Your day's wildlife

[gbb]

A first for me, Marsh Tit, never knowingly seen them before...

And a Nuthatch

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

Today's ride a Greater Spotted Woodpecker - not a rare species but not seen one around for ages. Also a Buzzard close-up flying along road beside hedgerow a few metres in front of me.

 

[gbb]

That reminds me, a distant shot of...a Greater Spotted Woodpecker today,,,

 

[SteveH80]

Woodie is a regular visitor round here.
First we had Woodie, then Mrs Woodie starting visiting and finally they brought along Woodlette the Younger... we had raised our first woodpecker 🤣

 

[tarric]

Not the greatest photo, poor light, under the trees ...but a first for me, Goldcrest, two of them working their way through the canopy..
View attachment 821837
Tiny tiny things...
Another hornet...
View attachment 821838

Goldcrests and Firecrests are nice birds but along with wrens they just never seem to stand still for a second, making photographing them tricky.

I heard it suggested that Pheasants were selected by the Aristocracy as game after a long search to find a bird with less intelligence than themselves, and even then it was a close call.

At least they aren't allowed to slaughter the kites, buzzards and other wildlife to "protect" the Pheasants any more.

I'm not sure which are the stupidest pheasants, pigeons or certain sections of the aristocracy.
You think, I used to live closed to a Hen Harrier conservation and research area, I got to know the team quite well. Each year a number of the harrier chicks were satellite tagged and each year a number of them disappeared, the majority of them over grouse moors, the bodies nor the tags were never found.

https://endbirdshooting.substack.com/p/tarras-valley-hen-harriers-and-the

If you scroll down to the photos of the harrier and barn owl chicks and read from the Shooting indusry, It's quite a long read but gives you an idea of the problem.

 

[rockyroller]

at our family's house in NY, disappointed not to see raccoon, skunk or rabbit. but did catch a new cat in the neighborhood. the night watch that lives across the street has competition. was funny browsing images of the two of them thru the night, never seeminging to actually meet

this is the one that has been coming by regularly the past 4 years. it has a reflective item on it's collar. in daylight it is orange

this is the new kid in town

haven't seen it in daylight yet. guessing it might be grey & white

 

[gbb]

As i arrived at my local parkland today, someone asked me 'what are you hoping for today ?'
And my reply was 'its too often the way if you go in with high expectations, you're invariably let down...just see what the day brings'

and it gave plenty
Distant Fieldfare...

Fairly distant Kestrel perched, then in flight..

Almost resident Stonechat, saw three today...

And two Jays close together, couldnt get the other, often obscured

Also saw, Green Woodpecker, 6x Little Egrets, several Heron, a tiny Goldcrest, Roe Deer, several Teal, hundreds of Tufted Duck, several Little Grebe, many GC Grebe, etc etc

 

[SteveH80]

On today's ride I stopped for a chat with my friends The Goats again.
From the next field there was a huge hullabaloo, one young goat had got its head stock in the fence. I did the decent thing and freed it before riding on.
It was only later I wondered if it had been put the intentionally for, err, recreational purposes - it can get lonely out in the sticks....