Your day's wildlife

[slowmotion]

[QUOTE 3683302, member: 9609"]how sad, i wonder what the reason was. parent killed ?
Box in a sunny spot ? they can sometimes cook if the box is not in some shade.
May be some parasites in there - if you are sure its all over, I would take the box down and give it a deep clean (rinse it out with domestos then dry the inside with a blow torch or hot air gun, singe the inside of the box, make sure any parasites in there are toast) - still time for it to get reused this year.[/QUOTE]
Thank you for your suggestions. The box has some shade because it's on one of the centre branches of a cherry tree and is surrounded by outer branches that have some leaves. It's also north-facing and quite well exposed to the largely gently breezes in our urban garden. When we came back on Monday night, there were no signs of any chicks but Mrs Tit was sitting on the nest. She hasn't been back since Tuesday morning. It's all a bit of a mystery. I think that I'll wait until Sunday and then clean and disinfect the nest. I suspect that it's too late for some new tenants this year because Spring has been quite mild down here and the birds started nesting early.

Although it's very sad that they have all gone, they gave us an enormous amount of pleasure over the last few months. I never had much of an interest in birds previously but now I'm fascinated by them.

 

[slowmotion]

Blimey! Blooming awkward tenants you've got!

 

[nickyboy]

Whilst burning the midnight oil watching the election the security light went on in the garden. Not a badger, we get them every night......it was a hedgehog. I haven't seen one of these that wasn't squashed on a road for years.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Thank you for your suggestions. The box has some shade because it's on one of the centre branches of a cherry tree and is surrounded by outer branches that have some leaves. It's also north-facing and quite well exposed to the largely gently breezes in our urban garden. When we came back on Monday night, there were no signs of any chicks but Mrs Tit was sitting on the nest. She hasn't been back since Tuesday morning. It's all a bit of a mystery. I think that I'll wait until Sunday and then clean and disinfect the nest. I suspect that it's too late for some new tenants this year because Spring has been quite mild down here and the birds started nesting early.

Although it's very sad that they have all gone, they gave us an enormous amount of pleasure over the last few months. I never had much of an interest in birds previously but now I'm fascinated by them.

you may well get new tenants, so don't give up. Some birds raise as many as 3 clutches a year now in the south and the next tenants have had a mishap as well, they may well start to lay quite soon after finding a new nest site. Here in Cheshire we have had quite a few trees and branches down this week from the storms, so nest sites will have been lost and or damaged as well and birds will be looking for new.

 

[andytheflyer]

Whilst burning the midnight oil watching the election the security light went on in the garden. Not a badger, we get them every night......it was a hedgehog. I haven't seen one of these that wasn't squashed on a road for years.

That's a good idea. What sort of security light? Is it a floodlight of some sort or something more subtle. We get badgers occasionally too. Don't half make a mess of the lawn!

 

[annedonnelly]

I never had much of an interest in birds previously but now I'm fascinated by them.

That's great! There's a huge amount of pleasure to be had from watching the local wildlife. You can turn it into an expensive hobby if you wish, or it can cost nowt - just take pleasure in what's on your doorstep or local park

 

[nickyboy]

That's a good idea. What sort of security light? Is it a floodlight of some sort or something more subtle. We get badgers occasionally too. Don't half make a mess of the lawn!

It's one of those halogen infra red things from B&Q, pretty cheap. It's main role is security but a happy by-product is it illuminates badgers, foxes and now, hedgehogs. Badgers dig up our lawns too, it's a struggle to find something sensible to stop them as we like to see them and don't want to totally block up the garden

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

loads of goldfinches at the side of the road and in the hedgerows. Plenty of swallows around. A bank vole and numerous buzzards. I suspect there is loads more I have forgotten - which reminds me... I saw some more lapwings in another location today.

 

[Globalti]

I saw a hare hopping around in the field out back this morning as I was shaving. Saw some hair as well...

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Managed to get a snap of one of the newts in the pond. Done on the tablet so quality is a bit crap.

 

[Surlydave]

Lots to see in sunny Suffolk yesterday, numerous swallows and partridges along with peacocks and about half a dozen buzzards.

 

[Surlydave]

Update on previous posting, just heard first cuckoo of the year.

 

[MartinQ]

First time we've had more than one hog at the feeders . We'd put the mealworms out earlier in the evening but I was knackered and fell asleep and didn't open the feeders at dusk (the blackbirds have learnt that there is a free meal in there). Went out at around midnight to loud grunting noises and found these two. Opened the feeders and left them to it.

 

[Hyslop]

Not todays news Im afraid(forgot to post the other day)Little Egret on Burgh Marsh.A spaniel on the marsh flushed a smallish white bird from a channel,which then obligingly flew towards me,landing about 10 yards away,giving me a superb sighting of a feeding Egret.Alas my phone lay beyond the bird so I missed a photo.Although they have been spotted farther West,I ts the first time Ive seen one on the Inner Solway.

 

[gbb]

One of those moments when you're driving, spot something for one second and think...whaaaa...
Forty Foot pumping station, a horrible old brick building adjacent to the drain has an owl box sited on one of its walls. As I drove past, something light coloured was perched at its entrqnce..looking q bit bedraggled...a young owl I suspect but quite big all the same.
Lapwing a regular sighting in one specific scrubby field, lovely bird close up when its crest is erect (ooer missus)