Wildlife

[Mibbes Aye]

During the current circumstances I am up a lot earlier than I would normally be, picking up work stuff.

I know we are getting into spring but it feels like the wildlife, the birds, are far louder and chirpier than usual. It is an absolute racket outside the house just now!

I stay in an area with lots of natural nesting but also what would have been a relatively busy street - it feeds a primary school one way and a secondary school the other.

We saw lots of bats out and about last night, which is rare. As I say, I guess it is a naturally busy time of year for various species to be breeding and growing, and it is probably accentuated by diminished traffic and human footflow.

Anyone else experiencing a pick-up in wildlife, more than one assumes we get at this time? I think it is no bad thing to ponder what effect we have, or rather don’t have when we aren’t around so much!

[Mibbes Aye]

During the current circumstances I am up a lot earlier than I would normally be, picking up work stuff.

I know we are getting into spring but it feels like the wildlife, the birds, are far louder and chirpier than usual. It is an absolute racket outside the house just now!

I stay in an area with lots of natural nesting but also what would have been a relatively busy street - it feeds a primary school one way and a secondary school the other.

We saw lots of bats out and about last night, which is rare. As I say, I guess it is a naturally busy time of year for various species to be breeding and growing, and it is probably accentuated by diminished traffic and human footflow.

Anyone else experiencing a pick-up in wildlife, more than one assumes we get at this time? I think it is no bad thing to ponder what effect we have, or rather don’t have when we aren’t around so much!

Should have added that the little birds are more evident, as one would expect, but the rooks sound louder. We have a colony (I think the collective noun for them is actually parliament, which makes sense!)of rooks around five hundred yards away, which I love, but gosh they are noisy! But I wouldn’t want not to hear them...,

I know one should expect more loudness at this time of year but I have lived in a more country setting for a couple of decades now and I think it is a lot louder this spring? Wood pigeons nest in large numbers nearby and they seem to be louder and earlier- I am curious about how much is the natural shift in daylight and how much might be the drop in seeing people?

[Colr]

Hearing the woodpeckers very clearly just now. Rarely actually see one!

[wpj]

Have to agree, I live in a "garden flat" it's a mad amount of birds. Also foxes and squirrels, I enjoy them. The fox I saw was beautiful and not at all worried about me drinking a cuppa in the garden, squirrel bottled it

[Hibbyradge]

I saw what I think was a buzzard on a fence post 2 days ago.

I'll try to post a picture although it's not very clear as I was using my phone's 8x zoom.

[Hibbyradge]

Is this a buzzard? It sat like that for at least half an hour before it flew off.

We'd been walking and it was still there when we came back. It flew off when I tried to approach it from behind some trees, but I didn't get a good look at it's wings because of the branches.

https://i.postimg.cc/FRjMw9TV/20200409-181854.jpg

[RyeSloan]

Was actually going to post on the ‘things you learned’ thread about this yesterday then thought it was me being a bit daft and just being about the house more.

But I’m convinced there is more birds than usual this year..my garden always attracts them but sheesh from blackbirds to starlings to sparrows to tits (I including me!) the variety and quantity defo seems higher this year.

Dunno if it’s lockdown, just one of those years or me just being more present in the house (maybe a combo of all three!) but it’s defo one of the more pleasant side effects of this period.

So much so I actually ordered a bird feeder and feed yesterday to make that my first (and probably only) special lockdown purchase.

[superfurryhibby]

Is this a buzzard? It sat like that for at least half an hour before it flew off.

We'd been walking and it was still there when we came back. It flew off when I tried to approach it from behind some trees, but I didn't get a good look at it's wings because of the branches.

https://i.postimg.cc/FRjMw9TV/20200409-181854.jpg

Looks like a Buzzard to me.

There's a pair of them nesting in the woods off Old Dalkeith Road. They have been hovering on the thermals over the Inch a lot recently. A couple of times the local crow mob have mustered and harassed them. Interesting watching from the garden.

I had a rabbit in my back garden yesterday.

The local fox, known as the "crack fox", because he's always hanging around the streets of our wee cul de sac, was out in broad daylight recently, strolling up the road at 6:30pm, total wide-o. He's got distinctive black fur on his haunches, so ah ken wae he is and where he lives.

Walking down Old Dalkeith Road recently, looked over the wall once it's height dropped to the appropriate level and looked right into the eyes of a Roe Deer. It stood stock still, ten ft away. I looked down at my phone and it then bolted into a thicket.

Plenty bees out now, not enough wee garden birds, not enough trees in my newer development estate gardens.

It's definitely teeming with wildlife out there alright.

[Hibrandenburg]

Anyone else experiencing a pick-up in wildlife, more than one assumes we get at this time? I think it is no bad thing to ponder what effect we have, or rather don’t have when we aren’t around so much!

I live next to a golf course and it's become a nature reserve. There's literally herds of deer grazing the course and wild boar moving uninhibited in gangs of about 20. Theres a couple of pairs of peregrine falcons getting fat on all the smaller animals that are enjoying a new lease of life on the fairways. Up until this year I think I've only ever seen 2 ticks, at the moment I'm having to remove about 5 or 6 from the dog after every walk. Funnily enough we've not had the usual plague of mosquitoes this year, that might be down to the increase in birds and other predators but might also have something to do with the unusually dry winter/spring we've had. Never before was the influence that humans have on nature more apparent, simply by their absence.

[pollution]

Is this a buzzard? It sat like that for at least half an hour before it flew off.

We'd been walking and it was still there when we came back. It flew off when I tried to approach it from behind some trees, but I didn't get a good look at it's wings because of the branches.

https://i.postimg.cc/FRjMw9TV/20200409-181854.jpgIt's a young adult Common Buzzard. When juvenile it has a light coloured coat, darker when adult.

[grunt]

Hearing the woodpeckers very clearly just now. Rarely actually see one!Funny you should post this today. For years I've heard but never seen woodpeckers, and then on Thursday we heard one and saw it.

23182

[Hibbyradge]

It's a young adult Common Buzzard. When juvenile it has a light coloured coat, darker when adult.

Thanks 👍

[Glory Lurker]

It's not a surprise but it's still quite humbling to watch nature just getting on with it, not giving a fig for humans.

[EH6 Hibby]

I regularly see a Heron and a Cormorant down at the shore, only ever see one of each so I think it’s the same ones all the time.

I’ve definitely noticed that the birds seem louder, I have a tall tree right outside my living room window, I’m on the top floor, I’m working from home and people are commenting on how loud they are.

[speedy_gonzales]

I regularly see a Heron and a Cormorant down at the shore, only ever see one of each so I think it’s the same ones all the time.

Grey Herons are fairly solitary outwith mating season.
There's one that can be found at Cammo, usually without fail and will tolerate some relatively close up photography being so focused on the frogs and small fish in the water there.

[Glory Lurker]

I wonder if the birds seeming louder is because the background hum of traffic and general busy-ness isn't there?

[Moulin Yarns]

If I could insert a picture from my phone, you could see my nocturnal visitors.


Badgers.

[stu in nottingham]

You get the feeling that nature is breathing a sigh of relief and it is wonderful to observe in various ways.

Something that happens from time to time in my quite secluded garden is a sparrowhawk visit. Last week one brought down its prey, a wood pigeon, and left little but a bunch of feathers afterwards. A fox came to enquire at my patio door one evening quite brazenly and although I get a lot of squirrels, there have been many more than normal.

I can identify a few common forms of birdsong but there are definitely ones that I haven't heard before. The local owls are noticeable too come that time of evening.

Each year peregrine falcons return to a nesting box set up by Nottingham Trent University high up overlooking the city. The nesting box has webcams trained on it. It's good to watch their's and their offspring's progress each year.

https://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/peregrine-cam

[Scouse Hibee]

The Lions are roaring but then again they can be regularly heard from my garden.

The fox community are still wandering about though I haven’t seen our local badger for a while.

[Pretty Boy]

There's a group of foxes live on some wasteland behind our house, it's quite common to see them late evening scavenging around the houses for food. Lately they are around all the time and quite happy wandering up and down the street all day.

It's been quite interesting watching them grow. There was a family of 2 parents and 3 pups. They lived together for about 6 months or so but now they all seem to be living in the same area but solitary. One of the pups now appears to have overtaken the dad as an alpha male type well as I've seen him chase the dad away a couple of times.

[Billy Whizz]

The Lions are roaring but then again they can be regularly heard from my garden.

The fox community are still wandering about though I haven’t seen our local badger for a while.

Hope they’ve padlocked the gates safely😄

[Hibrandenburg]

I'm loving this thread, it's fair cheered me up.

[Mibbes Aye]

One of the upsides of this near-house arrest, combined with the weather picking up, is we are regularly sitting out in the garden for a couple of hours round about this time of day. We only moved into our current house late last summer so there are all sorts of surprises emerging in terms of plants flowering.

Can anyone recommend a decent app where you can take a photo of a plant, flowers or a shrub on a smartphone and it identifies it for you? I can identify the obvious ones but not anywhere near all of them. I don’t mind paying for it but a good free one would be even better. I have a bunch of books but I imagine an app is just a lot quicker.

The other positive about sitting out is starting to see bumble bees busying themselves about. One of life’s simple pleasures

[The Pointer]

I live on the west coast beside a sea loch but have woods at the back of our garden. I usually put nuts out and in past years we've had everything: Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Siskins, Chaffies but this year there's been almost nothing eating the nuts. Not sure why but I've seen the remains (only feathers) of, presumably, Blue Tits which means cats, crows, or pigeons. There are plenty of other birds such as Robins, Wrens, Blackies and Thrushes and they make some racket in the gloaming. We've also got a Woodpecker battering away as well as Hoolets (owls).

Today I was watching Gannets dive on a shoal and we also see Cormorants and ****s and ducks of various types like Scoters which sound like babies cooing when you can hear them.

[The Pointer]

Hmmm, the Spellcheckobergruppenfuhrer is obviously not conversant with birds names! https://www.hibs.net/image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhDwAPANEAAP///729vVn/yAAAACH/C05FVFNDQVBFMi4wAwEAAAAh/sFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnJ0bHNvZnQuY29tL2FuaW1hZ2ljLwoKQ3J lYXRlZCB3aXRoIEFuaW1hZ2ljIEdJRiBWIDEuMjEKYnkgUmlna HQgdG8gTGVmdCBTb2Z0d2FyZSBJbmMuCgpUbyBzdXBwcmVzcyB 0aGlzIG1lc3NhZ2UgaW4gdGhlIHJlZ2lzdGVyZWQgdmVyc2lvb gp1bmNoZWNrICJPcHRpb25zIHwgQW5pbWFnaWMgY29tbWVudCB mcmFtZSIKACH5BAkeAAEALAAAAAAPAA8AAAI6jD2Zx5EC4WIjW nmqeFIPtElh GnX SiqulUDALyw7LozHM/tdveuw5PlfsAWjvMBtRQYiqnTyKgaBQAh QQJHgABACwAAAAADwAPAAACOYw9mceRAuFiI1p5qnhbbtSF3OB cplQpqrqlADC88Ju6M023G86nZRzD Uot2SiDUmAomsik4VA1CgAh QQJHgABACwAAAAADwAPAAACOow9mceRAuFiI1p5qnhSD7RJYfh p1/koqrpVAwC8sOy6MxzP7Xb3rsOT5X7AFo7zAbUUGIqp08ioGgUA IfkECR4AAQAsAAAAAA8ADwAAAjqMPZnHkQLhYkM8WcfJ0nbtRK KoVeNpZcqqpBYADHAMqy9d166M41ko49F odTsAiqyJI1LZNJwrBoFACH5BAkeAAEALAAAAAAPAA8AAAI6jD 2Zx5EC4WIjWnmqeFIPtElh GnX SiqulUDALyw7LozHM/tdveuw5PlfsAWjvMBtRQYiqnTyKgaBQAh QQJHgABACwAAAAADwAPAAACOow9mceRAuFiQzxZx8nSdu1Eoqh V42llyqqkFgAMcAyrL13XrozjWSjj0X6h1OwCKrIkjUtk0nCsG gUAIfkECR4AAQAsAAAAAA8ADwAAAjqMPZnHkQLhYiNaeap4Ug 0SWH4adf5KKq6VQMAvLDsujMcz 12967Dk V wBaO8wG1FBiKqdPIqBoFADs= ****. ****. ****, ****!

[JeMeSouviens]

Not wildlife but I wonder if the lack of cars on the road is making the air clearer? On my dog walk this morning I could see the clear outline of snow patches as far away as Beinn a’Ghlo and Glenshee.

[Mibbes Aye]

Not wildlife but I wonder if the lack of cars on the road is making the air clearer? On my dog walk this morning I could see the clear outline of snow patches as far away as Beinn a’Ghlo and Glenshee.

Do you not live in Dumfries? That is quite impressive.

[JeMeSouviens]

Do you not live in Dumfries? That is quite impressive.

No, just outside Edinburgh in the foothills of the Pentlands. :greengrin

[goosano]

About 10 years ago I had a serious injury which meant that I had to give up my passion of long distance running and triathlons. I took it pretty hard and we had just moved house. My wife put up bird feeders and I began to take an interest in what was coming and felt frustrated at not being able to identify all the birds. So I got a book and then a CD and with time I have learnt to identify all the Scottish birds and their calls and songs. I then began to get involved in surveying work as a volunteer in the country as .part of an ongoing project to monitor bird populations and trends. Getting out in the country and learning these new skills did wonders for my mental health and developed into a passion.

I've taken part in a national project where I record all the birds that come to the garden every weekend for half an hour. Sadly the numbers are in decline though some species are doing well. House sparrows that seem to have gone away are now common again. But most species are in decline the main culprits being cats and human activity. It is a joy now hearing the dawn chorus and walking along the edge of the golf course near my house listening to all the song. Nowadays I identify at least 3/4 of what is there by sound

[Mibbes Aye]

About 10 years ago I had a serious injury which meant that I had to give up my passion of long distance running and triathlons. I took it pretty hard and we had just moved house. My wife put up bird feeders and I began to take an interest in what was coming and felt frustrated at not being able to identify all the birds. So I got a book and then a CD and with time I have learnt to identify all the Scottish birds and their calls and songs. I then began to get involved in surveying work as a volunteer in the country as .part of an ongoing project to monitor bird populations and trends. Getting out in the country and learning these new skills did wonders for my mental health and developed into a passion.

I've taken part in a national project where I record all the birds that come to the garden every weekend for half an hour. Sadly the numbers are in decline though some species are doing well. House sparrows that seem to have gone away are now common again. But most species are in decline the main culprits being cats and human activity. It is a joy now hearing the dawn chorus and walking along the edge of the golf course near my house listening to all the song. Nowadays I identify at least 3/4 of what is there by sound

That's brilliant, I am envious. I made a fist of trying to learn the look and sound of the various birds, didn't keep it up though and then prioritised learning a language. In amongst work, family and the pre-existing hobbies something had to give!

I definitely hear more variety wjere I live in recent days but I am not sure how much that is to do with the time of year, breeding seasons, diminished traffic noise and less humans on the street.

[Mibbes Aye]

About 10 years ago I had a serious injury which meant that I had to give up my passion of long distance running and triathlons. I took it pretty hard and we had just moved house. My wife put up bird feeders and I began to take an interest in what was coming and felt frustrated at not being able to identify all the birds. So I got a book and then a CD and with time I have learnt to identify all the Scottish birds and their calls and songs. I then began to get involved in surveying work as a volunteer in the country as .part of an ongoing project to monitor bird populations and trends. Getting out in the country and learning these new skills did wonders for my mental health and developed into a passion.

I've taken part in a national project where I record all the birds that come to the garden every weekend for half an hour. Sadly the numbers are in decline though some species are doing well. House sparrows that seem to have gone away are now common again. But most species are in decline the main culprits being cats and human activity. It is a joy now hearing the dawn chorus and walking along the edge of the golf course near my house listening to all the song. Nowadays I identify at least 3/4 of what is there by sound

Up early again and tempted to record the sound for you, it is a practical orchestra!

Interestingly it is obviously the smaller birds. The rooks don’t kick in for half an hour after the little ones start but when they do they are loud! The wood pigeons are slightly later.

Out of curiosity, a query for you or any one else, the wood pigeons near my house have a particular call and rhythm. I think there is one in particular. I have no idea whether it is just the ones near me or whether it is typical of wood pigeons in general, and I just wondered.

Hard to describe and I can’t quite put it in musical cadence because it doesn’t quite scan, but essentially it starts with (I think) a quaver, two crotchets and a quaver - dah, daah, daah, dah -then three or four choruses of dah, daah, dah, da, da - with an upbeat on the first dah, two crotchets, two quavers I think, then just a solitary daah. All in 4/4time. If you don’t know quavers and crotchets then essentially it is four sounds, then five sounds again and again, then one sound. And it is consistent.

It fascinates me and I am not sure I have the cadence right as I haven’t played music properly for some years now but the wood pigeon gets it spot on every time :greengrin. Just curious if they all do that, or it is an individual thing.

[goosano]

Up early again and tempted to record the sound for you, it is a practical orchestra!

Interestingly it is obviously the smaller birds. The rooks don’t kick in for half an hour after the little ones start but when they do they are loud! The wood pigeons are slightly later.

Out of curiosity, a query for you or any one else, the wood pigeons near my house have a particular call and rhythm. I think there is one in particular. I have no idea whether it is just the ones near me or whether it is typical of wood pigeons in general, and I just wondered.

Hard to describe and I can’t quite put it in musical cadence because it doesn’t quite scan, but essentially it starts with (I think) a quaver, two crotchets and a quaver - dah, daah, daah, dah -then three or four choruses of dah, daah, dah, da, da - with an upbeat on the first dah, two crotchets, two quavers I think, then just a solitary daah. All in 4/4time. If you don’t know quavers and crotchets then essentially it is four sounds, then five sounds again and again, then one sound. And it is consistent.

It fascinates me and I am not sure I have the cadence right as I haven’t played music properly for some years now but the wood pigeon gets it spot on every time :greengrin. Just curious if they all do that, or it is an individual thing.

You describe it well and all wood pigeons make that sound. It is their song.

https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Columba-palumbus

This website is excellent and if you want to check any bird song or call you will find it here.

Earlier in the year it was the song thrushes that strted first but now the blackbirds kick off at about 5.40

[DaveF]

Hearing the woodpeckers very clearly just now. Rarely actually see one!

I saw one just now for the first-time ever! Heard a very gentle knocking in a tree and after scouring above saw it for about 2 seconds before it flew off. Seconds later heard it absolutely hammering on another tree.

[Moulin Yarns]

About 10 years ago I had a serious injury which meant that I had to give up my passion of long distance running and triathlons. I took it pretty hard and we had just moved house. My wife put up bird feeders and I began to take an interest in what was coming and felt frustrated at not being able to identify all the birds. So I got a book and then a CD and with time I have learnt to identify all the Scottish birds and their calls and songs. I then began to get involved in surveying work as a volunteer in the country as .part of an ongoing project to monitor bird populations and trends. Getting out in the country and learning these new skills did wonders for my mental health and developed into a passion.

I've taken part in a national project where I record all the birds that come to the garden every weekend for half an hour. Sadly the numbers are in decline though some species are doing well. House sparrows that seem to have gone away are now common again. But most species are in decline the main culprits being cats and human activity. It is a joy now hearing the dawn chorus and walking along the edge of the golf course near my house listening to all the song. Nowadays I identify at least 3/4 of what is there by sound

Well done.

