Myssterry Posted November 25, 2018 Share Posted November 25, 2018 @pickles mcgee That bird is incredible. Birds always seem as though nature had great fun designing them. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LilyG Posted November 26, 2018 Share Posted November 26, 2018 Some feathered visitors yesterday ...even with freezing rain 😕 Spoiler Black Capped Chickadee White Breasted Nuthatch Cardinal 8 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
daveb Posted November 26, 2018 Share Posted November 26, 2018 Cool little birds and nice photos! I saw my first cardinal in Oct. when I was in New Orleans. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Muledeer Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 Too bad the "solution" of having too many wild turkeys in this town is to simply hunt them and kill them: https://www.ksl.com/article/46439101/wild-turkeys-overrun-cache-valley-town 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Myssterry Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 It just says "forbidden" when I click on the link, @Muledeer A grey heron took off from the valley the little stream runs through and flew over the bridge wall right by me, as I walked through the park with Little Dog. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Muledeer Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 @Mizzletoe it's interesting how certain links will only work in certain places or on certain computers. I remember there was a BBC link issue a while back. The link above was to one of our local TV stations. You didn't miss much😉 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
daveb Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 It basically says wild turkeys are getting everywhere, into the city/town, messing up the place and people's gardens and such. And they are trying out issuing more hunting permits as a way to try to address the situation. Of course, people can't hunt inside the city limits, so it might not help much there. They also tagging and tracking the birds to get a better idea of their movements and population and habits. Sounds like the jury is still out on whether the hunting is reducing the turkey population much. I think the issue of wildlife population is a tricky one. People spread out into areas already populated by other critters. Then do a too good job of getting rid of bigger predators. Then the prey animals breed unchecked and become a nuisance in the context of human habitation. Without human involvement if predators become too few prey species tend to over-populate an area until they over-compete with themselves and other prey species, maybe causing a crash in their food sources (by eating all the vegetation for example), and then succumb to starvation and disease. But in areas with lots of humans there might be a better supply of food for those animals that are able to forage in the human-occupied spaces, thus allowing their numbers to increase and sustain the "nuisance". Since having large numbers of big predators around areas with large numbers of humans isn't a great option either, maybe they can try tactics that are used to control things like large populations of feral cats or dogs? Such as capturing and neutering/spaying as many of the animals as possible? They can't get all of them (but neither can hunting). So, I think, at best the populations are rarely eradicated, but maybe barely just kept within manageable limits. Of course, I am no expert on the subject, so I could easily be wrong. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Myssterry Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 I was so happy to go out with Dog at dusk and hear a tawny owl calling. I have always thought there might be a resident pair in the little wood, but it is the first I have heard. It was quite near, I think, as the call was quite loud and repeated several times. 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Myssterry Posted December 16, 2018 Share Posted December 16, 2018 Went for a nice walk today with Little Dog and the mist was rising off the water as the sun came up. I love the bare branches silhouetted against the sky and the heron in the reeds. 9 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tja Posted December 16, 2018 Share Posted December 16, 2018 57 minutes ago, Mizzletoe said: Went for a nice walk today with Little Dog and the mist was rising off the water as the sun came up. I love the bare branches silhouetted against the sky and the heron in the reeds. Absolutely gorgeous! 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Jetsun Milarepa Posted December 16, 2018 Share Posted December 16, 2018 I started to feed the birds after my cat died and from 4-8 visiting Starlings there are now over 20 visiting to feed in the morning and evening. Today I also saw Chaffinch, Blue tit and Wood pigeon as well as Magpies and a Collared dove. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tunhope Posted December 16, 2018 Share Posted December 16, 2018 Yes, absolutely gorgeous. (Edit: Chandrakirti was typing as I was. I was referring to the photo.) 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
C.30 Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 Hello, Thought I would drop in and say hi! I've just moved to a new house, surrounded by the woods so I'm seeing a lot more birds than I did in the city. Love watching them, just seen a bunch of blue tits on the feeder this afternoon and a couple of chaffinch. Also have a resident robin who comes by a various times, a blackbird and a pair of wood pigeons. Also the occasional magpie or two pop in. There is no doubt a load more but thats all I've managed to see so far, I usually don't get in till it's dark so probably missing loads. Did catch what I'm certain was a woodpecker fly by a couple of weeks ago, hopefully get to see him again! Think word is spreading that there is a hot new feeding spot! 😆 Looking forward to the spring to see what else is around. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tunhope Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 I checked to see if you were in the UK @C.30 as those are the same garden birds I see. I hope you get some redwings in over winter. I do and I love them. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
