Illaveago
Guru
- Location
- Chippenham,Wiltshire.
I noticed loads of Snowdrops out the other day when I was cycling .
Your day's wildlife
- Thread starter Flick of the Elbow
- Start date
-
- Tags
- wildlife
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Illaveago
Guru
- Location
- Chippenham,Wiltshire.
I've just seen an Ant on the telly ! 
deptfordmarmoset
Full time tea drinker
- Location
- Armonmy Way
There was a band of what I presume were greenfinches marauding around Deptford this morning. I don't see them very often here so I was wondering whether they have a more subdued winter plumage - they have no noticeable yellow band on the wing and their most distinctive characteristic is a black and white tail. They're a bit like sparrows with a pied wagtail's rear end....
Kempstonian
Has the memory of a goldfish
- Location
- Bedford
That looks very much like a female chaffinch to me.
Kempstonian
Has the memory of a goldfish
- Location
- Bedford
A weasel is weasily recogniseed. A stoat is stoatally different.
Kempstonian
Has the memory of a goldfish
- Location
- Bedford
[QUOTE 5511886, member: 9609"]female chaffinch[/QUOTE]
Ah you beat me to it! lol
Ah you beat me to it! lol
deptfordmarmoset
Full time tea drinker
- Location
- Armonmy Way
Thanks for the identification help guys.
nickyboy
Norven Mankey
- Location
- You want hills? We got hills
Weasels are really skinny, like a long sausage on legs. Stoats are much heftier
gbb
Legendary Member
- Location
- Peterborough
Discussing with my son the other day , he pointed out where he saw a Buzzrd on an almost daily basis, perched on a high lamppost over the dual carriageway, toward the fringes of the city. I see them daily on my drive along the A1M.
20, 30 years ago, you NEVER EVER EVER saw them round here and we remembered his incredible excitement at seeing them on a drive south on holiday when he was a kid. We stopped counting at around 100 of them along the M5 toward Bristol. We realised they must be a very regional thing....with no population to speak of near us.
So we discussed why that's changed ? Red Kite are even more widespread here than Buzzard but that's because of a long term reintroduction some 20 miles away. Now they're so common it's almost normal to see one daily, even over the city.
But that wasn't the case for buzzard, but they seem to be expanding well now. Were conditions not better for them 20, 30, 40 years ago ?, why weren't they here then ?
Farmers we figured was the most likely answer, possibly they just don't shoot them any more, not acceptable and now illegal.
Bird life is a strange thing, a bit like bikes, they inspire and captivate some people. My late dad was an avid birdwatchers and loved nature. I picked it up through him and unwittingly passed it to my son, who's now Inspired his partner to a love of wildlife, something she freely admits she'd never even thought about before. They now take their kids on walks and naturally poi t out wildlife...and so the cycle begins again.
Amazing what you can talk about on a 20 minute drive.
20, 30 years ago, you NEVER EVER EVER saw them round here and we remembered his incredible excitement at seeing them on a drive south on holiday when he was a kid. We stopped counting at around 100 of them along the M5 toward Bristol. We realised they must be a very regional thing....with no population to speak of near us.
So we discussed why that's changed ? Red Kite are even more widespread here than Buzzard but that's because of a long term reintroduction some 20 miles away. Now they're so common it's almost normal to see one daily, even over the city.
But that wasn't the case for buzzard, but they seem to be expanding well now. Were conditions not better for them 20, 30, 40 years ago ?, why weren't they here then ?
Farmers we figured was the most likely answer, possibly they just don't shoot them any more, not acceptable and now illegal.
Bird life is a strange thing, a bit like bikes, they inspire and captivate some people. My late dad was an avid birdwatchers and loved nature. I picked it up through him and unwittingly passed it to my son, who's now Inspired his partner to a love of wildlife, something she freely admits she'd never even thought about before. They now take their kids on walks and naturally poi t out wildlife...and so the cycle begins again.
Amazing what you can talk about on a 20 minute drive.
gbb
Legendary Member
- Location
- Peterborough
[QUOTE 5514951, member: 9609"]Farmers not really to blame unless they were into game birds as either hobby of diversification.
The reason there was virtually non for most of the 20th century was heavy persecution to protect game (pheasants/grouse etc) simplest and most effective persecution is poison, (lace a dead rabbit with a poison and leave it on a gate post) Birds like Red Kite and Buzzards are very very partial to a bit of carrion - you can soon wipe them out.
Huge fines and penalties now for the use of poison has thankfully meant its use has become quite rare, hence the big increase in numbers. You still have to wonder though why these birds are still virtually non existent around the big shooting estates - just a coincidence I guess?[/QUOTE]
Of course, I'd forgotten about the poisoning, which of course was a common practice.
The reason there was virtually non for most of the 20th century was heavy persecution to protect game (pheasants/grouse etc) simplest and most effective persecution is poison, (lace a dead rabbit with a poison and leave it on a gate post) Birds like Red Kite and Buzzards are very very partial to a bit of carrion - you can soon wipe them out.
Huge fines and penalties now for the use of poison has thankfully meant its use has become quite rare, hence the big increase in numbers. You still have to wonder though why these birds are still virtually non existent around the big shooting estates - just a coincidence I guess?[/QUOTE]
Of course, I'd forgotten about the poisoning, which of course was a common practice.
nickyboy
Norven Mankey
- Location
- You want hills? We got hills
The banning of DDT was a major influence on the recovery of the Buzzard population, along with a lot of other Birds of Prey
Nice article here, with a very similar story to your own
https://www.countryfile.com/wildlife/the-return-of-the-buzzard-in-the-uk/
Very good article and thanks for posting the link.
Dave 123
Legendary Member
- Location
- Cambridgeshire alps
Wandering along in Alicante this morning we saw several Black Redstart
Saw a nice Hoopoe yesterday, no picture though.
Saw a nice Hoopoe yesterday, no picture though.
