First hummingbird hawk moth of the year and certainly my best ever viewing as it fed feet away from us for minutes on end.
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First hummingbird hawk moth of the year and certainly my best ever viewing as it fed feet away from us for minutes on end.
A stoat as I came down Cunswick Scar - well the tail anyway 😁
Brilliant spot. Found a slow worm today. Good year for ‘em. Common lizard on Cartmel Fell earlier in the week n all. Quick as owt
Nearly trod on a mountain hare coming off Bleaklow today. Still had a very small amount of white winter coat. They can move...!
Slow worms, lizards and hares! Awesome 😎
Been running round the local moors a lot above Wharfedale - Ilkley Otley way and am surprised at the lack of Grouse this year. My friends are saying the same, I only saw 1 this morning in 2.5 hrs out. Whats it like in the Peak and other areas? Is it to do with the very wet start to spring followed by a drought?
Did hear a cuckoo and saw a deer and a partridge - french.
I saw a handful of what i think were female grouse on Bleaklow, and the vast moorlands east of there...
Barn owl, for the second time in a few days, as I was driving home from a run this evening. Slowly flying across the road in front of me. Fantastic sight and really put me in a good mood. (I slowed down almost to a stop to watch it fly across the field, so it's a good job there wasn't a car behind me otherwise I might now be in rather a bad mood.)
Two stoats playing in the road. I don't normally see these, so two was a treat. One disappeared into a dry stone wall pretty quickly, the other frolicked about a bit before running back the other way. They didn't seem overly bothered by me watching them.
Interesting observation about the Red Grouse. We've been avoiding the honey-pot areas of Kinder recently, spending more time on Bleaklow or the northern edge of Kinder. There are definitely Red Grouse around, but possibly fewer than usual. However the Curlew appear to have had a great time - there are thousands everywhere! Also, plenty of Golden Plover, especially on Bleaklow.Quote:
Originally Posted by MattPo
Have just looked both these birds up on google... yes i saw loads of these on Bleaklow last week!Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoffB
Encounter did you say? Well does being belly-butted on the back of the head by a buzzard count??! Not to mention the scram on my ear from his bloody talons! Ok, I get he's just defending his nest but I draw the line at physical assault!!
Did he get you? Cool :cool:
Few years ago I was buzzed by Mr Buzzard on an event, followed me for a good 1/2 mile swooping but never touched me - damn close though!
Tens and tens of wild horses on the Long Mynd today. Also some young ones which had grown in size but still very gangly and unsteady on their long legs.
Also a great long view of a Red Kite soaring above me on the summit of Callow. First time I've had the chance for a real good look at one.
I'm impressed by the buzzard encounter. My son had a very similar (not really) encounter while sitting in the living room. A chaffinch flew in through the open door and for a split second landed on his finger before flying off, trying to kill itself against several windows, then flying back out again. He said he could feel its tiny claws gripping his finger.
I think he was dazzled by my bald spot cos it was a full blooded thwack on the back of the head from his body. His trailing leg scratched my ear...drew blood! He came back for a few more passes. Got really close but I was ducking and diving by then! Wore a hat when I went by today...but no sign of him.Quote:
Originally Posted by molehill
Got dive bombed by curlew today on Whinash - no talons just curved beaksQuote:
Originally Posted by Wheeze
You want to try Skua's - the're aggresive birds.
Your not wrong. Many years ago whilst on Unst in the Shetlands I had a run out to Herma Ness and Hermaness Hill. Happily minding my own business when I had this great thud to the top of my head. A Skua. Silly me was running through their nest site, on a public footpath I hasten to add. After a couple of more blows I made it to a hide/hut at the far end.Quote:
Originally Posted by MattPo
After hiding there shitting myself for a few minutes I plucked up enough courage for my return. As I was wearing nothing but shorts and a vest my only protection was running with one hand in the air. After taking lots of hits from many different assailants I made it back to Burrafirth and on to Saxa Vord. I remember that the back of my right hand was red raw having had the skin grazed away by beak and feet.
A beautiful part of the world but only myself to blame!
