The Wildlife (and Gardening for Wildlife) thread

[6Foot2]

Anyone know their status at the moment? Last I seem to remember they were either endangered or critically endangered.

 

Link: British Red Squirrel RED CONSERVATION and GREY CONTROL [interactive Map]

 

[elsiegee40]

I grew up in this area and never saw them. This is a recent and extremely pleasing population recovery.

[6Foot2]

We were disturbed early this morning by a cat at the door and window:

 

Link: What annoying things did you do today? (Merged with Pet Peeves)

 

This evening a (grey) squirrel looked, for all the world, like it was trying to gain entry via the same window:

 

 

Apologies for the naff quality of my phone's camera.

 

Edited May 15, 2021 by 6Foot2
Add thread title to HTML link.

[elsiegee40]

We have been away for a week. I anxiously checked my Red Mason bees on our return… it’s the first year of cocoon release through the UK Mason Bee guardian scheme.

 

The view drawer in my bee hotel had bees sleeping for the night and egg cells.

 

The egg cells are really cool. The bee lines the tube with mud, then puts in a plug of pollen as food. She lays an egg in the pollen and then seals with more mud. The egg will hatch and the larva will eat the pollen and then form a cocoon which will hatch next year.

 

All the bees spending the night in the box are male Red Mason bees which frequently huddle together for warmth

 

 

The odd man out is a tiny Blue Mason male right at the back

Edited May 16, 2021 by elsiegee40

[RobD]

My birds have fledged:

 

[elsiegee40]

My birds have fledged:

 

 

 

 

Good luck little Great Tits!

Edited May 17, 2021 by elsiegee40

[elsiegee40]

If you haven’t already signed this petition, please do. Hugh Warwick of the BHPS is campaigning to make Hedgehog Highways mandatory in the gardens of newbuild houses. It’s so close to getting 1 million signatures

 

https://www.change.org/p/help-save-britain-s-hedgehogs-with-hedgehog-highways

[Ditto]

Signed - currently at ~ 980 000

[6Foot2]

Signed. At the time of signing, 981,839 had signed.

[LeMarchand]

 

Bees working together to remove bottle lid.

Edited May 26, 2021 by elsiegee40

[elsiegee40]

https://youtu.be/PFT3Ur-VtF4

 

Bees working together to remove bottle lid.

 

Video unavailable due to copyright claim. I have just edited in a new version.

Edited May 26, 2021 by elsiegee40

[elsiegee40]

Our cotoneaster has come into flower and is humming with loads of bees. They’re mostly honey bees, but I did manage to photograph (badly) two of the bumblebees with my phone and identify them.

 

A male Early bumblebee

 

And a Forest Cuckoo Bumblebee. It’s a true cuckoo. It will lay its eggs in the nest of another bee species… in this case the Early Bumblebee is its host of choice

[6Foot2]

Plant pot including insect friendly infrastructure.

 

 

[elsiegee40]

First dragonflies for the year in our garden:

Mr (with the blue body) and Mrs (with the brown body) Broad-bodied Chaser like to perch on our red hot pokers.

[mikeprice]

 

 

Coot with young

 

 

having said which I saw a chick with it's apparent parent yesterday and it didn;t have any of the coloured bits

 

maybe they change as they get older

[Ditto]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]62089[/ATTACH]

... maybe they change as they get older

Yes, it's a bit like when you get past your punk days with funky hair styles!

[StevieM]

I weeded the patio, last week (seriously, there was more greenery between the paving slabs than on the lawn!), causing panic for a variety of insects for whom the sky must have felt like it was falling in. I felt really guilty when I saw an ant carrying not just one but two injured/dead comrades. I could almost hear him shouting, 'MEDIIIIC!!

[mikeprice]

Yes, it's a bit like when you get past your punk days with funky hair styles!

 

Well I never had a punk phase - although I was around at the time

 

but you are right about my hair having changed since then

 

wonder where it went????

[Pink_Panda]

I weeded the patio, last week (seriously, there was more greenery between the paving slabs than on the lawn!), causing panic for a variety of insects for whom the sky must have felt like it was falling in. I felt really guilty when I saw an ant carrying not just one but two injured/dead comrades. I could almost hear him shouting, 'MEDIIIIC!!

 

Nobody gets left behind!

[LeMarchand]

In the Mirror today. Spot the leopard.

 

[6Foot2]

Link: Unsuspecting oxpecker gets a bird bath as thirsty giraffe sprays water all over it - Storytrender

 

 

The funny snaps were taken by wildlife photography safari guide and tour operator, Bernhard Bekker.

 

The 41-year-old was on an excursion at Kruger National Park when he spotted the hilarious scene.

 

He said: “The bird was caught in the water spray and looked like it was taking a shower intentionally as it was a very hot day and some cooling off was in order.

 

“The birds usually help to clean the giraffe of ticks and they are always around large mammals as they are actually after the blood in the parasites that is living on the hosts’ blood.In this case the bird was just on the wrong place at the wrong time.

 

“It was an amazing moment as you couldn’t just go out and duplicate this shot again.

 

“I have shot many giraffes drinking and never even seen this happen before.

 

“With new camera equipment with high shutter rates these type of shots become more easy to take but you still you have to be in the right place at the right time.

 

“I didn’t even see it in the field but only when I came back to the office and started to process some of the shots of the trip.

 

“I saw this amazing shot and was quite surprised that it was captured at the right time.”

[elsiegee40]

Fox cub trying to leave our garden and clearly scared of the prickly thing having a drink

 

[elsiegee40]

If you’re lucky enough to find a Stag Beetle, please record it on the PTES website

 

https://ptes.org/campaigns/stag-beetles-2/

[LeMarchand]

Was going to, but not giving out my email. Male seen in Glastonbury.

[elsiegee40]

Was going to, but not giving out my email. Male seen in Glastonbury.

 

I have a second email that I use for such purposes.

 

https://stagbeetles.ptes.org/take-part-in-the-great-stag-hunt/

 

Daughter rescued one from her flat mate’s bedroom last night