Your day's wildlife

[Rezillo]

We have a bluetit nestbox just outside our living room door into the garden. It has been suspiciously quiet today so I checked the security cam footage and spotted them fledging at 5am.

Just got back inside after confirming the box was empty only for this to arrive on our lawn. We had two there a week ago, and they may be returnees from last year, but just the one today.

 

[midlife]

Just curious but what is it, if I saw that I'd just think pigeon / dove?

 

[biggs682]

Just curious but what is it, if I saw that I'd just think pigeon / dove?

I think it's a European Turtle Dove

 

[Tail End Charlie]

Just curious but what is it, if I saw that I'd just think pigeon / dove?

That's the thing about wildlife, you see something and think "oh it's just a ....." but then something makes you look twice. I'm glad @biggs682 has identified it as I didn't know what it was.
In a similar vein I saw this yesterday and thought it was a common duck (there were two ducklings aswell) but then I noticed the white line across the eye and I think it's a female mandarin (but happy to be proved wrong, if anyone knows any better).

 

[Rezillo]

Just curious but what is it, if I saw that I'd just think pigeon / dove?

Turtle dove, not to be confused with stock doves or collared doves. They are quite small - this one was being got at by a much larger wood pigeon. The gold and black feathers are a give-away.

Until two years ago, the last ones we had were in 2012. We had a single one in 2020 then two last year.

 

[Asa Post]

Young children seem to be good at climbing, but not so good at getting down again...

 

[nickyboy]

I think it's a European Turtle Dove

It is

And to give some context, Turtle Doves used to be common in S and C England but a variety of factors, mainly changes in farming practices, has made this a very uncommon bird indeed. I've lived in Lancashire and Derbyshire all my life and I've never seen one

 

[Gillstay]

That's the thing about wildlife, you see something and think "oh it's just a ....." but then something makes you look twice. I'm glad @biggs682 has identified it as I didn't know what it was.
In a similar vein I saw this yesterday and thought it was a common duck (there were two ducklings aswell) but then I noticed the white line across the eye and I think it's a female mandarin (but happy to be proved wrong, if anyone knows any better).
View attachment 646399

Yep, female Mandarin. Not sure where they come from as we only see them spring and autumn.

 

[annedonnelly]

There are sightings of Southern Marsh Orchids around Peterborough, though not many of them.
iNaturalist is a useful site for recording what you've seen. There's a linked app called Seek that lets you point a phone camera and tells you what you're looking at. If you choose to, you can then take a photo and upload it to iNaturalist. You would need to create an account, but it's all free.

And if you record it through iNaturalist or IRecord it makes the information available to your local environmental records centre They make the information about wildife in your area available for planning, conservation, research, etc.

 

[Tail End Charlie]

Saw this while on a walk yesterday. Looks like cobwebs but I understand that (ermine?) moths are responsible and when you look closely there were hundreds and hundreds of caterpillars in among the webs. Appeared to be several different sorts. Safety from predators by sheer numbers. An apple tree in my garden also has a few on, I've since noticed.

 

[biggs682]

Our visiting hog enjoying it's supper last night

 

[Dave 123]

Fulmar
Blackcap
Cuckoo just about to go back to Africa
Wheatear flew off across the sea

Another hour or so along the coast path

 

[Dave 123]

I apologise about the jumbled up post above. It’s really difficult to post multiple images and text on my phone.

Orange tip butterfly
Bee in flight
Cardinal beetle????
Fulmar
Wheatear- flew away over the sea
Cuckoo- in and around the thickets right on the coast. Ready to migrate.
Goldfinch
Blackcap

 

[Dave 123]

From the garden

 

[Andy in Germany]

Swans nesting on the towpath near Merckolsheim, Alsace.