Your day's wildlife

[coffeejo]

So being near the hills I would have thought that that would be ideal Peregrine country. I tend to be constantly looking skyward for planes and birds so when I see a small dot acting strangely I am naturally drawn to it. I may step in a lot of things I shouldn't though.

I'm planning a walk in the hills tomorrow, so I'll keep my eyes peeled.

Saw plenty of swans, moorhens and ducks on the canal today (one duck had at least fourteen ducklings with her: I hope she was babysitting!) and had to stop to rub my eyes and take a second look at the sight of a black cat fast asleep in a swan's nest. Hope it was an abandoned nest as I don't imagine swan vs cat would be a fair fight.

 

[sheddy]

Nowt of interest in the flesh, but BBC Life in the Air has been good.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p03jvffz/life-in-the-air-1-defying-gravity

 

[coffeejo]

Nowt of interest in the flesh, but BBC Life in the Air has been good.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p03jvffz/life-in-the-air-1-defying-gravity

I've been enjoying that. I'm sure some of the footage is from the archives but it's fascinating to learn about the mechanics.

 

[Illaveago]

I'm planning a walk in the hills tomorrow, so I'll keep my eyes peeled.

Saw plenty of swans, moorhens and ducks on the canal today (one duck had at least fourteen ducklings with her: I hope she was babysitting!) and had to stop to rub my eyes and take a second look at the sight of a black cat fast asleep in a swan's nest. Hope it was an abandoned nest as I don't imagine swan vs cat would be a fair fight.

Take a pair of binocs with you if you can. You can always find something to use them on.
The Peregrine was out again later, just a dot high up and far away, came back on roughly the same course as before.

 

[coffeejo]

Take a pair of binocs with you if you can. You can always find something to use them on.
The Peregrine was out again later, just a dot high up and far away, came back on roughly the same course as before.

Don't actually own any!

 

[Illaveago]

I went up to see how the spawn was doing this morning, and there doesn't seem to be any change. Some of the spawn seems to have been nibbled by the tadpoles although there is some that is still intact. There is another blob of different spawn in the pond that isn't doing anything either. It could be that the temperature has dropped, or that they have had it. I will keep checking.
There are some tiny reeds starting to grow above the water, so the next thing to look out for will be Damsel flies.

 

[annedonnelly]

Finally saw some swallows this morning
I think they're a couple of weeks later than last year. But I can hardly blame them - it's not very warm out there.

 

[Illaveago]

I saw a Swallow fly over the house on Saturday. A pair flew over this afternoon followed quite a while later by a group of three or four. They were all flying East to West.

 

[pplpilot]

Sunday morning...

 

[Poacher]

Too true! The pair of mallard I reported here on 17th March stuck around for a few days then saw sense and went away. They (or another pair - they all look much alike!) turned up again yesterday and spent much of the afternoon exploring the back garden, mainly in the pond area. I turned on the pump to feed the stream and waterfalls, thinking it might spook them. Instead, it seemed to heighten their interest - they paddled up the stream to investigate the source. Then I got out the hosepipe, ostensibly to water the patch under a conifer which never seems to get a useful share of rain, and while I was at it gave the ducks a shower. Dopey ducks still didn't get the hint. They finally went at dusk, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them again today. The pond is 370cm by 200cm at max, and much of that is overgrown marginal plants!

Sure enough, they've been back again each of the last 3 days. Quite approachable, but I'll be damned if I start feeding them!

 

[coffeejo]

On yesterday's walk I saw buzzards, butterflies, what looked like a green shield bug, bees, rabbits, a kestrel, evidence of deer, sheep and lambs, ponies and foals, and several muddy mountain bikers.

I also saw some small birds that I couldn't identify. I was on open moorland high up on the Quantock Hills (lots of heather) and they seemed to be about the same size as a robin, brown / grey / green in colour (blended in with the undergrowth), and flew in a manner that reminded me of green woodpeckers. Their calls / songs were beautiful. I could have listened to them for hours. Couldn't get close enough for a photo. Any suggestions?

 

[coffeejo]

[QUOTE 4242025, member: 9609"]eh ?
sell your tele and buy some, you're seriously missing out. 10x40s is what you want.[/QUOTE]
Means nothing to me but I'll investigate and may possibly get a pair. (Not giving up the TV though. More useful when I can't sleep at 3am than a pair of binoculars.)

 

[coffeejo]

[QUOTE 4242043, member: 9609"]dawn chorus starts not long after 3am, and that has to be better than any tele or radio ... lol[/QUOTE]
Not in winter it doesn't!

 

[Illaveago]

On yesterday's walk I saw buzzards, butterflies, what looked like a green shield bug, bees, rabbits, a kestrel, evidence of deer, sheep and lambs, ponies and foals, and several muddy mountain bikers.

I also saw some small birds that I couldn't identify. I was on open moorland high up on the Quantock Hills (lots of heather) and they seemed to be about the same size as a robin, brown / grey / green in colour (blended in with the undergrowth), and flew in a manner that reminded me of green woodpeckers. Their calls / songs were beautiful. I could have listened to them for hours. Couldn't get close enough for a photo. Any suggestions?

They might have been Greenfinches, was it a flock of them?
The binoculars, 7x50,8x40,10x50, the first number is the magnification, the second number is the diameter of the large lens, or objective lens.

 

[0lonerider]

I have a pair of pentax 12×24 5` i was given of a mate i dont use