I can offer an explanation for the house sparrow population fluctuations. We hear about the birds that migrate long distance from sub Saharan Africa such as osprey, swallow and swift but sparrow only move up to 1.5km from the nest they hatch in, so are reliant on a good supply of food, and in lean years a lot die and it will take up to 10 years to fill the gap again.

[HappyAsHellas]

Thousands of swallows and swifts were killed in Greece last week on their migratory path to European countries due to an unseasonal storm, so numbers may be down on previous years.

[Mibbes Aye]

Ludicrously loud with the birds just now, I can’t complain because it is a joy but it is bloody noisy!

The rooks seem to be up earlier too, no idea if it is a shift in temperature. I thought it would be a combination of light and temp. It is still quite dark but got warmer over the last day or so.

It all sounds a wee bit like R2D2 on speed or X :greengrin

[wpj]

Ludicrously loud with the birds just now, I can’t complain because it is a joy but it is bloody noisy!

The rooks seem to be up earlier too, no idea if it is a shift in temperature. I thought it would be a combination of light and temp. It is still quite dark but got warmer over the last day or so.

It all sounds a wee bit like R2D2 on speed or X :greengrin

I live in a garden flat, the birds are loud as, also have squirrels running over my roof, there is a lovely sunrise here. Just had a coffee outside and may BBQ later

[Hibrandenburg]

I've just trimmed a 25m long and 5m high hedge down to 2½m. The hedge is also nearly 3m deep and now has its middle exposed to the sky until it grows over again. I've obviously unintentionally created the perfect night stop motel for migrating birds and the dawn chorus this morning resembled the Hampden Roar.

[barcahibs]

One of the upsides of this near-house arrest, combined with the weather picking up, is we are regularly sitting out in the garden for a couple of hours round about this time of day. We only moved into our current house late last summer so there are all sorts of surprises emerging in terms of plants flowering.

Can anyone recommend a decent app where you can take a photo of a plant, flowers or a shrub on a smartphone and it identifies it for you? I can identify the obvious ones but not anywhere near all of them. I don’t mind paying for it but a good free one would be even better. I have a bunch of books but I imagine an app is just a lot quicker.

The other positive about sitting out is starting to see bumble bees busying themselves about. One of life’s simple pleasures

There's a few apps about but you have to pay for most. A lot of them are American as well so they tend to mis identify the things we get here.

Try iSpot they have an app and a website, it's a community where you take photos, post them on their app/website and actual people will identify them for you. It's pretty good. It's linked to the Open University and another website called iRecord which asks people to make a formal record of the wildlife they see. Wildlife Recording is one of the most important tools in conservation but hardly anyone does it it would be brilliant if more people did, its really easy too.

The BTO are doing free membership of their garden birdwatch survey scheme just now where you record the wildlife that visits your garden.

For general wildlife ID the various charities are a good place to start. Plant life, woodland Trust, Wildlife Trusts, RSPB (spit), Buglife, Bumblebee Conservation, Butterfly Conservation. Don't be afraid to go into the kids section of their websites, that's where some of the best ID resources are.

Interacting with nature is a brilliant thing you can do for your mental health, study after study shows its effectiveness on depression, anxiety, confidence, stress levels, all sorts of issues - you don't even have to be interested in wildlife for it to work.

Right now a great thing we could all do for our health is take a bit of time to watch nature.

[Hibby Bairn]

Hardly a conservationist bone in my body. Not anti it I just don’t take much proactive interest. But this thread has some fascinating insights and info. A mini-Wikipedia 😃👍

[Mibbes Aye]

There's a few apps about but you have to pay for most. A lot of them are American as well so they tend to mis identify the things we get here.

Try iSpot they have an app and a website, it's a community where you take photos, post them on their app/website and actual people will identify them for you. It's pretty good. It's linked to the Open University and another website called iRecord which asks people to make a formal record of the wildlife they see. Wildlife Recording is one of the most important tools in conservation but hardly anyone does it it would be brilliant if more people did, its really easy too.

The BTO are doing free membership of their garden birdwatch survey scheme just now where you record the wildlife that visits your garden.

For general wildlife ID the various charities are a good place to start. Plant life, woodland Trust, Wildlife Trusts, RSPB (spit), Buglife, Bumblebee Conservation, Butterfly Conservation. Don't be afraid to go into the kids section of their websites, that's where some of the best ID resources are.

Interacting with nature is a brilliant thing you can do for your mental health, study after study shows its effectiveness on depression, anxiety, confidence, stress levels, all sorts of issues - you don't even have to be interested in wildlife for it to work.

Right now a great thing we could all do for our health is take a bit of time to watch nature.

Thanks Barca. Long time, no speak - I know you don’t post as much since the heady days of the coriander thread :greengrin. I like the sound of your recommendations. I have no shortage of books but you lose that little bit of additional insight from hearing from someone who knows what it is, what works well beside it, what doesn’t work and so on.

In latest news from the Mibbes garden, we now seem to have red tulips, which are stunningly pretty. As I say we moved in towards the end of last summer so we are still discovering what the garden has in store. I am going to have to get my act together! Definitely more bee activity as well - when I typed that just now it auto-corrected to more ‘beer activity’ which is also accurate :greengrin

[Billy Whizz]

The robins in my garden seems to have disappeared, where do they head in the summer?

[Mibbes Aye]

The robins in my garden seems to have disappeared, where do they head in the summer?

They don’t go away, they just go more feral in the spring and summer as there are richer pickings in the woods. Sadly they have limited lifespans and most don’t last longer than a year or so.

[Mibbes Aye]

Poser for Goosano.

I can’t see it so can’t give you a physical description, but it is obviously small and high-pitched and the call is a “Wee, wee,wee weep’ repeated three or four times, very quickly, cadence is dah-dah-dah-daah, three quavers and a crotchet.

I will check out the site you linked to, but if you know off the top of your head then welcome to hear.

[Mibbes Aye]

Genuinely been woken up by the racket that the birds are making outside. It is lovely but it is incredibly noisy. I stay in a small town and we used to live in a terraced house before moving to a detached house. The terraced house had climbing ivy and vines on the front, plus we had a tree right outside the front door, rising up to our bedroom window. They were a nature haven, with all manner of small birds nesting. They could make some noise but it was never as noisy as this though!

As I say I love it and wouldn’t swap it for the world but good grief, it is some racket! And the rooks will start in a minute and then the wood pigeons! They certainly seem to be enjoying the fact that they don’t have to deal with as much human presence, and I can’t blame them for that.

We occasionally get foxes and badgers into the garden but no nocturnal sign of either recently, though there have been rumbling sounds in the attic. I am hoping it is the wooden flooring adjusting to the change in temperature, rather than a badger nesting!

[wpj]

The robins in my garden seems to have disappeared, where do they head in the summer?

Apparently Robins are extremely territorial I have one in my garden, it comes really close to me, I am hoping to feed it by hand eventually if it let's me

[Mibbes Aye]

Apparently Robins are extremely territorial I have one in my garden, it comes really close to me, I am hoping to feed it by hand eventually if it let's me

Good luck with that, it would be great if you could manage it,

You are right, robins are territorial and if your one is a survivor then it will be back again next year.

If it can feed in your garden then it won’t need to move away, but it sounds like it will come back anyway.

[Mibbes Aye]

The wood pigeon has started up.

i subscribe to the RSPCB

i may acquire a shotgun license.

It is not going to be pretty either way :greengrin

[wpj]

Good luck with that, it would be great if you could manage it,

You are right, robins are territorial and if your one is a survivor then it will be back again next year.

If it can feed in your garden then it won’t need to move away, but it sounds like it will come back anyway.

I may be sitting for a while waiting. Just been out listening to the dawn chorus. Such a lovely time of day (for an insomniac)

[Mibbes Aye]

I may be sitting for a while waiting. Just been out listening to the dawn chorus. Such a lovely time of day (for an insomniac)

I’m the same, partly through work. Now that I am using to doing it I wonder whether I will ever not be able to do it, especially in spring/summer. I always loved birdsong but rarely thought of the time when it was at its best.

Those things in life that that change your perspective........

[wpj]

I’m the same, partly through work. Now that I am using to doing it I wonder whether I will ever not be able to do it, especially in spring/summer. I always loved birdsong but rarely thought of the time when it was at its best.

Those things in life that that change your perspective........

For real, I tend to go out walking about now, a couple of gallus foxes are very funny, they never back down just stare, love them.

[Mibbes Aye]

For real, I tend to go out walking about now, a couple of gallus foxes are very funny, they never back down just stare, love them.

It is funny how things change, how nature adapts and changes.

[Mibbes Aye]

Rooks have been late kicking in this morning but are belting it out now. As I understand it, rooks mate for life and don’t seek out another partner should one die, that’s why you usually see them in pairs.

They are marvellously clever birds, lots of science to back it up. If you aren’t sure what a rook is, then it looks like a crow but has a slate beak, not a black beak, and is a little smaller. Jackdaws are smaller still and have a grey forehead on a black body, plus a much chirpier voice. They, and ravens, are all from the same family and are often persecuted. They are beautiful and intelligent birds and deserve being safeguarded.

[wpj]

Rooks have been late kicking in this morning but are belting it out now. As I understand it, rooks mate for life and don’t seek out another partner should one die, that’s why you usually see them in pairs.

They are marvellously clever birds, lots of science to back it up. If you aren’t sure what a rook is, then it looks like a crow but has a slate beak, not a black beak, and is a little smaller. Jackdaws are smaller still and have a grey forehead on a black body, plus a much chirpier voice. They, and ravens, are all from the same family and are often persecuted. They are beautiful and intelligent birds and deserve being safeguarded.

I used to read "what the jackdaw saw" to my daughter so we have always spotted them. She has grown out of "superworm" but I will always remember those days. Just been back into my garden, love it

[RyeSloan]

For real, I tend to go out walking about now, a couple of gallus foxes are very funny, they never back down just stare, love them.

Urgh the foxes annoy the hell out of me...especially when I’m walking the dog at night and they decide to follow as close as they dare.

The dog growls and chases them off...a minute later there they are padding silently to get as close as they dare again!

A real pain as the dog, instead of wandering about doing it business, is forever pulling on the lead trying to attack the fox...can become a right workout sometimes [emoji23]

[easty]

I live down near Western Corner and I saw a badger crossing the road just before the lockdown. Just strolled over the road into someone’s garden. It was pretty big.

[goosano]

The robins in my garden seems to have disappeared, where do they head in the summer?

Some robins are migratory and some of our winter birds are from Scandinavia so that is one possibility. They are nest building and breeding now so keep a low profile

[Moulin Yarns]

Genuinely been woken up by the racket that the birds are making outside. It is lovely but it is incredibly noisy. I stay in a small town and we used to live in a terraced house before moving to a detached house. The terraced house had climbing ivy and vines on the front, plus we had a tree right outside the front door, rising up to our bedroom window. They were a nature haven, with all manner of small birds nesting. They could make some noise but it was never as noisy as this though!

As I say I love it and wouldn’t swap it for the world but good grief, it is some racket! And the rooks will start in a minute and then the wood pigeons! They certainly seem to be enjoying the fact that they don’t have to deal with as much human presence, and I can’t blame them for that.

We occasionally get foxes and badgers into the garden but no nocturnal sign of either recently, though there have been rumbling sounds in the attic. I am hoping it is the wooden flooring adjusting to the change in temperature, rather than a badger nesting!

Rumbling in the attic?

Hope that it's just mice. Next worst would be rats. You really don't want it to be squirrel or pine Martin for the damage they can cause.

[Pretty Boy]

I'm not certain but I think there may be bats living in a park near me.

I was out a run the other night and there was a lot of movement around some trees and various shadowy things swooping about. The squeaks and squawks as I got closer didn't sound like birds.

[Hibby Bairn]

I'm not certain but I think there may be bats living in a park near me.

I was out a run the other night and there was a lot of movement around some trees and various shadowy things swooping about. The squeaks and squawks as I got closer didn't sound like birds.

Sounds like a storyline from Scooby Doo 😀

[Moulin Yarns]

I'm not certain but I think there may be bats living in a park near me.

I was out a run the other night and there was a lot of movement around some trees and various shadowy things swooping about. The squeaks and squawks as I got closer didn't sound like birds.


If there are old trees then there will be bat roosts. All bats are social animals, but often roost in single number so they are social calling. Generally we humans can't hear them when used for echolocation, but social chatter is within our hearing spectrum. You are pretty lucky to have heard them.

[barcahibs]

Thanks Barca. Long time, no speak - I know you don’t post as much since the heady days of the coriander thread :greengrin. I like the sound of your recommendations. I have no shortage of books but you lose that little bit of additional insight from hearing from someone who knows what it is, what works well beside it, what doesn’t work and so on.

In latest news from the Mibbes garden, we now seem to have red tulips, which are stunningly pretty. As I say we moved in towards the end of last summer so we are still discovering what the garden has in store. I am going to have to get my act together! Definitely more bee activity as well - when I typed that just now it auto-corrected to more ‘beer activity’ which is also accurate :greengrin

Cheers Mibbes, yeah I remember the collander thread too well... Been a better website since it was vaulted :) Got myself a job since then and work most weekends so don't see as much of the Hibs as I'd like these days.

Actually my job now is green mental health, as part of our lockdown response we're producing packs of activities designed to help people's mental wellbeing - I hope you don't mind but your post has inspired part of this week's pack -

A great way to find out what birds are living near you is to listen for their songs – you’ll hear a lot of birds before you see them. Thinking about learning bird song can be quite daunting but there are lots of easy ones you can start with.

Stand in your green space, close your eyes and just listen. Take a piece of paper and write or draw a picture to represent the bird sounds you hear on it. Listen for similarities, if one bird is singing you’ll often hear another of the same species singing back to it – this is two males competing over territory. Can you see them? Or can you see the female nearby listening to the singing competition? Listen deeper, calm your breathing and filter out all the non bird noises… What else do you hear?

First think about all the birds who simply say their names while singing! Lots of birds were named after their song. For example the Crow which might get its name from the sounds of its “craw” call as it flies).
Cuckoos, Curlews and Chiff-Chaffs are others (the German name for the Chiff-Chaff is “Zilp-Zlap” which is maybe even more accurate!)
Even the humble Duck is saying its own name when you really listen to a Mallard ‘quack’.

Now focus on the common notes you hear all the time. A short, but very repetitive ‘plink’ coming from the garden fence is almost certainly a Chaffinch. The noise of a squeaky dog toy from a tree is a Blue Tit; the high pitched sound of a poorly oiled gate, squeaking as it swings in the wind, is a Coal Tit; and the constant two tone call of “tea-cher, tea-cher” is a Great Tit. Once you hear the noise, look and see if you can find the bird making it.

Other birds are noted for when or where they sing. A loud repetitive three note song coming from the top of a tall tree is probably a Song Thrush. The bird singing a complex, beautiful song on top of the lamp post outside your house at dawn might be a Blackbird. The explosively loud, long song with a ‘chirr’ in the middle coming from low down in the undergrowth – and you can never find the singer – is sung by a tiny Wren.

Try making up your own names for the birds you hear, name them after their tunes!



Apparently Robins are extremely territorial I have one in my garden, it comes really close to me, I am hoping to feed it by hand eventually if it let's me

I was told once that Robins are one of the few species on earth that have routinely been observed fighting to the death over territory. Supposedly they are quite shy, secretive birds in other parts of the world but in Britain have developed a habit of being more open and confiding in people. A few other species are like that - badgers for one. It might have something to do with the UK being relatively densely populated, so the individuals that can't tolerate people can't survive as well?


I'm not certain but I think there may be bats living in a park near me.

I was out a run the other night and there was a lot of movement around some trees and various shadowy things swooping about. The squeaks and squawks as I got closer didn't sound like birds.

You might, if you are lucky, be just about able to hear some bats. It's unusual but some people can. I ran a batwalk recently and there was a young kid on that who I think really could hear the bats, a couple of times he pointed one out before the bat detector even caught it. Most men lose the ability to hear high frequency noises as they get older, I can't even hear Goldcrests (a little bird with a high pitched song) anymore. Bats are more common than most people think, most parks, and even streets, in Edinburgh will have at least occasional bat visits.

[Mibbes Aye]

Cheers Mibbes, yeah I remember the collander thread too well... Been a better website since it was vaulted :) Got myself a job since then and work most weekends so don't see as much of the Hibs as I'd like these days.

Actually my job now is green mental health, as part of our lockdown response we're producing packs of activities designed to help people's mental wellbeing - I hope you don't mind but your post has inspired part of this week's pack -

A great way to find out what birds are living near you is to listen for their songs – you’ll hear a lot of birds before you see them. Thinking about learning bird song can be quite daunting but there are lots of easy ones you can start with.

Stand in your green space, close your eyes and just listen. Take a piece of paper and write or draw a picture to represent the bird sounds you hear on it. Listen for similarities, if one bird is singing you’ll often hear another of the same species singing back to it – this is two males competing over territory. Can you see them? Or can you see the female nearby listening to the singing competition? Listen deeper, calm your breathing and filter out all the non bird noises… What else do you hear?

First think about all the birds who simply say their names while singing! Lots of birds were named after their song. For example the Crow which might get its name from the sounds of its “craw” call as it flies).
Cuckoos, Curlews and Chiff-Chaffs are others (the German name for the Chiff-Chaff is “Zilp-Zlap” which is maybe even more accurate!)
Even the humble Duck is saying its own name when you really listen to a Mallard ‘quack’.

Now focus on the common notes you hear all the time. A short, but very repetitive ‘plink’ coming from the garden fence is almost certainly a Chaffinch. The noise of a squeaky dog toy from a tree is a Blue Tit; the high pitched sound of a poorly oiled gate, squeaking as it swings in the wind, is a Coal Tit; and the constant two tone call of “tea-cher, tea-cher” is a Great Tit. Once you hear the noise, look and see if you can find the bird making it.

Other birds are noted for when or where they sing. A loud repetitive three note song coming from the top of a tall tree is probably a Song Thrush. The bird singing a complex, beautiful song on top of the lamp post outside your house at dawn might be a Blackbird. The explosively loud, long song with a ‘chirr’ in the middle coming from low down in the undergrowth – and you can never find the singer – is sung by a tiny Wren.

Try making up your own names for the birds you hear, name them after their tunes!




I was told once that Robins are one of the few species on earth that have routinely been observed fighting to the death over territory. Supposedly they are quite shy, secretive birds in other parts of the world but in Britain have developed a habit of being more open and confiding in people. A few other species are like that - badgers for one. It might have something to do with the UK being relatively densely populated, so the individuals that can't tolerate people can't survive as well?



You might, if you are lucky, be just about able to hear some bats. It's unusual but some people can. I ran a batwalk recently and there was a young kid on that who I think really could hear the bats, a couple of times he pointed one out before the bat detector even caught it. Most men lose the ability to hear high frequency noises as they get older, I can't even hear Goldcrests (a little bird with a high pitched song) anymore. Bats are more common than most people think, most parks, and even streets, in Edinburgh will have at least occasional bat visits.

What a great post. Cheers Barca :aok:

[Mibbes Aye]

Rumbling in the attic?

Hope that it's just mice. Next worst would be rats. You really don't want it to be squirrel or pine Martin for the damage they can cause.

