Birding / nature / photography ~ Older Asexuals for light walking and hiking nature adventures ~

[Tunhope]

On 13/03/2018 at 1:26 AM, LVG said:

There was a pair of head-tailed hawks soaring 

I had to check out your profile as I've never seen head-tailed hawks and I wondered where you were based. I see you are in Pittsburgh,PA. I don't think they are found in the UK. A shame. I'm a big fan of hawks. I've had the occasional sparrowhawk in my garden. (Sometimes with its kill.) They have wonderful eyes.

Spring is definitely on the way here. The lesser celendines are in flower.

[LVG]

Red-tailed hawks are extremely common in my area. We also have coopers hawks, which are bird eaters. Twice I've had them snatch prey from my backyard. 

[Skycaptain]

In the New Forest yesterday we saw a pair of Mallards swimming on what should be grazing land for the ponies, along with lots of gulls. 

[Myssterry]

Right, so the frogs are still around, but they have rejected the pond for spawning, and used a small terracotta bird bath in the shape of a shell instead.

 

It will dry  out, so I will have to transfer the contents to the pond and hope they survive OK.

 

 

[Skycaptain]

@Mz Terry, because of the weather, it could be that the pond is too cold. If possible, keep the shell topped up for a few days as the warmer weather over the weekend should make the difference 

[Myssterry]

I have left the frogspawn for now, and more rain is keeping the birdbath filled.  The weather is milder so hopefully the water temperature in the pond is rising, and I can transfer the contents of the bird bath there soon.

 

Amphibians are doing well round here, as I discovered a toad on the grass verge outside the house last night, when taking Little Dog for his late walk.  It wasn't sure about Little Dog and crawled off.  I never use slug pellets or weedkiller, or chemicals of any kind in the garden, and like to think that helps my garden to support wildlife.

 

 

 

 

[Tunhope]

large parts of my garden support wild life - but that's because I'm too idle to tend it neatly (at least, that's my excuse)

[Skycaptain]

Owing to cats and vegetable beds mine isn't wildlife friendly, although bees like the heather and geraniums at the front. Handily a buddliah has self-seeded in a bit of dead ground behind the shed, so I'm hoping that will bloom this year 

[GeoAmy]

Spring migration is ramping up in Texas as the birds that winter in Central and South America fly north to their breeding grounds.  We had a cold front come through yesterday morning (dropped the temps 30deg F) so I headed to the coast (1.5hr drive) in the hopes of seeing some interesting birds.  I saw a few, added about 7 lifters but it sounds like I should have gone today instead.  I just started birding a year ago, so my life list is a mere 170 so it's easy to get lifers when I got out!  Here's some scissor-tailed flycatchers I saw.  

[Myssterry]

I moved the frogspawn from the bird bath into the pond a few days ago, and as the water was very clear today I could see it clearly.  The black dots in the jelly have elongated into squiggles, so they are still developing well.

 

A very pretty little fox appeared from behind a shrub at the end of the garden and looked at me curiously today before slinking off.

[LVG]

I'm pretty sure the tiny bird house my neighbor has on the back of her fence is being occupied by a pair of chickadees. 

[Muledeer]

I saw a bald eagle feasting on a large road-kill by the highway.  It flew up as I passed and I saw his white head and neck.  It was a very large bird.

[LVG]

I saw a ruby-crowned kinglet for the first time today. He was trying to attack his own reflection in a window. It was quite comical. 

 

Here's what they look like. 

 

[Tunhope]

@LVG you have such pretty birds where you live.

A pair of black caps seem to be nesting in my garden but I doubt if they stand any chance of success. Squirrels, foxes, jays, magpies and lots of cats.... (including my own cat, Trotinov)  

 

 

[Skycaptain]

Not vert exciting, but a Brimstone was my first butterfly of the year, yesterday. Very late for the first one 

[Tunhope]

@Skycaptain I think they are my favourites as, firstly, they herald the spring and ,secondly,they are so very yellow. Lovely butterflies.

[Skycaptain]

Today I saw two Speckled Woods having a territory dance, and a House Marten looking for nesting material 

[Tja]

Saw a lovely red fox trying to cross the road. He chickened out, thank goodness, and went back the way he came.

[Skycaptain]

@Tja, a fox chickening out 

[Muledeer]

4 hours ago, Skycaptain said:

@Tja, a fox chickening out 

It's a good thing foxes don't speak English.  He would be one very confused animal.

[Tunhope]

Really, I like all the posts on this thread so I might as well just say so and stop pressing the hearts, though I'm told that pressing 'like' raises the dopomine level and actually does make you happy.

 

[Muledeer]

This morning, I saw a herd of about a dozen elk along the highway.  They are very large  blonde-colored animals, and now that the bulls have shed their antlers, it is hard to identify the bulls vs. the cows.  I slowed down for a photo, but they would have none of it and ran off into the sagebrush.

[Skycaptain]

One long hike in the Peak District today revealed :

Brimstone, Orange Tip and Peacock butterflies 

Robins, Magpies, Curlews, a thrush which I couldn't say for certain what type it was, and swooping over the moorland, a pair of dark coloured raptors, around 2' wingspan which (not being an ornithologist) I have no idea what they were, but the pair of them following each other in a high speed dive made for a spectacular sight 

[Myssterry]

I can't compete with that, @Muledeer, but the tiny garden pond, which has a moss covered brick at the edge, frequently has a frog sitting on the brick waiting for passing  flies.  Today's frog was a very small one.

 

The cherry blossom is out here, the white cherries looking especially lovely at the moment.  Bluebells are also out and I am going to visit a good bluebell site tomorrow.

[Skycaptain]

@Mz Terry, I'm surprised about the bluebells, ours only started showing leaves this last fortnight, no flowers yet 

[Myssterry]

34 minutes ago, Skycaptain said:

@Mz Terry, I'm surprised about the bluebells, ours only started showing leaves this last fortnight, no flowers yet 

Yep, a wood near here has the blue starting to show, and where I am planning on going tomorrow, they are fully out.  For some reason, they are always early at that site.

[LVG]

I heard turkeys gobbling this morning. That sounds always makes me chuckle. 

[Tyke]

4 hours ago, Mz Terry said:

Yep, a wood near here has the blue starting to show, and where I am planning on going tomorrow, they are fully out.  For some reason, they are always early at that site.

Plenty out around here in the West Midlands. Not fully, but showing blue.

 

The wild garlic is wonderful here, too. Mmmmm

[Frogster]

After I got the peas and potatoes planted I took the dog for a walk up a dirt road that runs parallel to the irrigation canal. We accidentally flushed out some turkeys that were along the ditch. We were all startled.

 

It must be spring. Further down the road I walked past a neighbor, who I had discussed the need for long underwear with on Monday. He was out in his field with just cut-offs and boots on.

[Frogster]

Yup. It is springtime. There are ticks.