Your day's wildlife

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potsy

Rambler
Location
My Armchair
Some recent visitors to the ice garden...
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MikeG

Guru
Location
Suffolk
[QUOTE 5162674, member: 9609"]Must be spring, two Robins together - they changed over to their spring song about a week ago. ( summer and autumn they have a different song that presumably says this is my territory keep off) View attachment 397268
(they have been enjoying some ground I have dug over)[/QUOTE]

There's a classic piece of animal behavioural research somewhere which showed that status amongst robins correlates extremely well with the size of their red patch. The researchers took a lowly robin with a small red patch and painted it up to have a bigger one, and suddenly it was getting first go at the bird feeder.....
 

Heltor Chasca

Out-riding the Black Dog
There's a classic piece of animal behavioural research somewhere which showed that status amongst robins correlates extremely well with the size of their red patch. The researchers took a lowly robin with a small red patch and painted it up to have a bigger one, and suddenly it was getting first go at the bird feeder.....

Robins are fascinating. I wonder what the observations are pertaining to the boldness/friendlyness of our U.K. birds in comparison to the birds on the continent which are shy and secretive. I used to provide work experience to French horticultural students and they were flabbergasted at how close robins came. Sitting on our tools or on our toes while we had lunch.
 

BoldonLad

Not part of the Elite
Location
South Tyneside
There's a classic piece of animal behavioural research somewhere which showed that status amongst robins correlates extremely well with the size of their red patch. The researchers took a lowly robin with a small red patch and painted it up to have a bigger one, and suddenly it was getting first go at the bird feeder.....

and they say.... size doesn't matter ...... ;)
 

BianchiVirgin

Über Member
Location
Norn Iron
Usual plethora of blackbirds, 'tits, sparrows and robins, mainly, at the bird feeders. They're squabbling and stuffing themselves in anticipation of another Baltic night of snow.
 

MikeG

Guru
Location
Suffolk
They cause a really interesting set of behaviours in our garden. They're such messy eaters, the woodpeckers, that they leave more nut fragments on the ground than they consume. The pigeons and crows have learnt this, so when a woodpecker arrives at the feeder, crows or pigeons (not both) will quickly fly in and patrol the ground below, snaffling the fragments as they land. Between them they can consume a feeder full of nuts in 2 days.
 

gbb

Legendary Member
Location
Peterborough
Nothing much out to be seen lately, no surprise.
Driving home I saw a couple crows in a tree alongside the A1. Jeez, how DO small creatures survive this weather.
 
They cause a really interesting set of behaviours in our garden. They're such messy eaters, the woodpeckers, that they leave more nut fragments on the ground than they consume. The pigeons and crows have learnt this, so when a woodpecker arrives at the feeder, crows or pigeons (not both) will quickly fly in and patrol the ground below, snaffling the fragments as they land. Between them they can consume a feeder full of nuts in 2 days.

Yeah, Wilfred decided to go after the tit nest boxes last year - obviously nice of him to want to give little presents to the babies. Had to fit a few metal plates to the front to try and stop this.
 

BoldonLad

Not part of the Elite
Location
South Tyneside
Nothing much out to be seen lately, no surprise.
Driving home I saw a couple crows in a tree alongside the A1. Jeez, how DO small creatures survive this weather.

Yes, indeed. A few days ago, before the snow actually started, but, when it was bitterly cold, Mrs @BoldonLad spotted a doormouse curled up in the gutter as we walked along. We thought it was dead at first, but, after a few seconds, it started running again. I thought such small animals would have hibernated in such temperatures?
 
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