Too heavy and resonant a noise for small rodents I think. The house is a self-build bungalow from the mid-seventies, so the attic is really long with wooden ceilings at the living room/kitchen end, so it creaks like mad when it is very windy. I know wood contracts a little when it heats up so I am assuming it is just that. Plus it is fairly consistent in terms of the weather and it is creaky sounds rather than scratching or pattering. But when we bought the place we were told there was a badger in the garden and we have never seen him. Having said that, the house had been empty for some months so we just as likely scared him away.

[RyeSloan]

Too heavy and resonant a noise for small rodents I think. The house is a self-build bungalow from the mid-seventies, so the attic is really long with wooden ceilings at the living room/kitchen end, so it creaks like mad when it is very windy. I know wood contracts a little when it heats up so I am assuming it is just that. Plus it is fairly consistent in terms of the weather and it is creaky sounds rather than scratching or pattering. But when we bought the place we were told there was a badger in the garden and we have never seen him. Having said that, the house had been empty for some months so we just as likely scared him away.

Think I’ve missed something here!

I know badgers can climb a small fence but are you suggesting you might have a badger is the attic?

Or is this some sort of bizarre euphemism? [emoji2957]

[Mibbes Aye]

Think I’ve missed something here!

I know badgers can climb a small fence but are you suggesting you might have a badger is the attic?

Or is this some sort of bizarre euphemism? [emoji2957]

Yeah, it was a throwaway comment, I don’t really think the badger got or could get into the attic, it just amuses us that he vanished and then we start hearing noises from the attic :greengrin

But I like the idea of it being a euphemism. I’m not sure for what yet.

[RyeSloan]

Yeah, it was a throwaway comment, I don’t really think the badger got or could get into the attic, it just amuses us that he vanished and then we start hearing noises from the attic :greengrin

But I like the idea of it being a euphemism. I’m not sure for what yet.

Naa me neither but having a badger in the attic must mean something [emoji2957]

[Scouse Hibee]

Naa me neither but having a badger in the attic must mean something [emoji2957]

It means they have started to breed with squirrels 🐿

[Mibbes Aye]

Conflict in the wood pigeon camp. Pigeon to the south-south-east of the garden is carrying on with the traditional four sound-five sound (repeat)- one sound call. A new guy just north of the garden has a different call, three sounds, essentially a quaver, then two crotchets. I say a quaver, for those who know music it is more of an acciacatura at times.

Reassuringly, he is following the pattern of being wholehearted with the cooing and only doing four or five bursts. They have gone up against each other a few times already. And I am saying he but I have no idea of their respective genders.

[Mibbes Aye]

It means they have started to breed with squirrels 🐿

And so my master plan starts to come together :greengrin

[Mibbes Aye]

If there are old trees then there will be bat roosts. All bats are social animals, but often roost in single number so they are social calling. Generally we humans can't hear them when used for echolocation, but social chatter is within our hearing spectrum. You are pretty lucky to have heard them.

Where I stay is close by one of the ancient forests. There is an oak that is estimated to be more than 2000 years old and has a girth of 17 feet, four feet from the ground. I always knew there were no shortage of bats but they are certainly more visible now that us pesky humans are having less of a footprint.

[Hibby Bairn]

I can’t contribute anything to this topic but I find reading it fascinating 👍

[Billy Whizz]

I can’t contribute anything to this topic but I find reading it fascinating 👍

It is. We started putting out bird food last year, and we love hearing the birds singing in the trees, waiting for me to go away, so they can get the seed. We also get the Sparrows and Pigeons working together

My wife got within a couple of feet, on a few occasions, of getting a Robin to eat from her hand

[Moulin Yarns]

Naa me neither but having a badger in the attic must mean something [emoji2957]

Probably a self inflicted haircut during lockdown.

[barcahibs]

Where I stay is close by one of the ancient forests. There is an oak that is estimated to be more than 2000 years old and has a girth of 17 feet, four feet from the ground. I always knew there were no shortage of bats but they are certainly more visible now that us pesky humans are having less of a footprint.

One of last week's tasks was to hug a tree to work out its age :) next week might be citizen science so will probably involve ancient tree hunting.

I think most wildlife becomes more apparent once you start looking. It's like... A few years ago I would look at a lawn and just see grass, now I've learnt a bit about wildflowers I can't see the grass for the orchids, speedwell, eyebrights... Same with things like badgers or otters, or birds, once you can recognise and look for the signs you realise they're all over, most people just don't see them. It's a bit like discovering a hidden world.

A while ago someone I'd been working with commented that before he came out with us he didn't really know there was more than one kind of tree, woodlands were just a sea of green things to him. Now he takes pride that he can teach his family about all the differences.

Nature can be amazing like that, there's a whole other world all around us, on everyone's doorstep. You don't need money, you don't need special skills or equipment, you just need to open your senses and take notice.

[wpj]

It is. We started putting out bird food last year, and we love hearing the birds singing in the trees, waiting for me to go away, so they can get the seed. We also get the Sparrows and Pigeons working together

My wife got within a couple of feet, on a few occasions, of getting a Robin to eat from her hand

That's my aim yesterday "my" Robin nibbled my nuts. Seriously though I think by the end of the week I will be able to feed him/her by hand,

[Mibbes Aye]

One of last week's tasks was to hug a tree to work out its age :) next week might be citizen science so will probably involve ancient tree hunting.

I think most wildlife becomes more apparent once you start looking. It's like... A few years ago I would look at a lawn and just see grass, now I've learnt a bit about wildflowers I can't see the grass for the orchids, speedwell, eyebrights... Same with things like badgers or otters, or birds, once you can recognise and look for the signs you realise they're all over, most people just don't see them. It's a bit like discovering a hidden world.

A while ago someone I'd been working with commented that before he came out with us he didn't really know there was more than one kind of tree, woodlands were just a sea of green things to him. Now he takes pride that he can teach his family about all the differences.

Nature can be amazing like that, there's a whole other world all around us, on everyone's doorstep. You don't need money, you don't need special skills or equipment, you just need to open your senses and take notice.

I think you are absolutely right. I always thought I knew a bit, while accepting I had a lot of gaps in my knowledge - various members of my family were or are farmers and gardeners, and you pick up things vicariously. The current circumstances have made me appreciate that firstly, I don’t know as much as I thought, but secondly, I didn’t realise I didn’t know as much as I thought :greengrin.

And as for just simple, sheer awareness, then that has been an explosion. Apart from a spell of two or three years back in Edinburgh, I have spent the last couple of decades living in places where I was lucky enough to have big gardens and have been outside of towns/villages, or very much on the fringes. I never took as much time to appreciate that as I have through this lockdown.

I started this thread, mainly because of the birdlife, the changes I was hearing, and seeing more bats about. Seeing and trying to identify the various things that are flowering in the garden has become a borderline obsession though. Working out how to start managing and growing the various parts of the garden now feels a bigger priority than endless inane internet surfing or binge watching TV - although I won’t stop doing either of those. I always suspected that there was a tipping point where people shifted from being maintainers of their garden to being really serious about it. I suspect I crossed that threshold in the last few weeks and I am sure I am not the only one. It is a real ‘crossing the Rubicon’ moment.

[Mibbes Aye]

Putting a question out there. It is quite specific, which is why I didn’t tack it on to my previous post.

Mrs Mibbes and I have had a long-running debate about bird feeders for a couple of years now, not so much at this time of year but certainly in the colder months.

I am broadly favourable, and I particularly like the ones that are suction-cupped to windows, for smaller birds. Her concern is that the invariable detritus, even if they are placed over trays, will attract mice and rats.

We stay in a street of bungalows with large gardens and most of my neighbours have cats that roam freely, and I assume they keep the rodent population in check.

Anybody have experience of bird feeders and the consequent risk of rats? I know that we will get field mice naturally but I think the cats will deal with them (poor field mice).

[wpj]

Putting a question out there. It is quite specific, which is why I didn’t tack it on to my previous post.

Mrs Mibbes and I have had a long-running debate about bird feeders for a couple of years now, not so much at this time of year but certainly in the colder months.

I am broadly favourable, and I particularly like the ones that are suction-cupped to windows, for smaller birds. Her concern is that the invariable detritus, even if they are placed over trays, will attract mice and rats.

We stay in a street of bungalows with large gardens and most of my neighbours have cats that roam freely, and I assume they keep the rodent population in check.

Anybody have experience of bird feeders and the consequent risk of rats? I know that we will get field mice naturally but I think the cats will deal with them (poor field mice).

Not sure about rats or mice but "my" squirrels are partial to the bird feed. For me? I love watching them. Not sure how I would feel watching rats even though they are basically squirells with big tails. I've just been out in the garden and the birdsong is fantastic! Pot of coffee on so will venture out again.
Sometimes being an insomniac can be rewarding

[goosano]

23209

I live beside Holyrood Park and go for a stroll each morning. Lots of migrants now, blackcaps, willow warblers, chiffchaffs and 2 grasshopper warblers. First whitethroat singing this am
In the garden there have been lots of peacock butterflies the last 2 weeks

[RyeSloan]

Putting a question out there. It is quite specific, which is why I didn’t tack it on to my previous post.

Mrs Mibbes and I have had a long-running debate about bird feeders for a couple of years now, not so much at this time of year but certainly in the colder months.

I am broadly favourable, and I particularly like the ones that are suction-cupped to windows, for smaller birds. Her concern is that the invariable detritus, even if they are placed over trays, will attract mice and rats.

We stay in a street of bungalows with large gardens and most of my neighbours have cats that roam freely, and I assume they keep the rodent population in check.

Anybody have experience of bird feeders and the consequent risk of rats? I know that we will get field mice naturally but I think the cats will deal with them (poor field mice).

There is always a risk that any food / seed that ends up on the ground attracts unwanteds.

I suppose there is a couple of things to consider.

Give it a try and see what happens. It’s not certain it will attract rats (there may already be a better / easier food source for them) and I suppose it will depend on the local population of such things.

Use ‘no mess’ bird seed and the right size of feeder. This will substantially reduce the amount of detritus on the ground and thus significantly reduce any supply for ‘second feeders’

[JeMeSouviens]

Putting a question out there. It is quite specific, which is why I didn’t tack it on to my previous post.

Mrs Mibbes and I have had a long-running debate about bird feeders for a couple of years now, not so much at this time of year but certainly in the colder months.

I am broadly favourable, and I particularly like the ones that are suction-cupped to windows, for smaller birds. Her concern is that the invariable detritus, even if they are placed over trays, will attract mice and rats.

We stay in a street of bungalows with large gardens and most of my neighbours have cats that roam freely, and I assume they keep the rodent population in check.

Anybody have experience of bird feeders and the consequent risk of rats? I know that we will get field mice naturally but I think the cats will deal with them (poor field mice).

Give them lard! We had a couple of half coconut shells stuffed with fat hanging up last year. There was other stuff beside the fat but it's all held together. The birds were mad for it.

[Moulin Yarns]

23209

I live beside Holyrood Park and go for a stroll each morning. Lots of migrants now, blackcaps, willow warblers, chiffchaffs and 2 grasshopper warblers. First whitethroat singing this am
In the garden there have been lots of peacock butterflies the last 2 weeks


Lots of peacock butterflies and I had a comma butterfly a few days ago.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

Give them lard! We had a couple of half coconut shells stuffed with fat hanging up last year. There was other stuff beside the fat but it's all held together. The birds were mad for it.

We do that.

[Mibbes Aye]

Not sure about rats or mice but "my" squirrels are partial to the bird feed. For me? I love watching them. Not sure how I would feel watching rats even though they are basically squirells with big tails. I've just been out in the garden and the birdsong is fantastic! Pot of coffee on so will venture out again.
Sometimes being an insomniac can be rewarding

My sleep patterns have changed enormously, maybe for the better. On the other side of all this I can see myself getting up earlier and having a coffee or breakfast outside, at least in the warmer months!

[Mibbes Aye]

There is always a risk that any food / seed that ends up on the ground attracts unwanteds.

I suppose there is a couple of things to consider.

Give it a try and see what happens. It’s not certain it will attract rats (there may already be a better / easier food source for them) and I suppose it will depend on the local population of such things.

Use ‘no mess’ bird seed and the right size of feeder. This will substantially reduce the amount of detritus on the ground and thus significantly reduce any supply for ‘second feeders’


Give them lard! We had a couple of half coconut shells stuffed with fat hanging up last year. There was other stuff beside the fat but it's all held together. The birds were mad for it.


We do that.

Cheers guys. I need to keep working on Mrs Mibbes. The house we were in before this one had a large garden, bordered on a burn and had a lot of wild space. Similarly, it had been empty for some months before we moved into it, so we had problems with rats there. She is understandably apprehensive.

I think we will give it a try but keep it away from the house, and see how it goes. As I say, we have four or five cats in the street that treat my garden as a thoroughfare and I imagine they will act as a deterrent for rats (though they will also be after the birds!)

[Hibrandenburg]

There are 41 recorded wolf packs living in the forests here in Brandenburg. Might get myself a wee picnic sorted and spend a day in one of the many hunter's towers in the surrounding area and armed with binoculars and a camera. The deer population has exploded here in recent years and I was nearly trampled by some last week whilst out with the dog, the wolves must be having easy pickings at the moment.

[barcahibs]

Putting a question out there. It is quite specific, which is why I didn’t tack it on to my previous post.

Mrs Mibbes and I have had a long-running debate about bird feeders for a couple of years now, not so much at this time of year but certainly in the colder months.

I am broadly favourable, and I particularly like the ones that are suction-cupped to windows, for smaller birds. Her concern is that the invariable detritus, even if they are placed over trays, will attract mice and rats.

We stay in a street of bungalows with large gardens and most of my neighbours have cats that roam freely, and I assume they keep the rodent population in check.

Anybody have experience of bird feeders and the consequent risk of rats? I know that we will get field mice naturally but I think the cats will deal with them (poor field mice).


Like RyeSloan says use a decent quality bird food to reduce detritus on the ground, I only use sunflower hearts. If you use the really cheap stuff the birds will simply pick out and throw away the bits they don't like it (which will be quite a lot of it) and you end up with tons of rodent food on the ground. B&M do sunflower hearts for about £1.50 a kilo and if you have somewhere to store it you can get it cheaper in bulk online (we had 30 kilos delivered on Monday). Even with this though some birds are really messy eaters (Finches usually) and they drop a lot of food. You'll find other birds like dunnocks, blackbirds and pigeons will clean up under your feeder and should deal with the excess from the sunflowers though. Coal tits come and take one seed and fly away to eat it daintily, even wiping their little beaks clean afterwards - if only all birds were like that :)

Mice are probably inevitable though - there are almost certainly mice already in your garden, most folk just don't see them. If you minimise the waste you can reduce the issue (I like mice, they're cute wee things :) )

Rats are generally only a problem if you're overfeeding or feeding the wrong things. I've always fed birds and only had a problem with rats once - when the house behind me started feeding the birds kitchen scraps and bread. A couple of weeks of that and we had rats everywhere. Rats are a natural (and useful) part of the ecosystem of course - but the wee buggers totally destroyed the wooden floor of my shed. If you are putting kitchen scraps/bread out you should only put out the amount that the birds are actually eating, don't put out any meat - and ideally clean up any excess every night before the rats can find it.

If you're feeding the birds it's a really good idea to put a water source out as well, birds would naturally get a lot of their water from their food sources - and our dry seeds don't have any in them.

The problem I have right now is that the local sparrows are nipping the buds and flowers off the plants in my garden and are digging in the veg bed looking for seedlings - sparrows love to nip small flowers and pea shoots.

[barcahibs]

There are 41 recorded wolf packs living in the forests here in Brandenburg. Might get myself a wee picnic sorted and spend a day in one of the many hunter's towers in the surrounding area and armed with binoculars and a camera. The deer population has exploded here in recent years and I was nearly trampled by some last week whilst out with the dog, the wolves must be having easy pickings at the moment.

Love it! How do you feel about the wolves? I was speaking to a guy from the Norwegian forest service a few weeks ago and he was saying that a pack had moved in near his house and he was really worried about them as he had young children. I thought it was an unusual attitude for a Conservationist, but he has to live with them, not me.

I spent a few weeks, years ago, tracking wolves and bears in Eastern Europe, never saw either in the wild, though saw lots of signs. Closest I got was to a bear, we were tracking it through a small woodland and found a fresh deer carcass which had been partially eaten - at which point we realised we were probably between the bear and its dinner. I don't know if bears poo in the woods, but I can confirm that at point I nearly did.

Saw the hunter towers there, I would love to spend a day in one with a camera.

[RyeSloan]

Cheers guys. I need to keep working on Mrs Mibbes. The house we were in before this one had a large garden, bordered on a burn and had a lot of wild space. Similarly, it had been empty for some months before we moved into it, so we had problems with rats there. She is understandably apprehensive.

I think we will give it a try but keep it away from the house, and see how it goes. As I say, we have four or five cats in the street that treat my garden as a thoroughfare and I imagine they will act as a deterrent for rats (though they will also be after the birds!)

To be honest you’ll probably find the cats a bigger pest than any rats.

Trying to keep them out of my garden so they don’t use it as a toilet is the biggest pain I have. A couple of cat scarers seems to have done the trick this year tho.

I did suggest using snares but the Mrs wasn’t too keen [emoji2957]

[Hibrandenburg]

Love it! How do you feel about the wolves? I was speaking to a guy from the Norwegian forest service a few weeks ago and he was saying that a pack had moved in near his house and he was really worried about them as he had young children. I thought it was an unusual attitude for a Conservationist, but he has to live with them, not me.

I spent a few weeks, years ago, tracking wolves and bears in Eastern Europe, never saw either in the wild, though saw lots of signs. Closest I got was to a bear, we were tracking it through a small woodland and found a fresh deer carcass which had been partially eaten - at which point we realised we were probably between the bear and its dinner. I don't know if bears poo in the woods, but I can confirm that at point I nearly did.

Saw the hunter towers there, I would love to spend a day in one with a camera.

:faf:

Not too sure that I'd like to come between a bear and its dinner but I've no qualms about wolves. I'd be a bit wary of taking the dog with me though as they'd likely scoff at him for being a big sook and hurt his already precious feelings.

They've only just reappeared in Brandenburg about 20 years ago. They wandered over from Easter Europe at the end of the 90's. With now 41 recorded packs they would appear to be thriving.

[JeMeSouviens]

:faf:

Not too sure that I'd like to come between a bear and its dinner but I've no qualms about wolves. I'd be a bit wary of taking the dog with me though as they'd likely scoff at him for being a big sook and hurt his already precious feelings.

They've only just reappeared in Brandenburg about 20 years ago. They wandered over from Easter Europe at the end of the 90's. With now 41 recorded packs they would appear to be thriving.

Not a reintroduction program then? Where is Brandenburg exactly? Berlin-ish? (well, it's got a Brandenburg Tor, it might be).

[Hibrandenburg]

Not a reintroduction program then? Where is Brandenburg exactly? Berlin-ish? (well, it's got a Brandenburg Tor, it might be).

It's the state that surrounds the city state of Berlin and has a border to the east with Poland. Most people are surprised when they fly into Berlin and see that it's surrounded by forests and waterways.

