Your day's wildlife

[Flick of the Elbow]

Just been watching a garden first for us here, a nuthatch, in fact two of them on a neighbour’s poplar. We see and hear them in the vicinity quite often but this is a first for seeing them from the house.
They have only moved into this part of Scotland in the last 20 years or so.

 

[8mph]

I've been off the bike for a week, post tour and with the heat. Went for a ride to Dartington estate yesterday and was rewarded with my first stoat sighting. It came out of the undergrowth and crossed the lane about 15ft in front of me. Bigger than a weasle, it had a reddish coat, white underside and a dark tip at the end of its tail.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

I've been off the bike for a week, post tour and with the heat. Went for a ride to Dartington estate yesterday and was rewarded with my first stoat sighting. It came out of the undergrowth and crossed the lane about 15ft in front of me. Bigger than a weasle, it had a reddish coat, white underside and a dark tip at the end of its tail.

You can identify a weasel quite weaselly but a stoat is stoatilly different
(As told by the late Richard Moore on The Cycling Podcast recently )

 

[8mph]

You can identify a weasel quite weaselly but a stoat is stoatilly different
(As told by the late Richard Moore on The Cycling Podcast recently )

Weasles were (weaselly) top of my "most exotic" list but the stoat was a very regal looking creature.

 

[Gillstay]

We get Polecats around here. My partner has seen two. I saw a dead one.

 

[PaulSB]

A regular visitor to our garden. She turns up around 7.30 most mornings and can be seen wandering around the village at other times. She seems very confident and provided one is quiet and moves slowly she doesn't bolt but might choose to walk away.

A very beautiful creature we're privileged to see so close to the house. She does like to eat flowers though!

 

[biggs682]

@PaulSB that's a very tidy garden.
And it must be lovely to see the deer in the garden

 

[Poacher]

We get Polecats around here. My partner has seen two. I saw a dead one.

Saw what I'm fairly sure was a dead one on the A612 just E of Burton Joyce (E of Nottingham) last year.
Possibly an escaped ferret, but looked right for the genuine article.

The twins were minding their own unknowable business (probably related to food), totally unaware that they were being watched...

Bad cat had the advantage of height, two steps above, top right.

They noticed a movement, and sprang into action with a blood-curdling growl. Twin 2 reacted within a split second to lend its support.

Bad cat wasn't going to hang around, faced by these two. They were hungry...

... but not hungry enough to eat a cat. Having seen it off the premises, they returned in triumph

and went about their business, undisturbed.

We were lying awake in bed at the time and initially thought it was badger v badger violence, such was the noise. Sometimes noises remain unexplained because they didn't happen in camera range, but this was excitingly different. Unfortunately, bad cat wasn't permanently deterred from visiting our garden. Wonder if I can persuade the badgers to take up residence?

 

[Proto]

We have a nice blueberry bush, and a huge number of berries, or we did have until this bird turned up with a couple of her mates. Its like their own personal corner shop. ”Just popping out for some berries, won’t be long.” Constant.
Bold as brass, you can get within a couple of arm lengths before she makes her excuses and leaves.


.

 

[Tail End Charlie]

Anyone know what this is? I normally hoover up bluebottles etc at this time of year, but didn't have the heart with this one.

 

[nickyboy]

Anyone know what this is? I normally hoover up bluebottles etc at this time of year, but didn't have the heart with this one.


View attachment 653777

I have no skills in fly ID but using Google Lens comes up with a fairly exact match....

South American fruit fly

 

[Tail End Charlie]

I have no skills in fly ID but using Google Lens comes up with a fairly exact match....

South American fruit fly

It's been blown way of course then! Just checked my fruit bowl and the furthest fruit in it is a tomato from my allotment!?!

 

[Tail End Charlie]

Which reminds me of the saying, the first two lines of which you'll have heard.
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is knowing not to put one in a fruit salad.

Philosophy is discussing whether ketchup is therefore a smoothie!

 

[annedonnelly]

I have no skills in fly ID but using Google Lens comes up with a fairly exact match....

South American fruit fly

I think it may be one of the picture wing flies - perhaps Acidia cognata

 

[Asa Post]

Anyone know what this is? I normally hoover up bluebottles etc at this time of year, but didn't have the heart with this one.

And to muddy the waters of identification a bit more...
I suggest a member of the Tephritidae, possibly one of the Urophora.

This isn't aimed at @Tail End Charlie but is a general suggestion for the thread - when a member wants help with the identification of a creature or plant, a photo (or more than one) is the best evidence, but please also include location, habitat, size and anything else that might help.

"I saw this in my garden" isn't as useful as "I saw this in my garden in Sheffield (or South Yorkshire if you don't want to be specific). It was about 2cm long and was on a dandelion leaf. The area is suburban, but the garden has a pond and there is a large area of deciduous woodland not far away".
Many animals have quite specific habitat requirements, and very similar-looking ones are of a different size and/or only appear in different places at different times of year.

The more information that is supplied, the better the chance of an accurate identification.