Your day's wildlife

[busman]

 

[nickyboy]

On the epic Manchester - Llandudno ride there weren't many wildlife highlights (although there were plenty of folk having a wild life in Llandudno that evening).
Rode on to Holyhead on Sunday and I was treated to dozens of buzzard sightings but best of all was a red kite near Conway. It was hovering over the embankment as I passed, couldn't have been more than 20m away. Flapping vigorously with its legs dangling down. Not a natural hoverer like the Kestrel. Lovely to see

 

[busman]

Should of said you were going to Holyhead. Only about a 45 minute ride from there. Could of had cake !!!!!

 

[nickyboy]

Should of said you were going to Holyhead. Only about a 45 minute ride from there. Could of had cake !!!!!

Pity, it was a really nice day but headwind all the way. Stooped off at Newbridge (spelling?) forest then had a meal (plus cake) at Treaddur Bay. Never ridden Anglesey before, very impressed. Lovely and quiet, rolling and not too hilly

 

[busman]

Anglesey is a lovely place to ride.

 

[vernon]

Bull finches and a woodpecker on the bird feeders this morning

 

[biggs682]

Saw these rare breed sheep whilst out walking. They kept rubbing there horns up against the bird hide we were sat in

 

[Twinks]

Cuckoo! No I'm not but I heard one a couple of days ago and saw him today. Not often you see the cuckoo when there's snow on the hills. Poor thing.

 

[gbb]

Cuckoo! No I'm not but I heard one a couple of days ago and saw him today. Not often you see the cuckoo when there's snow on the hills. Poor thing.

Funnily enough, heard my first one this year this evening. Im sure they've been around a while, I just haven't been in the right environment lately.
Other notables today...went for a walk after work tonight..
One fox in the distance mooching about in a field.
One twite/redpoll or linnet, need to connect my camera to the pc to get a detailed look.

This morning...
One Barn owl, two buzzard perched on the posts of a fence of a small field containing sheep, they're (the buzzards) seen there regularly.
Also found owl pellets...on top of the steel staircase leading to the roof of the factory at the rear of the building, overlooking scrub land etc. Must be a roosting or watch point for the owl.

 

[slowmotion]

A busy few days in the nest box. Out of eleven eggs, I think nine hatched. Some of the tiny tits sadly didn't make it. I think that the one at seven o'clock in the picture might be one of them but it's hard to tell because they all live and squirm in a big heap. They look pretty comic really.
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View: https://vimeo.com/126318435
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[andytheflyer]

Amazing isnt it?Both the Lapwings and the cyclists!I could watch Lapwings all day and fortunately, round here I can do just that,though one of my favourite spots, a field with 5 nests(that I could see)has just been entirely ploughed,all gone sadly.This mind you is the same rustic bunch who slash their hedges in the breeding season.You can tell by looking which fields are theirs,and the farm.....is filthy!

Isn't that an offence? In my industry (civil engineering) we have to go to great pains not to disturb nesting birds - no tree felling in the breeding season, no hedge cutting etc. I thought it was the law that controls this - maybe a call to your local RSPB?

 

[andytheflyer]

Hope they have better luck than the 2 blackbird chicks that were following mum around my garden yesterday. Eating my Cornflakes in the conservatory this morning there was a flash of mottled beige and white feathers across my field of view, followed by feathers and an huge racket of squawking blackbirds. There are a few downy black feathers on the ground now but having seen a decidedly motheaten-looking adult male a few minutes ago, they may be his and the chicks survived. Will have to keep my eye open for the chicks - although I suspect they'll be keeping a low profile if the sparrowhawk is still hungry! Not the first time we've been visited - a pigeon met its end on the lawn a couple of years ago, and we looked into each others eyes last year when I rolled up the drive to find the 'hawk dismantling another woody. Sparrowhawk wasn't bothered at all. Just got on with lunch.

Tough world out there.


Update - both BB chicks been seen with dad. Phew. But I suppose there's a sparrowhawk chick somewhere still hungry!

Didn't survive long - found a corpse under our conservatory widow - had obviously thought it could fly right through and met an irresistible force in the glass pane. The other was being fed this morning by both mum and dad.

 

[Hyslop]

Isn't that an offence? In my industry (civil engineering) we have to go to great pains not to disturb nesting birds - no tree felling in the breeding season, no hedge cutting etc. I thought it was the law that controls this - maybe a call to your local RSPB?

You know,you may well be quite right.Food for thought there,I think.Mind you,the adjoining farmer is the total opposite.The first time I passed the farm,I stopped to let the tractor out.We spoke and ever since then I get a wave and a"hello"! occasionally I see him,binos in hand,watching the Buzzards in his top field.If Im on the road(which has a few nasty bends)I know when he is around,apart from the roar of the tractor,every bend gats a loud blast on the horn.One of the good guys

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

The greater spotted woodpecker that visits the suet blocksi put on my bedroom window just (5:30am) woke me and in my confused state, knowing my husband had to get me up and dressed earlier this morning, got a 'good morning' out of me. I thought it was my husband knocking on the bedroom door to wake me. My husband was at the bottom of the stairs and it seems just as confused as me!

Following on from the woodpecker, we had a great dawn chorus and both the male and female Bullfinches have been in for the sunflower seeds, plus the long tailed tits (pair of), usual coal, great and blue tits, nuthatch and my robin. So far the only visitors I haven't seen yet are my chaffinches!

If the weather clears up I might go for a walk and say hello to the tree creeper and wren I usually see!

 

[andytheflyer]

Didn't survive long - found a corpse under our conservatory widow - had obviously thought it could fly right through and met an irresistible force in the glass pane. The other was being fed this morning by both mum and dad.

Now I'm confused - 3 blackbird chicks in the garden. They have their breakfast at the same time as me. Must be 2 broods and 2 sets of parents.

And the tits are busy feeding chicks too. It's all happening. And I became a grandfather for the second time yesterday, must be the season.....