[goosano]

Like RyeSloan says use a decent quality bird food to reduce detritus on the ground, I only use sunflower hearts. If you use the really cheap stuff the birds will simply pick out and throw away the bits they don't like it (which will be quite a lot of it) and you end up with tons of rodent food on the ground. B&M do sunflower hearts for about £1.50 a kilo and if you have somewhere to store it you can get it cheaper in bulk online (we had 30 kilos delivered on Monday). Even with this though some birds are really messy eaters (Finches usually) and they drop a lot of food. You'll find other birds like dunnocks, blackbirds and pigeons will clean up under your feeder and should deal with the excess from the sunflowers though. Coal tits come and take one seed and fly away to eat it daintily, even wiping their little beaks clean afterwards - if only all birds were like that :)

Mice are probably inevitable though - there are almost certainly mice already in your garden, most folk just don't see them. If you minimise the waste you can reduce the issue (I like mice, they're cute wee things :) )

Rats are generally only a problem if you're overfeeding or feeding the wrong things. I've always fed birds and only had a problem with rats once - when the house behind me started feeding the birds kitchen scraps and bread. A couple of weeks of that and we had rats everywhere. Rats are a natural (and useful) part of the ecosystem of course - but the wee buggers totally destroyed the wooden floor of my shed. If you are putting kitchen scraps/bread out you should only put out the amount that the birds are actually eating, don't put out any meat - and ideally clean up any excess every night before the rats can find it.

If you're feeding the birds it's a really good idea to put a water source out as well, birds would naturally get a lot of their water from their food sources - and our dry seeds don't have any in them.

The problem I have right now is that the local sparrows are nipping the buds and flowers off the plants in my garden and are digging in the veg bed looking for seedlings - sparrows love to nip small flowers and pea shoots.

Agree with this. We use no mess seeds in the 3 feeder sites in the garden. For a while we had quite large numbers of feral pigeons coming to hoover the debris. 2 or 3 visits from the local sparrowhawk saw them off. Now the wood pigeons, the corvids and 2 pheasants polish off anything on the ground pretty quickly. I see mice about the garden but no rats

[Mibbes Aye]

Like RyeSloan says use a decent quality bird food to reduce detritus on the ground, I only use sunflower hearts. If you use the really cheap stuff the birds will simply pick out and throw away the bits they don't like it (which will be quite a lot of it) and you end up with tons of rodent food on the ground. B&M do sunflower hearts for about £1.50 a kilo and if you have somewhere to store it you can get it cheaper in bulk online (we had 30 kilos delivered on Monday). Even with this though some birds are really messy eaters (Finches usually) and they drop a lot of food. You'll find other birds like dunnocks, blackbirds and pigeons will clean up under your feeder and should deal with the excess from the sunflowers though. Coal tits come and take one seed and fly away to eat it daintily, even wiping their little beaks clean afterwards - if only all birds were like that :)

Mice are probably inevitable though - there are almost certainly mice already in your garden, most folk just don't see them. If you minimise the waste you can reduce the issue (I like mice, they're cute wee things :) )

Rats are generally only a problem if you're overfeeding or feeding the wrong things. I've always fed birds and only had a problem with rats once - when the house behind me started feeding the birds kitchen scraps and bread. A couple of weeks of that and we had rats everywhere. Rats are a natural (and useful) part of the ecosystem of course - but the wee buggers totally destroyed the wooden floor of my shed. If you are putting kitchen scraps/bread out you should only put out the amount that the birds are actually eating, don't put out any meat - and ideally clean up any excess every night before the rats can find it.

If you're feeding the birds it's a really good idea to put a water source out as well, birds would naturally get a lot of their water from their food sources - and our dry seeds don't have any in them.

The problem I have right now is that the local sparrows are nipping the buds and flowers off the plants in my garden and are digging in the veg bed looking for seedlings - sparrows love to nip small flowers and pea shoots.

That’s really helpful, thank you (and Goosano). We certainly don’t lack for wood pigeons, rooks and jackdaws to do the hoovering up. A water source is a good idea. We had a bird bath at the last house and it is hard to think of things that bring so much pleasure as being able to look out the window and see it being used.

[Mibbes Aye]

To be honest you’ll probably find the cats a bigger pest than any rats.

Trying to keep them out of my garden so they don’t use it as a toilet is the biggest pain I have. A couple of cat scarers seems to have done the trick this year tho.

I did suggest using snares but the Mrs wasn’t too keen [emoji2957]

I seem to have been lucky so far in that they seem to treat the garden as a transit route rather than a toilet. I have seen one of them making its way across my garden with a mouse hanging out its mouth and again with a small bird. Fortunately I think they were leaving them as ‘gifts’ in their own homes rather than on my doorstep.

A long time ago, must be pushing on for fifteen years if not more, when I first moved away from Edinburgh, I had a really nice enclosed walled garden with all sorts of climbing plants. It was a real bird haven. The neighbour’s cat discovered it and was starting to treat it as an ‘all you can eat’ buffet, or rather an ‘all you can torture’ buffet. A friend put me onto lion manure, which was easily available from garden centres or online. It seemed to work a treat - I laid it down and the cat never came back.

[JeMeSouviens]

I seem to have been lucky so far in that they seem to treat the garden as a transit route rather than a toilet. I have seen one of them making its way across my garden with a mouse hanging out its mouth and again with a small bird. Fortunately I think they were leaving them as ‘gifts’ in their own homes rather than on my doorstep.

A long time ago, must be pushing on for fifteen years if not more, when I first moved away from Edinburgh, I had a really nice enclosed walled garden with all sorts of climbing plants. It was a real bird haven. The neighbour’s cat discovered it and was starting to treat it as an ‘all you can eat’ buffet, or rather an ‘all you can torture’ buffet. A friend put me onto lion manure, which was easily available from garden centres or online. It seemed to work a treat - I laid it down and the cat never came back.

Seriously? From actual lions. That's even less believable than the loft living badgers! :greengrin

[JeMeSouviens]

It's the state that surrounds the city state of Berlin and has a border to the east with Poland. Most people are surprised when they fly into Berlin and see that it's surrounded by forests and waterways.

I've never been to Berlin but that is surprising. Do you live in the old East then? Or what was West Berlin? Can you tell the difference any more?

Apols, gone way o/t.

[Mibbes Aye]

Seriously? From actual lions. That's even less believable than the loft living badgers! :greengrin

Im not liking this level of challenge, I feel my legitimacy as an authoritative and respected poster may be compromised :greengrin

Yes, it’s fairly easy to buy pellets that have been steeped in lion dung. Domestic cats take fright, as do other species.

As for the loft, I am trying to persuade Mrs Mibbes to venture up. I may have hinted that there was a present up there, or something. I suspect a badger won’t qualify as a present but if it ends up in a confrontation I won’t be the one needing a tetanus jab.

[Hibrandenburg]

I've never been to Berlin but that is surprising. Do you live in the old East then? Or what was West Berlin? Can you tell the difference any more?

Apols, gone way o/t.

I live just outside the Western City boundary to the south. You can definitely still tell the difference between east and west, everything looks sparkling new in the former east. :greengrin

The former east was the worlds biggest building site for about 25 years after the wall came down. The main difference to note is the post war buildings, you can always tell what part of the city you are in big looking at these. Anything built pre war looks pretty much the same in east and west now.

[JeMeSouviens]

Im not liking this level of challenge, I feel my legitimacy as an authoritative and respected poster may be compromised :greengrin

Yes, it’s fairly easy to buy pellets that have been steeped in lion dung. Domestic cats take fright, as do other species.

As for the loft, I am trying to persuade Mrs Mibbes to venture up. I may have hinted that there was a present up there, or something. I suspect a badger won’t qualify as a present but if it ends up in a confrontation I won’t be the one needing a tetanus jab.

Every day's a school day on here just now. It's only your authoritative and respected status that's led to any of us even entertaining these notions at all! :wink:

[JimBHibees]

To be honest you’ll probably find the cats a bigger pest than any rats.

Trying to keep them out of my garden so they don’t use it as a toilet is the biggest pain I have. A couple of cat scarers seems to have done the trick this year tho.

I did suggest using snares but the Mrs wasn’t too keen [emoji2957]

We have magpies in our area and are a bit of a pain in terms of digging up my grass and hiding their food in barking we have. Anyone any tips how to keep them out my garden, caught one killing a small bird last year seem a bit of a pest.

[JeMeSouviens]

I live just outside the Western City boundary to the south. You can definitely still tell the difference between east and west, everything looks sparkling new in the former east. :greengrin

The former east was the worlds biggest building site for about 25 years after the wall came down. The main difference to note is the post war buildings, you can always tell what part of the city you are in big looking at these. Anything built pre war looks pretty much the same in east and west now.

Thanks. Definitely somewhere I'll go if we're ever allowed to travel again.

[Hibrandenburg]

We have magpies in our area and are a bit of a pain in terms of digging up my grass and hiding their food in barking we have. Anyone any tips how to keep them out my garden, caught one killing a small bird last year seem a bit of a pest.

I got a heron scarer a few years back. It's designed to scare birds away from fish ponds but works great against cats. It consists of a motion sensor that is attached to a small water cannon and the garden hose, it fires a stream of water in the general direction of movement. Its sensitivity can be adjusted so that it only detects movement of a certain size and therefore the smaller birds are not affected. The dog and boy love it too although it took the dog a while to get used to it.

Failing that you could try an electrified silver spoon :wink:

[Mibbes Aye]

We have magpies in our area and are a bit of a pain in terms of digging up my grass and hiding their food in barking we have. Anyone any tips how to keep them out my garden, caught one killing a small bird last year seem a bit of a pest.

Hanging CDs is always an effective remedy, the birds don’t like the reflection. The problem is you will deter more than just magpies. Attracting bigger birds might help, rooks and crows. I don’t know if you have them in the vicinity. Failing that, and it will sound stupid, but even a model/statue of a bird of prey might be enough - the problem is if they suss out it isn’t real and then you have a useless, gaudy ornament!

[barcahibs]

We have magpies in our area and are a bit of a pain in terms of digging up my grass and hiding their food in barking we have. Anyone any tips how to keep them out my garden, caught one killing a small bird last year seem a bit of a pest.

The problem with magpies is they are seriously intelligent (like most corvids). Most tricks to keep them out won't last long til they work out how to deal with it. I had them getting into our hedgehog feeder eating all the food/wrecking it and in the end, after weeks of trying to outwit them or change their behaviour, the only answer was to change my behaviour. Now I don't put food into the box until after dark and I only put in enough to ensure the hedgehogs have eaten it all before dawn.

Try bird scarers, once they've stopped working try chasing them every time you see them. Keep removing any food they bury, they are intelligent enough that if you keep it up long enough they should work out its easier/more productive to bury their food next door. It'll take persistence on your part though.

[Mibbes Aye]

Bunch of yellow tulips have emerged over the last week to complement the red ones. I don’t know what it is about tulips but they are simply uplifting to look at. I guess roses are probably the same.

The trees and shrubs are starting to flower and leaf. We have plum or damson trees that we never properly harvested last year - rich pickings for the birds - but looking forward to seeing what they offer this year.

I think it is incremental but the garden birds seem to be more confident every day -that maybe echoes what a couple of others were saying about robins.

[Mibbes Aye]

The problem with magpies is they are seriously intelligent (like most corvids). Most tricks to keep them out won't last long til they work out how to deal with it. I had them getting into our hedgehog feeder eating all the food/wrecking it and in the end, after weeks of trying to outwit them or change their behaviour, the only answer was to change my behaviour. Now I don't put food into the box until after dark and I only put in enough to ensure the hedgehogs have eaten it all before dawn.

Try bird scarers, once they've stopped working try chasing them every time you see them. Keep removing any food they bury, they are intelligent enough that if you keep it up long enough they should work out its easier/more productive to bury their food next door. It'll take persistence on your part though.

Someone mentioned it earlier and you have made the same point - corvids really are very intelligent, which is why I am so fond of them. Plus the tendency to mate for life, which is cute - not something I was able to manage!

There will be a ton of stuff on YouTube showing how rooks and crows can problem-solve and it is fascinating. They are beautiful creatures but so readily treated as a pestilence in rural areas.

[JimBHibees]

Hanging CDs is always an effective remedy, the birds don’t like the reflection. The problem is you will deter more than just magpies. Attracting bigger birds might help, rooks and crows. I don’t know if you have them in the vicinity. Failing that, and it will sound stupid, but even a model/statue of a bird of prey might be enough - the problem is if they suss out it isn’t real and then you have a useless, gaudy ornament!

Already have cds in garden but think they are used to them and doesn't seem to put them off now even when a lot of sun and reflections. We do have crows but get the impression magpies are more dominant due to numbers.

[lord bunberry]

23215
Saw this down at the Shore yesterday. Any ideas what it is :greengrin

[JimBHibees]

The problem with magpies is they are seriously intelligent (like most corvids). Most tricks to keep them out won't last long til they work out how to deal with it. I had them getting into our hedgehog feeder eating all the food/wrecking it and in the end, after weeks of trying to outwit them or change their behaviour, the only answer was to change my behaviour. Now I don't put food into the box until after dark and I only put in enough to ensure the hedgehogs have eaten it all before dawn.

Try bird scarers, once they've stopped working try chasing them every time you see them. Keep removing any food they bury, they are intelligent enough that if you keep it up long enough they should work out its easier/more productive to bury their food next door. It'll take persistence on your part though.

Thanks they do seem very smart (much smarter than me but that isn't too difficult). :greengrin

[Mibbes Aye]

Already have cds in garden but think they are used to them and doesn't seem to put them off now even when a lot of sun and reflections. We do have crows but get the impression magpies are more dominant due to numbers.

Yeah, I think Barca is right in that corvids are smart, smart birds and once they suss something out you are stuffed. If you can do more to attract rooks and crows then that might help. Otherwise you may have to invest in a peregrine falcon :greengrin

[barcahibs]

Someone mentioned it earlier and you have made the same point - corvids really are very intelligent, which is why I am so fond of them. Plus the tendency to mate for life, which is cute - not something I was able to manage!

There will be a ton of stuff on YouTube showing how rooks and crows can problem-solve and it is fascinating. They are beautiful creatures but so readily treated as a pestilence in rural areas.

One of the very few animals - I think maybe only us and chimpanzees are the others - that can actually make tools to solve problems. There's a great video somewhere of a crow fashioning a stick into a hook so that it can pull a lever that is just out of reach that then releases food. Another one where they work out that if they go and collect stones and drop enough of them into a container of water the water level will rise enough to bring floating food into reach. And then there's the ones in Japan that use cars to break nuts open - they drop them in the road at a pedestrian crossing and once enough nuts are broken open they go down and push the button on the crossing box to make the lights go red so they can safely pick the nuts up while the traffic is stopped.

[Mibbes Aye]

Thanks they do seem very smart (much smarter than me but that isn't too difficult). :greengrin

I suppose the other thing to bear in mind is that they are pretty much the vandals of the bird world but they serve their purpose maintaining the ecosystem and have a function. Nature knows best, and all that.

[Mibbes Aye]

One of the very few animals - I think maybe only us and chimpanzees are the others - that can actually make tools to solve problems. There's a great video somewhere of a crow fashioning a stick into a hook so that it can pull a lever that is just out of reach that then releases food. Another one where they work out that if they go and collect stones and drop enough of them into a container of water the water level will rise enough to bring floating food into reach. And then there's the ones in Japan that use cars to break nuts open - they drop them in the road at a pedestrian crossing and once enough nuts are broken open they go down and push the button on the crossing box to make the lights go red so they can safely pick the nuts up while the traffic is stopped.

Brilliant. I have seen stuff where they essentially fashion tools but not the other stuff you describe,

When I first moved out of the city, I lived in a cottage that was right up beside a rookery. The noise in the morning and evening was deafening but gorgeous. I pretty much fell in love with rooks there, they are lovely, lovely creatures.

[JeMeSouviens]

One of the very few animals - I think maybe only us and chimpanzees are the others - that can actually make tools to solve problems. There's a great video somewhere of a crow fashioning a stick into a hook so that it can pull a lever that is just out of reach that then releases food. Another one where they work out that if they go and collect stones and drop enough of them into a container of water the water level will rise enough to bring floating food into reach. And then there's the ones in Japan that use cars to break nuts open - they drop them in the road at a pedestrian crossing and once enough nuts are broken open they go down and push the button on the crossing box to make the lights go red so they can safely pick the nuts up while the traffic is stopped.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZM9GpLXepU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGPGknpq3e0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZerUbHmuY04

Cool!

[Mibbes Aye]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZM9GpLXepU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGPGknpq3e0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZerUbHmuY04

Cool!

Great post, now everyone can see it isn’t just me and Barca making **** up :greengrin

[JeMeSouviens]

Great post, now everyone can see it isn’t just me and Barca making **** up :greengrin

Aye, until we see one of a badger rolling out his insulation fibre, I'm believing nothing! :wink:

[Mibbes Aye]

Aye, until we see one of a badger rolling out his insulation fibre, I'm believing nothing! :wink:

You always want photos :rolleyes:

i got a community payback order because of the last bunch.

[JeMeSouviens]

You always want photos :rolleyes:

i got a community payback order because of the last bunch.

People tried to tell you that's not what the beaver trial was about, but would you listen? :tsk tsk:

[RyeSloan]

Aye, until we see one of a badger rolling out his insulation fibre, I'm believing nothing! :wink:

Aha that made me laugh! [emoji736] [emoji736]

MA - Re your tulips. Worth noting that unlike daffies most tulips don’t come back as strong (or at all) the next year. So make a note in the diary for late autumn and make sure you plant a few fresh bulbs for next year.

They do look great in the garden though and I’d suggest are even better when you have planted them yourself...the delayed payback for a couple of hours effort months before is quite life affirming!

[Mibbes Aye]

People tried to tell you that's not what the beaver trial was about, but would you listen? :tsk tsk:

I heard the advice but was reckless, as I am sure anyone could understand :greengrin

I have tried to upload pictures of my tulips from shots taken on my iPad and iPhone but for whatever reason they are not uploading. I have books so can look but commone sense and experience is a better substitute, I think. How long will they last and can I seed other things in the same place without damaging their prospects next spring?

[barcahibs]

People tried to tell you that's not what the beaver trial was about, but would you listen? :tsk tsk:

:top marks

[Mibbes Aye]

Aha that made me laugh! [emoji736] [emoji736]

MA - Re your tulips. Worth noting that unlike daffies most tulips don’t come back as strong (or at all) the next year. So make a note in the diary for late autumn and make sure you plant a few fresh bulbs for next year.

They do look great in the garden though and I’d suggest are even better when you have planted them yourself...the delayed payback for a couple of hours effort months before is quite life affirming!

Cheers, I posted across yours so didn’t see it. I can sense a wall planner being acquired :greengrin

[Mibbes Aye]

At the risk of being repetitive, it is chaos here. Various species shouting to one another, I have been to symphony concerts that didn’t match this for volume. Pretty much the smaller birds. The rooks are yet to come back. The wood pigeons are starting to fire up, or at least the one with the 4-5-1 approach. Hard to argue with his tactics in the modern game.

[RyeSloan]

Cheers, I posted across yours so didn’t see it. I can sense a wall planner being acquired :greengrin

There is no right or wrong answer re what to do with the tulips! A lot depends on their location and the weather over the year.

Personally I put mine in the few places where I don’t have perennials (I’ve leaned over the years that having evergreen perennials and / or deciduous perennials is by far the easiest way to maintain a good looking garden...just a wee bit of trimming on the odd occasion is required and nature does the rest!)

I then get a great show from them in spring and simply dig them up when they are done and replace with long lasting summer bedding...once that’s done I plant fresh bulbs late autumn and wait for the spring!

