Today's Wildlife Encounter

[Llani Boy]

On todays bike ride a close up of a pair of mating Curlew. Boy were his wings flapping! Also a stoat ran across the road in front of me.
On returning home a continuing semi-wildlife encounter is a group of 5 juvenile pea hens proudly strutting through the village. They have come from a garden 2 miles away and the owner does not want them back. They are becoming a nuisance so a couple of us have hatched a plan to entice them into a garden shed.If that doesn't work then a net will be thrown over them a they feed in a group. I have already found a new home for them, 7 miles away!
Any other ideas to catch them Moley if our plans don't work?

[molehill]

Feed them into the shed sounds good, otherwise I always chuck some grain on the ground and use a large fishing landing net on a long handle, though the peahens are a bit big it's enough to tangle them and jump on them quick. But they all learn quickly, miss once and they won't come near you carrying a net again!

Best got rid of, damn things can be a perishing nuisance about the place.

[Llani Boy]

Thanks for that Molehill. Apologies for referring to you as Moley. I've no idea where that came from.

The shed trick did not work overnight. They are up on a neighbours roof ridge at the moment!

[molehill]

The Moley bit comes from everyone calls me Moley, so spot on!
If you do catch them, go for the legs first, that is where the power is and all big birds can do some damage. Get a hand round both legs and the rest is just flapping about, the an arm round the wings as quick as poss and job done. I've caught loads including a few swans with no problems. Get rid of the beggars, they won't be popular once the novelty of seeing them wears thin.

[anthonykay]

I recommend putting them in the oven for 2 hours at 160 degrees C.

[Llani Boy]

On today's bike ride, apart from the usual suspects, two large Brown Hares and a Jay.

[noel]

A pair of mating cabbage white butterflies on the lawn. I thought it was just one at first, so picked them up. They sat happily on my fingers until I put them down again.

[molehill]

Heard the cuckoo from the garden yesterday, a bit late but here at last.

[JohnK]

heard woodpecker, saw stoat, kingfisher nd a couple of slugs

[noel]

Slugs is clearly the winner here.

Green tiger beetle for me. According to my book, very quick and voracious predators. Pretty looking things - here's a link to one looking about 300 times bigger than they really are: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildl...n-tiger-beetle