Wildlife and Gardens Thread

[Countryfox]

These are just a couple of days old ..

 

 

[Jon the Hat]

24 minutes ago, Countryfox said:

These are just a couple of days old ..

 

 

Give it a year and they will taste lovely   I have a shoulder of lamb in the ridge for dinner tonight - was £11!

[Jon the Hat]

On 28/03/2020 at 11:07, Countryfox said:

Have mentioned before that I have ravens, buzzards and now kites near the back of my house ..  now nesting time is upon us activity is increasing and I’ve seen a few spats between them and also the crows and the rooks that are around the area. Was out yesterday walking the dogs and saw about 4 ravens really going for a buzzard (had my binos with me) ...  the lead raven was as big if not bigger than the buzzard and dive bombing it from above ..  the buzzard would swivel and push its talons out to deflect the attack ..  but with 4 attacking and driving those huge beaks into it they finally knocked it out the sky ...  it went into a tree to find cover but the attacks carried on ...   all I could see was a mass of black wings surrounding it ...   finally it fell to the ground and they eventually moved off.  I don’t think it survived.  Never seen anything like that before and hopefully never will again.  Not pleasant.   

Jesus.  Poor Buzzard; albeit one getting a taste of it's own medicine as it were.  Reminds me of when the kids and I follower a mother duck leading her ~10 very cute ducklings around throught the park for 10 minutes to the pond where a gang of drakes prompty drowned them all so they could try to mate with the mother.  Was a bit horrible to be honest, fortunately managed to distract the kids...

Edited 30 March 2020 by Jon the Hat

[Countryfox]

On 30/03/2020 at 10:52, Jon the Hat said:

Jesus.  Poor Buzzard; albeit one getting a taste of it's own medicine as it were.  Reminds me of when the kids and I follower a mother duck leading her ~10 very cute ducklings around throught the park for 10 minutes to the pond where a gang of drakes prompty drowned them all so they could try to mate with the mother.  Was a bit horrible to be honest, fortunately managed to distract the kids...

Found him ...  or what was left of him ...  by the size of the remains he was quite big ..  a wingspan of about 4 to 5 foot ...  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 31 March 2020 by Countryfox

[promised land]

On 30/03/2020 at 10:24, Countryfox said:

These are just a couple of days old ..

 

 

Very nice, I rode by a farm today on my exercise outing and a field of sheep by the road, the amount of crows flying low over them, on the radio last year it said they’re a real predator to lambs and go for their eyes.

 

It was all about killing crows and a farmer was saying why they had to, truly horrific for the new born lambs.

 

Horrible noisy things do want shooting.

[Countryfox]

35 minutes ago, promised land said:

Very nice, I rode by a farm today on my exercise outing and a field of sheep by the road, the amount of crows flying low over them, on the radio last year it said they’re a real predator to lambs and go for their eyes.

 

It was all about killing crows and a farmer was saying why they had to, truly horrific for the new born lambs.

 

Horrible noisy things do want shooting.

 

Really horrible, but the wider picture of how we now farm animals is becoming a bit of an issue for me ...  the lambs I took a pic of are hand reared on a small holding and soooo well cared for ...  as for the crows !! ...  if I spot any they are vaporised ! ...  but they normally p1ss off before I even get the safety off ! ...  

[The Fox Covert]

On 28/03/2020 at 11:07, Countryfox said:

Have mentioned before that I have ravens, buzzards and now kites near the back of my house ..  now nesting time is upon us activity is increasing and I’ve seen a few spats between them and also the crows and the rooks that are around the area. Was out yesterday walking the dogs and saw about 4 ravens really going for a buzzard (had my binos with me) ...  the lead raven was as big if not bigger than the buzzard and dive bombing it from above ..  the buzzard would swivel and push its talons out to deflect the attack ..  but with 4 attacking and driving those huge beaks into it they finally knocked it out the sky ...  it went into a tree to find cover but the attacks carried on ...   all I could see was a mass of black wings surrounding it ...   finally it fell to the ground and they eventually moved off.  I don’t think it survived.  Never seen anything like that before and hopefully never will again.  Not pleasant.   

Spats between buzzards and crows seem to be quite normal. Although crows are smaller they are known to gang up on buzzards. I'm just guessing but I would think that this time of the year they just want predatory birds off their manor while they are nesting and have vulnerable young to look after. Crows and ravens are among the most intelligent birds, apparently on a par with a seven year old child.

Don't know where you live, Countryfox but my mum lives in S. Leics and she says she often sees buzzards and kites from her garden.

[murphy]

On 31/03/2020 at 18:40, promised land said:

Very nice, I rode by a farm today on my exercise outing and a field of sheep by the road, the amount of crows flying low over them, on the radio last year it said they’re a real predator to lambs and go for their eyes.

