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Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16059

Posted: Thu Jan 12, 23 8:36 am Post subject:

Went up the woods yesterday and managed to do some working up of coppice. On the way we stopped in at the 'yard'. The robin came begging for food at once, so husband gave him/her some crushed up biscuit. No doubt there will soon be a pair of them.

In the coppice there was a bit of dogs mercury coming up, but no sign of bluebell leaves there. It is in the northern part of the wood, so need to get to the southern part to see if there are any there.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46291
Location: yes

Posted: Fri Jan 13, 23 12:16 am Post subject:

wildlife is more fun than ethics etc

at least one nightingale is seeking a close friend
ditto a female owl

a pair of blue tits passed by

the sparrow flock is small, maybe 15 at most, probably 10
they are very healthy, strong looking sparrows
most are justinson line

the mice are fine, civil engineering in the bank, loads of food stashed so they can hunker down in bad weather, several halls on the sammison estate
the really like raw cashew nuts

the pigeons, umm, we try to be discrete
no more than 5 at a time, that would be 3 and guests, they have to do dishpig under the sparrow feeders
queenie gets hand fed, if there is no work to be done, or it is horrible weather so as she can eat and hide rather than eat all day, sometime her companion gets to do hand if he is polite when she does, he usually picks up after her, flash can do hand unless dishpig applies

there is a new dik, not resident

most of the other species are on the MIA list at the mo

grin did pop in a while back but there is better dining elsewhere within the range, pigeons eating chips by the minster are easy so no need to go out for lunch

Invertebrate news, umm, not long since the leopard slugs(garden friendly, sort of) were being rather active "socially", there have been flying things, worm city
overall rather odd for december/jan

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46291
Location: yes

Posted: Sat Jan 14, 23 2:58 pm Post subject:

bird brains, umm

current thinking(

)is that they have rather small neurons and lots of them
they are smart phones compared to mammals which are 1960's pooters

anecdote is not data but it is observation

about 2 weeks ago one of the pigeons decided seeds in a feeder was a prize to be had

over a week or so it tried jumping and pecking, standing on a pot and jumping
both made a few seeds fall out but they got taken by the dishpigs

i wondered why it was trying to perch and bounce on the bramble holding the feeder, that lowered and sidewaysed the feeder holes to within its reach

it is now able to get food from a small bird feeder without sharing

i wonder what it will do when i raise the feeder again?

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16059

Posted: Sun Jan 15, 23 9:09 am Post subject:
We have noticed that some robins can grab the mesh on the nut feeder and peck at the nuts. It takes time for one to learn, then they teach their mate or their children. It will be interesting to see what your pigeon does if the feeder rises again. Can you do it slowly so it has a chance to develop a technique?

sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Mon Jan 16, 23 10:23 am Post subject:
One of our robins has learnt to sit on one of the perches on the feeder. Another one keeps trying but just cannot seem to grasp it. Unless it's the same robin but just don't get it right all the time.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46291
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Jan 16, 23 10:36 am Post subject:

hello grin

the flock spotted it and scrambled without casualty, grin landed on the wall beside the window and looked disappointed for a moment until it saw me and then it looked embarrassed

nice to look one in the eye from a couple of meters away, unless you are dinner size

it seemed quite lean, maybe last year's youngster, i remember the parenting pair last summer as being somewhat chunkier
i spose the lack of small birds, at least in this patch of york, might have restricted the winter feasting menu

very handsome birds as well as built for purpose, if william morris created a raptor .......

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46291
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Jan 16, 23 11:17 am Post subject:
hello wren Invertebrates and water, i wonder if it will spot the mealworm feeder?

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46291
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Jan 16, 23 1:52 pm Post subject:
hello woodie a few are visiting, did i mention the lonely nightingale a week or so ago? no local blackbirds so far and no little jobbers of many species mass extinction event in one day of super hot weather during a difficult run of weathers

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16059

Posted: Tue Jan 17, 23 7:51 am Post subject:
You did mention the nightingale, which was nice. Raptors are well built for their purpose; kestels always amaze me as they hover and keep their head completely still. The ultimate in stabalised weapons platforms. I haven't heard any wrens yet, but we seem to have the usual small bird visitors. Having more greenery round us I think ours survived last summer rather better.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46291
Location: yes

Posted: Fri Jan 20, 23 8:33 am Post subject:

new dik seems to have come to a treaty with the sparrows, so far they are not in conflict

the jackdaws that were rescued from the chimney remember me and tt, we get greeted here and out and about if they see us, most of them treat us like any other person, these two remember being rescued, it was a bit of a dramatic plunge down a chimney etc but being released into the yard was better than they feared
very androcles

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46291
Location: yes

Posted: Fri Jan 20, 23 8:47 am Post subject:

i did see that, blackbird in the hedge

i thought i could hear it quite close just before dawn, it just showed

male quite, slender, youngish

one is a good start

ps there was a classic fresh grin kill in the local park yesterday, they prep woodies the same as me, remove the waistcoat(vest for the cousins)and eat the crown, leave the rest for radjel
observing is different to most folk having a stroll in the park, i know about the foxes and bunnies as well
the dog learnt his only stealth skill ambling up to bunnies in homestead park, he does it off lead elsewhere, tis rather funny to see him politely say hello close enough to shake paws, the bunnies are usually so surprised they can't believe there is a monster beside them, especially when he just ambles off

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46291
Location: yes

Posted: Fri Jan 20, 23 9:02 am Post subject:
and a female blackbird, she is also young and just getting her grown up clothes, so i guess she was a late chick after the event

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16059

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 23 8:57 am Post subject:

Went for a walk in the wood yesterday with the FC man to look at a few things. The bluebell leaves are just starting to come up in my 'test plot' so rather late this year; they are usually up between mid-December and mid-January. The 'yard' robin is begging for biscuit crumbs, so every time we are up there he shares a biscuit with one of us. They are home made so have most of the right things to keep it warm in this weather.

Your dog seems to have an interesting relationship with rabbits Dpack.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46291
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Jan 23, 23 2:56 pm Post subject:
one wren seems local, and fairly comfortable with me

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16059

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 23 8:23 am Post subject:
Nice. We get a wren nesting in the garden most years and plenty in the woods. I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't some in our long term log stack as they get into places like that in the winter for warmth.

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