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Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 19 7:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Rats are a nuisance, but they often seem to move on after a while. We had some in our yard in the wood for a while. I am afraid we had to resort to poison in the end, but were very careful with placement to affect as little as possible. I think they got the message they weren't welcome after a while.

The weather has been so bad lately that I haven't been out and about in the woods much, but expect the mixed flocks of tits and other small birds to be around soon. Far too many wood pigeons; when I walked across the far end of the woods last week I kept putting lots of them to flight.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45374
Location: yes
PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 19 5:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

a local wren popped by earlier, i recon they are around all year but they are easier to spot when the foliage is a bit thinner.

sparrows eating well

Slim



Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6533
Location: New England (In the US of A)
PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 19 5:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I saw some deer sneaking away, far enough that I just barely caught sight of them, as I went out to hunt my back woods this morning. Pretty exciting for me as I don't often see them (well, not while hunting) and this was my first day out for that purpose on my own land.

I'll be happy enough if that mental capture is the only trophy of the season, but I'd prefer to also stock my freezer!

Ty Gwyn



Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 4562
Location: Lampeter
PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 19 7:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

What game do you normally hunt in your area Slim?

Slim



Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6533
Location: New England (In the US of A)
PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 19 10:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Personally, just deer and wild mushrooms

Other folks hunt moose, bear, ducks, geese, etc, etc, etc.... It's a long list for real hunters.

I've never taken a deer (yet) but would like to, we're all fans of venison in this house.

Ty Gwyn



Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 4562
Location: Lampeter
PostPosted: Wed Nov 06, 19 1:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I didn't realise Moose were in New England,and the Black Bear I presume,

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Wed Nov 06, 19 7:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I often see young wrens in the late spring/early summer as mum is calling them away from paths in the woods. They nest round the house too, so frequently hear them, but see them less often.

I saw 3 deer in the woods this week; we have quite a lot, but I think there is some culling done in the neighbourhood. Getting a licence for a suitable gun for deer shooting is not easy in the UK, so we have never bothered doing more than culling squirrels in the garden with an air rifle.

Slim



Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6533
Location: New England (In the US of A)
PostPosted: Wed Nov 06, 19 12:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Ty Gwyn wrote:
I didn't realise Moose were in New England,and the Black Bear I presume,


Yes, moose population is here, and their silhouette is on lots of tourist souvenirs, but there are some concerns that climate change is allowing damaging populations of winter ticks to build up and lessen their numbers. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181017080814.htm

Yep, only black bear here, no brown bear - so walking in the woods is pretty safe, though there are very rare mountain lion sightings.
Maybe ten years back a 19 year old woman was killed by coyotes just over the border in Canada - also incredibly rare (the death, not coyotes generally - they're all over the place). The coyotes here have a strong proportion of their genetic makeup from wolf interbreeding, so they look like small wolves, not like the "mangy big fox" look of the western coyotes.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45374
Location: yes
PostPosted: Wed Nov 06, 19 1:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

a small aside but roadkill alg is quite tasty, iirc moose are very similar critters.
in Sweden some folk shoot em but most just run em down in a volvo and sling em in the boot. the beasts have little road sense

moose, deer, coyote, wolf and bear are fun markers for a pretty good ecosystem

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Thu Nov 07, 19 7:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I am glad to say that our markers for a good eco-system in the UK are a little less wild. I know that man has rid us of most of the big ones, but the little ones still give good indicators here and are a bit less dangerous, apart from the ticks.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45374
Location: yes
PostPosted: Fri Nov 15, 19 12:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

the very young sammison,we have not been properly introduced as yet so i do not know their name, who was gleaning under the seed feeder a few mins ago is very cute.

no rat sign for a while , traps stood down(see recolonization by sammison clan), i hope things continue to improve.

anecdote rather than data but it seems there are more sparrows than at this time of year previously.

that might be down to a stable feed supply bringing more here or it might be there are more and previously the all turned up when food was available but there were less of them

afaik this crew think of here as their primary forage territory, most of them ever since they fledged.
they accept me as part of the landscape even if i am pottering or looking or chatting or pointing a 400mm lens at them while cursing focus confusing leaves (i think i have that sorted now i know how to choose the correct focus modes)

i have decided to do a year from jan 1 for collecting data about them so i will see who starts the year and how their lives and offspring go.

from first fledge seems daft, knowing more about who survived early winter, who are pairs or not etc before the breeding season and then who are/become parents, siblings, handmaids and bigamists might be easier to document(might )

colour coding them all would be great but rather intrusive:lol: so my nest bit of the learning curve is to try to tell them apart from snaps etc. some of them i think i know by name and some i know by family/clutch

just to confuse matters i think there might be some crossover from more than one nest.
unless i am mistaken the 2 dark beak youngsters had 2 pale beak siblings this year or one pair adopted a couple of fledglings to join their pale beak 2.

it is that sort of thing i want to try to learn more about, the helper handmaids(of both genders)aspect is interesting as well.
forgo being rejected as an untested partner and by showing what you can do rather than how you look/smell or whatever sparrows find attractive "pull" later. it sort of makes sense for some to pair based on performance rather than promise.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Sat Nov 16, 19 7:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Sounds an interesting project as you are a bit restricted in getting around, and just the sort of thing that will put the private lives of sparrows forward a long way. I have been slowly reading about the private lives of dormice, and it seems just such a study is needed there too, apart from trying to find out how they recognise each other, which most of the study seems to concentrate on.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45374
Location: yes
PostPosted: Tue Nov 19, 19 12:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

it seems the sammison sagas will now record the visitation of the snarling giants in the clan archives.

the small sammison, who has been popping by to grab food has taken up residence in the family homestead of the wood shed.

we have said hello, but we are not on first name terms yet.

the sparrows are numerous and like the seedmix+ mealworms+sunflower kernels.

dik is getting more tame.

fat walter two sticks and hairy ankles are still together and pop round to glean. the third one who was as fat as fat walter the first has gone, i am pretty sure the peregrine got it from the yard.
hairy ankles has leg"ruffs" like a fancy chook and a rather attractive "quilted" look to her feathers.
quite unusual for a woodie.

Slim



Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6533
Location: New England (In the US of A)
PostPosted: Tue Nov 19, 19 1:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Just saw a big fat grouse (?) waddling by

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45374
Location: yes
PostPosted: Tue Nov 19, 19 4:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

i just had a quick look at the usa grouses, a bit different to our 2 and the capercaillie.

i have never seen the latter although several have squawked and chuntered at me from the woods.

delicious if stewed but rather nice as wildlife

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