Your day's wildlife

[Mark1978]

Today this happened in my back garden - hope that you can see the images as you never know if links to facebook pics will work...

 

[Mrs M]

Great pics, poor wee victim though.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Today this happened in my back garden - hope that you can see the images as you never know if links to facebook pics will work...

Oh yes, that's vivid enough!

 

[annedonnelly]

I do love it when the swallows fly low around the bike when I'm riding along. Nearly got hit by one that popped out of a gap in a hedge but it took evasive action

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I've just seen a blackcap.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I went mini-beast hunting with the grandchildren and we caught - briefly, jut long enough to show it to mummy - a frog. Quite some distance from the nearest pond or lake.

 

[gbb]

Trouble with many birds is you only get a fleeting glance..and its gone.
Driving to work, 6.30am. Right on the edge of town bordering the fens a raptor crosses low in front of me, low enough to see his back as he glides past 30ft in front and to the side of me.
I tried to concentrate on detail in that few seconds, smaller than a kite, slimmer than most buzzards, bigger than sparrowhawk or kestrel. Moderately slim, longer neck than kestrel, head quite out front. Mottled plumage, NOT speckled, lightish coloured head, mid brown mottled feathers on its upper and noticeable grey patches on the upper wings near its body. And then its gone....
Ive seen so many Buzzard and Kite, quite a few Marsh Harrier, Hobby and Merlin ive seen, nothing obviously like this, so frustrating because many raptors have such varied plumage, male , female, jeuvenile...its so variable.

Looking at photos on google, Marsh Harrier have grey patches on their upper wings although more toward the wingtips. I'm guessing Marsh Harrier, maybe a young one judging by the siz and there is a breeding population near Whittlesea, only a few miles away as the crow flies.

 

[Drago]

Walking Lemmy along the edge of one of the local woods this afternoon and a deer ran out in front of me and off across the field. Couldn't have been 10 feet away at its closest point. Stupid dog didn't even look up from ferreting the undergrowth for his ball.

 

[nickyboy]

Trouble with many birds is you only get a fleeting glance..and its gone.
Driving to work, 6.30am. Right on the edge of town bordering the fens a raptor crosses low in front of me, low enough to see his back as he glides past 30ft in front and to the side of me.
I tried to concentrate on detail in that few seconds, smaller than a kite, slimmer than most buzzards, bigger than sparrowhawk or kestrel. Moderately slim, longer neck than kestrel, head quite out front. Mottled plumage, NOT speckled, lightish coloured head, mid brown mottled feathers on its upper and noticeable grey patches on the upper wings near its body. And then its gone....
Ive seen so many Buzzard and Kite, quite a few Marsh Harrier, Hobby and Merlin ive seen, nothing obviously like this, so frustrating because many raptors have such varied plumage, male , female, jeuvenile...its so variable.

Looking at photos on google, Marsh Harrier have grey patches on their upper wings although more toward the wingtips. I'm guessing Marsh Harrier, maybe a young one judging by the siz and there is a breeding population near Whittlesea, only a few miles away as the crow flies.

Not easy based on the description. Have a look at the various plumages for Hen Harrier and Montague's Harrier. The males are very grey but the immatures are mottled. They transition from mottled to grey. The size and shape you describe fit both these species well. I'd guess Montague's at this time of year given your location

 

[Mark1978]

[QUOTE 3719565, member: 9609"]great picure, did you see the kill ?
is it a young starling[/QUOTE]
I didnt see the kill, it was already tucking into it when i noticed it in the garden. I think it is (or was) a juvenile blackbird

 

[Alex H]

Not quite on topic, but the one room house we have next door contains a bread oven. unfortunately in no fit state to return to it's original purpose. Others have a different use for it

This is the over door below the chimney

This is a wasp's nest - about 30-40cm across - not active this year

This is how they got in

As you can see from the stonework - the whole lot is going to have to come down at some point (if it doesn't collapse by itself)

 

[Mrs M]

[QUOTE 3722239, member: 9609"]it flew back into the tree I presume it fell out of. there is a nest box of tree sparrows, so may be one of those, but don't know

[/QUOTE]
Aw, hope it's ok, looks a bit ruffled

 

[Hyslop]

Mixed experiences this weekend,it started badly when I had to remove a dead fledging Sparrow from the birdbath.Odd that,its never happened in this garden,not that I can recall anyway.Mind you,Im pleased to say that the numbers of Sparrow and Starling young appear to be up on last year. in itself a good year.Saturday saw me on the bike and noting that some of you had close encounters with Swallows,I can only add that they buzzed me too.Superb isnt it ! Sometime back I posted about the apparent scarcity of Buzzards. I had a conversation with a farmer from further round the Solway who had noticed the very same.None at all above his land he said and that this had been the case since the early part of the year.It seems so odd.I can remember as a child that the Buzzards were largely to be found on the fells,a rarity on the Solway.Nowadays of course they have become much more common and I used to think that I was one of the few who bothered to remark upon them.Thankfully that at least isnt the case.

 

[annedonnelly]

The starlings have turned my garden into a creche this weekend. The family in the eaves have fledged and some of their friends are coming to visit. There's a lot of squawking and running after the adults, lots of pecking at inedible things and general clowning about. A couple of recently fledged sparrows are desperately wing-fluttering while their parents try to persuade them to feed themselves.

Meanwhile a pair of blackbirds are dashing back and forwards into the hedge where they're nest building. I guess their first attempt has failed.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Whilst we were out on our evening walk last night, over the tops of the trees there were dozens and dozens of swifts flying back and forth feeding on insects. It was great to see so many!