 

It was all about killing crows and a farmer was saying why they had to, truly horrific for the new born lambs.

 

Horrible noisy things do want shooting.

 

It is important to note that these crow attacks are limited, as I understand it, to the birth of lambs including the ewe in labour and couped ewes.  A lamb is vulnerable at birth and for a short time until it is on it's feet.  Mostly hill farmers suffer, but there is also afterbirth to distract crows and a fair mortality rate at birth which provides carrion for crows and farmers assume that they have been killed by the crow.  A healthy lamb is not really a target for a crow I believe and most are born indoors.

 

There is a lot of animals that have traits I dislike, magpies stealing eggs and young birds, sparrowhawks shredding birds alive, but a sparrowhawk has the right to be a sparrowhawk and a crow a crow.  Crow's are highly intelligent, can recognise faces and they are nature's clean up squad for roadkill and even landfills.  Put your gun away @Countryfox, crows are alright.  

 

It irritates me when farmers make claims about welfare.  Every time I walk the dogs anywhere near sheep, so many are hobbling around and limping.  The farmer clearly isn't that fussed about welfare.

[Countryfox]

On 02/04/2020 at 10:04, The Fox Covert said:

Spats between buzzards and crows seem to be quite normal. Although crows are smaller they are known to gang up on buzzards. I'm just guessing but I would think that this time of the year they just want predatory birds off their manor while they are nesting and have vulnerable young to look after. Crows and ravens are among the most intelligent birds, apparently on a par with a seven year old child.

Don't know where you live, Countryfox but my mum lives in S. Leics and she says she often sees buzzards and kites from her garden.

Yep I’m in south leicestershire too ...  and for years I’ve watched the buzzards and rooks (there are two rookeries each with about 15 to 20 nests in near me) have their little battles in the sky.  Always had a soft spot for the buzzards which come in and clear up any squirrels or magpies I shoot ..  their call is easy to mimic and down they come.  Since getting on top of the squirrels and maggies the song bird population has really grown ..  we were inundated with them and no small birds stood a chance.   Not too many crows here though and you are right about the lambs ..  but the incidence around here is not that high,  as Murphy has said.   The Ravens arrived a couple of years ago and it’s nice to see them ...  they took over an old crows nest near me and have brought up two lots of young ..  I tried to send a drone up that I got for Christmas to see the young but it hit the tree and landed in a lake ..   never to be seen again !   What can be quite alarming about them is that they kill other large birds and mammals to protect and eat ...  there was a incident in the south west a while back when they attacked and killed a fully grown sheep ..  the woman who saw it had to be treated for shock.  It’s all nature and you have to accept it ...  but seeing the buzzard killed did rattle me a bit.  And seeing it’s mate circling and calling was very sad.   And before anyone says anything about the magpies and squirrels ...   I’m part of nature too !!  ...   and was just evening things up a bit !
 

PS. The kites have only just arrived ...   the most beautiful of the lot ...  I hope they don’t get killed too. 

[Countryfox]

21 hours ago, murphy said:

 

It is important to note that these crow attacks are limited, as I understand it, to the birth of lambs including the ewe in labour and couped ewes.  A lamb is vulnerable at birth and for a short time until it is on it's feet.  Mostly hill farmers suffer, but there is also afterbirth to distract crows and a fair mortality rate at birth which provides carrion for crows and farmers assume that they have been killed by the crow.  A healthy lamb is not really a target for a crow I believe and most are born indoors.

 

There is a lot of animals that have traits I dislike, magpies stealing eggs and young birds, sparrowhawks shredding birds alive, but a sparrowhawk has the right to be a sparrowhawk and a crow a crow.  Crow's are highly intelligent, can recognise faces and they are nature's clean up squad for roadkill and even landfills.  Put your gun away @Countryfox, crows are alright.  

 

It irritates me when farmers make claims about welfare.  Every time I walk the dogs anywhere near sheep, so many are hobbling around and limping.  The farmer clearly isn't that fussed about welfare.

Agree with all you say ...   and don’t worry about the crows, they’re far to clever for me !! ..    just have to raise the window half an inch and even though they are about 100 yards away they’re off !!

 

Many farmers are very lapse about animal welfare and I could talk for hours on this one ...  I’ve been out walking with one of my best friends who is a vet and he has had to reprimand a few farmers ...  if they ignore him he can get them in bother so they do tend to listen !

[Dahnsouff]

12 minutes ago, Countryfox said:

PS. The kites have only just arrived ...   the most beautiful of the lot ...  I hope they don’t get killed too. 

