withering look and told me that they're grit trays so that the grouse get plenty of minerals so their eggs have thick shells.:o
Good job my face is already red from the lovely sun today:D
Wild Boar + young at 4:30 this morning. Heading home from holiday in Italy.
A field of deer near Wetherby, four Red Kites over Otley, one had a mouse in it's talons, and a pair of Lapwings over Denholme:cool:
Had a light run easy run earlier along wooded valley with moors above and a reservoir below. Quite a popular area with twitchers there has been a perigrine here in recent years.Quote:
Originally Posted by merrylegs
Saw a owl(tawny I think) brown and quite big and below me. In the same wood there was a woodpecker rattling the woodwork.
Lapwings beyond counting, The odd curlew but I think I saw a Snipe. straight beak brown speckly back a bit small for a Woodcock?
Aslo a bit of dog fight between a kestrel and a pair of lapwings, it's a bit early for protecting a nest isn't it?
Snipe has a very streaky back Ian and a long straight bill ;) Smaller than WoodcockQuote:
Originally Posted by IanDarkpeak
I was pretty certain it was a snipe, I have seen a few but this one was flying up from the moor. Also A woodcock has a more 'angular' head if you know what I mean.Quote:
Originally Posted by Derby Tup
Very large hare crossing my path at speed and heading for Jacob's Ladder early this morning on a trog up the Porter Valley, just at the bottom of Porter Clough. Dozens and dozens of pheasants.
A glorious weekend walking the Ceredigion coastal path. I'm not a fan of seals, as I enjoy eating fish and feel I have far more right to eat them than than the seals do, me being further up the food chain than they are :cool:. We've seen loads before, but this view was exceptional. The sea was like glass and clearer than I have ever seen it (for Welsh coast), we looked directly down from 150ft cliff onto 2 seals swimming and playing underwater, a great insight.
Today, a pod of Dolphins in Aberystwyth bay. Both different sightings from our usual wildlife.
Returned home to find the sloworms back in compost heap, another under the corrugated we put down and also 3 under their slate stone (unfortunately one was squashed and dead) by my car.
Spring is here, till the snow returns.
Two Short Eared Owls, one on Meltham Moor & One on the slopes of Black Hill. Several Mountain Hare, one still quite white in its winter coat.
We saved a glow worm that was walking across the road yesterday evening - before it was run over by a car.
Saw a fabulous mid-air battle this evening whilst walking the dog between a Crow and a Heron of all things, the Crow was chasing the Heron and having a good old go at it. Only maybe fifteen or twenty feet up in the air in the porter Valley.
Pigeons in the main studio in television centre (where they do all stuff like strictly etc) :D
I am worried that they will poo on our set :eek:
A Roe Deer Crossing the M62 near Junction 20! It was 100 yards in front of us and bounced off the side of an ASTRA & then leapt the central reservation barrier & crossed the western lanes too! It was one lucky deer to make it across alive, as were the occupants of the Astra which swerved & looked like it was up on two wheels.
I'm glad I don't tail gate!
I haven't seen a deer for years.... then 2 in 2 weeks! This one was in Gibson Wood whilst doing the Calder Valley Round, & it had an injured back leg. Also saw a heron in Cowbridge wood & a few Hares.
Wheatear, Golden Plover and Curlew on Fell End Clouds this afternoon.
Almost felt like spring until the tiny particles of powder snow started rattling on my pertex coming off Swarth Fell!
Two adders getting it together on Fylingdales moor. Never seen an adder in this counrty before so a bonus to see two together. My foot landed about 50cm from them!
Ring Ouzels callin' high up on the fells above Coniston.
Not a running encounter, but we were driving back from Windermere the other night and came to traffic that was at a standstill. A few cars ahead of us a motorcyclist had unfortunately met with a deer that was crossing the road. An ambulance was on its way and it looked like he was going to be OK, the poor chap.
Deer are responsible for an estimated 74,000 vehicle collisions every year, causing 20 (human) deaths and £17million damage. If they weren't little "Bambis" the general public would be demanding they be 'terminated with extreme prejudice'. Eat venison and don't feel bad about it!Quote:
Originally Posted by Rodders
I think it's us humans that are responsible for the collisions and not those "irresponsible" Deer.;)Quote:
Originally Posted by molehill
And there's me thinkin' that you were a wildlife-friendly chap.
Some of them are not even native to UK. They are immigrants. Phone the Daily Mail Hotline.
Quite true, car drivers are responsible for every dead animal on the roads, just that hitting a deer makes more of a mess than flattening a poor old hedgehog. But if deer weren't managed and culled (properly), things could easily get out of hand and public start demanding erradication.Quote:
Originally Posted by wharfeego
This week down at my sisters house we found, slow worms, yellow hammers nesting (nice to see), lizzards, assorted nests of garden birds.
In 3 days time the Swifts should arrive here at the house, always await their arrival as they are our favourites, the nesting boxes are up and waiting for them.
Here's one for all you twitchers - this was pottering around our back garden this afternoon.
Nice one David. Smart-lookin' bird that. Bog-standard Pheasant with make-up or what?
Looks like the Zorro of the Pheasant world!Quote:
Originally Posted by wharfeego
It's a Reeve's pheasant. It's native habitat is central China.
Yes a Reeves, quite a few are out in the wild. The cock birds are right stroppy and viscous beggars at times. I've seen one rip a big hole in a welly boot with its spurs, and Missus and I used to have to fight one every day when we walked past its territory with a feed bucket :eek:.
Along with the Argus pheasant, it has the longest tail feathers of any bird (I seem to remember), we have some Argus feathers on the living room wall (Argus was the Greek god with 1000 eyes, the feathers are truly spectacular with 'eyes' on them) and did have Reeves tail feathers, but they became a bit motheaten and went a few years back.
The Reeves are pretty birds, but cantankerous sods :mad:.
What about peacocks?Quote:
Originally Posted by molehill