C.30 Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 Yep im up in Scotland. Not seen any of those yet but I live in hope! Even bought myself a book and dug out my binoculars 😁 Hope I can get some good pictures soon! 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Skycaptain Posted December 27, 2018 Share Posted December 27, 2018 I saw an albino squirrel this morning in Tonbridge. I hope it lasts as long as the previous one, which became a local celebrity. This one is fully grown, although that it isn't hibernating is a cause for concern. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Muledeer Posted December 27, 2018 Share Posted December 27, 2018 @Skycaptain How Cool! They must be incredibly rare - I've never seen a wild albino anything. The only "gift" I got for Christmas was a birding identification guide entitled simply "The Birds of Utah" It is a nice fold-out plastic coated chart with pictures of birds along with their names and habitat, grouped by type. Not sure how many species are listed, but I thought there more birds than could fit on a fold up chart. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
daveb Posted December 27, 2018 Share Posted December 27, 2018 There was a locally famous white deer where I lived when I was a kid. It was in a suburban area that had wild spaces mixed in (canyons and such that weren't suitable for housing developments). My fuzzy recollection is that it lived there a good long time (years). 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tunhope Posted December 27, 2018 Share Posted December 27, 2018 Thinking about Daveb's white deer brings to mind the number of pubs called The White Hart. White deer must have been very rare. There used to be a white squirrel in a local area of woodland called Ashenbank Woods but I don't think it lasted more than one season. I get lots of squirrels in my garden but they're all grey. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LVG Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 I've never seen a white/albino squirrel. However, there were a ton of black squirrels running about. Black squirrels are just gray squirrels with a genetic mutation that causes their coats to become darker than normal. They're pretty cool. However, the local fox squirrel is pissing me off with its voracious appetite for my bird seed. My aunt bought us this really nice seed ring for Christmas. Yesterday, the ring was entirely intact. As of this morning, there was nothing but a small chunk, and the little porker sitting in the tree. I should have realized tying it to a tree would only welcome such gluttony. Oh well. At least I didn't pay for it. 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Skycaptain Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 I've seen three roadkill deer in three days On a brighter note, driving through the cabbage fields of Thanet an owl flew over the road ahead of me (at a safe height) 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Myssterry Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 Lovely walk at a coastal nature reserve today. Through the gloom I saw hundreds of golden plovers and lapwings, which rose up and made patterns in the sky from time to time. An enchanting pair of little stonechats were on the fence close to me along one path. There were lots of wigeon too and shelducks. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LVG Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 Lots of birds, many repeat patrons, at the feeders this morning. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
daveb Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 I was out yesterday and when I went back to my car to drive back home I saw a huge number of crows all flying off in the same direction, cawing. It wasn't just a murder of crows; it was a massacre! 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tunhope Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 I hadn't heard of 'a murder of crows' @daveb That's smashing! I think magpies have parliament's and I imagine there are some brilliant collectives out there for other things. Right now I'm too knackered to come up with any though. And I love the idea of @LVGs visitors being patrons. @Mz Terry do you think that winter is the best time to walk along the coast? I really like the mud flats along the Medway at this time of year. They're full of over -wintering birds. Shellduck and wigeon ,as you saw, and teal, pintails, lots of things. 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Myssterry Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 @Tunhope - yes, for the sheer impact of numbers, winter seems the best time. It is lovely when chicks are about in late spring and summer though. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Skycaptain Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 Dublin Airport today 0350, a hare was running down the road to the car rental return area. I haven't seen one for years 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LVG Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 I often wonder what distinguishes a hare from a rabbit? 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tintinfan Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 8 minutes ago, LVG said: I often wonder what distinguishes a hare from a rabbit? Hares are bigger and do not burrow. There ears stick up more Rabbits are smaller and burrow. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LVG Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 20 minutes ago, Tintinfan said: Hares are bigger and do not burrow. There ears stick up more Rabbits are smaller and burrow. Cool. Never knew this. Thanks, TinTin! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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