34theletterbetweenB&D Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 This years crop of fledglings were truly out in force yesterday and again this morning. Juveniles of all four of the common titmice, greenfinch, chaffinch, dunnock, robin, nuthatch, wood warbler, song thrush, blackbird and greater spotted woodpecker have emerged from cover in the woodland, garden full of weets, squeaks and croaks. (Squirrel vs Magpies)...Should we have intervened, and if so, on which side?... Kill them all and let God sort them out. (Magpies can torment young squirrels all they like, but spend most of their time in this season harrassing the songbird fledglings.) 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adams442T Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 (edited) I am pleased to say that the 'swift' box I put up 2 years ago is now occupied! The building of a new estate behind us meant that the old nursery buildings, their former home, were demolished, and some old trees were 'accidentally' removed (to be replaced by saplings more conveniently placed - for the builders that is) I have one of the few gardens here with trees and large shrubs, and over the past year removed the scrubby grass and replaced it with large flower beds, a pond and gravel paths. This morning at 6am I sat on the garden bench with a brew, and listened to the Blackbirds, aforementioned Swifts, Robins, Sparrows and Finches singing away. Surrounded by bee-hum and birdsong with the sun warming the garden I thought to myself how lucky I am. Edited July 16, 2015 by Adams442T 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted July 16, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 16, 2015 (edited) New estates here, including mine (begun in 1998 and finally finished in 2013) are almost devoid of mature trees. Very sad. Fortunately we are just a few hundred metres from decent, uncultivated scrub land, trees and the River Idle (yes, great name that isn't it). Phil Edited July 16, 2015 by Mallard60022 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lurker Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 the swifts enjoyed themselves last night. Most evenings I see 3 and occasionally 5 flying around above the house (always odd numbers which seems strange). Last night there was a huge and noisy flock excitedly flying around - well in excess of 20 and probably more than 30. It must have been a good insect evening! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Reorte Posted July 17, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 17, 2015 Great tits and blue tits on the feeder where I've moved to, and the goldfinches have found the seed. Unfortunately the mice have also found the feeder so I'll have to put something around it to keep them off. Very bold for mice too, one didn't budge until I was about four feet away from it. Lots of ducks nearby (I'm next to a canal). Apparently kingfishers used to live by it before it was reopened. I'm hoping that there might be some in the stream below the house but I haven't seen any yet. Did see something that was quite yellow on the bottom, which turned out to be a grey wagtail, I hadn't seen one of those before. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 ...Very bold for mice too, one didn't budge until I was about four feet away from it... If it's a woodmouse, (orange-brown coloured sides, big ears) they are very short/poorly sighted in my experience. Moving slowly you can get up very close indeed, especially if you screen your binocular vision eyes which are very obviously a major clue to them that a predator is closing in. When they do see you they jump, and boy can they jump, often doing a wizz as they go. (They really shriek when a tawny owl picks them up to, happens quite a lot in our garden at a location under the tree with the birdfeeders hanging in it.) 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted July 17, 2015 Author Share Posted July 17, 2015 I can report 4 ex grey squirrels. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted July 17, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 17, 2015 If it's a woodmouse, (orange-brown coloured sides, big ears) they are very short/poorly sighted in my experience. Moving slowly you can get up very close indeed, especially if you screen your binocular vision eyes which are very obviously a major clue to them that a predator is closing in. When they do see you they jump, and boy can they jump, often doing a wizz as they go. (They really shriek when a tawny owl picks them up to, happens quite a lot in our garden at a location under the tree with the birdfeeders hanging in it.) Mice don't have bladders, they are therefore incontinent leaving a trail of urine. That is why whenever they contaminate food it should always be thrown away. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Budgie Posted July 17, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 17, 2015 I can report 4 ex grey squirrels. How did you dispose of the bodies? When I had a few ex-greys, I cut them open and left them on the path. The disappeared after a couple of days, probably courtesy of our local crows. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Reorte Posted July 17, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 17, 2015 Mice don't have bladders, they are therefore incontinent leaving a trail of urine. That is why whenever they contaminate food it should always be thrown away. One reason I want rid of them. They're not in the house so they're not affecting me personally (so I'm no out to exterminate them, not that I'd be that bothered if the local cat did) but I'm sure the birds would appreciate their food not being covered in it. I'd tried banging the window to shift them which worked a couple of times until they figured out that it didn't mean anything. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted July 17, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 17, 2015 the swifts enjoyed themselves last night. Most evenings I see 3 and occasionally 5 flying around above the house (always odd numbers which seems strange). Last night there was a huge and noisy flock excitedly flying around - well in excess of 20 and probably more than 30. It must have been a good insect evening! Maybe prepping to leave? Our Martins used to gather and visit each nest in the area just before they went away. I have not really noticed when our Swifts leave but I'm sure it is earlier than Martins. Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted July 17, 2015 Author Share Posted July 17, 2015 How did you dispose of the bodies? As they weren't my property I escorted them via a shovel into the undergrowth and the last time I saw them, Bank Voles were making little furry collars for their winter overcoats. (Abiding by the lore of the land I buried them out of the reach of carnivores and children). 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