We had a Buzzard come screaming through the back garden this afternoon...
In light of the previous few posts, i remained safely inside the house!
This thread has been taking on a rather Hitchcockian theme recently (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birds_(film)), so here is my contribution: a skua observed from rather close quarters on the coast near the Old Man of Hoy, Orkney, in 1992.
Attachment 8793
Not quite the quality of wildlife photography that we would get from Wharfeego, but I was subject to an air raid at the time! Fortunately no bombs were dropped, and there was no beak-to-face combat.
I'm guessing this wasn't taken with a telephoto lens. In which case, the skua was scarily close.Quote:
Originally Posted by anthonykay
From me: a family of long-tailed tits slowly making their way along the road-side tree line. The young ones were still a little fluffy and hadn't yet developed the apricot shoulders.
Yesterday evening two peregrines, I think they were young ones, squabbling and squawking in flight on the rim of Hindlow Quarry. They flew past us, about 30feet away and 3ft off the ground for a few seconds before disappearing into the quarry. We could still hear them and around a minute later we were treated to another flypast from the opposite direction before they disappeared silently back into the quarry.
Fantastic.
Went for a walk around the fields this morning and saw hundreds of baby rabbits.
Most I've seen for 50year.
Sounds like you've got a proper warren on your door step. Although mainly scavengers, Red Kites will kill rabbits and might be tempted away from Harewood House to your neck of the woods.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stagger
They would be welcome at Temple Newsam to keep them from digging up the fairways and keep the rooks off the greensQuote:
Originally Posted by Llani Boy
A blooming great Peacock today... in the carpark outside my office, about a mile from the NEC...
Looking into the window of the next office... i assume it could see its reflection and thought it might be another Peacock...
No idea what it was doing round there. Thought i must've been on drugs, so i took a photo to make sure it was real!
Not wildlife but I saw my first couple of Harebells (Fellbells) of the season on the fell today
About 8 wrens flying across the footpath one at a time, but in quick succession. In front of me and Mrs Noel on yesterday's run. My British birds top trumps tell me wrens lay lots of eggs (8-11 or something like that), so I'm guessing it was one brood all following a parent bird.
Was going to give my beech hedge a trim today but whilst having my breakfast I observed a Mistle Thrush collecting nest materials and taking them into the hedge.
On checking I can see that a nest is being built, or probably refurbished for a second brood, as I would think that the middle of July is a bit late for a pair to start from scratch.
lammergeyer at top of derwent valley
biggest bird I've even seen in the wild
Do you know if it is still using its overnight roost in Abbey Brook?Quote:
Originally Posted by DazTheSlug
I saw it yesterday (Sunday) - not sure as to its exact whereabouts today! ;)
I'm hoping and praying it doesn't get shot by a farmer or gamekeeper.
On a smaller note, last Wednesday when I was running down towards Higher Poynton outside the Lyme Park boundary, a buzzard took off from the wall on my right and flew down the hill in front of me, swerving from left to right. I wondered if it had evolved the swerving technique to evade bullets. Only (half) joking. ;-)
Visited Bempton Cliffs RSPB reserve today on the east coast, up from Brid. Superb seabird action including Puffins. Highlight though was a very close sighting of a young Peragrine sat on the cliff top. Wandered further along the cliff top and then returned - Two young Peregrines!
A pair of young deer grazing in the middle of a fairway.
I went for a run with Mrs Noel two days ago and saw deer across the valley. Then drove to town yesterday and they were still there. Then drove back from town and they were still there! And before anyone says it, this isn't a deer farm - all the fences are quite low and there are sheep and a few horses in there.
Also, a male blackcap mithering my blackcurrants. No geese on my gooseberries thankfully.
Never mind blackcaps and geese, a badger had most of my gooseberries and strawberries this year. I didn't see it, but the berries gave it diarrhoea: the evidence was distributed across my lawn.Quote:
Originally Posted by noel
Badgers = VerminQuote:
Originally Posted by anthonykay
I can only hope your lawn grows well with the extra fertiliser.Quote:
Originally Posted by anthonykay