The Wildlife (and Gardening for Wildlife) thread

[Ditto]

Interesting - I've had these two visitors in the last couple of days. I wonder if they are related?

[elsiegee40]

Yes probably. I was sent this link about them

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/content/dam/nhmwww/take-part/identify-nature/british-ichneumonid-wasps-id-guide.pdf

[Ditto]

Well, it turns out from a friend contact, who contact friends in the Amateur Entomological Society, that they are Crane Fly's - I'm almost disappointed! I was sceptical at first, as I thank we all know Daddy Long Legs as an Autumn thing. But after a bit more research, there's a few more species than I imagined. The one on the brick wall looks similar to the Tiger Crane Fly, but not quite a match (https://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/tiger-cranefly)! Curiosity piqued, I'm going to have to go back asking for more detail.

[elsiegee40]

Had one of these checking out our new wildlife pond yesterday. (Not my photo)

 

Apparently Broad-Bodied Chasers are frequently among the first to colonise new ponds

[6Foot2]

This guy, or possibly more than one, has been wandering the school three days (nights) in a row! I just found him/her on CCTV.

 

Now looking at more CCTV to see if I can find out when this little invasion started.

[Ditto]

This guy, or possibly more than one, has been wandering the school three days (nights) in a row! I just found him/her on CCTV.

 

Now looking at more CCTV to see if I can find out when this little invasion started.

Looks like a skinny rat wearing a costume fluffy tail pretending to be a squirrel. Don't let the little critters fool you!

[Andrew_C]

Squirrel = Tree Rat

 

Or

 

Squirrel = Rat with good PR

[6Foot2]

Squirrel = Tree Rat

 

Or

 

Squirrel = Rat with good PR

 

[elsiegee40]

For our first day trip since lockdown we visited one of our favourites... Stodmarsh National Nature Reserve. It’s got so many public footpaths cut through it that it hasn’t been closed although none of the hides are open.

 

Fantastic day birding: Hobbies, Bitterns (1 seen, different 1 heard), Cuckoos (including 1 seen), 5 species of warbler (glad we revised their songs on the way down there!)

 

Beautiful Demoiselle (might be Barred Demoiselle)

 

Reed Bunting

 

Sedge Warbler

 

[elsiegee40]

We filled our new pond on April 4th and today I spotted our first frog!

 

 

(I will neither confirm nor deny whether I have been taking lessons from @witch)

[stevejp]

We filled our new pond on April 4th and today I spotted our first frog!

 

[ATTACH]58161[/ATTACH]

 

(I will neither confirm nor deny whether I have been taking lessons from @witch)

 

Just checking that everyone’s ok...

[LeMarchand]

Is anyone else experiencing a sharp decrease in birdsong since yesterday morning?

 

The Dawn chorus was virtually non-existent and it's been very quiet since. I have noticed more seagulls than normal and wonder if they're scaring off the normal birds. We're closish to the coast, but don't often get gulls. I'm guessing that the easy pickings from beach-goers have slowed, so they're hoping to find more easily snatch-able food inland?

[elsiegee40]

Is anyone else experiencing a sharp decrease in birdsong since yesterday morning?

 

The Dawn chorus was virtually non-existent and it's been very quiet since. I have noticed more seagulls than normal and wonder if they're scaring off the normal birds. We're closish to the coast, but don't often get gulls. I'm guessing that the easy pickings from beach-goers have slowed, so they're hoping to find more easily snatch-able food inland?

 

Not here. Te juvenile starlings are drowning out most sounds mind you. I counted over 40 in the garden yesterday morning!

 

As the nestlings start to fledge there’s less territorial singing needed. I wonder if that’s it?

[witch]

I can't tell over the loud noise the blackbirds and robins are producing. That's about all we have, although my bird app did seem to think I had a European Black Cap and a Buzzard the other day!

I will check it out

[elsiegee40]

I can't tell over the loud noise the blackbirds and robins are producing. That's about all we have, although my bird app did seem to think I had a European Black Cap and a Buzzard the other day!

I will check it out

 

We have blackcaps. They’re good at skulking and easy to miss

 

Buzzards are so big you would see them. Also everything else panics if they’re about

[elsiegee40]

 

Bringing my work home again. Half a dozen juvenile starlings I helped raise released to join their cousins in our garden

Edited May 29, 2020 by elsiegee40

[witch]

We have blackcaps. They’re good at skulking and easy to miss

 

Buzzards are so big you would see them. Also everything else panics if they’re about

 

So maybe a blackcapp then

 

We have loads of buzzards on the local heaths, but i have never seen one over my garden

[6Foot2]

Link:

[Picture Tweet]

 

I was watching Springwatch & said

"These are brilliant bird names" & then the missus looked at me & said

"It's the names of the men who took the photographs"

 

 

[elsiegee40]

We filled our new pond on April 4th and today I spotted our first frog!

 

[ATTACH]58161[/ATTACH]

 

(I will neither confirm nor deny whether I have been taking lessons from @witch)

 

Not sure I can cope with the dramas of our new pond. A magpie just grabbed the frog from the water! Luckily it wriggled free, but it was close!

[mikeprice]

Not sure I can cope with the dramas of our new pond. A magpie just grabbed the frog from the water! Luckily it wriggled free, but it was close!

 

Your next bird post may involve a heron!

[elsiegee40]

Your next bird post may involve a heron!

 

I am aware of that! I see Herons around even before the pond and am expecting that.

 

I know what magpies are capable of with birds and small mammals, but a frog from deep water wasn’t expected!

[3s-gtech]

What the magpies don’t expect, is an irate lady running straight at them from the house, hopefully brandishing something.

 

You will become the Frog God. Without some bizarre Paul McCartney song.

[LeMarchand]

Not sure I can cope with the dramas of our new pond. A magpie just grabbed the frog from the water! Luckily it wriggled free, but it was close!

 

One of the local crows nabbed a slow-worm from our garden .

 

How long do frogs live? We've had one in the garden for over a decade, despite there having been no pond anywhere near - so we don't think it's a different member of the same family.

[elsiegee40]

How long do frogs live?/QUOTE]

 

Up to 15 years according to Google

[hardtailstar]

 

Found this guy this morning.