Was looking for the 'photos you like thread' but couldnt find and it can just as easily sit here..

Basically, this is why I love York (aside from the fact that almost everyone at least owns a bike... I asked for almost 3 or 4 years I think and potentially found 1 person who didn't)... So whilst building this (hospital) car park they decided it wasn't good enough chopping down a tree... so they built around it. Amazing. At the time of writing there's 2 beautiful birds (proper wildlife types... sorry) pecking about in the grass about 3 metres from me... well, ok, one's a regular pigeon but its still gorgeous.

Heard my first cuckoo of the year on Friday, down by the golf course. A woodpecker was busy on the other side of the river, there was a dipper on the river and the river bank itself was awash with Cuckoo Flower (also known as Ladies Smock).

I surprised a fox on this morning's ride. Came around a corner and it was about 8m away, concentrating on the big Vole it had just caught. It looked very surprised, dropped it's breakfast and scarpered. Lovely brush on it.

Also,
stoater noun

[1]Very attractive person Ah wiz oot wi a right stoater last night.

[2]Black eye. He punched me in the eye and gied me a stoater

...and a lovely frame by Shand.

I've been watching a Hobby just recently. First saw it fly out of woodland and settle on top of a telegraph pole, caught my eye but I couldn't see what it was. Fetched my binoculars to take a look and it promptly disappeared. Re-appeared similar time next evening and I was ready and waiting; got a fair look but still didn't know what it was. Looked like an oversize mistle thrush to me but far too big. Bit of research and it is a Hobby, location and time of year fits too. Beautiful bird

Surprised a Red Kite on Friday's ride. Came round a corner. and saw a mad flapping out of the corner of my eye, as it lifted off and tried to fly through the verge.

This morning, I surprised a male peacock, I was battering down a byway, came round a corner and there he was tail up and out, looking magnificent. A few corners later, a doe was stood in the middle of the byway, she exited through the hedge and off into some woods.

Bit of research and it is a Hobby, location and time of year fits too. Beautiful bird

Fewer and fewer about Peter. Same with Merlins, i read recently that they estimate breeding pairs are perhaps as low as a few hundred in Wales now.

Wife spotted a hedgehog in the garden. We went out for a look the other night and actually found a pair of them clearly in a mating ritual. Could spot them from just outside my back door, very happy at that!

I got back from my run last night and saw a hedgehog hiding behind the car - first alive one I've seen in years. It waited until I wasn't looking and then scurried off to a big bush opposite the house.

Apparently, hedgehogs are in rapid decline.

Staying close to Galloway forest at the moment. Went for a ride into it a couple of weeks ago. Rounded a corner to see a mature Golden Eagle sat on a tree stump 30 feet away. Dont know who was more surprised, me or the bird. Heck they have a big old wingspan when they unfold. It slowly flapped away through the trees. Seen a few over the years but never this close.

wriggles wrote: ↑Mon May 04, 2020 4:12 pm Staying close to Galloway forest at the moment. Went for a ride into it a couple of weeks ago. Rounded a corner to see a mature Golden Eagle sat on a tree stump 30 feet away. Dont know who was more surprised, me or the bird. Heck they have a big old wingspan when they unfold. It slowly flapped away through the trees. Seen a few over the years but never this close.

You just made my day

I was crossing a wee burn today and noticed that many of the rocks seemed to have "spots" on them.

P1060505 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

Each of the spots was about 8-10mm across and seemed to be made up of tiny bit of gravel. I extracted one off a rock and set about slowly dismantling it.

P1060504 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

There was a wee creature in the middle. Looks to be a caddisfly larva.

I also heard my first cuckoo this evening and saw the smallest, cutest fox cub playing in some bluebells. I stopped to take a picture but it bellowed out a few weird sounds then fled the scene back to mum i assume

Starling outside the house... Then the neighbour told me a bit later there'd been a kestrel in her garden the other day... Then some time later (whilst greasing the bike pedals off course) I heard a shriek of some bird and looked up. Said kestrel was doing its rounds and gliding around above the backside of the house.

Didnt manage to get a pic of any of them and when I asked the kids to come look and bring the binocluars they telled me they didn't know where they were Plus by the time the kids came and/or the camera, the birds were gone...

Then later on, on the bike ride whilst waiting for some horses to clear the runway ahead of me, I managed to spy a robin. Singing its song and trying to evade the camera. But I think I caught it...

[goes to check and upload... realises it'd evaded any decent images and managed to get a sub standard one so won't bother upkoading here ].

Then some 15 or 30 minutes later (or was it before) I heard lots of chirping inside the bushes. Maybe the 2 zwbra finches were having a domestic. Went closer to get a close up image through the 'not-too-tightly-woven-bush', but alas each time I got into focus the one I'd focused on just jump through the branches. This happened 2 or 3 times before I gave up. Must have thought I'm paparazzi!!

Later ( yup, theres a later ) whilst riding towards home I spotted a couple of baby rabbits. Stopped well before I got close, got out my camera and walked quietly towards... With my back end of the bike so the hub wouldn't make a racket... Again they outsmarted me and no pics.

It all happened though... Honest

Out for an evening ride yesterday, we were on the last descent to home and chanced upon about 50 goats. Normally this is preceeded by furious barking of the dogs that protect them but they were nowhere to be seen. Mrs PB managed a couple of photos before they all cleeared off. True smell of the countyside, pity I'm allergic to the cheese.

Due to the distinct lack of human folk on the mountain there's been a few sightings of wolves in the valley (apparently).

There was a video that one of the cable car workers took a couple of weeks ago quite high up but then, a few nights ago, a friend who has a farm about a km from our house had a few sheep and lambs taken/eaten.

Very cool but sure they'll bugger off as soon as the real dangerous animals are allowed out again.

My morning walk with the dog today was enlivened by the sight of two crows having a go at a red kit. They would dive at it in turns, and the kite would flick itself upside down to present its talons in defence. It's probably three times the size of the crows, but they were incredibly aggressive. Great sight.

Crows will have a go at Buzzards as well - they just don't like raptors being around. Have seen Peregrine Falcons dive bombing a Golden Eagle which is impressive.

Went for an evening walk and took a diversion through the nearby woods that have a great show of bluebells, probably one of the best around here. Heard a bit of commotion and realised that there was a nest in a hole in a nearby dead tree with bird lime below it, just saw one of the parents fly away from us so couldn't ID it. Once out of the wood we could still see the tree, which actually had about half a dozen such holes, and saw the parent Great Spotted Woodpeckers return. I've not heard them drumming this year so they must be reusing old nest sites.

Hares were my highlight today (and bluebells) Saw two hares haring across two harrowed a planted fields

On my ride up the coast this morning I saw a Marsh Harrier hunting over the reed beds, impressive sight

Sat on the patio at the moment post ride, and the house sparrows are busy. We had a new roof on the house and the builder left a gap under a valley tile - sparrows soon found it and have set up home, sounds like 3 or 4 youngsters in the nest which mum and dad are working hard to feed. Love this time of year.

Don't think "remote" sightings count really, but are you Steel City folks watching the peregrine falcon cam? The baby has just popped out! Fascinating to watch George and Bertha feeding it this morning. In fact is it twins?

https://peregrine.group.shef.ac.uk/

It's Hedgehog Awareness week - they'll be struggling with the ground so hard and dry, and lots of extra gardening and rubbish clearance going on.
https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/hed ... y-9th-may/

The Sheffield peregrinettes have now decided to display themselves to the world. If we can have a V-WRT then I reckon we can have V-Wildlife. I'd like to say they're cute but of course they're not .