But there’s plenty of options. For example I have the daffies at the front of the beds..these flower early spring and then I dead head leaving the foliage so they restore energy for next time around. As they are at the front they then tend to get covered by the perennials as they grow out over the summer (the foliage is gone by mid summer anyway) Come autumn most things get a wee trim and tidy leaving space for the daffies to rock again the next spring....a similar approach with any spring bulb works well.

So basically it’s up to you and there is no substitute for a bit of experimenting and trial and error...the great thing with bulbs is that they are cheap as chips, dead easy to plant and therefore you really can’t go far wrong. You can even shift most of them if they end up in the wrong place or take over a section where they are not wanted.

[pollution]

We have daffs that flower every year. We leave them completely alone.

[Mibbes Aye]

There is no right or wrong answer re what to do with the tulips! A lot depends on their location and the weather over the year.

Personally I put mine in the few places where I don’t have perennials (I’ve leaned over the years that having evergreen perennials and / or deciduous perennials is by far the easiest way to maintain a good looking garden...just a wee bit of trimming on the odd occasion is required and nature does the rest!)

I then get a great show from them in spring and simply dig them up when they are done and replace with long lasting summer bedding...once that’s done I plant fresh bulbs late autumn and wait for the spring!

But there’s plenty of options. For example I have the daffies at the front of the beds..these flower early spring and then I dead head leaving the foliage so they restore energy for next time around. As they are at the front they then tend to get covered by the perennials as they grow out over the summer (the foliage is gone by mid summer anyway) Come autumn most things get a wee trim and tidy leaving space for the daffies to rock again the next spring....a similar approach with any spring bulb works well.

So basically it’s up to you and there is no substitute for a bit of experimenting and trial and error...the great thing with bulbs is that they are cheap as chips, dead easy to plant and therefore you really can’t go far wrong. You can even shift most of them if they end up in the wrong place or take over a section where they are not wanted.

Very, very helpful response. Thank you!

I completely agree with the trial and error point. All human philosophy is contained in gardening :greengrin

[RyeSloan]

Very, very helpful response. Thank you!

I completely agree with the trial and error point. All human philosophy is contained in gardening :greengrin

Hee hee ain’t that the truth [emoji23]

[Mibbes Aye]

Why didn’t we have this thread before?

There is a wealth of knowledge on here, expertise, understanding and insights. And just the personal tips that one acquires from us having the time to share. Silver linings.

[Billy Whizz]

Why didn’t we have this thread before?

There is a wealth of knowledge on here, expertise, understanding and insights. And just the personal tips that one acquires from us having the time to share. Silver linings.

I’ll certainly be getting sunflower hearts
Thanks for the tips all

[Peevemor]

Why didn’t we have this thread before?

There is a wealth of knowledge on here, expertise, understanding and insights. And just the personal tips that one acquires from us having the time to share. Silver linings.I'm afraid I'm the eejit that lets the side down. I'm very lucky that I live in a rural area, very much between "terre & mer" and I'm surrounded by wildlife.

Since I've been working from home I've set my pc up so that I'm facing the garden. I've seen a huge variety of birds, but apart from a pair of magpies (gallus as) and the occasional robin, I've no real idea what any of them are.

There's also all sorts of wildlife around, including snakes, wild boar, deer/roe deer, badgers, ragondin (muskrats ?), foxes and all sorts that I can't name.

In addition, the orange circle on the photo is chez moi. Most of the land to the West of the house toward the bay (beaussais) is a nature reserve, with a fair bit of it having been reclaimed from the sea a couple of hundred years ago by monks looking to harvest salt.

Of course I've strolled around the place loads of times, but I haven't a scooby what I'm looking for or at.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200422/c405e54a2abdf8437d87428b982bb13d.jpg

[RyeSloan]

I'm afraid I'm the eejit that lets the side down. I'm very lucky that I live in a rural area, very much between "terre & mer" and I'm surrounded by wildlife.

Since I've been working from home I've set my pc up so that I'm facing the garden. I've seen a huge variety of birds, but apart from a pair of magpies (gallus as) and the occasional robin, I've no real idea what any of them are.

There's also all sorts of wildlife around, including snakes, wild boar, deer/roe deer, badgers, ragondin (muskrats ?), foxes and all sorts that I can't name.

In addition, the orange circle on the photo is chez moi. Most of the land to the West of the house toward the bay (beaussais) is a nature reserve, with a fair bit of it having been reclaimed from the sea a couple of hundred years ago by monks looking to harvest salt.

Of course I've strolled around the place loads of times, but I haven't a scooby what I'm looking for or at.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200422/c405e54a2abdf8437d87428b982bb13d.jpg

That estuary looks perfect for worm digging! We now know 10 frozen ones sell for £5 ( that’s 5.65 euros in your speak) so get the spade oot and make your fortune on your home office lunch break [emoji2957]

[Peevemor]

That estuary looks perfect for worm digging! We now know 10 frozen ones sell for £5 ( that’s 5.65 euros in your speak) so get the spade oot and make your fortune on your home office lunch break [emoji2957]I don't know about worms, but there are plenty of cockles to be dug up at low tide. It's actually alright to do with the family and even though I don't eat them, there are always plenty takers.

[JeMeSouviens]

I don't know about worms, but there are plenty of cockles to be dug up at low tide. It's actually alright to do with the family and even though I don't eat them, there are always plenty takers.

Casts like this in the sand = lugworms!

https://i1.wp.com/www.planetseafishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/fishing-bait-lugworm-0006.jpg?resize=380%2C570&ssl=1

[Peevemor]

Casts like this in the sand = lugworms!

https://i1.wp.com/www.planetseafishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/fishing-bait-lugworm-0006.jpg?resize=380%2C570&ssl=1Aye. Loads of them normally.

[barcahibs]

We have daffs that flower every year. We leave them completely alone.

It's one of the great debates in horticulture, what to do with daffs after they flower... Some folk swear blind by cutting them down to ground level, some folk fiddle with them, feeding them and tieing stalks and suchlike, some folk do nothing.

Each group swears their's is the best way. One day it'll come to a shooting war.

I'm in your camp, I do nothing, the daffs seem fine :dunno: has to be said I'm not a great gardener though, I tend to garden for wildlife.

Incidentally, seeing as the bees are out (saw my first Mason bee of the year today - not that kind of Mason :greengrin) then there's a great website to check how good your garden is for bees https://beekind.bumblebeeconservation.org/

[Hibrandenburg]

It's one of the great debates in horticulture, what to do with daffs after they flower... Some folk swear blind by cutting them down to ground level, some folk fiddle with them, feeding them and tieing stalks and suchlike, some folk do nothing.

Each group swears their's is the best way. One day it'll come to a shooting war.

I'm in your camp, I do nothing, the daffs seem fine :dunno: has to be said I'm not a great gardener though, I tend to garden for wildlife.

Incidentally, seeing as the bees are out (saw my first Mason bee of the year today - not that kind of Mason :greengrin) then there's a great website to check how good your garden is for bees https://beekind.bumblebeeconservation.org/

We've now had about 4 weeks of fantastic sunshine, so much so that we now have the highest forest fire alert stage. I'm surprised at the lack of insects, despite the dry weather we have lots of standing water in our area, which is the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. We're normally plagued with the little buggers from spring until winter but I've only seen one or two. On the other hand we have an incredible amount of ticks at the moment, I have to remove on average about 5 or 6 from the dog everytime we go for an extended walk.

[barcahibs]

I'm afraid I'm the eejit that lets the side down. I'm very lucky that I live in a rural area, very much between "terre & mer" and I'm surrounded by wildlife.

Since I've been working from home I've set my pc up so that I'm facing the garden. I've seen a huge variety of birds, but apart from a pair of magpies (gallus as) and the occasional robin, I've no real idea what any of them are.

There's also all sorts of wildlife around, including snakes, wild boar, deer/roe deer, badgers, ragondin (muskrats ?), foxes and all sorts that I can't name.

In addition, the orange circle on the photo is chez moi. Most of the land to the West of the house toward the bay (beaussais) is a nature reserve, with a fair bit of it having been reclaimed from the sea a couple of hundred years ago by monks looking to harvest salt.

Of course I've strolled around the place loads of times, but I haven't a scooby what I'm looking for or at.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200422/c405e54a2abdf8437d87428b982bb13d.jpg

If its something you're interested in it really isn't difficult to pick up. I've mentioned before on here that at the highpoint (or alternatively, low point) of the colander thread I was in a really bad place in my life. It was discovering nature that got me out of it. At that point I genuinely could barely tell a Robin from a golden Eagle, I knew nothing about flowers, bees, any wildlife really.

I just opened my eyes to the world around me, volunteered for a couple of nature charities, read a couple of books. Now I get to show others how to do the same thing.

That's the great thing about nature, no one is excluded from it, everyone is equal. You don't need money, you don't need special skills or equipment. Wherever you live, no matter how rural or how urban, if you step out your door you'll almost certainly be able to see the sky, hear a bird, touch a tree, smell a flower, feel the sun or wind on your skin. That's all you need to start with.

There's something innate within all of us that is fascinated by nature.

[barcahibs]

We've now had about 4 weeks of fantastic sunshine, so much so that we now have the highest forest fire alert stage. I'm surprised at the lack of insects, despite the dry weather we have lots of standing water in our area, which is the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. We're normally plagued with the little buggers from spring until winter but I've only seen one or two. On the other hand we have an incredible amount of ticks at the moment, I have to remove on average about 5 or 6 from the dog everytime we go for an extended walk.

I love all nature equally. But if I could remove one species from the planet it would be ticks. They make my skin crawl. Friend of mine once came back from a nature reserve in the Highlands with one on his eyelid. Lived with it all day until he could get home and get his partner to pick it off. Then he got undressed to go to bed and she discovered the other 100+ that were on his back.

Bees and butterflies seem to be doing well here this year, it can be dangerous if they're lured out of hibernation by an early warm spell and then hammered by late snow/frosts but hopefully we're passed that now. Getting the first reports of fledgling blackbirds just now, and this year's badger and fox cubs will be getting ready to stick their heads above ground if this settled weather continues.

[RyeSloan]

It's one of the great debates in horticulture, what to do with daffs after they flower... Some folk swear blind by cutting them down to ground level, some folk fiddle with them, feeding them and tieing stalks and suchlike, some folk do nothing.

Each group swears their's is the best way. One day it'll come to a shooting war.

I'm in your camp, I do nothing, the daffs seem fine :dunno: has to be said I'm not a great gardener though, I tend to garden for wildlife.

Incidentally, seeing as the bees are out (saw my first Mason bee of the year today - not that kind of Mason :greengrin) then there's a great website to check how good your garden is for bees https://beekind.bumblebeeconservation.org/

Ahh that’s so true!

Personally while I’m sure they do fine if just left alone I’m in the dead head / don’t let them grown full seed pods / leave full foliage untouched camp

Partly because that makes a bit of logical sense to my wee heed in that saving the seed generation energy allows them to more easily store more in the bulb for next year

But actually mainly because they just look a bit sad and messy once they have turned so a wee 10 minutes dead heading just tidies it all up nicely!!

[barcahibs]

Ahh that’s so true!

Personally while I’m sure they do fine if just left alone I’m in the dead head / don’t let them grown full seed pods / leave full foliage untouched camp

Partly because that makes a bit of logical sense to my wee heed in that saving the seed generation energy allows them to more easily store more in the bulb for next year

But actually mainly because they just look a bit sad and messy once they have turned so a wee 10 minutes dead heading just tidies it all up nicely!!

Yeah I've got to agree that your way logically makes sense, its' just I personally haven't noticed much difference in the past and I'm inherently lazy.

I tend to try and leave things a bit messy as that's what wildlife usually likes best, but that's not the same as being a proper gardener - you'll always get a more beautiful show if you put that bit of effort in to be tidy and planned

[hibsbollah]

Yeah I've got to agree that your way logically makes sense, its' just I personally haven't noticed much difference in the past and I'm inherently lazy.

I tend to try and leave things a bit messy as that's what wildlife usually likes best, but that's not the same as being a proper gardener - you'll always get a more beautiful show if you put that bit of effort in to be tidy and planned

I very much want to avoid the 'shooting war' over daff policy:greengrin But you definitely shouldnt be cutting them down for 6 weeks after flowering (when the green shoot normally turns yellow) if you want to get repeat flowering in future years. There IS a debate about whether you pinch the dying flower head off or leave the stem to die off by itself, but thats just an aesthetic question. I always think you're just better accepting they are going to look tatty after flowering, although you can plant big leaved things like rodgersia or hosta among them which disguises the leaves.

On the tulips, you're right that you have to bank on losing a few every year. But you can get perennial cultivars that are advertised as such, theres a strong yellow one called Golden Appledoorn which is widely available, im looking at them right now in my garden and i put them in years ago. Squirrels love the bulbs; ive seen them go straight in 10 minutes after ive planted some and been chomping away at a dug up bulb staring me down :faf:

[JeMeSouviens]

I very much want to avoid the 'shooting war' over daff policy:greengrin But you definitely shouldnt be cutting them down for 6 weeks after flowering (when the green shoot normally turns yellow) if you want to get repeat flowering in future years. There IS a debate about whether you pinch the dying flower head off or leave the stem to die off by itself, but thats just an aesthetic question. I always think you're just better accepting they are going to look tatty after flowering, although you can plant big leaved things like rodgersia or hosta among them which disguises the leaves.

On the tulips, you're right that you have to bank on losing a few every year. But you can get perennial cultivars that are advertised as such, theres a strong yellow one called Golden Appledoorn which is widely available, im looking at them right now in my garden and i put them in years ago. Squirrels love the bulbs; ive seen them go straight in 10 minutes after ive planted some and been chomping away at a dug up bulb staring me down :faf:

My missus leaves the stems but neatly ties them in knots. Seems a bit bizarre but wtfdik.

[hibsbollah]

My missus leaves the stems but neatly ties them in knots. Seems a bit bizarre but wtfdik.

Yeah, the old lady up the road does that. I think its looks a bit weird too:greengrin

[Mon Dieu4]

I very much want to avoid the 'shooting war' over daff policy:greengrin But you definitely shouldnt be cutting them down for 6 weeks after flowering (when the green shoot normally turns yellow) if you want to get repeat flowering in future years. There IS a debate about whether you pinch the dying flower head off or leave the stem to die off by itself, but thats just an aesthetic question. I always think you're just better accepting they are going to look tatty after flowering, although you can plant big leaved things like rodgersia or hosta among them which disguises the leaves.

On the tulips, you're right that you have to bank on losing a few every year. But you can get perennial cultivars that are advertised as such, theres a strong yellow one called Golden Appledoorn which is widely available, im looking at them right now in my garden and i put them in years ago. Squirrels love the bulbs; ive seen them go straight in 10 minutes after ive planted some and been chomping away at a dug up bulb staring me down :faf:

My house looks onto Pilrig Park so I have lots of squirrels kicking about, when I first moved in I thought of myself as a squirrel whisperer and that we would be fine friends, even set up a feeder for them so they could get nuts and fruit

Turns out they aren't my friends at all and have attempted to munch any flower that has a bulb in it as well

Even tried to plant squirrel proof plants that they allegedly don't like, seems Leith squirrels are in a league of their own and don't subscribe to the squirrel norm

[hibsbollah]

My house looks onto Pilrig Park so I have lots of squirrels kicking about, when I first moved in I thought of myself as a squirrel whisperer and that we would be fine friends, even set up a feeder for them so they could get nuts and fruit

Turns out they aren't my friends at all and have attempted to munch any flower that has a bulb in it as well

Even tried to plant squirrel proof plants that they allegedly don't like, seems Leith squirrels are in a league of their own and don't subscribe to the squirrel norm

I like a red squirrel, used to see them in Northumberland quite a bit, but the grey ones are basically neds.

[Mon Dieu4]

I like a red squirrel, used to see them in Northumberland quite a bit, but the grey ones are basically neds.

Must admit I'm a bit of a squirrel racist too, wish the grey ones would **** off back where they came from, coming over here and eating all our nuts

[Moulin Yarns]

My missus leaves the stems but neatly ties them in knots. Seems a bit bizarre but wtfdik.

Guy across the road does that to the regimental rows of daffs outside his wall, me, I leave them to nature, the thought of deadheading and tieing a thousand daffs....

[barcahibs]

I like a red squirrel, used to see them in Northumberland quite a bit, but the grey ones are basically neds.

The greys get a bit of a bad rep but I feel a bit sorry for them. Its not their fault some posh bloke thought they'd look good hanging about the garden. It's also not their fault that Red Squirrels are basically rubbish at being squirrels (someone I know who once worked with Reds described them as as faulty machine designed by evolution to drop down dead at the slightest excuse). A lot of people's first positive wildlife experience will be with a grey squirrel.

Having said that if you want Reds you can't really have Greys and the Reds were here first (and its our fault the greys are here, so we should take some responsibility).

I've also been told that one of the biggest expenses when designing zoo enclosures in the UK is not how to keep the Lions and Tigers inside the enclosures - it's how to keep the Grey Squirrels out, they can chew their way into anything.

[Mibbes Aye]

How are folk getting on with their robins and the hand-feeding? We don’t have robins but the blackbirds we have are notably more confident and will come within a couple of feet. That never happened before - at my last house I had a birdbath and the blackbirds and others loved it but were we to sit near it none of them would come anywhere near it!

[speedy_gonzales]

How are folk getting on with their robins and the hand-feeding? We don’t have robins but the blackbirds we have are notably more confident and will come within a couple of feet. That never happened before - at my last house I had a birdbath and the blackbirds and others loved it but were we to sit near it none of them would come anywhere near it!

We have a blackbird that will come in doors looking for a bit cheese.
We used to put old/stale cheddar outside on the bird feeder, but over time, a gallus blackbird has worked up the courage to pre-empt me going out and flies down to the door,,,, early bird and all that!

[Mibbes Aye]

Got up and came outside to sit in the garden. There is a slight touch of frost but it is meant to pick up over the next few days. The smaller birds are chirping away regardless, the rooks are cawing and the wood pigeons are doing their call and rhythm.

I could get used to this.

[Mibbes Aye]

I have to admit I am entirely taken with the wood pigeons and their 4-5-5–5-1 cadence. Especially the last note, sounds so much unfinished but obviously isn’t to them at least!

[barcahibs]

Saw something quite new to me yesterday, we have loads of house sparrows in the garden, yesterday a flock of about 6 males came screeching through the garden and settled in the clematis where 5 of them ganged up and knocked absolute lumps out of the sixth one. It was really lucky to get away with its life - it lost a few feathers. Seen sparrows squabbling before but not at that level of viciousness.

Sat out in the shed about 7pm though and listened to the Blackbirds, Robins and Dunnocks all singing. We live not far from a motorway so there's usually the hum of traffic, but totally silent last night apart from the birds. Really lovely.

Finally got round to checking the camera trap last night and we have some footage of a male hedgehog 'circling' a female - if anyone has ever pondered the question of how hedgehogs mate, then the answer is... carefully! The male slowly circles the female, like he's looking for a way in, huffing an puffing, until she flattens her spines down and then … well you can fill in the rest. I've seen similar behaviour in West Lothian nightclubs.

This morning the magpies are back to their old tricks of wrecking the hedgehog feedbox - we got lazy last night and put the food out early, its incredible that the magpies have clearly remembered from last year what that means and how to get the food out of the box. They must have been watching for that opportunity every night since last summer.