t8hants Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Has anybody noticed that the decline in insects and other common animals in the food chain apears to coincide with the adoption of unleaded petrol. Which I am given to understand is highly toxic, worse infact then unleaded ever was. The whole campaign to adopt it was brought about because that is what the petrol companies wanted as its much cheaper to make. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted July 18, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 18, 2015 There are many reasons given for the decline in insects, some agricultural chemicals have had a devastating effect on bee populations for instance and the decline in some butterflies has been attributed to global warming. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 As butterflies are also insects, I suspect that the liberal use of insecticides has had a big impact. The trend to (irony alert) "improved" grassland for sheep and cow pastures has made sure the vigorous grasses now sown can out-compete the self seeding annual wild meadow flowers loved by butterflies. People will blame anything and everything onto global warming, if it diverts attention from the harm they are doing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 (edited) Mornin' all, Colorful start today with greenfinch, goldfinch, redpoll and siskin occupying the feeders at the same time....just needed the bullfinch to complete the set. Dave Edited July 19, 2015 by Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfsboy Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 We raised a house martin quite a few years ago .It had fallen from a nest and was very young .We fed it on maggots and caught flies and such with pointed tweezers .It was a full time job I can tell you .The parents must be worn out after nesting .We were worried about how it would leave with the others or even fly so I jumped up and down on the bed a few times and chucked it gently up in the air but no go .In the end the other martins nesting on our house started flying round gathering up the broods for migration so I opened a fanlight window and placed our little martin on the frame .An adult came flying right up to it ,tweeted and our baby flew off .A magic moment and a lump in throat . 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted July 19, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 19, 2015 Global warming is a fact, it has happened several times in the past, as have ice ages. It has been found that some species of butterfly had considerably reduced numbers, when it was looked into it was found that the cause was food plants that they relied upon were dying out in more southern regions due to climate change but were thriving in more northern climes and the butterflies were slow in following suit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 And that is exactly the excuse which will see the losses continue. In the period 1984 to 1993 the UK lost over 121,000 miles of hedgerow. That amounted to 33% of what had been there in 1984, although that figure was 96,000 miles than at the end of WW2. The figures for the last 20 years appear to be difficult to find, although I doubt there has been an increase. During the period since WW2, we have lost 97% of our wildflower meadows. It is highly unlikely that the majority of this destruction has been due to global warming, but it has taken with it the larval foodplants of the majority of our native butterflies. And those that are left still have to battle with the obsessive "tidy roadside, gardens, wasteground" groups of individuals, to whom the very sight of rampant nettles, thistles, brambles and annual grasses are offensive to their eyes and culture. Butterflies and bees are just two of the loser species in this man-made wildlife holocaust. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfsboy Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 We have a large sparrow colony.They live in our ivy which is only trimmed back after nesting and then not drastically .They cost us a fortune in seed but they are fun to watch though noisy when roosting . Yesterday my wife was sitting in a garden alcove ,job to describe but it has closed back and sides of vegetation and timber .Suddenly what she thinks was a Kestrel zoomed past the top of her head touching the top with its claws and freaking the life out of her .It grabbed a starling on the bird table and that upset her a bit .The weird thing is the kestrel must have been waiting in side at the back of the alcove about 2 ft from her and before my wife sat down as there is no other way in .We normally get sparrow hawks but she reckoned it was certainly a kestrel as it had more reddish hues than a sparrow hawk. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyID Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Mother turkey and two chicks settling down to roost for the night high in a Ponderosa Pine. They fly up to the lower branches then work their way further up the tree. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted August 14, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 14, 2015 Suddenly the Long Tailed Tits have re-appeared They are regular visitors to the garden and are usually in groups of 6 - 12 individuals but for some reason they dis-appear for some weeks and suddenly come back as today. On the fat balls: There were about 8 this time, some were on the peanuts at the same time Keith 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 At least one of the seagull family that guards the nest behind the chimney across the road has become a garden bird eating ants and other insects. I have only seen the one doing this and maybe he got curious about the crows and discovered food! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted August 15, 2015 Author Share Posted August 15, 2015 We normally get sparrow hawks but she reckoned it was certainly a kestrel as it had more reddish hues than a sparrow hawk. It seems unlikely that a Kestrel would take a Starling (but possible I suppose). Be interesting if you see it again. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adams442T Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 As part of my garden re-birth I set up a bird-feeder. It's taken a while for the blackbirds, sparrows and tits to start using it but they are now. Yesterday though I heard a tap-tapping on the path and there was a Thrush removing one of the snail army that are always with us. Result!! 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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