Your day's wildlife

[newfhouse]

no nest building activities?

They have started today.

 

[rockyroller]

They have started today.

hehe yay!

 

[rockyroller]

I immediately thought of Mr. Sherman's Freshman Geometry class. I wonder if Pythagoras every encountered beaver in Greece

 

[Poacher]

No decent picture sadly, but I've just learned that wood pigeons take showers. I know birds bathe, but I never knew any of them showered.

I'm currently watching a wood pigeon sitting on an exposed tree branch across the road; The heavens opened, and he started putting a wing in the air, like when a human puts an arm in the air in the shower to wash under their pits. He'd alternate wings so both sides got a good dousing. It was comical, I expected him to grab some soap and start singing. Once the rain stopped his wings went down and he started preening under his arm pits wing pits.
I surprised the Google AI no doubt with the batsh1t enquiry "Do pigeons shower?" And RSPB said yes, it is a thing! Wood pigeons prefer to use falling water to shower in rather than bathing in pools like other birds. They've been seen using public fountains in the same way. I'm not sure why but that's delighted me.

Spot on description! It's amused me many times. I'm still puzzling over what bird has been splashing water out of a small holding pond in the artificial stream associated with my pond, leaving a thick film of feather powder. I'm still inclined to blame a Woodpigeon, just because I blame them for most things!

No photo, but this morning there was a brutal battle between two male Blackbirds on the footpath over the road from me, spilling on to the road itself. Usually, territorial disputes are settled with posturing, threats and an occasional flurry. This one was full-on cockfight style, flying up together with feet scrabbling each other, one pinning the other down on the floor with savage pecking and scratching.
They only separated when a passer-by was within a couple of metres.

In other news, there's finally some frogspawn in the pond. I was fearful that the dreadful fungal(?) disease that's killed off so many in recent years would lead to the first blank year in nearly 3 decades since I dug the pond. Very few frogs, and only one bunch of spawn, but at least there are some.

The NTU Peregrines now have their first egg. Unusually, the female was incubating it yesterday. The normal procedure is that 3 or 4 eggs are laid a couple of days apart before full-time incubation starts. She's now acting true to form and has flown off, leaving the egg unguarded, but I imagine at least one of the pair is fairly close by to keep an eye on the nest site.

 

[Ripple]

Bzzzzz.

 

[rockyroller]

Bzzzzz.

wow, love the sharpness!

 

[biggs682]

We had a spikey garden visitor last night


View: https://www.facebook.com/100001865244051/videos/pcb.5322804871124968/5322801857791936

 

[rockyroller]

We had a spikey garden visitor last night

haha that's fantastic. how do you decide where to setup your camera?

 

[biggs682]

haha that's fantastic. how do you decide where to setup your camera?

I just plonk it around the garden with no idea what we will get , best one so far

 

[potsy]

Today's cheeky visitors

 

[newfhouse]

A noisy lone parakeet.

 

[newfhouse]

Since Monday it has looked like one bird brings materials in only for the other to say “I’m not having that in my house!” and promptly removing it. Today they’re making serious progress.

 

[BoldonLad]

Since Monday it has looked like one bird brings materials in only for the other to say “I’m not having that in my house!” and promptly removing it. Today they’re making serious progress.
View attachment 579537

"he" has clearly learned to do as he is told

 

[gbb]

First ladybird and a little bee.

 

[newfhouse]

"he" has clearly learned to do as he is told

To avoid trouble I’m going to say that I can’t tell which is which