Wildlife in the garden - Indian summer?
- Thread starter Dog Star
- Start date
Arun Sharma
Western Thunderer
One of the many delights of attending the Reading O gauge trade show is the adjacent Caversham bridge over the Thames where several of these may be seen. This one was photographed in June/July - I don't know if they can be found there in December.
The slightly bald looking Egyptian Goose can also be found there.
The slightly bald looking Egyptian Goose can also be found there.
richard carr
Western Thunderer
Simon
What you need is one of these
I believe there may even be a hawk version £16.99 on Amazon
I don't know if it works as it only arrived this morning, but I am sick of the crows crowing at 5am in the morning, I'll let you know if it works.
Richard
Focalplane
Western Thunderer
We have a pair of collared doves who are delightful. The other day they were seen seeing off a magpie, nasty cannibal of the bird world. Why is that doves are good, cousin pigeons are totally bad!
simond
Western Thunderer
Max
thanks, I’ll let you know.
Paul,
I love the magpies, we have a family of them, aerial clowns, jokers, they’re great.
and they don’t make stupid “woo woo” noises at five in the morning.
We do have a local crow, who hates our cat with a deep vitriolic loathing, and from time to time shouts loudly about it. I’ve taken to telling him/her very firmly to shut up, which, to my great surprise, seems to work…. The cat dozes throughout on the patio table with a visible “don’t care” attitude.
Richard,
My experience of seagull-scaring plastic owls on boats is that they perch (and poo) on them. You’d be better buying earplugs. Cheaper. More effective. I’m guessing the same is true for pigeons, who, though annoying, are too damn smart.
cheers
Simon
thanks, I’ll let you know.
Paul,
I love the magpies, we have a family of them, aerial clowns, jokers, they’re great.
and they don’t make stupid “woo woo” noises at five in the morning.
We do have a local crow, who hates our cat with a deep vitriolic loathing, and from time to time shouts loudly about it. I’ve taken to telling him/her very firmly to shut up, which, to my great surprise, seems to work…. The cat dozes throughout on the patio table with a visible “don’t care” attitude.
Richard,
My experience of seagull-scaring plastic owls on boats is that they perch (and poo) on them. You’d be better buying earplugs. Cheaper. More effective. I’m guessing the same is true for pigeons, who, though annoying, are too damn smart.
cheers
Simon
AJC
Western Thunderer
Like the Egyptian Geese the black Swans are introduced exotics and are year round residents: there’s a flock on the Itchen in Southampton which contrast nicely with the Mute Swans.
Adam
Eastsidepilot
Western Thunderer
Hope it works for you Richard, we have Jackdaws at dawn, although we have been woken by Owl's hooting in a tree in our garden at 1.30 am on a winters night
Col.
richard carr
Western Thunderer
The owl experiment is still ongoing, it does seem to have some effect but not a complete scaring away of the crows.
These have been turning up this summer and eating all the apples on the apple tree.
There must be about 20 locally and they can make an awful racket, but thankfully not at dawn.
They are also too heavy for our squirrel proof bird feeder so they can't get the nuts !
Richard
These have been turning up this summer and eating all the apples on the apple tree.
There must be about 20 locally and they can make an awful racket, but thankfully not at dawn.
They are also too heavy for our squirrel proof bird feeder so they can't get the nuts !
Richard
Len Cattley
Western Thunderer
We have a lot of them out hear, they do make a lot of noise, some of the adults have a nest on the resort.
Len
Len
Yorkshire Dave
Western Thunderer
This appeared today - amazed to see it the open - It must have got lost and was trying to burrow next to the house.
Seeing it struggle the mole was lifted and returned to some bare earth in the garden whereupon it promptly disappeard downwards.
Seeing it struggle the mole was lifted and returned to some bare earth in the garden whereupon it promptly disappeard downwards.
Wagonman
Western Thunderer
Hope it works for you Richard, we have Jackdaws at dawn, although we have been woken by Owl's hooting in a tree in our garden at 1.30 am on a winters night
Col.
We have Jackdaws nesting some 12 yards from the bedroom window. an't say they bother me much but our new cat is very interested...
Richard
Max M
Western Thunderer
A couple of days ago Mrs M was woken by a tapping on the bedroom window.
She came to the conclusion that it probably wasn't the postman as he would have needed a ladder and how would be have got it round the back of the house with the side gate locked?
