14-04-2015, 12:34 PM
81
Re: Wildlife you have seen 2015.
Originally Posted by Nom
->
Managed a day out yesterday at a local reserve, still cold but saw quite a few firsts for the year/. A hunting weasel was a nice sight, feisty little predator, along with a Red Deer, looking a bit bedraggled with damage to its coat and blood on antlers.
First singing warblers back at last, Blackcap and Willow warbler, with Water Rail, Common tern, Sandmartin and Swallow.
And a return of one our rare and Schedule 1 breeding birds, Black-necked grebe.
21-06-2015, 10:16 AM
83
Re: Wildlife you have seen 2015.
Nice Meg, it was only about 40 years ago we still had to go to Scotland to see one, as the had disappeared from Northumberland, thankfully i see them within a couple of miles of my home these days, and visits up to Kielder forest would see 20 + in the air during breeding season displays.21-06-2015, 10:43 AM
84
Re: Wildlife you have seen 2015.
Originally Posted by Nom
->
Nice Meg, it was only about 40 years ago we still had to go to Scotland to see one, as the had disappeared from Northumberland, thankfully i see them within a couple of miles of my home these days, and visits up to Kielder forest would see 20 + in the air during breeding season displays.
one pair nest in the trees in the church yard and the chicks make a lot of noise
21-06-2015, 03:19 PM
86
Re: Wildlife you have seen 2015.
Here's a strange thing from a couple of weeks agoIt was a pleasant afternoon and we were sitting in the gardn when suddenly a starling appeared, flew fast and low over the garden and jettisoned something from a height of about a foot, before entering a steep climb, avoiding the cat who was about to pounce and flew off and out of sight.
When we recovered from our surprise we went to see what had been left and found it was a sad, scrawny, pretty much naked, very dead fledgeling.
I haven't see anything like that before but I suppose the parent was just getting rid of the body from the nest, for the benefit of all??
21-06-2015, 03:40 PM
87
Re: Wildlife you have seen 2015.
Originally Posted by dinahsmum
->
Here's a strange thing from a couple of weeks agoIt was a pleasant afternoon and we were sitting in the gardn when suddenly a starling appeared, flew fast and low over the garden and jettisoned something from a height of about a foot, before entering a steep climb, avoiding the cat who was about to pounce and flew off and out of sight.
When we recovered from our surprise we went to see what had been left and found it was a sad, scrawny, pretty much naked, very dead fledgeling.
I haven't see anything like that before but I suppose the parent was just getting rid of the body from the nest, for the benefit of all??
was it a fledgling starling. I believe starlings will eat various things including carrion so could the bird have been intending to eat it before it was dropped.
21-06-2015, 03:48 PM
88
Re: Wildlife you have seen 2015.
On, that might be the case. Mr DM did the tidying and I just accepted his opinion that it was a baby starling. However, he's not the world's best naturalist, so it might have been the bird's intended supper. The dropping appeared deliberate though, from a very low height.12-07-2015, 07:14 AM
89
Re: Wildlife you have seen 2015.
Managed a wander to my local nature reserve open day to the general public. First time out since i became ill in May.Saw some interesting moths trapped by the warden, Garden Tiger being exceptionally beautiful.
Link to UK Moths. http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?bf=2057
12-07-2015, 08:51 AM
90
Re: Wildlife you have seen 2015.
[QUOTE=Nom;676393]Managed a wander to my local nature reserve open day to the general public. First time out since i became ill in May.Saw some interesting moths trapped by the warden, Garden Tiger being exceptionally beautiful.
Link to UK Moths. http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?bf=2057[/QUOTE]
Well done you. It was a beautiful day too, so bet that cheered you up no end.
|
|
