Your day's wildlife

[rich p]

I went to check on the Kittiwakes today. As well as the Tyne Bridge I went up onto the viewing platform on the Baltic. Lots of chicks with the parents standing over them to create some shade - it's been hot in Newcastle today.

If you look closely you should be able to see some of the chicks. The seventh nest from the right has three chicks. The rightmost one is still incubating an egg.

According to the group who survey them there are approximately 60 more nests than last year - which was a record year. Sounds like good news for Kittiwakes!
View attachment 132719

Great photo!

 

[biggs682]

Could not resist taking this picture

 

[Fnaar]

Jackdaw (zoomed in on mobile)

 

[Illaveago]

I have just seen a flock of small birds, possibly Starlings actively chasing a Sparrowhawk. I have seen Sparrowhawks being mobbed before but this seemed to go on and on.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Jackdaw (zoomed in on mobile)

View attachment 132842

How are we supposed to know it's not a bluebird?

 

[midlife]

How are we supposed to know it's not a bluebird?

Can't see the white cliffs of Dover

Shaun

 

[Asa Post]

From the wildlife cam in the garden

 

[summerdays]

From the wildlife cam in the garden

View attachment 132900

Wow your garden is busy!

I passed my nest box that the I'm sure had blue tits in earlier in the year, I heard cheering so realised their must be a second round, but I think it was a coal tit or great tit.... I didn't have my glasses and the bird seemed anxious not to go in the nest with me there so I moved away. I'll go back today suitably prepared!

But we rang my BIL to wish him happy birthday yesterday and asked for another bird box as his one seems to be the one they like!

 

[coffeejo]

Just watched a woodpecker flying back and forth between the suet feeders in my garden and the rose arbor thingy in my landlords' garden to feed its fledgling who was content to bask in the sunshine between courses.

 

[Illaveago]

I popped up to the garden pond and was almost run into by a large dragonfly, I rushed back to get my camera and snapped these.
A female Emperor was busy laying eggs underneath some water lilies

whilst a Four Spotted Chaser dipped and deposited eggs whilst still flying.

 

[Rezillo]

People seemed to like the choughs so here are a few more - the flock obligingly settled down about 20m away. We thought we had seen something rather special only to go to Lands End later in the week where at least five of them were on the cliff in front of scores of people. None of the viewers seemed to realise what they were. One bloke went past me with a camera and a mass of lenses, so I pointed out where the choughs were, only for him to apparently disbelieve me and walk on.

Taken a few days later:

They ignored the nearby peregrines - this one is probably a 'this years' juvenile:

 

[annedonnelly]

Those Choughs are very distinctive. Am I right in thinking they're a success story of increased numbers? Presumably the individual birds can be identified by the colour rings - they're wearing a lot of jewellery

 

[Rezillo]

Those Choughs are very distinctive. Am I right in thinking they're a success story of increased numbers? Presumably the individual birds can be identified by the colour rings - they're wearing a lot of jewellery

They are a totally wild, not artificially introduced, recolonisation. There's much more on them here: http://www.cornishchoughs.org/facts-and-figures/

They make quite a racket, very distinctive once heard, and were totally unfazed by us sitting on a rock watching them. In the end, we got up and walked away and they just ignored us and carried on feeding.

The evening of seeing the flock, we also heard seals singing. This was really wierd - imagine a group of dogs making a sound that is somewhere between grunting and howling, then add a load of reverb from them being at the back of a 30m high cave. The first time we heard it, we first thought some dogs were trapped at the base of the cliffs, then it changed to something like a Hammer horror sound effect and was clearly something else. We got closer to the cliff edge and spotted several seals going in and out of the cave entrance. Some googling then confirmed the noise was from them.

[edit] The BBC has a recording of something very similar from grey seals HERE , albeit without the cave echo.

 

[User19783]

Peacock caterpillars, a feeding frenzy .

 

[gbb]

Driving home near Ramsey Mereside, typical fen countryside, a Marsh Harrier, low, wings outstretched and gliding 10ft over over the fields, the pale band (almost seemed white) on his/her upper wings shouting out. Smaller than Red Kite, slimmer than Buzzard, they're quickly identified as harriers.
Funnily enough, the other end of Mereside is what looks like some smallholding fields with sheep, you often see buzzards perched on the fence posts most mornings.