When she pulled back the curtain a Magpie flew off.
No idea what it wanted.
She came to the conclusion that it probably wasn't the postman as he would have needed a ladder and how would be have got it round the back of the house with the side gate locked?
When she pulled back the curtain a Magpie flew off.
No idea what it wanted.
Osgood
Western Thunderer
The silver spacing strip in the double glazing panel maybe?
Rob Pulham
Western Thunderer
When I opened the curtains yesterday morning we had a visitor in the form of a female Sparrow hawk on the back fence.
She obligingly sat there while I went into the dining room and grabbed a camera.
In this shot I think she had noticed Chris look out of our bedroom window.
After sitting for a good five minutes or more, she spotted something on the embankment and flew off for a look.
By coincidence she showed up the day after I had been looking on the web to see if Sparrow hawk's would tackle wood pigeons (after listening to a particularly disagreeable grumbling from one on the roof above the bedroom). It seem that while male Sparrow Hawks only take small birds, females will indeed tackle prey as big as wood pigeons
She obligingly sat there while I went into the dining room and grabbed a camera.
In this shot I think she had noticed Chris look out of our bedroom window.
After sitting for a good five minutes or more, she spotted something on the embankment and flew off for a look.
By coincidence she showed up the day after I had been looking on the web to see if Sparrow hawk's would tackle wood pigeons (after listening to a particularly disagreeable grumbling from one on the roof above the bedroom). It seem that while male Sparrow Hawks only take small birds, females will indeed tackle prey as big as wood pigeons
Dog Star
Western Thunderer
Those photos are really neat and tidy. Anyone care to suggest the species of the little fella?
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Rob Pulham
Western Thunderer
For years both here and in Wakefield we have heard Tawny Owls hooting at night and have never actually seen one.
Last night around 6pm we managed to end that torment.
Not the best photos because the fence that that it's sat on is at the far side of the field which is at the other side of the embankment.
It proved to be quite an interesting night on the wild life front. While out watching a pair of hedgehogs that have become resident in the garden we also heard (for the first time) Barn Owl chicks screeching.
More on the Hedgehogs in another post.
Last night around 6pm we managed to end that torment.
Not the best photos because the fence that that it's sat on is at the far side of the field which is at the other side of the embankment.
It proved to be quite an interesting night on the wild life front. While out watching a pair of hedgehogs that have become resident in the garden we also heard (for the first time) Barn Owl chicks screeching.
More on the Hedgehogs in another post.
Rob Pulham
Western Thunderer
In my last post on this thread I mentioned Hedgehogs.
You may recall earlier this year that I posted some photos of a hedgehog wandering on what will be the lawn?
Chris who has always loved hedgehogs laughingly suggested that she would like to kidnap one and make it a home. To this end she started putting food out which was being eaten but we couldn't be sure that it wasn't our neighbour's cat.
She moved the dish from the front of the house to the back and put it under our balcony.
a couple of days later she found this little bundle.
From there we decided to build a hedgehog house and make a cat proof feeding station
This is our balcony overlooking the railway.
We built the house under it at the end nearest the dining room
We now have two permanent residents and one that pops by for a bit of nosh if the other leave anything.
This is the bigger male.
This is the smaller female, she makes loads of noise if the male wanders too close to her. We now know why they are called hedgehogs! She makes a noise just like a miniature pig.
They go out under the gate and back in at will and we now watch them most evenings sometimes for an hour at a time. I have a few short videos that I plan to edit into one at some point.
You may recall earlier this year that I posted some photos of a hedgehog wandering on what will be the lawn?
Chris who has always loved hedgehogs laughingly suggested that she would like to kidnap one and make it a home. To this end she started putting food out which was being eaten but we couldn't be sure that it wasn't our neighbour's cat.
She moved the dish from the front of the house to the back and put it under our balcony.
a couple of days later she found this little bundle.
From there we decided to build a hedgehog house and make a cat proof feeding station
This is our balcony overlooking the railway.
We built the house under it at the end nearest the dining room
We now have two permanent residents and one that pops by for a bit of nosh if the other leave anything.
This is the bigger male.
This is the smaller female, she makes loads of noise if the male wanders too close to her. We now know why they are called hedgehogs! She makes a noise just like a miniature pig.
They go out under the gate and back in at will and we now watch them most evenings sometimes for an hour at a time. I have a few short videos that I plan to edit into one at some point.