Also discovered some of the onions have been dug up in the veg bed, I think its blackbirds that do this. Might put the camera on it to find out. On the blackbird front - my mother in law feeds the ones in her garden cheese every night at a specific time. If she's late for any reason, even by just a few minutes, one of the blackbirds comes and taps on the window with its beak. Wildlife is incredible.

[JeMeSouviens]

Saw something quite new to me yesterday, we have loads of house sparrows in the garden, yesterday a flock of about 6 males came screeching through the garden and settled in the clematis where 5 of them ganged up and knocked absolute lumps out of the sixth one. It was really lucky to get away with its life - it lost a few feathers. Seen sparrows squabbling before but not at that level of viciousness.

Sat out in the shed about 7pm though and listened to the Blackbirds, Robins and Dunnocks all singing. We live not far from a motorway so there's usually the hum of traffic, but totally silent last night apart from the birds. Really lovely.

Finally got round to checking the camera trap last night and we have some footage of a male hedgehog 'circling' a female - if anyone has ever pondered the question of how hedgehogs mate, then the answer is... carefully! The male slowly circles the female, like he's looking for a way in, huffing an puffing, until she flattens her spines down and then … well you can fill in the rest. I've seen similar behaviour in West Lothian nightclubs.

This morning the magpies are back to their old tricks of wrecking the hedgehog feedbox - we got lazy last night and put the food out early, its incredible that the magpies have clearly remembered from last year what that means and how to get the food out of the box. They must have been watching for that opportunity every night since last summer.

Also discovered some of the onions have been dug up in the veg bed, I think its blackbirds that do this. Might put the camera on it to find out. On the blackbird front - my mother in law feeds the ones in her garden cheese every night at a specific time. If she's late for any reason, even by just a few minutes, one of the blackbirds comes and taps on the window with its beak. Wildlife is incredible.

Lolz - there's "wild" life and there's completely ****** mental life! :faf:

Sort of related, I've only ever seen a live badger once, on a road where I nearly ran it down! There's plenty of badger evidence (I think) in the woods near us. Has anybody tried their hand at going badger spotting? And if so, any tips?

[JeMeSouviens]

We have a blackbird that will come in doors looking for a bit cheese.
We used to put old/stale cheddar outside on the bird feeder, but over time, a gallus blackbird has worked up the courage to pre-empt me going out and flies down to the door,,,, early bird and all that!

We had a blackbird that used to sit outside the front of the house and could do an almost perfect imitation of a mobile phone ringtone. I reckon it learned it from our neighbour's son, who used to stand on the doorstep smoking because he wasn't allowed to in the house.

[barcahibs]

Lolz - there's "wild" life and there's completely ****** mental life! :faf:

Sort of related, I've only ever seen a live badger once, on a road where I nearly ran it down! There's plenty of badger evidence (I think) in the woods near us. Has anybody tried their hand at going badger spotting? And if so, any tips?

Bathgate, The RATT, year 2000 any time around 2am. get a time machine and tell me I'm wrong :greengrin

Badger tracking was one of the firs things I learned when I started out on my wildlife/conservation journey. I teach courses on it now :) It's really not a difficult thing to do, first thing to is to slow down when you're out walking, open your eyes and your senses and see the signs that are there. Good places to start looking are linear features in the landscape - so that's anything long and (relatively) straight that a badger will have to cross to get from a to b. Fences, walls, ditches, streams, dense tree lines. Walk along the feature and put yourself in the badgers mindset - if I had to cross this where would I do it? Look for the wee holes in the fence, the tumbled down bit of wall, the pipe or the log crossing a stream, the narrow bit of ditch that you can jump over. If you see these things so will the badgers.
Once you've identified a likely spot you can look for prints in the mud or hair caught on anything sharp - badger hair is really distinctive, it's heavy (by hair standards!) it's difficult to break apart in yoor hands (deer, rabbit and even dog hair will easily fall apart if you try to break it, badger hair won't). It's also triangular in cross section so it won't easily roll between your fingers.

Next look for the path through the undergrowth that will lead to and from your crossing point. Multiple species might use the path but if you follow it you should see it branch off into lots of smaller ones. Badger paths are traditional - meaning they will use the same path every day (or every time they visit that area) some badger paths are hundreds of years old (the place I learned to track badgers had a set of stone steps leading out of a field that were 300 years old. You could see the groove in the stone that generations of badgers had worn down into it.)
Deer, rabbits and foxes meander about the place, badgers walk with purpose, they know where they;re going and they know how to get there, their paths will tend to be much straighter and more defined. Again, think like an animal - if the path goes under a low tree, then you know it can't be deer, if it goes through thick, thorny bushes then it probably isn't foxes, if it disappears into a tiny gap then its probably too small for badgers. If you find a rock or a tree across the path, think how animals cross it. A deer will step over, leaving no mark, a fox might jump over, a rabbit might go round. A badger will go straight over the top (or underneath it) and because they are so low slung and close to the ground their tubby wee bellies will usually wear a wee smooth patch. So look for a path that crosses a mossy stone - if there is a smooth patch on the stone, where the moss has been worn away, right where the path crosses... that's probably a badger.

Also look for 'snuffle holes' these are little holes in the ground about the size of a badgers nose - the badger can smell (and maybe hear) earthworms underground, when it detects one it jabs its nose into the ground, and grabs the worm and then sucks it up like spaghetti. (they'll also grab beetles, spiders, even mice and frogs like this) and it leaves behind a distinctive wee hole. Also look for areas at the edge of paths where the turf has all been lifted or in woodlands where the leaves and pine cones have been moved about.

You can also look for latrines - badgers mark territory by taking a dump in it (again, very much like a West Lothian nightclub). They dig a hole and then leave a pile of turds... they're the only animal we have that does this so its quite distinctive - its actually not that unpleasant, it will usually be black, often quite loose (most of what they eat are earthworms and eathworms are mostly water). It won't smell disgusting like dog **** (it won't really smell of anything at all, maybe a bit earthy and musky). It usually won't have bones or fur in it like fox droppings (which smell foul in any case).

Once you start to recognise the signs you'll see them everywhere - you start to develop a sort of sixth sense and you just .. know... you are in badger territory without really noticing why.

As for actually watching badgers, that's harder. Badgers have really poor vision but they have excellent smell and hearing. Your best bet is to find a feeding ground or sett and then turn up their a couple of hours before dusk. You then have to sit very quietly, downwind, and wait. You might be lucky, you might not. Be very careful you are not disturbing the badgers when doing it. If the badgers detect you before they leave their sett then they likely will just not come out that night - you are then denying them a night of eating. If the weather turns bad, or they are prevented from leaving their setts several nights in a row they could get very hungry, very quickly. I'd really advise visiting setts only in company with an expert.

Badger setts (which is any hole a badger has lived in - whether it is there at the time or not), badger paths and badger feeding sites are protected by law. In Scotland it is illegal to intentionally or RECKLESSLY damage, block or disturb them in any way - the recklessly bit means you can be prosecuted even if you didn't mean to do any harm (unlike in England where you have to intend harm).

If you're really interested then the best people to speak to are the charity Scottish Badgers who will give advice and can even offer training and organised visits to setts. They're good people.

If you ever see a dead badger by the road by the way then please also tell Scottish Badgers about it, you can do it via an online form on their website. This lets them work out where badger hotspots are, where dangerous areas for badgers are, and can help them mitigate it. It can also be a sign of badger crime - criminals who still dig and torture badgers (and dogs), or who have just decided they don't want badgers on their land, have been to known to dump the bodies on roads afterwards to hide the evidence.

I frickin love badgers as you can probably tell :)

[Moulin Yarns]

Bathgate, The RATT, year 2000 any time around 2am. get a time machine and tell me I'm wrong :greengrin

Badger tracking was one of the firs things I learned when I started out on my wildlife/conservation journey. I teach courses on it now :) It's really not a difficult thing to do, first thing to is to slow down when you're out walking, open your eyes and your senses and see the signs that are there. Good places to start looking are linear features in the landscape - so that's anything long and (relatively) straight that a badger will have to cross to get from a to b. Fences, walls, ditches, streams, dense tree lines. Walk along the feature and put yourself in the badgers mindset - if I had to cross this where would I do it? Look for the wee holes in the fence, the tumbled down bit of wall, the pipe or the log crossing a stream, the narrow bit of ditch that you can jump over. If you see these things so will the badgers.
Once you've identified a likely spot you can look for prints in the mud or hair caught on anything sharp - badger hair is really distinctive, it's heavy (by hair standards!) it's difficult to break apart in yoor hands (deer, rabbit and even dog hair will easily fall apart if you try to break it, badger hair won't). It's also triangular in cross section so it won't easily roll between your fingers.

Next look for the path through the undergrowth that will lead to and from your crossing point. Multiple species might use the path but if you follow it you should see it branch off into lots of smaller ones. Badger paths are traditional - meaning they will use the same path every day (or every time they visit that area) some badger paths are hundreds of years old (the place I learned to track badgers had a set of stone steps leading out of a field that were 300 years old. You could see the groove in the stone that generations of badgers had worn down into it.)
Deer, rabbits and foxes meander about the place, badgers walk with purpose, they know where they;re going and they know how to get there, their paths will tend to be much straighter and more defined. Again, think like an animal - if the path goes under a low tree, then you know it can't be deer, if it goes through thick, thorny bushes then it probably isn't foxes, if it disappears into a tiny gap then its probably too small for badgers. If you find a rock or a tree across the path, think how animals cross it. A deer will step over, leaving no mark, a fox might jump over, a rabbit might go round. A badger will go straight over the top (or underneath it) and because they are so low slung and close to the ground their tubby wee bellies will usually wear a wee smooth patch. So look for a path that crosses a mossy stone - if there is a smooth patch on the stone, where the moss has been worn away, right where the path crosses... that's probably a badger.

Also look for 'snuffle holes' these are little holes in the ground about the size of a badgers nose - the badger can smell (and maybe hear) earthworms underground, when it detects one it jabs its nose into the ground, and grabs the worm and then sucks it up like spaghetti. (they'll also grab beetles, spiders, even mice and frogs like this) and it leaves behind a distinctive wee hole. Also look for areas at the edge of paths where the turf has all been lifted or in woodlands where the leaves and pine cones have been moved about.

You can also look for latrines - badgers mark territory by taking a dump in it (again, very much like a West Lothian nightclub). They dig a hole and then leave a pile of turds... they're the only animal we have that does this so its quite distinctive - its actually not that unpleasant, it will usually be black, often quite loose (most of what they eat are earthworms and eathworms are mostly water). It won't smell disgusting like dog **** (it won't really smell of anything at all, maybe a bit earthy and musky). It usually won't have bones or fur in it like fox droppings (which smell foul in any case).

Once you start to recognise the signs you'll see them everywhere - you start to develop a sort of sixth sense and you just .. know... you are in badger territory without really noticing why.

As for actually watching badgers, that's harder. Badgers have really poor vision but they have excellent smell and hearing. Your best bet is to find a feeding ground or sett and then turn up their a couple of hours before dusk. You then have to sit very quietly, downwind, and wait. You might be lucky, you might not. Be very careful you are not disturbing the badgers when doing it. If the badgers detect you before they leave their sett then they likely will just not come out that night - you are then denying them a night of eating. If the weather turns bad, or they are prevented from leaving their setts several nights in a row they could get very hungry, very quickly. I'd really advise visiting setts only in company with an expert.

Badger setts (which is any hole a badger has lived in - whether it is there at the time or not), badger paths and badger feeding sites are protected by law. In Scotland it is illegal to intentionally or RECKLESSLY damage, block or disturb them in any way - the recklessly bit means you can be prosecuted even if you didn't mean to do any harm (unlike in England where you have to intend harm).

If you're really interested then the best people to speak to are the charity Scottish Badgers who will give advice and can even offer training and organised visits to setts. They're good people.

If you ever see a dead badger by the road by the way then please also tell Scottish Badgers about it, you can do it via an online form on their website. This lets them work out where badger hotspots are, where dangerous areas for badgers are, and can help them mitigate it. It can also be a sign of badger crime - criminals who still dig and torture badgers (and dogs), or who have just decided they don't want badgers on their land, have been to known to dump the bodies on roads afterwards to hide the evidence.

I frickin love badgers as you can probably tell :)

All of the above. 👍 It is easy for me though because they come through my garden and I have a trail am set up. I put peanuts out for them. I get some photos and short videos of them eating.

I found a dead one in the water of a Loch a few days ago and reported it. Probably injured on a road then died later.

[JeMeSouviens]

Bathgate, The RATT, year 2000 any time around 2am. get a time machine and tell me I'm wrong :greengrin

Badger tracking was one of the firs things I learned when I started out on my wildlife/conservation journey. I teach courses on it now :) It's really not a difficult thing to do, first thing to is to slow down when you're out walking, open your eyes and your senses and see the signs that are there. Good places to start looking are linear features in the landscape - so that's anything long and (relatively) straight that a badger will have to cross to get from a to b. Fences, walls, ditches, streams, dense tree lines. Walk along the feature and put yourself in the badgers mindset - if I had to cross this where would I do it? Look for the wee holes in the fence, the tumbled down bit of wall, the pipe or the log crossing a stream, the narrow bit of ditch that you can jump over. If you see these things so will the badgers.
Once you've identified a likely spot you can look for prints in the mud or hair caught on anything sharp - badger hair is really distinctive, it's heavy (by hair standards!) it's difficult to break apart in yoor hands (deer, rabbit and even dog hair will easily fall apart if you try to break it, badger hair won't). It's also triangular in cross section so it won't easily roll between your fingers.

Next look for the path through the undergrowth that will lead to and from your crossing point. Multiple species might use the path but if you follow it you should see it branch off into lots of smaller ones. Badger paths are traditional - meaning they will use the same path every day (or every time they visit that area) some badger paths are hundreds of years old (the place I learned to track badgers had a set of stone steps leading out of a field that were 300 years old. You could see the groove in the stone that generations of badgers had worn down into it.)
Deer, rabbits and foxes meander about the place, badgers walk with purpose, they know where they;re going and they know how to get there, their paths will tend to be much straighter and more defined. Again, think like an animal - if the path goes under a low tree, then you know it can't be deer, if it goes through thick, thorny bushes then it probably isn't foxes, if it disappears into a tiny gap then its probably too small for badgers. If you find a rock or a tree across the path, think how animals cross it. A deer will step over, leaving no mark, a fox might jump over, a rabbit might go round. A badger will go straight over the top (or underneath it) and because they are so low slung and close to the ground their tubby wee bellies will usually wear a wee smooth patch. So look for a path that crosses a mossy stone - if there is a smooth patch on the stone, where the moss has been worn away, right where the path crosses... that's probably a badger.

Also look for 'snuffle holes' these are little holes in the ground about the size of a badgers nose - the badger can smell (and maybe hear) earthworms underground, when it detects one it jabs its nose into the ground, and grabs the worm and then sucks it up like spaghetti. (they'll also grab beetles, spiders, even mice and frogs like this) and it leaves behind a distinctive wee hole. Also look for areas at the edge of paths where the turf has all been lifted or in woodlands where the leaves and pine cones have been moved about.

You can also look for latrines - badgers mark territory by taking a dump in it (again, very much like a West Lothian nightclub). They dig a hole and then leave a pile of turds... they're the only animal we have that does this so its quite distinctive - its actually not that unpleasant, it will usually be black, often quite loose (most of what they eat are earthworms and eathworms are mostly water). It won't smell disgusting like dog **** (it won't really smell of anything at all, maybe a bit earthy and musky). It usually won't have bones or fur in it like fox droppings (which smell foul in any case).

Once you start to recognise the signs you'll see them everywhere - you start to develop a sort of sixth sense and you just .. know... you are in badger territory without really noticing why.

As for actually watching badgers, that's harder. Badgers have really poor vision but they have excellent smell and hearing. Your best bet is to find a feeding ground or sett and then turn up their a couple of hours before dusk. You then have to sit very quietly, downwind, and wait. You might be lucky, you might not. Be very careful you are not disturbing the badgers when doing it. If the badgers detect you before they leave their sett then they likely will just not come out that night - you are then denying them a night of eating. If the weather turns bad, or they are prevented from leaving their setts several nights in a row they could get very hungry, very quickly. I'd really advise visiting setts only in company with an expert.

Badger setts (which is any hole a badger has lived in - whether it is there at the time or not), badger paths and badger feeding sites are protected by law. In Scotland it is illegal to intentionally or RECKLESSLY damage, block or disturb them in any way - the recklessly bit means you can be prosecuted even if you didn't mean to do any harm (unlike in England where you have to intend harm).

If you're really interested then the best people to speak to are the charity Scottish Badgers who will give advice and can even offer training and organised visits to setts. They're good people.

If you ever see a dead badger by the road by the way then please also tell Scottish Badgers about it, you can do it via an online form on their website. This lets them work out where badger hotspots are, where dangerous areas for badgers are, and can help them mitigate it. It can also be a sign of badger crime - criminals who still dig and torture badgers (and dogs), or who have just decided they don't want badgers on their land, have been to known to dump the bodies on roads afterwards to hide the evidence.

I frickin love badgers as you can probably tell :)

Wow, thanks, that's really helpful. I've found Scottish badgers website which kind of confirms what I thought. There are definite holes like this

https://www.scottishbadgers.org.uk/userfiles/image/learn/image001.JPG

of about the right size in one of the shelter belts between the fields near us. I don't see what else would be in there. We don't see rabbits in the area, and they're too big anyway. Sometimes the odd fox. I'll look out for all the things you've mentioned.

[barcahibs]

Wow, thanks, that's really helpful. I've found Scottish badgers website which kind of confirms what I thought. There are definite holes like this

https://www.scottishbadgers.org.uk/userfiles/image/learn/image001.JPG

of about the right size in one of the shelter belts between the fields near us. I don't see what else would be in there. We don't see rabbits in the area, and they're too big anyway. Sometimes the odd fox. I'll look out for all the things you've mentioned.

Yeah looks about right, D shaped hole, wider than it is tall. There's usually a pronounced spoil heap nearby, and a sort of groove (called a trench) in the middle where the badgers come in and out.

There's usually also more than one hole with paths joining them and a latrine nearby. Sometimes you'll find scratching trees and even toys - young badgers will bring things like sticks, pinecone, even tin cans, bottles and balls back to the sett and play with them. You might also find piles of bedding - dry grass, moss, soft plants. Badgers are really clean animals and they change their bedding all the time, they bring it in over quite long distances, tucked under their chin (and they frequently drop it on the way so thats another good sign).

Fox holes will smell and often have bones outside, rabbit holes will always have rabbit droppings in and round the entrance (though rabbits and badgers will share holes - I once saw a mouse, a rabbit, a fox and a badger all come out of the same hole).

The unfortunate thing is that badgers haven't read the books that tell you how badgers are supposed to behave so they often do really unexpected things. Most Badger research also comes from the SE of England and badgers here don't seem to live in quite the same way that badgers there do.

If you have found a sett then Scottish Badgers would love the location, it might be one they don't know about. There's also some really simple surveys of the sett you can do for them.

[Smartie]

One of the casualties of the coronavirus crisis has been my brother's chickens.

On a very drunken night out a few years ago he got into a conversation with someone - you know those conversations you have when drunk, when something seems like the best idea in the world? This guy said to my brother "nah, where you stay you need to have chickens" and my brother agreed (he lives just outside Kinross).

Anyway, he didn't think much more of it, putting it down to one of those chats, until that weekend the guy pitched up with a pretty elaborate hen house and quite a few chickens for him. It would be fair to say that initially his Mrs wasn't too impressed, as it was to fall to her to mainly look after them.

