Your day's wildlife

[Illaveago]

At 8 o' clock this evening whilst watering my pond I happened to see a bird flapping trying to gain height . I rushed indoors to get my camera . When I returned I had lost sight of it , I eventually spotted it soaring . I'm sorry the pictures aren't very clear but it had gained a lot of height .
I think the pictures show that it was a Peregrine !

 

[Illaveago]

This evening I saw a Sparrowhawk lift off from from the East of me and head towards the South . I tried to follow it by going round to the front of my house to see it joined by another Sparrowhawk . As I watched the pair starting to soar I caught sight of another one soaring high above them. They all appeared to be the same colour ,light brown , so I assume they were females. 2 of them seemed to go off together and I lost sight of the other one .

 

[welsh dragon]

I was in the orchard first thing this morning, and saw one of the bunnies that have made a comeback from mixamatosis that regularly hits the rabbit population here. It is nice to see them back again after an absense of about 5 years. And yes, i have probably spelt it incorrectly.

 

[MikeG]

They're being decimated by a virus now. We hardly ever see a rabbit around here these days. The hares are doing well though.

 

[welsh dragon]

They're being decimated by a virus now. We hardly ever see a rabbit around here these days. The hares are doing well though.

It goes in cycles here. The population increases, then it hits. The numbers crash to zero, then it takes years before the population begins to recover.

 

[MikeG]

It goes in cycles here. The population increases, then it hits. The numbers crash to zero, then it takes years before the population begins to recover.

What I was meaning was that there is a disease now in addition to myxi. Rabbit haemorrhagic disease.

 

[Illaveago]

I was just thinking that the reason why there is so much brambles , shrubs and the like could be due to the decline in rabbit numbers. A field I used to play in is now so overgrown that I don't think I could get in it .

 

[philk56]

One of the more unusual looking but common birds around here. It's a red wattlebird, a type of large honeyeater:

 

[MartinQ]

Our sparrows and great tits have fledged, first time we've had two nest boxes used.
Wilfred the woodpecker has been feeding at the bird feeder and the metal plates we put on the nest boxes have stopped him having a go at the chicks.
Couple of videos of our hogs fighting and meeting the fox cub(s) from last month

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNJgzGzbagU


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNvOYk3HcP8

 

[Illaveago]

I saw the Sparrowhawk lift off from it's usual direction and started soaring and headed West . There was a group of Swift's swirling above and now and then one of them would fly close to the Sparrowhawk which seemed to let off a warning call a bit like a young Kitten . The Sparrowhawk was left to fly off to the West .

 

[gbb]

I've often mentioned a farm I pass where I suspect they're feeding red kite and have on occasions seen maybe 50 wheeling around the farm, usually around 4pm.
Today, maybe 30 of them, many low to the ground, wheeling in and out of surrounding bushes, trees etc.

 

[Illaveago]

We had a Red Kite fly by here today .

 

[Jenkins]

I've often mentioned a farm I pass where I suspect they're feeding red kite and have on occasions seen maybe 50 wheeling around the farm, usually around 4pm.
Today, maybe 30 of them, many low to the ground, wheeling in and out of surrounding bushes, trees etc.
View attachment 416755
View attachment 416756

Just out of interest, is that near the A1(M) at Norman Cross or Stilton as I saw something like that on Tuesday afternoon coming home from Rutland Water?

 

[gbb]

Just out of interest, is that near the A1(M) at Norman Cross or Stilton as I saw something like that on Tuesday afternoon coming home from Rutland Water?

It is.

I say a farm because there's the B1043 Old North Road runs parallel with the A!M and takes you within 30ft of where they are. Whose ever house it is (there's only a scrap yard and a house ) they flock around must get THE most glorious sight of them almost every day.

 

[Paulus]

This moth is in the garden this evening . I am not good on moths but is quite large 2 inches across.