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Excellent, I could watch that all day!Quote:
Originally Posted by wharfeego
This year's first curlew heard 'bubbling'from home this morning. I was drawing the curtains to look at the lambs in the field opposite. I reckon it's spring
on this morning's dawn patrol we saw a heron, heard numerous birds (the dawn chorus is very loud), couple of rabbits chasing each other in a field and sitting in a tree was an owl
Attachment 7491
not the best photo as it was taken on my phone, but it's in there!
last few days I've seen lots of grubby Mountain hares, their white pelt is changing back to summer colours...Quote:
Originally Posted by cyclops
spoilt today greater spotted woodpecker whilst driving out to Edale, curlews, lapwings, golden plover.
every day my feeder is swamped with long tail tits, blue tits, chaffinches, spuggies, robins.
the fat balls I make are very popular...
theres a colony of 2 banded cross bill just over the hill....must investigate as these are pretty rare I'm told.
Spuggies?Quote:
Originally Posted by IanDarkpeak
Sparrows ;) sorry I've called em spuggies since I was a kid...!
Thanks Ian. My dad used to call them spadges:DQuote:
Originally Posted by IanDarkpeak
A live toad well clear of any roads so i figure it is in with a chance.
I still doQuote:
Originally Posted by William Clough
Spadgers we called them, there's a poster on this forum by the name of Spadge or Spadger on other forums. He's local to us and his surname is .......Sparrow!!Quote:
Originally Posted by William Clough
Today's Hare Hiding Behind a Twig
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3692/1...34698c04_c.jpg
Hiding Behind a Twig by Andy Holden, on Flickr
Chiffchaff heard today. Tomorrow's target bird: sand martin
Geese on the res then Geese on the fells with Goose and Gander, might be eggs some where.
Nice to see.
Spotted two Sandies over Hellifield Flashes a couple of days ago. Also 47 Black Tailed Godwits, some in breeding plumage, lovely birds. It's a great place for birds is that piece of water.Quote:
Originally Posted by Derby Tup
Good stuff Andy! I love godwitQuote:
Originally Posted by wharfeego
There's a few Hares in the fields between Burnsall and Grassington at the moment.Quote:
Originally Posted by wharfeego
Lots of Skylarks and Fellrunners and a few disturbed Grouse in full voice today on Midgley Moor :D
Sand martin seen this evening at Barden Bridge. Next target: common sand
Curlew, Dunlin and Golden Plover up on Nine Standards today. It felt quite spring-like until the mint imperial-sized hailstones arrived!
Chiffchaff have arrived in Wharfedale in good numbers now
Saw a tree full of finches and a lovely yellow hammer singing on sutton bank last week. Loads of curlews, oystercatchers and lapwings about round Masham. I must get down to the river to check for sand martins.
Yesterdays wildlife; Bunnies, buzzards, ba lambs, big black crows and bumble bees.
Nothing very exotic but very nice all the same. It was all looking very spring-like, in the sunshine.
My first Wheatear of the year at Stockdale (Settle tops) today.
Not the one in the pic, I snapped this one a couple of years ago...
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7223/...5b3e9dde_o.jpg
One of my very favourite "outdoors" birds, along with golden plover
Nice trot along the river with MashamMan and saw a treecreeper and a yellowhammer and we heard some curlews.
That reminds me, we saw a pair of treecreepers in the riverside park in Ilkley at the weekend. Just next to the road and loads of people walking past. Lovely.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hes
They seem to be quite bold little birds. I was watching one when I was in Sweden and it was not bothered by the people passing it or by me watching it. The one I saw today let us get really close too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by noel
Some Magpies are building a nest in a tree in our garden, the songbirds have disappeared since they turned up so we keep sabotaging their attempts to finish the nest. Apparently they use mud and clay to bind the sticks together; not our Magpies though- they are using dog $hit, i know this because last time i went out to have a go at the nest a piece fell out and splatted on the side of my face. It really stinks that close to your nose and tastes bad too.
Its that time of the year when you go out on the fells and get chased by sheep. The rest of the year they run away as you approach them. The tell tale signs of tyre tracks means the farmer has been feeding them leading up to lambing and whenever they spot a human amongst them they think its going to give them food. At my present level of fitness after a 2 month layoff I struggled to get away from them :D
A sheep chased my dog the other day. The dog was under control, but I had to grab the sheep and give it a gentle kick to get it to stop its attack. My dog was terrified of sheep for the rest of the run, she kept looking behind her nervously in fields with sheep.
It's probably a good thing as she's a young dog and we're surrounded by sheep farmers, so anything that reinforces the message not the chase them can only be for the better.
Lots of Red Admiral and Peacock butterflies alongside the reservoir today when I was out running. Also loads of Pied Wagtails, many more than I usually see round there, they must have had a good winter?
It's great the butterflys are back, I'd forgotten all about them, then... Wow! Aren't they beautiful!
Four swallows (albeit in Somerset)
They're closer than you think Andy. Saw my 1st swallow of year yesterday above Kildwick.
supposed to be a good year for them and other insects due to mild winter...this unfortunately also means midges and cleggs.Quote:
Originally Posted by MickTor
Trip to Scotland brought many big raptors mostly high up despite the illegal cull.
Huge amouts of red deer, water voles, and a bloody raven that followed me for over 2 hours waiting for my demise...
Quote:
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“’Tis some visiter,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—
Only this and nothing more.”
Good to see the ring ouzels back on High Crag above Buttermere today. My first swallow of the year on my way home too.
Wharfee have you got the Link to the movie you had of the Murmuration
I know it's on here but there are too many posts to search...;)