Anyway, the family grew to love these chickens. The eggs were amazing, the kids loved them and they weren't all that high maintenance. Most of the time they'd just strut free about the garden.

I think he'd maybe lost one of them, but a couple of weeks ago they all just disappeared. He's not far from the M90 and there has been a significant drop in the volume of traffic up that road at all times of day - and apparently the motorway is splattered with roadkill at the moment. Seemingly, as humans have stayed in the house, all the wildlife has come out to play and as a result they're wandering further and taking more risks. Some of them have underestimated the danger of the motorway, and he reckons foxes have travelled further than they normally would and have got to his hens. He went for a wee walk up the road to see if there were any signs of them and he found signs of a skirmish and reckons they've been driven away by some animal and killed a bit further up the road.

So yeah - whilst the emergence of some wildlife is amazing to see, it won't come without a cost somewhere as the natural world is pretty brutal.

[goosano]

23242

2 lovely male bullfinches on the feeders at present

[RyeSloan]

23242

2 lovely male bullfinches on the feeders at present

Absolute cracker!

Looks like you have the full shooting match of feeders set up there Goos. [emoji736][emoji736]

My wee single sunflower heart feeder is no where near that level but I’ve only just ventured into the bird feeding world...

I did though see two what I think were European Goldfinches on it today, a bird I’ve never ever seen in the garden before so that was quite a wee treat when drinking my morning coffee outside today.

[goosano]

Absolute cracker!

Looks like you have the full shooting match of feeders set up there Goos. [emoji736][emoji736]

My wee single sunflower heart feeder is no where near that level but I’ve only just ventured into the bird feeding world...

I did though see two what I think were European Goldfinches on it today, a bird I’ve never ever seen in the garden before so that was quite a wee treat when drinking my morning coffee outside today.

My wife has 5 feeders and I hate to think how much my wife spends on feeding the birds as the stuff arrives in small sacks. Yes, goldfinches are lovely birds, look quite exotic with their lovely markings. Once the birds know it is there, one feeder can get a lot of traffic

[Smartie]

My wee girl has really taken to feeding birds when we're out on our walk.

We give them peas from the freezer and porridge oats - I take it this is ok? My other half tells me that it's not good for birds to be fed bread so we don't do that.

It's hilarious - my other half has a phobia of pigeons and pretty much any bird that flutters. My daughter loves all of them (especially one that she calls sad mother duck) and especially likes it when they get a bit animated. Mummy normally disappears when we do the bird feeding bit but when I try to film bits of it for the grannies etc she has no option other than to be in close attendance - the footage of a wee girl in her element and her mother a million miles outside her comfort zone is hilarious, especially when the fluttering starts.

[barcahibs]

Absolute cracker!

Looks like you have the full shooting match of feeders set up there Goos. [emoji736][emoji736]

My wee single sunflower heart feeder is no where near that level but I’ve only just ventured into the bird feeding world...

I did though see two what I think were European Goldfinches on it today, a bird I’ve never ever seen in the garden before so that was quite a wee treat when drinking my morning coffee outside today.

I mind the first time I saw goldfinches on our feeder, I thought I should phone somebody, I'd never heard of a goldfinch and I couldn't believe that something that looked like that had always been flying round the place and I just had never noticed...

Beautiful wee birds there's a couple on my feeders the now, they love sunflower hearts, they'll just sit there all day munching away. Nice wee twittering song they've got too.
They flock in the winter so if you're still feeding them then you might get a dozen or more on your feeders. They're brave wee things as well they'll let you get pretty close before they fly.

Smartie (sorry can't multi quote on my phone) peas and oats are great to feed to ducks, much, much better than bread. Bread is like ice cream or chips to birds, they love it but it doesn't give them any nutrients, they can even starve to death with a full belly of bread.
Plus everyone feeds them far too much of it and once it's in the water it goes mouldy and causes poisonous algae blooms. The mould can also cause a lung disease in ducks. Finally all the carbs cause them to poo everywhere in copious amounts making the Paths round ponds unpleasant for people.

I hate seeing signs saying 'don't feed the ducks' round ponds, kids - like yours obviously - love it and these positive experiences create the wildlife champions of tomorrow. Instead we just need to learn what to feed them, peas, oats, grains - even lettuce and carrot peelings are great food for them

[speedy_gonzales]

We had a blackbird that used to sit outside the front of the house and could do an almost perfect imitation of a mobile phone ringtone.

Not a blackbird, but we have a starling that's repertoire includes a mobile phone, a car alarm and an ambulance siren.
The belter with the ambulance siren is that the bird even emulates the Doppler effect of the vehicle approaching then departing 😀

[Hibby Bairn]

Best thread ever 😀. I haven’t a clue about any of this. But so interesting. Feel like I’ve been pressing the up channel on the remote and found a nature channel somewhere around channel 437. Lingered a while and now have it listed in “my favourites”.

Brilliant.

[Moulin Yarns]

I've been watching the bat's tonight as I was setting up the camera and food for my local badgers.

[Mibbes Aye]

Robins have appeared in the garden now and are innocently trusting. Happy to come up close.

I have been looking at feeders, just need to work out the best one and how the feed changes over the year.

I also caught a little bit of a home-filmed programme tonight by the Geordie guy from the One Show - Matt Baker?

He and his wife and two children are building a garden pond. He reckons it will attract all sorts of species in a positive way. I have a big garden but it is very sloped so I would be struggling, without some significant landscaping. He pointed out that even something like those big plastic containers we all likely have, or even a washing-up basin dug into the soil works - just a bit of lining, some stones and rainwater. Rainwater seems crucial as it doesn't contain the level of nitrates you get in tap water. Plus a couple of plants that sit in the water. Leave it be and the various species will find it and populate it.

[Scouse Hibee]

Talking of birds, a one legged pigeon used to religiously visit my Dads garden and he would feed it. It disappeared a couple of years before my Dad passed away. When we scattered my Dad’s ashes several miles away from his house a one legged pigeon appeared and landed close to where we spread them and stayed for ages. I know it couldn’t possibly be the same bird or could it have been?

[Mibbes Aye]

Talking of birds, a one legged pigeon used to religiously visit my Dads garden and he would feed it. It disappeared a couple of years before my Dad passed away. When we scattered my Dad’s ashes several miles away from his house a one legged pigeon appeared and landed close to where we spread them and stayed for ages. I know it couldn’t possibly be the same bird or could it have been?

It is impossible to tell, but pigeons live for a few years and can live for several years. They travel about a bit - several miles isn't really any distance for them. So, in theory, it could have been the same one. Having said that, the nature of being a pigeon means getting into various scrapes, so there are probably no shortage with the kind of injury you describe. It would be nice to think it was the same one though.

[Moulin Yarns]

Robins have appeared in the garden now and are innocently trusting. Happy to come up close.

I have been looking at feeders, just need to work out the best one and how the feed changes over the year.

I also caught a little bit of a home-filmed programme tonight by the Geordie guy from the One Show - Matt Baker?

He and his wife and two children are building a garden pond. He reckons it will attract all sorts of species in a positive way. I have a big garden but it is very sloped so I would be struggling, without some significant landscaping. He pointed out that even something like those big plastic containers we all likely have, or even a washing-up basin dug into the soil works - just a bit of lining, some stones and rainwater. Rainwater seems crucial as it doesn't contain the level of nitrates you get in tap water. Plus a couple of plants that sit in the water. Leave it be and the various species will find it and populate it.

A slope could work to your advantage, 2 ponds with a pump and a cascade between. That's what I'm creating in my garden. My garden has a drop of 5m from end to end.

Agreed about tap water, I have a tap in the garden fed from a burn which is ideal.

Wildlife, build it and they will come. When I created my first pond it was only a few days before pond skaters and beetles appeared and within a month I had newts. You can help by getting a bucket of water from another pond. I drained it and dug a bigger pond a couple of weeks ago and rescued 17 newts.

Do it, you won't regret it.

[JeMeSouviens]

A slope could work to your advantage, 2 ponds with a pump and a cascade between. That's what I'm creating in my garden. My garden has a drop of 5m from end to end.

Agreed about tap water, I have a tap in the garden fed from a burn which is ideal.

Wildlife, build it and they will come. When I created my first pond it was only a few days before pond skaters and beetles appeared and within a month I had newts. You can help by getting a bucket of water from another pond. I drained it and dug a bigger pond a couple of weeks ago and rescued 17 newts.

Do it, you won't regret it.

Be careful what you wish for though. A friend of mine dug a pond and is now kept awake every spring by dozens of randy frogs! :greengrin

[Moulin Yarns]

Be careful what you wish for though. A friend of mine dug a pond and is now kept awake every spring by dozens of randy frogs! :greengrin

Thankfully the newts are voracious feeders of frog tadpoles.

[Mibbes Aye]

A slope could work to your advantage, 2 ponds with a pump and a cascade between. That's what I'm creating in my garden. My garden has a drop of 5m from end to end.

Agreed about tap water, I have a tap in the garden fed from a burn which is ideal.

Wildlife, build it and they will come. When I created my first pond it was only a few days before pond skaters and beetles appeared and within a month I had newts. You can help by getting a bucket of water from another pond. I drained it and dug a bigger pond a couple of weeks ago and rescued 17 newts.

Do it, you won't regret it.

I am seriously thinking about it now. I might need to come back to you for some advice. It would be a bit of a project but feels really worthwhile.

[Mibbes Aye]

Just woken up to the sound of seagulls. I read once that Hawick is the mainland British town furthest from the coastline, which I can believe. I dont live in Hawick but I do stay a fair bit away from the coast and about half an hour’s drive from Hawick. I am just curious as to whether the gulls are coming more inland in a need to feed, or whether they always come further in at this time of year because they have young to feed. The smaller birds are now chirping in and I expect the rooks to be cawing fairly soon. It is keeping me awake but I wouldn’t trade it.

[Mibbes Aye]

Live bird update - because I’m not sleeping :greengrin

The gulls have gone, I suspect they have a decent flight range but there are less human waste scavengings kicking about. The small birds are getting lively. As per Goosano’s posts it becomes easier to distinguish them out, when you listen, but I wouldn’t be confident yet in my ability identifying all the species. The rooks are up to full volume - I know some people can’t stand it, but the sound of rooks, ravens, crows, or jackdaws cawing away is music to my ears. There is little more beautiful than a young jackdaw, somewhere with good acoustics, realising that, and then maxing it out, from sheer exuberance!

[Mibbes Aye]

I now have definitely three, maybe four wood pigeons, from various spots in the vicinity of the house, that make the same call and rhythm, along the lines of the cadence discussed earlier. Some have a deeper tone, some lighter, and some are far more vibrant, especially on the second five-note rhyme -it is like they are really putting their all into it. Is it an age thing with them?

[danhibees1875]

I've got something giving it laldy outside. A loud screechy double cry quite sporadically.

I had a wee peak and seen a couple of pheasants roaming about the gardens, not sure if that's unrelated though. Do pheasants make noise?

[Billy Whizz]

I now have definitely three, maybe four wood pigeons, from various spots in the vicinity of the house, that make the same call and rhythm, along the lines of the cadence discussed earlier. Some have a deeper tone, some lighter, and some are far more vibrant, especially on the second five-note rhyme -it is like they are really putting their all into it. Is it an age thing with them?

They are really smart as well. My mum has taken down her bird feeder, as they were bombing it, to knock it over
Noticed in the last few days something similar in my garden. They usually work with the smaller birds, eating the bits they drop. But in the last few days they’ve become aggressive. I have my feeder about 6 feet in the air, to keep it dry. Last few days they’ve been trying anything to get above it and knock it down.

[Moulin Yarns]

I've got something giving it laldy outside. A loud screechy double cry quite sporadically.

I had a wee peak and seen a couple of pheasants roaming about the gardens, not sure if that's unrelated though. Do pheasants make noise?

Oh yeah. Usually wake me up.

[Hibrandenburg]

Just woken up to the sound of seagulls. I read once that Hawick is the mainland British town furthest from the coastline, which I can believe. I dont live in Hawick but I do stay a fair bit away from the coast and about half an hour’s drive from Hawick. I am just curious as to whether the gulls are coming more inland in a need to feed, or whether they always come further in at this time of year because they have young to feed. The smaller birds are now chirping in and I expect the rooks to be cawing fairly soon. It is keeping me awake but I wouldn’t trade it.

We've seen a lot of seagulls in and around Berlin this year. It might be because there's a lot less easy pickings for them due to lockdown and the missing tourists on Germany's northern Baltic coast, which is about 200km away from us. They're an invasive species and are causing all sorts of problems for other species that are native to the many waterways surrounding Berlin. I always thought they just moved this far inland during storms but apparently if they find rich pickings then they will keep returning or even stay.

On a other note, whilst sunbathing in the garden last week I noticed a very large bird of prey circling at very high altitude. It was far too big to be one of the local peregrine falcons but unfortunately too high for me to notice its colour or any other distinguishing features.

P.S. I can't imagine Hawick is the UK town furthest from the coast, I'd imagine that honour would belong to somewhere in the English Midlands where the UK is at it's broadest.

[Scouse Hibee]

Yesterday I sat in the garden and had the joy of watching natures version of a Battle of Britain dogfight! It was amazing to watch and lasted about ten minutes. The flying skills of the fighter was outstanding as it looped, manoeuvred and done it’s damnest to shake off four marauding enemy flights before eventually running for the safety of clearer airspace.

I don’t know what they were but the outnumbered fighter had a fairly large wingspan with what I would describe as “fingers” at the end of it’s wings, the four attackers were much smaller in size and very much darker in colour, they constantly buzzed it , took turns to dive and hit in mid air, and attacked it constantly one after the other, they were relentless as the bigger bird showed some amazing evasive flying but couldn’t shake them off. After numerous direct hits which didn’t really seem to be that hard it headed away and the pursuing group of four split into two with two remaining circling the garden whilst the other two made sure it had left their airspace. Fascinating to watch.

[Moulin Yarns]

Yesterday I sat in the garden and had the joy of watching natures version of a Battle of Britain dogfight! It was amazing to watch and lasted about ten minutes. The flying skills of the fighter was outstanding as it looped, manoeuvred and done it’s damnest to shake off four marauding enemy flights before eventually running for the safety of clearer airspace.

I don’t know what they were but the outnumbered fighter had a fairly large wingspan with what I would describe as “fingers” at the end of it’s wings, the four attackers were much smaller in size and very much darker in colour, they constantly buzzed it , took turns to dive and hit in mid air, and attacked it constantly one after the other, they were relentless as the bigger bird showed some amazing evasive flying but couldn’t shake them off. After numerous direct hits which didn’t really seem to be that hard it headed away and the pursuing group of four split into two with two remaining circling the garden whilst the other two made sure it had left their airspace. Fascinating to watch.

Sounds like crows chasing off a buzzard. I see that quite often in the skies around here.

[Scouse Hibee]

Sounds like crows chasing off a buzzard. I see that quite often in the skies around here.

Thanks, I have looked up both birds you mentioned and it was exactly that. 👍

[RyeSloan]

Well my wee bird feeder has proven rather popular...took 8 days for it to need filled up again and this time I reckon it might by under a week.

Coaltits arrived the very first day

Goldfinch within 2/3 days

But today we had our first Bullfinch (well first time I’d spotted one anyway!)

The coaltits I had seen before in the garden but not the gold or the bullfinch...quite amazing what’s been there all the time but I’ve never seen!

The bullfinches are well named by the way!! Beautiful but boy do they look like they are the boss of the finches or what!

[JeMeSouviens]

Not much garden bird activity here recently. Then on Friday there was a sparrowhawk sitting in our apple tree. Could these events be connected? :greengrin

[wpj]

Just been sitting in the garden with my daughter, my residential Robin came really close, my girl absolutely loved it and as I have said before it will soon be able to eat out of my hand. She is so excited hearing the squirrels running across my roof. She really wants to see my fox but so far so elusive. I love the wood pigeons call, ever since I was a wee boy now they are everywhere. It's a plus side of a bad time.

[Scouse Hibee]

Yesterday I sat in my garden,listened to the Lions roaring, watched an aerial dogfight between a buzzard and four crows, and pissed myself laughing as the fox ran right past my missus as she hung the washing and gave her the fright of her life. Later on I saw the biggest spider I have ever seen outside of captivity in my garden shed. Wildlife really is great!

[Pagan Hibernia]

Wildlife really is great!

it certainly is. Nature has saved my sanity on more than one occasion. I can’t get enough of it.

[danhibees1875]

Yesterday I sat in my garden,listened to the Lions roaring, watched an aerial dogfight between a buzzard and four crows, and pissed myself laughing as the fox ran right past my missus as she hung the washing and gave her the fright of her life. Later on I saw the biggest spider I have ever seen outside of captivity in my garden shed. Wildlife really is great!

I assume you're near the zoo? Otherwise the outside world has really changed more than I thought in the last 6 weeks!


I got a shout from my girlfriend because there was a spider to deal with. I came through to find she had seen one outside... I'm not sure how much more she wanted it dealt with than that. :greengrin

[Billy Whizz]

I assume you're near the zoo? Otherwise the outside world has really changed more than I thought in the last 6 weeks!




🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Made me laugh ha ha

[Scouse Hibee]

I assume you're near the zoo? Otherwise the outside world has really changed more than I thought in the last 6 weeks!


I got a shout from my girlfriend because there was a spider to deal with. I came through to find she had seen one outside... I'm not sure how much more she wanted it dealt with than that. :greengrin


😂 Yes mate very close to it, they’re not roaming the streets......yet!

[Mibbes Aye]

We've seen a lot of seagulls in and around Berlin this year. It might be because there's a lot less easy pickings for them due to lockdown and the missing tourists on Germany's northern Baltic coast, which is about 200km away from us. They're an invasive species and are causing all sorts of problems for other species that are native to the many waterways surrounding Berlin. I always thought they just moved this far inland during storms but apparently if they find rich pickings then they will keep returning or even stay.

On a other note, whilst sunbathing in the garden last week I noticed a very large bird of prey circling at very high altitude. It was far too big to be one of the local peregrine falcons but unfortunately too high for me to notice its colour or any other distinguishing features.

P.S. I can't imagine Hawick is the UK town furthest from the coast, I'd imagine that honour would belong to somewhere in the English Midlands where the UK is at it's broadest.

Yeah, you will be right, I think I misremembered and it was ‘Scottish town’. I guess there must be some sort of population criteria at play, to quantify what a ‘town’ was, in that context.

[Mibbes Aye]

I now appear to have one wood pigeon doing the 4-5-5-5-1 thing, but then two wood pigeons responding in unison with the same call.

I fear I am becoming slightly obsessed. I don’t know if the two in unison are mates or whatever, but feel I need to know!

Also noted a vast increase in various brightly coloured flying insects in the garden over the last week. I would be nowhere close to having the knowledge to identify them, but if I can find the time I will try and read up on it.

I had to make an essential road trip yesterday, during daylight. It was an hour by return. We sadly had to brake a dozen or so times because of fledglings on the road. They simply aren’t learning the risks I guess, because traffic is so low.

[Moulin Yarns]

I now appear to have one wood pigeon doing the 4-5-5-5-1 thing, but then two wood pigeons responding in unison with the same call.

I fear I am becoming slightly obsessed. I don’t know if the two in unison are mates or whatever, but feel I need to know!

