Your day's wildlife

[Illaveago]

A young Goldfinch landed on the bird feeder whilst I was sat in the garden with my cat.

 

[coffeejo]

My local sparrowhawk launched yet another unsuccessful attempt to score a meal earlier. I wonder how many strikes lead to failure vs success.

 

[Poacher]

My local sparrowhawk launched yet another unsuccessful attempt to score a meal earlier. I wonder how many strikes lead to failure vs success.

Just as a guess, maybe 10% to 20% success rate of genuine attempts at grabbing prey - I've seen a Sparrowhawk hanging on to the side of a hedge and groping with surprisingly long legs, trying to snatch one of a small group of shrieking House Sparrows, for the best part of a minute before giving up and flying off. That said, one was successful in our garden yesterday, judging by the feathers left behind.
This afternoon the alarm calls of sparrows alerted me to a circling Buzzard, the third I've seen in the last two days (there have been as many as four in view at one time recently). Probably just finding thermals over this bit of suburban Nottingham, rather than actively hunting, but sooner or later a dozing, sunbathing cat is going to get the shock of its life!

 

[Lullabelle]

Yesterday morning there was a bullfinch in the garden,beautiful splash of colour.

 

[coffeejo]

Just as a guess, maybe 10% to 20% success rate of genuine attempts at grabbing prey - I've seen a Sparrowhawk hanging on to the side of a hedge and groping with surprisingly long legs, trying to snatch one of a small group of shrieking House Sparrows, for the best part of a minute before giving up and flying off. That said, one was successful in our garden yesterday, judging by the feathers left behind.
This afternoon the alarm calls of sparrows alerted me to a circling Buzzard, the third I've seen in the last two days (there have been as many as four in view at one time recently). Probably just finding thermals over this bit of suburban Nottingham, rather than actively hunting, but sooner or later a dozing, sunbathing cat is going to get the shock of its life!

I first met "my" sparrowhawk when she was dancing about in the daffodils in the flowerbed, trying to get at the birds who were screaming at her from the safety of the hedge. Now there is a pair of sparrowhawks: the male flies off again if he fails but she still likes to hang around, presumably in case a potential meal loses its nerve and breaks its cover.

 

[Fnaar]

Heron fishing in local river, yesterday.

 

[User19783]

Not sure what caterpillars these are, but they are making a good job destroying our blackcurrant brush.
Edit: sorry can't spell bush

 

[rich p]

View attachment 134876
Not sure what caterpillars these are, but they are making a good job destroying our blackcurrant brush.

Some bugger completely stripped my redcurrant bushes. And I mean completely. Bird? Mice? Thieving git?
Grrrrr!

 

[annedonnelly]

I stopped to pick up a dazed pigeon on the way home tonight. It had probably been hit by a car but I couldn't see any obvious injuries. In the process of juggling bike & pigeon it decided to climb onto the saddle, so for a while I was pushing the bike with the pigeon riding along. I wish I could've got a photo! After a while it got a bit restless so I left it in a hedge a bit further from the road.

 

[Tail End Charlie]

Thought I'd post this here as well as the birdwatching thread just started.
A couple of weeks ago on the allotment this little fella turned up and was very friendly from the start. Now, each time I go down, within minutes he comes and gives me a welcoming chirp. Over the last few days I've managed to get him to take food from my hand (he particularly likes the tiny wriggly wire worms) and often he jumps onto my foot to get a better view of wherever I've been working. He has no interest in little slugs though, which is a pity.

 

[derrick]

Had a walk in Epping forest today and came across this.

 

[midlife]

Thought I'd post this here as well as the birdwatching thread just started.
A couple of weeks ago on the allotment this little fella turned up and was very friendly from the start. Now, each time I go down, within minutes he comes and gives me a welcoming chirp. Over the last few days I've managed to get him to take food from my hand (he particularly likes the tiny wriggly wire worms) and often he jumps onto my foot to get a better view of wherever I've been working. He has no interest in little slugs though, which is a pity.
View attachment 135006 View attachment 135007

Just out of curiosity what sort of bird is it?

Shaun

 

[Tail End Charlie]

Just out of curiosity what sort of bird is it?

Shaun

I'm pretty sure it's a juvenile robin. Makes all the right noises.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Was it a stoat or a weasel that ran across the road in front of me on yesterday's ride? I wasn't close enough to see whether it had the diagnostic black tip to its tail. Most often when I do it's a stoat.

 

[nickyboy]

Was it a stoat or a weasel that ran across the road in front of me on yesterday's ride? I wasn't close enough to see whether it had the diagnostic black tip to its tail. Most often when I do it's a stoat.

Stoats have a black tip to the tail but this is easy to miss in what is often a fleeting view.

I find the easiest way to tell them apart is their build. Weasels are skinny things. Basically a sausage with a head, four legs and a tail. Stoats are all together bigger and more chunky. More like one of those big salami sausages