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Any cuckoos out there? ... and other BirdWatch/NatureWatch news


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On ‎03‎/‎06‎/‎2020 at 16:10, Jane said:

Do you mean the little silver canisters that contain nitrous oxide? If you are finding quantities of them I think the police would be interested before they’re called to an incident at the site. 

 

Oh dear, I must have lived a sheltered life :o - I've seen the odd one discarded, but didn't know what they contained, and had often wondered.

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A male greater spotted woodpecker is now regularly at the peanut feeder, very occasionally a female. Hoping the young might start appearing soon, perched precariously on the fence whilst waiting to be fed before they eventually get the idea and have a go feeding themselves. Also delighted to have a hedgehog at 10:00 pm. There’s been lots of evidence in the garden but I hadn’t actually seen the hedgehog this year. Looks very healthy and I can’t recall seeing such a big one in recent years.

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4 hours ago, JohnS said:

A male greater spotted woodpecker is now regularly at the peanut feeder, very occasionally a female. Hoping the young might start appearing soon, perched precariously on the fence whilst waiting to be fed before they eventually get the idea and have a go feeding themselves. Also delighted to have a hedgehog at 10:00 pm. There’s been lots of evidence in the garden but I hadn’t actually seen the hedgehog this year. Looks very healthy and I can’t recall seeing such a big one in recent years.

Our pair of woodpeckers have been coming to the feeders quite frequently lately but no sign of any youngsters yet.  I do envy you the hedgehog - we used to have one in the garden but it disappeared years ago and since our former neighbours built an extension right up to the boundary between our gardens there's now no way any hedgehogs can get in.

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We over wintered two young hedgehogs again this year. The male who was rescued from the red hot poker that grows just outside patio door has curiously moved back into the same spot. He was indoors for five months and was released a long way from the house.
We have three hog feeding stations across garden and it’s interesting to see the various visitors overnight on the trail camera. The individuals follow the same route night after night. 
 

We’re having problems here with a male pheasant who is harassing the cat to the point he won’t go out. He picks any high point, tree, fence or wall and shouts at him. 

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14 hours ago, Jane said:


 

We’re having problems here with a male pheasant who is harassing the cat to the point he won’t go out. He picks any high point, tree, fence or wall and shouts at him. 

Some time ago I heard a kerfuffle in the garden, went out to investigate and had to rescue a neighbour's Siamese cat cowering behind the dustbin to escape a flock of bullying starlings.  I was rather surprised!

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It appears that the local Wood Pigeons have decided to nest in my front hedge! Admittedly, the hawthorn bush that makes up the majority is somewhat overgrown with ivy, so provides dense cover, but they seem too big for the spot they've picked. They land on the small branches (twigs almost) on the outside, then muscle their way into the ivy and completely disappear. I reckon its what, 12ft up or thereabouts. It is on the garden side of the hedge so pedestrians passing by are out of the way, as are next door getting into their car. I had always hoped something would nest in there, but had expected a Blackbird, Wren or Robin, or one of the finches (or even mabe a Song Thrush) to set up home, not a whopping great pigeon! Hopefully the Magpies that have made the occasion foray overhead as they have been building their scant platform of a nest, won't be back for eggs or chicks in the coming weeks.

 

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1 hour ago, AnneMarriott said:

Some time ago I heard a kerfuffle in the garden, went out to investigate and had to rescue a neighbour's Siamese cat cowering behind the dustbin to escape a flock of bullying starlings.  I was rather surprised!

I read this and then had to rescue cat who was trapped beyond veg garden by very wet but very vocal pheasant. I would be more understanding if pheasants were good parents and protecting a nest but this is everywhere in garden and I’ve witnessed their poor parenting skills often. 

Our starlings haven’t returned this year but we had masses last year feeding in garden. No cuckoo heard yet either. 

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8 hours ago, zxDaveM said:

It appears that the local Wood Pigeons have decided to nest in my front hedge! 

 

Last year a pair of pigeons nested in the wisteria up the side of our house.  Their droppings all over the garden path drove me mad - and we had to delay pruning which led to people having to fight through a jungle on the way to the front door.  I was much happier with the wrens, robins and sparrows nesting in the jasmine and rather overgrown clematis in the back garden.

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A young greater spotted woodpecker at the feeder peanut through much of breakfast. Must be a quick learner as seemed pretty confident and this was the first I’d seen of the young this year. A male adult was at the feeder at one stage but not with the young.

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As I was up early this morning, got my daily walk in early, before it got too warm (and lovely it was too). As I walked through the local park - saw my first Swifts of the summer, as 6-8 of them almost joyfully swirled around each other, before 2 split off and they went their separate ways. Due to a big tree taking up most of my view, I didn't see where they came from, or where they went, but it was a happy sighting all the same
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This morning I heard a skylark over the wheat field at the end of the road and after scanning the sky for a few minute managed to spot it - a speck against the blue.  Such a treat after the sadness when a former skylark haven of meadowland across the way was bulldozed and turned into a housing estate.  Plus two swifts, first this year.  I do miss the massed screaming parties we used to have but two swifts is better than no swifts at all.  I don't have a musical enough ear to distinguish between the various riverside warbler songs, but there were three distinct varieties competing for decibels and persistence.  Lovely!

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This morning:  froglets, hundreds of them making their way from the river across the path to the long grass.  Quite a hallucinatory moment as I first thought the earth was moving!  Tricky manoeuvre getting self and dog past them without too many casualties.

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Male pheasants can be rather aggressive and quite a nuisance. There used to be one who seemed to think he owned our road - he attacked the post van and postman daily and indeed any red vehicle or person wearing red. I believe he got run over eventually.  Wildlife causing havoc at the moment in the village - a mink - spotted and filmed by the river and going after chickens and ducklings. we also seem to have a red kite visiting on a daily basis - such a beautiful bird - I thought I must have been mistaken initially when I saw it but there have been several reports now on our village pages.