Also noted a vast increase in various brightly coloured flying insects in the garden over the last week. I would be nowhere close to having the knowledge to identify them, but if I can find the time I will try and read up on it.

I had to make an essential road trip yesterday, during daylight. It was an hour by return. We sadly had to brake a dozen or so times because of fledglings on the road. They simply aren’t learning the risks I guess, because traffic is so low.

What colour are the insects? I've had a few green mayfly around. Mayfly of the same species emerge on the same day, mate and die all within 24 hours.

Try buglife website.

[danhibees1875]

There's been a sudden rush of blackbirds this morning. I don't think I've noticed any all year and there were 9 in my back garden this morning.

I couldn't tell if they were pecking away trying to get worms or if they were stealing my grass. :greengrin

[wpj]

There's been a sudden rush of blackbirds this morning. I don't think I've noticed any all year and there were 9 in my back garden this morning.

I couldn't tell if they were pecking away trying to get worms or if they were stealing my grass. :greengrin

Always keep your stash hidden 😉

[goosano]

Unusual visitors to the feeders but very welcome-lesser redpolls. The bird in the second picture really made me have a double take thinking it was something rare or exotic. But no it is just a redpoll with its head stained by pollen.

Quite a few orange tip butterflies in the garden and first large whites and small whites.

Early morning walks on Arthur's Seat have been productive. A pair of kestrels, a female ring ouzel present for 4 days on Crow Hill, a cuckoo and 2 singing lesser whitethroats the last 2 days.

2327423275

[danhibees1875]

Always keep your stash hidden 😉

:greengrin

[JeMeSouviens]

FAO Barca - I got a chance at the weekend to go back and look at my potential badger setts, they're a few miles from the house.

Location 1 - 1st entrance
https://i.ibb.co/MR4P5XZ/IMG-1212.jpg

Location 1 - 2nd entrance
https://i.ibb.co/vD3Qjps/IMG-1213.jpg

Location 1 - 3rd entrance with fresh digging
https://i.ibb.co/J2dxhNc/IMG-1214.jpg

Location 1 - hair, kind of milky white. I couldn't see triangular, but it didn't roll easily between thumb and finger, it felt like it was flattened (oval?)
https://i.ibb.co/f4qdJq9/IMG-1215.jpg

Location 2 - snuffle hole? (there were lots of these at the edge of this field)
https://i.ibb.co/D48rv83/IMG-1216.jpg

Location 2 - 1st entrance
https://i.ibb.co/2jYLvFk/IMG-1217.jpg

Location 2 - 2nd entrance
https://i.ibb.co/Xz7Nprk/IMG-1219.jpg

Location 2 - path from 2nd entrance
https://i.ibb.co/mhDqx5s/IMG-1218.jpg

[Moulin Yarns]

FAO Barca - I got a chance at the weekend to go back and look at my potential badger setts, they're a few miles from the house.

Location 1 - 1st entrance
https://i.ibb.co/MR4P5XZ/IMG-1212.jpg

Location 1 - 2nd entrance
https://i.ibb.co/vD3Qjps/IMG-1213.jpg

Location 1 - 3rd entrance with fresh digging
https://i.ibb.co/J2dxhNc/IMG-1214.jpg

Location 1 - hair, kind of milky white. I couldn't see triangular, but it didn't roll easily between thumb and finger, it felt like it was flattened (oval?)
https://i.ibb.co/f4qdJq9/IMG-1215.jpg

Location 2 - snuffle hole? (there were lots of these at the edge of this field)
https://i.ibb.co/D48rv83/IMG-1216.jpg

Location 2 - 1st entrance
https://i.ibb.co/2jYLvFk/IMG-1217.jpg

Location 2 - 2nd entrance
https://i.ibb.co/Xz7Nprk/IMG-1219.jpg

Location 2 - path from 2nd entrance
https://i.ibb.co/mhDqx5s/IMG-1218.jpg

I'll steal Barca's thunder.

Very good examples, the rolling the hair is a good indication of badgers hair.

Keep the location a secret please. There are eejits out there that would excavate the sett for badger baiting.

[JeMeSouviens]

I'll steal Barca's thunder.

Very good examples, the rolling the hair is a good indication of badgers hair.

Keep the location a secret please. There are eejits out there that would excavate the sett for badger baiting.

Thanks. My lips are sealed. Did you get anything off your cameras?

[Moulin Yarns]

Thanks. My lips are sealed. Did you get anything off your cameras?

Yeah, I'll try and get some uploaded sometime soon.

[JeMeSouviens]

Yeah, I'll try and get some uploaded sometime soon.

Cool :aok:

[Smartie]

I'll steal Barca's thunder.

Very good examples, the rolling the hair is a good indication of badgers hair.

Keep the location a secret please. There are eejits out there that would excavate the sett for badger baiting.

Who would want to do such a thing and why?

[beensaidbefore]

There's been a sudden rush of blackbirds this morning. I don't think I've noticed any all year and there were 9 in my back garden this morning.

I couldn't tell if they were pecking away trying to get worms or if they were stealing my grass. :greengrin

Sounds like they could have been starlings. Look similar to a blackbird, but have light coloured dots on their feathers. Usually few on my grass pecking away.

[Moulin Yarns]

Who would want to do such a thing and why?

https://naturewatch.org/campaign/badger-baiting-in-the-uk/facts-about-badger-baiting

[Mibbes Aye]

What colour are the insects? I've had a few green mayfly around. Mayfly of the same species emerge on the same day, mate and die all within 24 hours.

Try buglife website.

I will try the website. The ones I have noticed to most are not far short of an inch long but much thinner in width. One is a very vivid green, sort of a deep and rich green, but edging almost towards luminous. The other type seem to have a colouring almost the same as a ladybird- rich red with some sort of speckling.

My garden is terraced and where I see them is where I tend to sit, one of the flat levels that breaks up the slope. There is a low wall made of smallish slabs, which I guess is some form of support or banking against the slope. Because it is exposed to the elements and is a 1970s build, there are various small cracks and the like, which seems to attract them and they will hover about for a good five minutes or so and then move on.

[goosano]

23278

Small tortoiseshell today in the garden

[wpj]

23278

Small tortoiseshell today in the garden

I haven't seen a butterfly for a long time despite living in a garden flat. I have only seen a couple of bees as well

[RyeSloan]

New arrival at the bird feeder today...

The local sparrows so far have been happy to take any bits from the ground but today there was what I’m pretty sure (after a quick google) was a mating male helping himself at the feeder

Quite a big fella with more colour than the normal all brown types...grey cap on its head with a white chest that was black specked on the upper half.

And that was me thinking all sparrows were just wee n brown but nope that appears not to be the case! Amazing how much my small feeder has taught me already on the local birds.

I’m hoping to see a blue tit or a robin soon to add to my twitchers collection [emoji23]

[Geo_1875]

Was in the garden having a smoke about 10 minutes ago and a badger just walked along Clermiston Gardens.

[Mibbes Aye]

Was in the garden having a smoke about 10 minutes ago and a badger just walked along Clermiston Gardens.

In fairness, that does sound like a lead-in to a joke. Either you speak first, or the badger does, and whoever goes second has the punchline, possibly Clerrie-related?

[Mibbes Aye]

New arrival at the bird feeder today...

The local sparrows so far have been happy to take any bits from the ground but today there was what I’m pretty sure (after a quick google) was a mating male helping himself at the feeder

Quite a big fella with more colour than the normal all brown types...grey cap on its head with a white chest that was black specked on the upper half.

And that was me thinking all sparrows were just wee n brown but nope that appears not to be the case! Amazing how much my small feeder has taught me already on the local birds.

I’m hoping to see a blue tit or a robin soon to add to my twitchers collection [emoji23]

As we have acquired a couple of robins, Mrs Mibbes bought a feeder that suits small birds and particularly robins. We installed it a couple of days ago. We haven’t really seen activity around it but the supply is down, so someone has been at it.

The best bit was yesterday evening though. The feeder stands around six feet of the ground. A rook flew in and landed on it, despite being only fifteen feet away from us. I love rooks, almost certainly my favourite bird. It sat there for five or so minutes, looking about, checking out the feed dispensers.

They are not designed for bigger birds but rooks are incredibly intelligent and I would not be surprised if it finds a way of dismantling the feeder to allow it to get the food. Which is greed, not need, because their natural feeding sources are different! I have probably posted this before but there is no shortage of material on YouTube showing how rooks can problem-solve, fashion tools etc. Likewise for parrots.

[speedy_gonzales]

In fairness, that does sound like a lead-in to a joke. Either you speak first, or the badger does, and whoever goes second has the punchline, possibly Clerrie-related?

Seen a Badger sauntering down Clerrie Gardens last night
"Where you off to?" I asked,
"Corstorphine Hill for an illegal rave, I'm DJ'ing" he replied.
My interest was piqued so I tagged along, turns out he had a great sett!

[JeMeSouviens]

Seen a Badger sauntering down Clerrie Gardens last night
"Where you off to?" I asked,
"Corstorphine Hill for an illegal rave, I'm DJ'ing" he replied.
My interest was piqued so I tagged along, turns out he had a great sett!

I passed a Badger in Clerrie the other night.
"How's it going?", I asked.
He barely glanced at me, "Can't stop, I'm in Brockdown..."

[wpj]

Seen a Badger sauntering down Clerrie Gardens last night
"Where you off to?" I asked,
"Corstorphine Hill for an illegal rave, I'm DJ'ing" he replied.
My interest was piqued so I tagged along, turns out he had a great sett!

Made me laugh

[Mibbes Aye]

Seen a Badger sauntering down Clerrie Gardens last night
"Where you off to?" I asked,
"Corstorphine Hill for an illegal rave, I'm DJ'ing" he replied.
My interest was piqued so I tagged along, turns out he had a great sett!


I passed a Badger in Clerrie the other night.
"How's it going?", I asked.
He barely glanced at me, "Can't stop, I'm in Brockdown..."

Ba-dum-tish :greengrin

In one of those near-Buddhist inevitabilitys, and as I told Mrs Mibbes yesterday (hence now feeling smug), the rooks managed to dismantle the feeder for the robins and take it to the ground. It is back up now and we shall see whether they manage their feat again. To an extent, I don’t mind if they do. It should be a bit unfair on the robins, but for sheer effrontery and effort I need to salute our corvid slate-beaked friends :greengrin

[Mibbes Aye]

I will try the website. The ones I have noticed to most are not far short of an inch long but much thinner in width. One is a very vivid green, sort of a deep and rich green, but edging almost towards luminous. The other type seem to have a colouring almost the same as a ladybird- rich red with some sort of speckling.

My garden is terraced and where I see them is where I tend to sit, one of the flat levels that breaks up the slope. There is a low wall made of smallish slabs, which I guess is some form of support or banking against the slope. Because it is exposed to the elements and is a 1970s build, there are various small cracks and the like, which seems to attract them and they will hover about for a good five minutes or so and then move on.

Further to this, have noticed this afternoon and evening that my bees tend to disappear into the cracks in the paving slabs and walls, of which I have an abundance. I am assuming that is where they and smaller species settle, and I assume the other insects that hover about the crevices are either predatory or wanting to mate.

[Andy74]

I found what I’m assuming was a newt in the garden today. Never seen one before but I’m not generally in the garden so much this time of the year.

I hadn’t thought of it before but I’ve started to create a couple of mini ponds in some old planters. Pond plants are tricky to come by just now but I’ve kicked off by sealing the containers up and hopefully get my plants delivered in the next few weeks.

Might get some small fish in there too although I suspect the cats might like that a bit too much.

[Moulin Yarns]

I found what I’m assuming was a newt in the garden today. Never seen one before but I’m not generally in the garden so much this time of the year.

I hadn’t thought of it before but I’ve started to create a couple of mini ponds in some old planters. Pond plants are tricky to come by just now but I’ve kicked off by sealing the containers up and hopefully get my plants delivered in the next few weeks.

Might get some small fish in there too although I suspect the cats might like that a bit too much.

Did you get a look at the belly of the newt?

[Andy74]

Did you get a look at the belly of the newt?

It was a fairly bright orange underneath. The rest was brown/grey looking.

[CropleyWasGod]

Right, Moulin, a wasp query.

I have chased a wasp out of my bedroom 3 times over the past couple of days. This morning, it was banging against the window trying to get in.

Now, on the assumption that it's the same one....wtf would be the attraction?

[CropleyWasGod]

Seen a Badger sauntering down Clerrie Gardens last night
"Where you off to?" I asked,
"Corstorphine Hill for an illegal rave, I'm DJ'ing" he replied.
My interest was piqued so I tagged along, turns out he had a great sett!

Is it only me that read that in the style of Chic Murray? 😂

[Mibbes Aye]

Is it only me that read that in the style of Chic Murray? 😂

Taking it on a tangent, but Chic Murray.

I had a half bottle in my back pocket. I fell over and felt something running down the back of my leg. God, I hoped it was blood. :greengrin

[Mibbes Aye]

Having had the chance to look at Je Me Souviens’ photos, I reckon we have setts at the top of my garden.

We were told when we bought the house that there were badgers, which is fine.

I can and will do the research myself but if anyone has a contribution about how they help or hinder the natural environment in my garden or more widely, it would be welcomed received. Books and the internet are great but don’t really match the lived experience, which you get from folk on here.

[Moulin Yarns]

It was a fairly bright orange underneath. The rest was brown/grey looking.

A smooth newt. I have them in my pond.

[Moulin Yarns]

Right, Moulin, a wasp query.

I have chased a wasp out of my bedroom 3 times over the past couple of days. This morning, it was banging against the window trying to get in.

Now, on the assumption that it's the same one....wtf would be the attraction?

Not a clue. Maybe change your after shave? 🤔

Not sure why it would persist at the window, wasps will nest in attics or in cavity walls so will find a way in but this one seems a bit of a headbanger.

[Caversham Green]

Not lockdown related, but this wee fella's a regular visitor to my garden - that photo was taken last Autumn. He's a Muntjac and to give a sense of size he's about the size of a largish Boxer dog. Obviously he won't let me anywhere near him and the pic was taken from inside the conservatory hence the slight reflection.

23290

[CropleyWasGod]

Not a clue. Maybe change your after shave? 🤔

Not sure why it would persist at the window, wasps will nest in attics or in cavity walls so will find a way in but this one seems a bit of a headbanger.

It's been at it again this morning.

On the smell thing, is that a possibility? I often have oils or candles burning .

[Moulin Yarns]

It's been at it again this morning.

On the smell thing, is that a possibility? I often have oils or candles burning .

Yep, you know the trick of trapping wasps with a bit of strawberry jam. Anything sweet will attract them.

[CropleyWasGod]

Yep, you know the trick of trapping wasps with a bit of strawberry jam. Anything sweet will attract them.

Cheers. I'll ditch the candles, and stick to farting.

[Mibbes Aye]

Not lockdown related, but this wee fella's a regular visitor to my garden - that photo was taken last Autumn. He's a Muntjac and to give a sense of size he's about the size of a largish Boxer dog. Obviously he won't let me anywhere near him and the pic was taken from inside the conservatory hence the slight reflection.

23290

Good pic. I am in the Scottish Borders and muntjacs are expected to settle and breed here, I believe, over the next few seasons.

[CropleyWasGod]

A bit off topic, but....

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/may/08/brian-may-hospitalised-gardening-injury-tears-buttock-muscles

As they said in Spinal Tap, a bizarre gardening accident.....

[goosano]

23305

Lots of orange tip butterflies around just now, I see a few in the garden each day

[Moulin Yarns]

23305

Lots of orange tip butterflies around just now, I see a few in the garden each day

I set up a moth trap the last few nights and have had a variety of moths. The best butterfly I've had in the garden this year was a comma

[goosano]

I set up a moth trap the last few nights and have had a variety of moths. The best butterfly I've had in the garden this year was a comma
How are you at identifying them? It looks a bit of a nightmare to me as you'll be aware the differences between them can be really subtle

[Moulin Yarns]

How are you at identifying them? It looks a bit of a nightmare to me as you'll be aware the differences between them can be really subtle

I've photographed them and will look at butterfly conservation website at some point, but not hopeful of definite identification.

[Pretty Boy]

I was running up the Innocent Railway Path earlier. Just before the long tunnel there were 2 deers on the left of the path. They both just stood and looked at me for a minute then disappeared back into the wooded area.

I've heard before there are deer that live in or around Holyrood Park but it's the 2st time I have ever seen one.

[wpj]

My resident robin is now serenading me near my bedroom window (aye I'm in bed even this early) such a beautiful song.

[Mibbes Aye]

Because it is the weekend and because our sleep patterns are all over the place and the weather here is mild, we are sitting out in the garden. We have very low-level lighting - essentially the kitchen lights are on, but coming through blinds, and a few solar lamps are up towards the back of the garden, and we are doing our best to keep quiet and not move around much.

So far, it is massive spiders on the side of the house and a rustling from one of my hedges that I suspect is almost certainly a badger. And a stray jackdaw who should be in his bed by now.

Will go in shortly as our mere presence is undoubtedly disruptive to the wildlife but it is such a different perspective on life and I feel genuinely grateful for it.

[Hibby70]

I know we have lots of celebrity Hibs fans but who knew Bill Oddie was Mibbes Aye 😂

Great read this thread keep it up. We had what I think was a sparrow hawk sitting on the back wall.

[Mibbes Aye]

I know we have lots of celebrity Hibs fans but who knew Bill Oddie was Mibbes Aye 😂

Great read this thread keep it up. We had what I think was a sparrow hawk sitting on the back wall.

The birds of prey are brutal but magnificent in their own right. I am guessing that as with other species, they are roaming further out of their usual comfort zones because of the diminished human presence and feeling safer. It does make me fear for when lockdown ends though. Their appreciation of risk, especially the younger ones, will be so low.

And yes, I am in negotiation for my own series on BBC2 post-lockdown, centering on whether the evolution of species is dictated by genetics or by learning.

“Mibbes nature, Mibbes nurture” :greengrin

[wpj]

As my insomnia continues the dawn chorus is kicking off now. Cup of tea in the garden is lovely as they start to go for it. Strangely the wood pidgeons dont seem to wake up until later

[Mibbes Aye]

As my insomnia continues the dawn chorus is kicking off now. Cup of tea in the garden is lovely as they start to go for it. Strangely the wood pidgeons dont seem to wake up until later

With you re the sleeplessness, don’t know if we have the same symptoms though. I have not gone outside yet, though I have on other mornings. May yet do so, will see what the temperature is like. It is an absolute riot here, but all smaller birds, no wood pigeons and the rooks don’t seem to have got their act together yet.

[wpj]

With you re the sleeplessness, don’t know if we have the same symptoms though. I have not gone outside yet, though I have on other mornings. May yet do so, will see what the temperature is like. It is an absolute riot here, but all smaller birds, no wood pigeons and the rooks don’t seem to have got their act together yet.

I have medical probs, not corona related. I am really struggling with sleeplessness, its brutal, I think the lockdown has been a major factor. Not long out of hospital but my daily walks and nature watching has helped loads. I am still waiting for the fox to return

[Mibbes Aye]

I have medical probs, not corona related. I am really struggling with sleeplessness, its brutal, I think the lockdown has been a major factor. Not long out of hospital but my daily walks and nature watching has helped loads. I am still waiting for the fox to return

That sounds rough. Sleeplessness and insomnia are hard to describe to other people if they haven’t experienced it them self.

That sounds good with the robin though and hopeful for the fox reappearing, albeit it will cause havoc if it gets its own way :greengrin