The Wildlife (and Gardening for Wildlife) thread

[6Foot2]

Link:

[Video Tweet]

 

Two groups of penguins pass each other, stopping briefly to exchange information.

 

Click the link above for the video.

 

After the mini exchange, one penguin seems unsure which way he/she was originally going.

 

[6Foot2]

 

The team invite you to wrap up warm and join them for an exploration of wonderful wildlife, seasonal beauty and natural wonder. Chris Packham is in the New Forest watching winter transform his home. Iolo Williams is at the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales, hoping to see some amazing murmurations. Gillian Burke is at RPSB Old Moor in South Yorkshire, seeing how a joined-up wildlife project has revitalised the area. Michaela Strachan is back at Tentsmuir in Fife, finding out what happened to our seal pups from Autumnwatch. And young naturalist Indy Green takes us deep into Sherwood Forest on the hunt for one of our most elusive birds of prey - the goshawk.

 

Previous Winterwatch live camera days coverage:

 

 

Streamed live on 19 Jan 2021

 

Streamed live on 20 Jan 2021

[LeMarchand]

Too busy before Xmas to clean out the school birdbox, plus new proxy had cut off connectivity. Managed to connect today to find someone had saved me a job.

 

 

Not seen anyone home yet, though. Also looks like I'll have to set up a pac file so that I don't have to keep changing my connection settings.

[elsiegee40]

Too busy before Xmas to clean out the school birdbox, plus new proxy had cut off connectivity. Managed to connect today to find someone had saved me a job.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]60513[/ATTACH]

 

Not seen anyone home yet, though. Also looks like I'll have to set up a pac file so that I don't have to keep changing my connection settings.

 

They will completely empty a nest box before rebuilding if humans haven’t beaten them to it.

 

Ecologist daughter is advising on a bridge repair project that has had to be brought to a halt this week because peregrines have started nest-building on the structure already!

[jmak]

Thought I'd condemned our resident squirrels to starvation as I was sorting out compost heap and found two large caches of conkers. Checked and discovered that conkers are toxic to squirrels (as they are too almost all mammals), but the compulsive hoarders just can't resist burying any nuts they find [emoji16]

 

Judging by the number of walnut tree saplings in our garden, they're pretty forgetful about where they bury things too....

[6Foot2]

...Judging by the number of walnut tree saplings in our garden, they're pretty forgetful about where they bury things too....

[Red squirrel] relevant:

 

https://youtu.be/xaj4ore4e-4

 

[mikeprice]

Thought I'd condemned our resident squirrels to starvation as I was sorting out compost heap and found two large caches of conkers. Checked and discovered that conkers are toxic to squirrels (as they are too almost all mammals), but the compulsive hoarders just can't resist burying any nuts they find [emoji16]

 

Judging by the number of walnut tree saplings in our garden, they're pretty forgetful about where they bury things too....

 

That would explain why the squirrels in the woods at the bottom of our garden ALWAYS bury their nuts in the same place

then spend all winter sniffing around looking for them

 

are they thick or what????

[6Foot2]

That would explain why the squirrels in the woods at the bottom of our garden ALWAYS bury their nuts in the same place

then spend all winter sniffing around looking for them

 

are they thick or what????

 

It may not all be down to forgetfulness. Opportunistic birds are known to watch them go about the business of burying the nuts, and later going to retrieve some of them.

[elsiegee40]

It may not all be down to forgetfulness. Opportunistic birds are known to watch them go about the business of burying the nuts, and later going to retrieve some of them.

 

And other squirrels. It has been quite entertaining watching them in our garden. One buries and then leaves. The other retrieves and buries elsewhere.

[Ditto]

I love it when there is a burst of activty on this thread. He's a picture of some flowers from my lunchtime stroll yesterday.

I lose track - is it early for Daffs? They seem to be earlier each year, but I'm worried it's the same syndrome as police staff getting younger every year! In fact around hear, it's more invisible - but that's off topic so duly self slapped!

[elsiegee40]

It is early for daffs. Most won’t be out until March. We saw some on flower before Christmas in a sheltered spot... admittedly we are pretty far south

[jedmondson]

Had a distanced conversation today with an old lady about some snowdrops in someones front garden. "First one's she has seen this year"

[6Foot2]

Link: Chris Grayling leads MPs' charge to save hedgehogs [bBC News]

 

Oh, dear! With his track record, I think things have not improved for hedgehogs in the UK following this development.

 

[Pink_Panda]

I've put out a shallow dish with warmish water out for the birds.

 

Is it ok to put out porridge oats? I mainly get robins and pigeons in my garden. Hunting through the cupboards, I've also got: dried cranberries, apricots and currents, pecan and cashew nuts. Would they be ok to put out?

 

I don't have a bird feeder as unfortunately it attracts rodents in our garden, but wfh I can see the birds flying around trying to find food.

 

thank you

[elsiegee40]

I've put out a shallow dish with warmish water out for the birds.

 

Is it ok to put out porridge oats? I mainly get robins and pigeons in my garden. Hunting through the cupboards, I've also got: dried cranberries, apricots and currents, pecan and cashew nuts. Would they be ok to put out?

 

I don't have a bird feeder as unfortunately it attracts rodents in our garden, but wfh I can see the birds flying around trying to find food.

 

thank you

 

As long as there’s free access to water, the oats should be fine. They will absorb the rain water though and rapidly become inedible. You would be better off putting a couple of handfuls of bird seed on the ground first thing in the morning (and it’s cheaper too!)

 

An apple cut in half goes down well too

[Pink_Panda]

As long as there’s free access to water, the oats should be fine. They will absorb the rain water though and rapidly become inedible. You would be better off putting a couple of handfuls of bird seed on the ground first thing in the morning (and it’s cheaper too!)

 

An apple cut in half goes down well too

 

thanks @elsiegee40

 

I was trying to use what I've got in the cupboard. We don't have bird seeds as it attracts unwanted guest of the four legged kind (see my original post), the reason we had to get rid off a bird feeder previously and even a compost bin that got chewed trough!

[elsiegee40]

@Pink_Panda Human food will attract rats too. It makes no difference.

 

Throw a handful, or put out a dish, on the floor first thing in the morning and clear up late afternoon. Whatever food you choose needs to be gone by dusk.

 

You can buy rodent proof feeders. I have the Roamwild pestoff feeder which I bought from homgar.com Squirrels and rats can’t get in because their weight closes the feeder. The squirrels have given up on ours which I never thought would happen

Edited January 26, 2021 by elsiegee40

[elsiegee40]

Close up of an ant’s head

 

https://twitter.com/cmcollins_hort/status/1354901980976734210?s=21

[RobD]

 

Had a visitor in our new bird box yesterday.

[Ditto]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]60615[/ATTACH]

 

Had a visitor in our new bird box yesterday.

 

I can hear the bird thinking, 'Great, unfurnished flat'!

[Ditto]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p095jq8h

 

Winter watch. 15 minutes of winter spectacles. No commentary, just delightful sounds of nature. On a big screen in HD or higher, this will look even more amazing.

[elsiegee40]

The Big Garden Birdwatch is this weekend. All you need to do is spend an hour watching and counting the birds in your garden.

 

More information and record your results on the RSPB website

https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch/

[jedmondson]

We have our bird feeders ready.

[elsiegee40]

999 call about a hedgehog

[southhamster]

A bit of a bug in the system today.....i suppose it's wildlife!