Hyppy wrote: ↑Thu Mar 28, 2024 2:33 pm Osprey Pr0n!

Is that why the rude bits are blurred out?

first cuckoo

I'm permanently in cloud cuckoo land so there is no first or last in my world.

Saw a kingfisher down the river earlier if that's any good.

It's quite good

Isn't it a bit early compared to a normal year ?

I thought that.

Now trying to identify a bird that's taken to visiting - about the size of a Great tit but with a big white chest and black head.

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Sat Apr 20, 2024 8:29 pm

Isn't it a bit early compared to a normal year ?

I thought that.

Now trying to identify a bird that's taken to visiting - about the size of a Great tit but with a big white chest and black head.

Coal tit?

First swallow earlier, loads of skylarks and a selection of small birds of prey. Of more interest, last weekend I was counting adders in the Isle of Arran:-

Coal tit?

No, tis a Pied Flycatcher. We have Spotted Flycatchers but I'd not seen one of these before.

Went for a run along the canal, saw this juvenile Heron.

I saw some goats gambolling on the other side of cheddar gorge - 2 adults and 3 kids constantly bleating to each other as they climbed the cliff. I took a picture but my phone doesn’t seem to as good as my eyes so I can’t even make them out. On the drive back I saw a buzzard just sitting on top of a lamp post by the side of the M5 staring into some trees. Less effort than soaring around looking for prey I suppose

A naughty animal has burrowed a hole in our lawn. Maybe a worm on steroids. No, it'll be a bee. Not as impressive as buzzards or whatever but we'd be stuffed without them so I've installed a 24 hour security cordon round it.

Quite topical for you Reg having a Mining Bee in the garden

Could be a cockchafer beetle Reg?

We have a Greater Spotted Woodpecker nesting in a hole in one of our oaks. There's a regular Lesser Spotted visitor to our garden but never seen a Greater Spotted until yesterday. Now trying to work out how to get a motion controlled camera 40 feet up in the air....

Love this time of year...

naughty animal has burrowed a hole in our lawn

I get a larger version courtesy of the local badger

Fatbikerphil,

Counting adders on the isle of Arran. Could almost be a joke!

On the off chance it isn't how many did you count /add?

Bearlegged wrote: ↑Fri Mar 08, 2024 9:39 am Another "badger on the way home from the pub" incident in Sheffield this week.

Ah, you have to be of a certain age/disposition

Up in Deeside (Aberdeenshire). Today's haul: woodpecker (great spotted), numerous deer inc. two big stags, mountain hare, a variety of unfamiliar birds which I can't name since I've lost my bird guide

fatbikerbill wrote: ↑Mon Apr 22, 2024 7:52 pm Fatbikerphil,

Counting adders on the isle of Arran. Could almost be a joke!

On the off chance it isn't how many did you count /add?

No really, we were 19 in total in 4 transects in Glen Rosa - bit of an adder top spot and the NTS are doing the woodland re-generation thing (mainly by excluding deer) so they are keen to see how the adder population responds. Plus a local reptile expert is going to use our year on year data to model overall impact of climate on adder populations

Doing transects - that's a proper job!

Currently waiting on the tadpoles to start growing legs, so we can give them some supplement food. Only just learned they become very carnivorous at that stage...luckily the pond is chock full of Daphnia that need some predation...

Got up early this morning to watch a black grouse lek on one of our sites in the borders. Only ever seen them fleetingly before, so nice to watch them for a couple of hours while the sun came up.

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Sat Apr 20, 2024 9:28 pm

Coal tit?

No, tis a Pied Flycatcher. We have Spotted Flycatchers but I'd not seen one of these before.

Haven’t seen a pied flycatcher in years, decades, even. There’s a good population at Ynys Hir RSPB reserve by Furnace, where I once did some volunteer work.

Also heard my first cuckoo last night, so they’ve made it to South Scotland a couple of days after Wales. They were always a feature of the Highland Trail, so I’d say they’re very early this year.

Just heard my first cuckoo as well. Thought I heard one last week but didn’t quite catch it over closer noise so couldn’t be sure.

Apparently they are quite territorial and return to the same location each year so quite possible that those in the north of Scotland can turn up before birds further south. Unlike say swallows that follow the emerging insects as they head north.

I remember being out on Skye one year and seeing a meadow pipit or skylark (couldn’t be sure as the action was too fast) harrying a cuckoo to keep it away from its nest.

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Sat Apr 20, 2024 5:38 pm First Cuckoo of the year heard today

Nice

A couple of red squirrels in the woods near Aboyne today.

A couple of pics from Tuesday's ride/push up Lochnagar... (granted this is stretching the definition of "wild"life)

Heard first cuckoo tonight and had a ride with a deer for a while

Housemartins are back, and have started settling back into last year's nest under the roof.

Ever since my friend said they look a bit like tiny orca whales, I can't not see that any more...

Spot of big game hunting for me today....

I'd noted the patter of little feet (and a smattering of droppings) in the kitchen of late, so pulled out the humane trap but decided not to bait it last night as I wouldn't have time to deal with a distressed mouse this morning. In any case it's been 100% unsuccessful so I was probably going to buy a few 'little nippers'.

Anyway I came down this morning to discover this fella:



Stupid thing had gone into the trap, even though there was nowt in it. I left food and water for him (or her) and I now have a pet.

*sigh* if I put it out in the garden it will come back in and if I put it out away from the house it will probably die in any case, albeit by providing a bird of prey with a tasty snack.
What to do....

Verena wrote: ↑Thu Apr 25, 2024 10:11 pm Housemartins are back, and have started settling back into last year's nest under the roof.

Ever since my friend said they look a bit like tiny orca whales, I can't not see that any more...

I always think they look like a budgie in a tuxedo..

Apparently exciting news (I need to read up on this properly), the new Osprey nest in Talybont, which has had a male occupying it patiently waiting for a female, has had a female join him this week. The lady who told me, with great excitement, said that he's been trying to mate with her but not much success at that time, on account of him being young and inexperienced and it being dry windy...
But if they do, it'll be the first time Ospreys are breeding in South Wales for over two hundred years?

Something like that, anyone know any more, or better?