Your day's wildlife

[Aravis]

On a walk today near Woodstock, I found myself following this fine gentlemen and some of his normally-plumaged friends:

He was determinedly walking along the same path as me, and generally frustrated my attempts to get close, but I avoided spooking him and eventually managed to get a couple of viable shots. Most of the attempts feature the back of his head with his tail pointing towards me, and those aren't interesting:

 

[Poacher]

Rather more banal; nine Woodpigeons catching the first rays to try and warm themselves in our birch this morning.

The top six in more detail.

 

[nickyboy]

My neighbour found a snipe. Not any old snipe but a richly feathered, delicately beaked snipe in M&S. It has flown into M&S through the automatic doors, then flown out after the doors closed. He called the wildlife rescue people who took it away. View attachment 617883

Amazing record. It's actually a Woodcock, a bird quite closely related to Snipe. At this time of year a lot of Woodcock come from Eastern Europe for the winter as the ground needs to be soft. They occasionally get disoriented as this one seems to have done

 

[Proto]

Feeders have been busy, the usual suspects - wagtails, tits, robins, spotted woodpecker, nuthatch, various finches - but today something I don’t think I’ve seen before, a goldfinch. Lovely.
Other frequent visitors, jays, green woodpeckers and a lot of magpies.

 

[KnittyNorah]

I'm planning to try something new with my feeders - I'm going to put different feeds into different feeders, at different places in the garden. I expect it will take a while for the birds to learn what's where and to realise that their favourite is always in the same place, but it'll be interesting to see if the different feeds do actually attract a different bird 'demographic' as they claim.

 

[Gillstay]

I'm planning to try something new with my feeders - I'm going to put different feeds into different feeders, at different places in the garden. I expect it will take a while for the birds to learn what's where and to realise that their favourite is always in the same place, but it'll be interesting to see if the different feeds do actually attract a different bird 'demographic' as they claim.

We get Marsh Tits but only to the sunflower seeds in the quieter spot. For wagtails we had to dig a pond !

 

[KnittyNorah]

We get Marsh Tits but only to the sunflower seeds in the quieter spot. For wagtails we had to dig a pond !

My issue is that I have a truly TINY garden. I have a 'feeding station' thing with water, fat ball holder, seed holder and peanut holder 'branches' along the back fence and another hanging feeder in the left hand corner by a willow I behead every year, In the other corner there is a eucalyptus which also gets chopped regularly and I could put a feeder on the side of that, so the three aren't separated by much - but their situations do offer a good measure of privacy from each other. The only other place to put a feeder would be at the front - I could probably fit two there, but due to its different, more open environment, it already had a very different 'demographic' of birds. So it will be interesting to see what transpires. Also grey squirrels occasionally visit the front, but are never seen at the back ... so there are those little monsters to contend with. No peanuts in the front has to be the rule, don't want to tempt the American tree rat invaders!

 

[BoldonLad]

Various birds (Finches, Blue Tit, House Sparrow), feeding in our urban front garden, Friday.
View: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdP1RixnXzLMVjv5adHFaDRbleKgIizo5

 

[Rezillo]

While having our lunch today, we spotted this sparrowhawk eyeing up a possible lunch on our bird feeders.

Today, he/she is back. The bluetits have fled and the sparrowhawk is moving from perch to perch.

 

[oldwheels]

No pictures but sitting in the conservatory with coffee and a view over Loch Etive near Connel Bridge.
There are mixed flocks of seagulls and crows with skeins of geese heading in a seaward direction. Nobody seems to know where the geese go for the night but the crows roost in the girders of the bridge and the seagulls head for little islands at the seaward entrance of the loch. This happens as soon as the light begins to fade.

 

[Poacher]

Normally when preparing butternut squash I discard the seeds and pulp. What a fool I've been, but you knew that already.
Yesterday I roasted the seeds with a little rapeseed oil and maple syrup.
Quite delicious, but most were reserved to see whether badger liked them. Not half!
Before badger came in to clear up, wood mouse took a fancy to them and filled its belly in situ rather than its normal behaviour of stashing food.

 

[Chief Broom]

Re- Rezillo's post [i forgot to put the quote in]
Male sparrow hawks have grey backs the female has brown, Females are bigger

 

[Rezillo]

Re- Rezillo's post [i forgot to put the quote in]
Male sparrow hawks have grey backs the female has brown, Females are bigger
View attachment 620991

Thanks, so this one is a male? The head is brown, though. [edit] Female - its back seems to be more brown than grey

 

[Chief Broom]

Thanks, so this one is a male? The head is brown, though. [edit] Female - its back seems to be more brown than grey

View attachment 621101

Could be a young male which is still a bit brown. Im no expert though! and wouldnt be surprised if some individuals are greyish brown or brownish grey. Can generally tell though when one flashes by its mostly grey or mostly brown.

 

[biggs682]

At least one of visiting hogs is still out and about