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40 minutes ago, 2dancersmum said:

Male pheasants can be rather aggressive and quite a nuisance. There used to be one who seemed to think he owned our road - he attacked the post van and postman daily and indeed any red vehicle or person wearing red. I believe he got run over eventually.  Wildlife causing havoc at the moment in the village - a mink - spotted and filmed by the river and going after chickens and ducklings. we also seem to have a red kite visiting on a daily basis - such a beautiful bird - I thought I must have been mistaken initially when I saw it but there have been several reports now on our village pages.

Our pheasant has moved next door. Neighbours have reopened their chicken coop after settling new chickens in and he’s joined them. Cat enjoying garden again. 
 

Still not heard a cuckoo or seen starlings back. House martins have returned and busy repairing nest, not sure where they’re getting mud from as ground so dry. 
 

Son counted 6 buzzards on a short drive home other day. They’ve been increasing in numbers but that is a record. 20 years ago they were so rare around these parts that when we first spotted one we thought it had escaped from local birds of prey centre. 

 

 

 

 

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Nature notes:  This morning the greylag geese were much in evidence - five families of varying size, one of which was particularly intriguing.  The adults consisted of a greylag and a pure white goose and the four large goslings varied in colour from dappled white/grey through to full greylag.  I googled it and it seems that domestic white geese are descended from greylags and they can interbreed successfully.  I wonder where "my" white one came from.

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Real contrasts in sightings these last two days. Two tree creepers on one tree just a couple of yards ahead of me in Dodd Wood yesterday and certainly living up to their name. Are two enough to be called a spiral of tree creepers? Today on Whiteside’s Gasgale Crags looking down on a buzzard effortlessly surveying the valley and not bothered by the occasional caw of a crow. A fabulous ten minutes with the buzzard wheeling and turning below and just once at about eye level. A spectacular walk I’d been wanting to do for more than 40 years, straight up the nose of Grasmoor from Lanthwaite Green, pretty steep up the scree but tremendous scrambling afterwards. Astonished to come across an enormous caterpillar just down from Grasmoor End and seemingly making good progress, perhaps taking advantage of a few more legs than me.

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I once saw one of the Whinlatter ospreys at eye level, a remarkable sight.

 

Yesterday a mother pheasant attacked a young hedgehog in the garden. Her brood of chicks had spread out and the little hog was between her and half of the group and she decided it was a danger to them. Luckily little Fuzzypeg (and all the chicks) were fine.

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Excuse poor photo but managed to catch this little robin on phone. I’m hoping you can see the mass of scruffy feathers at base of back. It doesn’t seem to bother him at all and has been like it for weeks. But out of interest has anyone seen anything like it before? 

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8 hours ago, Jane said:

Excuse poor photo but managed to catch this little robin on phone. I’m hoping you can see the mass of scruffy feathers at base of back. It doesn’t seem to bother him at all and has been like it for weeks. But out of interest has anyone seen anything like it before? 

8CD5C9FE-1A60-4EBD-A0F9-77A73069425F.jpeg

My only guess would be either an injury or an infestation of some kind.  

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We've discovered a couple of marshland nature reserves about 30 miles away in north Suffolk which are chock full of birds.  Yesterday this beautiful marsh harrier popped up and zoomed over us (albeit followed shortly thereafter by a fully armed Apache helicopter), and the sedge warbler and reed warbler below that were very obliging posers.. 

 

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On 23/06/2020 at 17:14, AnneMarriott said:

My only guess would be either an injury or an infestation of some kind.  

I think it must be an infestation that isn’t bothering him at all. He’s a typical active robin and feeding frequently. 
Saw him from above for first time today, his back looks like he’s collected sparrow feathers and added them to his own. He is so scruffy. 

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Some great piccies here many thanks all.

When you say north Suffolk Quintus are you talking about Minsmere? 

We didn't make it there last year but usually do most years at some point ...love it there but still haven't seen the famous water rail!! 

Looks like we might not make it this year now either perhaps towards end of September. 

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9 hours ago, LinMM said:

Some great piccies here many thanks all.

When you say north Suffolk Quintus are you talking about Minsmere? 

 

Those pics were in the two Suffolk Wildlife Trust reserves at Carlton Colville, just behind Lowestoft - Carlton Marshes and Oulton Marshes.  We go to Dunwich Heath and Dunwich village's Dingle Marsh quite a lot too - right next to Minsmere but without the risk of crashing around and upsetting the serious birders there!

 

We were blessed yesterday, as having seen the seal in the morning, once we got home there was a Little Owl sitting on our fence - absolutely beautiful plumage.  I hope it stays around, we're not short of voles..

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There’s a little owl in the field next to our allotment again. They are quite cute and sometimes run along the ground as they eat worms too. So glad we’ve got one back again as last year just wasn’t around. As we are usually the last to arrive and last to leave at the allotment we often catch him/her on our way home. 
Yes we like Dunwich Heath too. There’s a nice car park there and you can do a bit of a nice beach walk without actually going into the reserve if you don’t want to. 

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2 hours ago, LinMM said:

Yes we like Dunwich Heath too. There’s a nice car park there and you can do a bit of a nice beach walk without actually going into the reserve if you don’t want to. 

 

There's a nice circular walk along that beach all the way to Dunwich village then back through the woods and heath to the coastguard cottages, though that long shingle stretch is a real slog.  About half a mile down the beach at present the sand martins are nesting - there are lots of holes in the cliff stuffed with little faces demanding food.

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