• Wildlife

Posted: **Fri Aug 21, 2020 7:08 pm**

TheBrownDog wrote: ↑Fri Aug 21, 2020 7:03 pm Four Waterfalls Walk

One the best walks in the UK

.

But don't tell anyone. Schtum.

Posted: **Mon Aug 24, 2020 5:51 pm**

Enroute to Jons yesterday for a BBdelivery, at this point roughly on the map, just before Pickup Bank, it happened. Can't be certain but for some reason I get the feeling it wss a peregrine falcon. Hovering midair for some time and there was more than 1 (I counted 3 within about half a mile of riding... rubbish camera didn't allow me a clear shot).

Pretty sure it was lightish brown/freckly underneath and the face (whatever their called on birds) looked to me from a distance like a blue whale!!. Seemed to be riding the wind/wave before swwoping straight down for a kill!! Hovered for a good few minutes.

Rubbish camera (or did i already say that). Any ideas what it/they could've been

Luckily Jon's bird wasn't too far to get a good shot of...

Edit: just spoke to my bro in law who just educated me that peregrine wouldn't hover and it most likely a kestrel!! Makes sense...

Posted: **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.

Posted: **Mon Aug 24, 2020 6:01 pm**

whitestone 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.

Amazing... I thought you'd know bob. Thanks

Posted: **Tue Aug 25, 2020 5:49 pm**

Not my pic but a mate from Birmigham (think he works in London or summat) sent me this beauty. Is he right (that it's a kestrel) or is it more than a 'cut and shut'...

Posted: **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!

Posted: **Tue Sep 01, 2020 10:30 am**

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!

Looks very similar to the one Joe found in Sutherland recently.

Posted: **Tue Sep 01, 2020 10:31 am**

Borderer wrote: ↑Tue Sep 01, 2020 10:30 am
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!
Looks a similar size but a different type to the one Joe found in Sutherland recently.

Posted: **Sun Sep 06, 2020 9:26 pm**

Missus just sent me this. Skunks saying hello to a cyclist. Thankfully they never sprayed him/her...

https://youtu.be/vszWsYOdnPg

Posted: **Sat Sep 19, 2020 11:37 am**

Yesterday evening while making my away along an Edinburgh cycle path on my way home from September’s BAM (write-up to follow later), I had a very close encounter with a fox. Having overtaken a female jogger, I had picked up speed again when what I at first thought was a dog loped almost casually across my path. I had to brake hard and assumed the fox would quickly disappear into the undergrowth. However, not at all - it proceeded to spray its scent in a bare patch of earth at the side of the path then, task complete, it made its way along the path’s edge, in my direction. Despite the imminent arrival of the afore-mentioned jogger, the fox showed no signs of being alarmed or in any way nervous.

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

It now had an audience of three – the jogger, another cyclist and me, but rather than scarper it came to within a metre of my right leg and looked up at me as if begging for food. Sadly, thinking it had been just about to head into the undergrowth, I’d already put my phone away (honest!) and couldn’t capture that precise moment but it’s a memory that will stay with me forever. The spell was finally broken when three young lads on bikes approached and it finally occurred to the fox that it was time to head off into the bushes.

Posted: **Sun Sep 20, 2020 11:02 am**

Had a very cool encounter on Friday evening while riding along a bridleway. A bird dropped out of a tree just ahead of me and flew fast and low away down the bridleway before shooting up into a tree. As I got close it did the same again. Did that 3 times until the bridleway ended at a lane where it jinked right up the lane and vanished. Stopped at the end just inside the trees and looked up the lane to see a female Sparrow Hawk crouched on the verge with what looked like a Blackbird in her claw. A brief second or two eyeballing each other before she shot away over the hedge with her supper. Buzzing for the rest of the ride!

Posted: **Fri Nov 20, 2020 2:02 pm**

Way back from work today over the M1/A64 I counted no less than 3 bird if prey . First 2 looked like kestrels from their face (I think), weren't wuite hovering and appeared bigger than kestrels (unless the expereince was just much clise than I've ever been). 3rd bird looked like a kite... or a buzzard. I'm not sure, it had a metres or 'and a half' wingspan...

Posted: **Fri Nov 20, 2020 2:21 pm**

a kite... or a buzzard

At a distance it's all in the shape of the tail Shaf. Kite on left.

Posted: **Fri Nov 20, 2020 2:34 pm**

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Fri Nov 20, 2020 2:21 pm
a kite... or a buzzard
At a distance it's all in the shape of the tail Shaf. Kite on left.

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 it

Posted: **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.

Posted: **Fri Nov 20, 2020 3:15 pm**

whitestone 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.

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 gorgeous

(Thanks Bob/Stu)

Posted: **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.

Posted: **Fri Nov 20, 2020 7:32 pm**

Interesting. It occurred to me last year on one of my jaunts that you do see a lot more seals these days than you ever used to. I guess lack of persecution is the answer which makes you realise how much of this went on in years gone by.

Posted: **Fri Nov 20, 2020 7:57 pm**

htrider wrote: ↑Fri Nov 20, 2020 7:32 pm Interesting. It occurred to me last year on one of my jaunts that you do see a lot more seals these days than you ever used to. I guess lack of persecution is the answer which makes you realise how much of this went on in years gone by.

I think they realised that sealclubbing was a bad thing

Sorry bad half man half biscuit joke

Posted: **Fri Nov 20, 2020 9:10 pm**

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.

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.

Posted: **Mon Dec 14, 2020 6:11 pm**

Cycled alongside a hunting Kestrel for a bit this morning, before coming across a couple of Red Kites wheeling above my head. Had to stop and watch them for a bit has they rode the wind, magic.

Posted: **Tue Dec 15, 2020 11:44 pm**

K1100T wrote: ↑Mon Dec 14, 2020 6:11 pm Cycled alongside a hunting Kestrel for a bit this morning, before coming across a couple of Red Kites wheeling above my head. Had to stop and watch them for a bit has they rode the wind, magic.

Love watching red kite, often makes me stop for a bit

Posted: **Tue Feb 02, 2021 12:14 am**

Meant to post this the other week. While doing a spot of forest* bathing, I looked up and saw a multitude of birds wheeling just above the tree tops. Upon exiting the forest*, I snapped this photo, twenty one red kites. Most I've ever seen in one go, and there may have been another couple, but the buggers were whizzing all over the shop...

* A small wood near the village.

Posted: **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.

Posted: **Sun Feb 21, 2021 6:31 pm**

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.

That means I know where I will want to head for my March BAM as soon as we're allowed....

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