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Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Wed Nov 20, 19 8:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Not the sort of thing we have round here. The only large thing of that type we have are mainly captive bred pheasants, although I wouldn't be surprised if some of them have gone native. We have loads of wood pigeons, but they are of the normal type. Your Hairy Ankles sounds as if she has some ornamental pigeon in her bloodline, and not too far back. Can't you find a prettier name for the poor thing?

Sounds as if you do well for wildlife where you are Slim. We have plenty, but most tends to be rather on the smaller side. The dormouse surveyor came back for her boxes on Sunday, and sent me a picture of the one dormouse still in residence. She used one of her own boxes for it as it is rather sleepy and she didn't want to disturb it, but hopes that is will go down into the leaves under the hazel stools to hibernate properly soon.

buzzy



Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds
PostPosted: Wed Nov 20, 19 10:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Today a juvenile female Great Spotted Woodpecker decided to sample the joys of sunflower hearts. Up until now I've only seen GSWs on the peanut feeders!

Henry

gz



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8577
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
PostPosted: Wed Nov 20, 19 11:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Lucky you...we haven't seen or heard any woodpeckers this year apart from one green woodpecker by Newport (south Wales) velodrome in September.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Thu Nov 21, 19 6:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Rather nice. I sometimes wonder if the birds read the information about what they are supposed to eat, as we sometimes get robins eating peanuts and things.

derbyshiredowser



Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Posts: 980
Location: derbyshire
PostPosted: Thu Nov 21, 19 9:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

The main park in Derby is Darley park within walking distance of the town centre and frequented by many dog walkers. The park runs parallel to the river Derwent and is used with a series of non obtrusive banks as a flood plain part of Derbys flood defenses. When the big flood hit last week the entire lower part of the park was flooded and has taken over a week for most of the water to go. Yesterday we were surprised to find quite a large amount of fish on the grass between 1 inch and 3 inches long scattered over quite a large area. The regular visitors to the park include herons cormorants and kingfishers so it left us wondering why the fish were still there and not eaten as they cant have been dead for more than a day?

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Thu Nov 21, 19 10:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

they usually have a few live fish a day, a trawler load dead in a field will be either too much or too dead for them to make much of an impact on.

i would have thought corvids and gulls would be more likely to hoover up stranded whitebait than those who hunt swimming ones
there might be too many fish+worm, beetles etc on the surface of the ground for them to eat.

a rapid flood and drain on the ings often leaves a layer of small and drowned or stranded things which the gulls and crows eat over a couple of days
sometimes we do have a couple of hundred crows and up to 1500 gulls feasting
a couple of acres of gull flock bobbing about on flood water is not unusual, the crows seem to keep to the shallows and paddle or squelch around the water margins

derbyshiredowser



Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Posts: 980
Location: derbyshire
PostPosted: Thu Nov 21, 19 5:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Yes good point I hadn't thought of the corvids and gulls , they probably have had a good feed as the corvids are fed on a daily basis by one of the dog walkers in another section of the park.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Fri Nov 22, 19 7:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

It never ceases to amaze me what birds people do feed. I can see small songbirds in the garden, but gulls and corvids, which are more than capable of finding food at all times of year! Round here they tend to follow the ploughs, as there is always something being turned up for them.

Worst we had was some ducks gaily paddling on a flooded area of the field we had a show in.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Thu Nov 28, 19 4:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

dik has claimed and retained his patch, which includes me

the sammison clan are still here, a medium size one was pleased for a small heap of bird mix there are others pottering about

flora report, the bramble still has leaves, the nettle in the wall top has leaves and flowers, both are quite late this year
many trees are late doing leaf fall.
a fairly "normal" but long growing season, local type stuff did ok, very good berry season for hawthorn and holly, average year for top fruit, grassland a bit under average.

mini beast report, lots and many sorts, i do not know enough to be more specific.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Thu Nov 28, 19 6:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Glad your robin and woodmice are now in residence again.

The leaves have been quite late falling here this year, and the colours have been glorious, but most down now. Most of our brambles keep their leaves all year. The berries have been pretty good, and seems a good mast year for beech too.

gz



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8577
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
PostPosted: Thu Nov 28, 19 9:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Is this a swarm starting?


gz



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8577
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
PostPosted: Thu Nov 28, 19 11:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Apparently happy bees..the hives had attention an hour or so ago

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Fri Nov 29, 19 7:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

As you say, not a swarm as it is the wrong time of year. Any that went out now would die pretty quickly. Why was someone looking at bees at this time of year? The usual work now is just to check the mouse guards are on, and perhaps lift the hive to see if there are enough stores.

gz



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8577
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
PostPosted: Fri Nov 29, 19 7:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

It's Spring here we are in NZ, so bees are all good

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Sat Nov 30, 19 11:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Sorry, I forgot you are in upside down land. You must be about the equivalent of May, so rather late for a good swarm, but quite possible to get a smaller one called a caste. Depending on the climate, they might make a go of it too. Here we regard it as a bit late, and if it makes a colony it would need feeding for the winter and might not make it.

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