Today's Wildlife Encounter

[Derby Tup]

I am known for my interest in wildlife but equally I will put my hand in the air and say I'm not a bird spotter or good at identifying small birds, I can do the usual lap wings and plovers, oyster catchers and skylarks, wood peckers, ring ouzel and some birds of prey, these are things I should know as an ML.

but today whilst driving along the Strines road on one of the bends, wooded but with a rocky stream some thing caught my eye and I do have a keen eye in the hills for spotting things, why? because it was different...very different. initially my head said Robin because I saw a flash of bright red but straight away discounted this as I was looking at its bottom and it was slightly longer also .the bird was dark with a hint of white edgeing on its wings and then it was off, I never really saw it's beak unfortuanately but its head was dark (Black).

Now I've poured over my two bird books and can only come up with one bird and it says it's pretty rare or at least scarce.

I reckon it was a Black Redstart...any thing else come to mind.?

Think more likely a redstart Ian. Black redstart are like robins but as near as damn it a stealth dark grey all over

Black redstart at RSPB web

And redstart

[wharfeego]

FIVE! fox cubs.
My god they were cute!

Cute indeed. These two were part of a litter I found on Settle tops recently. I've since found out that they were victims to a man with a spade and a terrier a week ago. Such is the life of foxes in the Yorkshire Dales.

Little Ones by Andy Holden, on Flickr

[Derby Tup]

Cute indeed. These two were part of a litter I found on Settle tops recently. I've since found out that they were victims to a man with a spade and a terrier a week ago. Such is the life of foxes in the Yorkshire Dales.

Little Ones by Andy Holden, on Flickr

'Man' used in a very loose sense wharfee?

[IanDarkpeak]

Think more likely a redstart Ian. Black redstart are like robins but as near as damn it a stealth dark grey all over

Black redstart at RSPB web

And redstart

well of the two id say it was the black red start, the white on the wings was more striking..of course we'll never know but either way it's a bird I've not seen before so still happy

[mr brightside]

I hit a Chaffinch with the car on the way back from the european trial race, just remembered. It hit with a closing speed of about 55mph and made a right thud, i had to pull over and check it hadn't gone through the radiator.

[Daletownrunner]

What I thought was a curlew, but possibly a whimbrel, as the beak looked too short.

[Heaning Hobbler]

Unfotunately our one remaining duck and a few chickens had a wildlife encounter yesterday tea time, unlucky for them it was with one of them cute cuddly foxes that a lot of people seem to love.

[Daletownrunner]

:-( bl**dy foxes hate the scratty things, generally not the noble creature the townies think they are, we had one around us 'extracting' kids rabbits through the meshes on their hutches, until it was dealt with..

[Daletownrunner]

Definitely not a curlew a whimbrel, which looks to be way off course.

[noel]

Cuckoo calling as I was running up to Caw this morning. And a newt (and lots of tadpoles) in Stickle Tarn, Dunnerdale.