Down here near Reading (And marching north for national domination) they are everywhere and although they are like rats-with-wings, they are beautiful and have the most soulful cry, which we can hear  a lot as the same pair nest opposite the house regularly.

 

But they are so successful here that the biodiversity in the area of raptors is very low which is a bit of shame.

 

[Spiritwalker]

2 hours ago, Countryfox said:

Yep I’m in south leicestershire too ...  and for years I’ve watched the buzzards and rooks (there are two rookeries each with about 15 to 20 nests in near me) have their little battles in the sky.  Always had a soft spot for the buzzards which come in and clear up any squirrels or magpies I shoot ..  their call is easy to mimic and down they come.  Since getting on top of the squirrels and maggies the song bird population has really grown ..  we were inundated with them and no small birds stood a chance.   Not too many crows here though and you are right about the lambs ..  but the incidence around here is not that high,  as Murphy has said.   The Ravens arrived a couple of years ago and it’s nice to see them ...  they took over an old crows nest near me and have brought up two lots of young ..  I tried to send a drone up that I got for Christmas to see the young but it hit the tree and landed in a lake ..   never to be seen again !   What can be quite alarming about them is that they kill other large birds and mammals to protect and eat ...  there was a incident in the south west a while back when they attacked and killed a fully grown sheep ..  the woman who saw it had to be treated for shock.  It’s all nature and you have to accept it ...  but seeing the buzzard killed did rattle me a bit.  And seeing it’s mate circling and calling was very sad.   And before anyone says anything about the magpies and squirrels ...   I’m part of nature too !!  ...   and was just evening things up a bit !
 

PS. The kites have only just arrived ...   the most beautiful of the lot ...  I hope they don’t get killed too. 

Red kites were introduced 5 miles from Corby a few years ago and have very successful, there’s loads of them here

and they’re expanding out. They are beautiful looking birds that feed mainly on carrion I believe, and yes they do fight

with the crows.

[Countryfox]

30 minutes ago, Spiritwalker said:

Red kites were introduced 5 miles from Corby a few years ago and have very successful, there’s loads of them here

and they’re expanding out. They are beautiful looking birds that feed mainly on carrion I believe, and yes they do fight

with the crows.

Didn’t know that  ...   interesting.   Near me their nest is within 300 yards from the ravens ...   could turn very nasty ..  

[The Fox Covert]

8 hours ago, Dahnsouff said:

Down here near Reading (And marching north for national domination) they are everywhere and although they are like rats-with-wings, they are beautiful and have the most soulful cry, which we can hear  a lot as the same pair nest opposite the house regularly.

 

But they are so successful here that the biodiversity in the area of raptors is very low which is a bit of shame.

 

In normal times I work near Reading and from my office on a one-time airfield I can see Kites circling daily. Before I worked there I thought they were pretty much confined to Wales and rural western counties but I was wrong. The site where I work sprawls over about two square miles and outside normal office hours rabbits, deer and foxes are a common sight. 

[stix]

22 hours ago, Countryfox said:

PS. The kites have only just arrived ...   the most beautiful of the lot ...  I hope they don’t get killed too. 

I see a Kite regularly above my place in South Wigston. I’ve only ever seen one though. Not necessarily the same one obviously, but I’ve never seen two of them together. Always see two buzzards chilling in the thermals together, until the crows spot them. Honestly it’s like a squadron of Typhoons being scrambled to warn off a Russian bomber in the North Sea! 

[cambridgefox]

On 03/04/2020 at 14:13, Countryfox said:

Yep I’m in south leicestershire too ...  and for years I’ve watched the buzzards and rooks (there are two rookeries each with about 15 to 20 nests in near me) have their little battles in the sky.  Always had a soft spot for the buzzards which come in and clear up any squirrels or magpies I shoot ..  their call is easy to mimic and down they come.  Since getting on top of the squirrels and maggies the song bird population has really grown ..  we were inundated with them and no small birds stood a chance.   Not too many crows here though and you are right about the lambs ..  but the incidence around here is not that high,  as Murphy has said.   The Ravens arrived a couple of years ago and it’s nice to see them ...  they took over an old crows nest near me and have brought up two lots of young ..  I tried to send a drone up that I got for Christmas to see the young but it hit the tree and landed in a lake ..   never to be seen again !   What can be quite alarming about them is that they kill other large birds and mammals to protect and eat ...  there was a incident in the south west a while back when they attacked and killed a fully grown sheep ..  the woman who saw it had to be treated for shock.  It’s all nature and you have to accept it ...  but seeing the buzzard killed did rattle me a bit.  And seeing it’s mate circling and calling was very sad.   And before anyone says anything about the magpies and squirrels ...   I’m part of nature too !!  ...   and was just evening things up a bit !
 

