One the best walks in the UK .
But don't tell anyone. Schtum.
Moderators: Bearbonesnorm, Taylor, Chew
One the best walks in the UK .
Amazing... I thought you'd know bob. Thankswhitestone wrote: ↑Mon Aug 24, 2020 5:56 pm If it was hovering, either by holding its position in the wind or by flapping its wings, then it's most likely to be a Kestrel. If what it was hunting was on the ground then even more likely. Peregrines tend to always be on the move and use their speed to "dive bomb" their prey which is usually airborne.
Looks very similar to the one Joe found in Sutherland recently.frogatthefarriers wrote: ↑Mon Aug 31, 2020 8:44 pm
This chap was sitting on his log just by the bolt end of a gate we had to go through on the WRT on Saturday. Southern Hawker dragonfly. A beaut!
Borderer wrote: ↑Tue Sep 01, 2020 10:30 amLooks a similar size but a different type to the one Joe found in Sutherland recently.frogatthefarriers wrote: ↑Mon Aug 31, 2020 8:44 pm
This chap was sitting on his log just by the bolt end of a gate we had to go through on the WRT on Saturday. Southern Hawker dragonfly. A beaut!
At a distance it's all in the shape of the tail Shaf. Kite on left.a kite... or a buzzard
3rd and biggest was definitely the shape of the kite on yhe left. What threw me off though was that the colour was a loy more pale than what I magined a kite to be. Definelty a wingspan of about 1.5m or so... First 2 looked big cos they were almost above the car at a distance of about 6 meyres. Wingspan being around 1 metre. Was after a night shift and scrambled eggs/2 fried eggs/beans/lemon muffin and mushrooms, so that might have cause some hallucination. Gonna get out me book later and getto bottom of itBearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Fri Nov 20, 2020 2:21 pmAt a distance it's all in the shape of the tail Shaf. Kite on left.a kite... or a buzzard
Ok... that all makes sense now. Must've all been kites of some sort. After the floods last year and the first time I rode past Cawood/Ryther/Ulleskelf, there were loads. Thats the backway commute. Kites, they looked rather gorgeouswhitestone wrote: ↑Fri Nov 20, 2020 2:57 pm Shaf, remember that Harewood House has had a big release programme of Red Kites over the last few years. They certainly range as far northwest as Grassington so the M1/A64 isn't that far.
As Stu says, the lightly forked tail is the big giveaway when seen in silhouette.
I think they realised that sealclubbing was a bad thing
This might be population recovery rather than population explossion. There was a virus in the early 2000's which killed a large number of seals in the North Sea. Possibly it affected their reproduction rate at that time too.Scud wrote: ↑Fri Nov 20, 2020 5:32 pm Taking it away from the raptors, rode out to Blakeney here in Norfolk this morning, where we have a huge grey seal population, talking to the warden, they are not sure quite why but the number of seal pups has grown from 25 in 2001 to an expected over 4000 this year, so many they are having to change how they count them in, and can't do it individually any more.
She pointed to this update:
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/blaken ... -seal-pups
They're not sure why the population is growing year on year other than that they feel safe and have no predators here. Beautiful to see though.
Love watching red kite, often makes me stop for a bit
whitestone wrote: ↑Sun Feb 21, 2021 6:09 pm The curlews are back!
Thought I heard one calling this morning but couldn't be sure then saw a pair fly past.
One of the first signs of spring.