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I've seen a white crow in the Airton/Settle tops area from time to time over the last 20 odd years. I doubt it's the same one every time but I've only ever seen one at once.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stolly
This photo is quite possibly of the same white crow that you spotted Stolly. It was taken at the end of October 2009 close to Airton on the Otterburn road...
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/3...owatairton.jpg
An artic Crow?
I had a raven follow me today on the way back from Back Tor. It stuck with me for about 400m flying no more than 5-10m away. If it wasn't a Raven it was the biggest Crow I've ever seen. about 2/3 the size of a buzzard
of the Eddie Stobart variety?Quote:
Originally Posted by IanDarkpeak
any body seen the Pacific? or the Atlantic? ahhh its gone to the Med! I knew there was a "c" missing somewhere...
Birds everywhere along the Weaver today. About 20 curlews, loads of lapwings, redshanks, fieldfares, redwings. Even a goldeneye and a little egret. And what a gorgeous day as well.
Had a lovely close up view of a wren today. Super little bird :cool:
been spyin' on one o'them naval ships DT?Quote:
Originally Posted by Derby Tup
Got buzzed by an ow t'other night, up near the Doubler stones near Silsden. Also seen a few Goosanders (male and female) on the canal near Kildwick, expect to see kingfishers along there any day now.
doubt it...unless there's an ice-free patch.Quote:
Originally Posted by plodding bear
2 Foxes and a rabbit today in the snow. Rabbit was hiding deep in the snow with only the ears showing till I blundered along and disturbed him. I saw a couple of wrens yesterday as well DT up on the Chevin. They make a lovely sound :)
Wharfy, I'll keep you posted! it isn't completely frozen over yet, and I've always seen more along there in the winter than any other time.
Don't get down that way so much now, mind. Not unless I'm off for a quickie round Kildwick Moor. (ooh, matron!)
Just thought I'd up date this thread.
Ok you Orny bird lovers I need help.
Driving home today along the Strines road I saw first 1 then two PURE WHITE grouse.
One was by the road the other in the under growth at the side of the road both flew of as I approached.
They took off and flew like grouse they were grouse sized, infact I'd be happy to say they were grouse. but pure white, not a hint of grey or black anywhere??
Albino Grouse, Artic Grouse, Bleached grouse?
All I can come up with on Google is Ptarmigan but they have too much grey. mottleing
Wharfee, Derby,? help
Did they tell you to go back?
they did shout something about marg? Ghost Grouse?Quote:
Originally Posted by Grouse
Interesting. Willow Grouse (Lagopus lagopus) are white in the winter over the rest of their range (Scandinavia & points east). It's only the British/Irish race Lagopus lagopus scoticus (our "red grouse") that stays brown all year round. Maybe somebody's introduced some foreign birds. I suppose it's possible they or their ancestors made their own way across from Sweden or Norway in a storm, but grouse don't generally move away from where they were born according to my books.Quote:
Originally Posted by IanDarkpeak
There is precedent for this IDP. In late Autumn early Winter 2002 there was a white grouse like bird on the hill behind our house. I took a photo, and a member of Huddersfield Ornithological Society identified it as a Ptarmigan.
Ten deer yesterday morning cycling to work.
A squirrel today 8:00am walking home from the swim.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Splatcher
I'm about to head out the same way so will take a camera with me just in case.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rodders
I've seen plenty of Ptarmigan and it could be one of those I guess but I've never seen one pure white before, no grey specs any where
http://www.birdphoto.org.uk/USERIMAG...w%20Grouse.jpgQuote:
Originally Posted by IanDarkpeak
Thats as near to a perfect shot of what I saw. Definitely
In winter female ptarmigan & Scandinavian female willow grouse look very similar (to me anyway, in all the books I've got) & grouse are a bit bigger than ptarmigan. Neither should be anywhere near Strines, so get photographing, Ian! A quick Google didn't turn up any references to white grouse in the Peak. I suppose any bird species can have albinos, but you'd expect to see only one if it was an albino.Quote:
Originally Posted by IanDarkpeak
saw a couple of twitchers today that had heard about a "white grouse" they'd not seen them yet. but they were going out tomorrow. Needle in a haystack? How far do they travel? the bird not the twitchersQuote:
Originally Posted by Splatcher
4 rabbits , badger didnt get any of them
I forgot to post this, so it's actually last Thursday's wildlife encounter - but there's no thread for that, so...
Two red deer in the road trying to get run over. On the Wildboarclough-Sutton road about 1/2 a mile out of Sutton. I've never seen them there before. They looked thoroughly confused and probably would have stayed there longer had I not driven slowly towards them to help them make their minds up.
To quote my favourite field guide (Rob Hume's "Birds of Britain & Europe"): "...rarely moving from breeding areas even in hard winter weather" - that's the willow/red grouse. The ptarmigan doesn't travel either.Quote:
Originally Posted by IanDarkpeak
Geese feeding time at Branston Water Park...
http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._5063673_n.jpg
Taken by my friends 10 year old...
We also took 500 others. Oh the joy of an 8fps camera and a small child!! :thumbup:
That's cute. The duck, not the eight year old.Quote:
Originally Posted by dominion
A swan chased me on the weir last week. it can't be nesting yet surely?
I watched a barn owl hunting for about 5mins at dusk on the common near Masham on Monday. It made my very cold bike ride well worth the effort.
Pelicans and dolphins.
Are you on holiday or do you live somewhere exotic? :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by molehill
read Moleys other thread Todays down under temp garden thread thingy :) He's in AusQuote:
Originally Posted by Hes
Fab sighting of 30 Snow Buntings today on the summit of Fairfield while doing a Recce of BGR and verified by Hes.
It was a brilliant sight! I've only ever seen them in pairs or four at the most and on Ben Nevis, very exciting. Great run as well!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Masham Man
Anti-social's dog on Rombalds moor :D
Did a recce of the Fellsman route from Redshaw to Grassington today and we also saw a couple of pairs of Snow Bunting on Buckden Pike summit. Really beautiful birds and they seemed quite tame flying over the ground a couple of metres in front of us.
Also released a fox from a gamekeepers snare (not saying exactly where), it went frantic as we approached but weird thing was after we'd pinned it down with our rucsacs to slip the noose from its neck it went really calm, almost as if it knew our intentions were good, glad as I was handling the business end and it was a big, solid well muscled animal. It was quite badly cut up, hope it survives OK.
Orienteering today in Ashmore Forest in Dorset - a herd of deer (Roe Deer I think) About 20 of them but the unusual thing was there were 2 complete white ones - never seen white deer before.
Several large deer seen opposite Leeds Bradford Airport earlier today on scrub fields next to an industrial unit. Probably some of the same ones I keep seeing in the nearby wooded valley whilst out running.
The big rookery next to the main entrance to Harewood House was busy this morning; lots of activity. I heard a song thrush singing as I was getting into the car at home too
we heard a Curlew this morning on't moors. couldn't see it though.
A badger crossed the track 10 feet in front of me last night on my headtorch run up on Frodsham Hill. Good to see a live one rather than the usual squashed variety.
Yeah the sap seems if its starting to rise! Up at 4.30 this morn and the birds were going at it with great gusto. Song Thrush,Robin, Blackbird,Wren.
Lifted me spirits and got my sap to rise!