PS. The kites have only just arrived ...   the most beautiful of the lot ...  I hope they don’t get killed too. 

Never seen a Raven,but would like to.Usually I don’t care for Corvids at all.Ravens are on my to see list.

plenty of Red Kites in East Cambs these last few years.Magnificent birds,I have the pleasure of walking the dog first thing and everyday see a Barn Owl.Took a few pictures on a proper camera this week.Not an excellent camera.but will see if any are worth posting.

[Trumpet]

We moved into this house at the end of last summer so have yet to tackle the garden.

 

Spent a few hours this afternoon giving it a tidy and fitting some log edging. I’m absolutely knackered and looks like I’ve barely done anything..

[Costock_Fox]

Had some decking put down last year and towards the start of winter I noticed a bit under it where it looked like something had gone under but haven’t seen any animals.

 

Still haven’t seen anything but last night I put some dog biscuits out and they were gone, replenished this afternoon and they had gone as well.

 

Hopefully it’s a hedgehog and not rats.

[Countryfox]

9 little ducklings ! ..  good luck !

[Bayfox]

We've had a bird box on our fence for exactly 2 years, our 1st guests have moved in, during this time, nature seems to be loving lockdown, we have a pair of Hreat tits, who have clearly been making a nest in there. My boy is loving it.

 

Only problem is, just 1 day after they discovered it, the wife looked out to see a Bird of Prey sat on the fence next to it

 

So far they have survived, but despite having plenty of fields around the area, I don't think in 5 years I've seen a Bird of Prey in the Garden. So it's interesting to see what effect this period has on nature when we come out the other side.

[rachhere]

33 minutes ago, Bayfox said:

We've had a bird box on our fence for exactly 2 years, our 1st guests have moved in, during this time, nature seems to be loving lockdown, we have a pair of Hreat tits, who have clearly been making a nest in there. My boy is loving it.

 

Only problem is, just 1 day after they discovered it, the wife looked out to see a Bird of Prey sat on the fence next to it

 

So far they have survived, but despite having plenty of fields around the area, I don't think in 5 years I've seen a Bird of Prey in the Garden. So it's interesting to see what effect this period has on nature when we come out the other side.

Oh no! Hold on little Great Tits! 

[rachhere]

This will be our third summer in this house and there's always been fox cubs running around in the garden at this time of year - love it! We also have badgers, but they are more nocturnal than the foxes so only seen them a couple of times at dusk - can always hear the noisy things though! We recently invested in a wildlife night vision camera with a sensor. Fingers crossed we can get some decent shots/videos of baby fox cubs this year - will share if we do! 

[Houdini Logic]

On 30/03/2020 at 10:52, Jon the Hat said:

Jesus.  Poor Buzzard; albeit one getting a taste of it's own medicine as it were.  Reminds me of when the kids and I follower a mother duck leading her ~10 very cute ducklings around throught the park for 10 minutes to the pond where a gang of drakes prompty drowned them all so they could try to mate with the mother.  Was a bit horrible to be honest, fortunately managed to distract the kids...

 

On 31/03/2020 at 18:40, promised land said:

Very nice, I rode by a farm today on my exercise outing and a field of sheep by the road, the amount of crows flying low over them, on the radio last year it said they’re a real predator to lambs and go for their eyes.

 

It was all about killing crows and a farmer was saying why they had to, truly horrific for the new born lambs.

 

Horrible noisy things do want shooting.

 

On 28/03/2020 at 11:07, Countryfox said:

Have mentioned before that I have ravens, buzzards and now kites near the back of my house ..  now nesting time is upon us activity is increasing and I’ve seen a few spats between them and also the crows and the rooks that are around the area. Was out yesterday walking the dogs and saw about 4 ravens really going for a buzzard (had my binos with me) ...  the lead raven was as big if not bigger than the buzzard and dive bombing it from above ..  the buzzard would swivel and push its talons out to deflect the attack ..  but with 4 attacking and driving those huge beaks into it they finally knocked it out the sky ...  it went into a tree to find cover but the attacks carried on ...   all I could see was a mass of black wings surrounding it ...   finally it fell to the ground and they eventually moved off.  I don’t think it survived.  Never seen anything like that before and hopefully never will again.  Not pleasant.   

 

And to think I clicked on this thread for some light relief 

[joachim1965]

2 hours ago, Countryfox said:

9 little ducklings ! ..  good luck !

The amount of ducklings that don't make it is massive, makes you wonder how ducks survive as a species. 

[Countryfox]

28 minutes ago, joachim1965 said:

The amount of ducklings that don't make it is massive, makes you wonder how ducks survive as a species. 

They shag a lot ..    

 

 

 

 

Edited 7 April 2020 by Countryfox
Missed mi smiley face ..