Home Page
   Articles
       links
About Us    
Traders        
Recipes            
Latest Articles
Wildlife
Page Previous  1, 2, 3 ... 86, 87, 88 ... 188, 189, 190  Next
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Downsizer Forum Index -> Conservation and Environment
Author 
 Message
dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45384
Location: yes
PostPosted: Sun Jan 03, 21 5:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

i just had another thought, the "bits" a critter sheds can be diagnostic, be that ginger fur on the prongs of the wire or the shape of the dinner leftovers

tracking is a huge subject of which i only know a fraction, it is a bit like fossil hunting in that there are techniques and id info to learn but "getting your eye in" is a big factor if trying to follow and make sense of a trail

using all your senses helps, i find foxy stuff by scent as much as by eye, hearing birds is useful with humans that do know to mask their scent, in a building changes of airflow can be informative, etc

what is it, where is it? in real time or as history is a fun game

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15542

PostPosted: Mon Jan 04, 21 8:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I think you tend to learn the most likely animals in an area fairly fast, and also where to look for the traces. As you say Dpack, hair on barbed wire or knowing the muddy bits of a track. Use it as often for vehicles and people as animals to see if anyone has been to certain places in the wood.

I was doing some more work clearing the path in the garden yesterday, and the robin came to inspect. I was clearing a mixture of ivy, moss, leaves and soil, so it had good pickings. At one point, I emptied a shovel full of stuff into one end of the wheelbarrow and it was still sitting at the other end. Seemed to accept me as part of the furniture or a good employee for finding bugs to eat.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45384
Location: yes
PostPosted: Thu Feb 11, 21 7:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

grin is up early, 7.15 ish, the locals missed that pass, panic far to late is no response

5 mins on they are still puzzled as to what happened

they were just getting up in just before sunrise light and grin went for low level/high speed strafing run

it used the alleyway as a line, flew under the phone wires but a little above wall ht at about 60 to 70 mph

dead straight, dead level, looking side to side as it went

i only had a second or so to see that but there was a lot going on

a couple of the locals were shouting avian attack but by then it had gone which confused the others

they seemed to decide it was a false alarm rather too quickly

that was awesome flying, perhaps gliding would be a better term as it was not flapping but it was wings open and active
i recon it had to stay in a "tube" about 6ft diameter with a start low and a 30 degree climb after about 50 yards to then swerve or climb

through the railway tunnel, under the pylons and over mountain might be an aircraft version

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15542

PostPosted: Thu Feb 11, 21 4:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

They are amazing flyers. I always like to watch kestrels too, as they can keep their heads perfectly still and move their body in the hover. Buzzards are better at gliding than you would expect; we often see them gliding between the tree trunks in the wood.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15542

PostPosted: Mon Feb 15, 21 8:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

On Saturday we went out for a walk along the roads and saw a bird of prey on a telegraph pole. Rather tricky to see what it was exactly as it was against the sky, but could have been the peregrine. As husband found a dead pigeon outside on the road yesterday that looked like predator kill, it could well have taken up residence with us again. If it misses, we may well get some contributions towards the pot from it.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45384
Location: yes
PostPosted: Mon Feb 15, 21 8:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

grin is not a tidy diner but is tidier than some

about a 6 foot diameter circle for a pigeon 4 ft for a sparrow

dinner is held to the floor, plucking starts on the breast,eat that, start to pluck more while turning side to side spitting feathers, but dinner is still in the same position, eat more, pluck more, use talons to rip if needs be, eat rest bar the beak, chuck beak into feather ring, clean plate.

a completed meal is a circle of feathers with a beak and maybe a few sarcostains in the middle

wind etc can make a circle not a circle but on a big enough tablecloth they seem to make circles

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15542

PostPosted: Tue Feb 16, 21 9:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Saw a really large deer in the wood yesterday. Think it was a roe, but a large buck probably. Also more signs of bird life as it is a bit warmer. The 'yard robin' came begging for crumbs. It seems to have got quite tame and developed a taste for my home made biscuit crumbs.

Went for a walk and found the bluebell leaves are coming up nicely and found a primrose in flower. No sign of early purple orchid leaves yet though.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15542

PostPosted: Tue Feb 23, 21 8:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

We were cutting birch again yesterday; last week for it as a few trees are starting to break bud. There was a woodpecker drumming virtually all day, but for some reason it sounded rather high pitched. Later, another started, but at lower pitch and the first one stopped. I assumed that the sound was to do with the tree, but does anyone know whether the pitch is to do with the bird? Or when one got a reply, did they get together?

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45384
Location: yes
PostPosted: Tue Feb 23, 21 9:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

as a percussionist i would vote tree variables rather than bird ones

a few inches on the same tree can be a very different sound
every tree is different

Slim



Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6533
Location: New England (In the US of A)
PostPosted: Tue Feb 23, 21 10:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

There was a woodpecker at the college I went to that favored a metal lamppost for advertising its territorial claims..... Quite an effective nose maker. Apparently they seek out different trees depending upon whether they're looking for food, or looking to advertise something to each other

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15542

PostPosted: Wed Feb 24, 21 8:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I know our woodpeckers sound completely different when feeding. For calling, they make drumming noises, but when feeding they are making individual tapping noises as they tap the tree for insect galleries under the bark. Yes, Slim, I would think they would need fairly sound wood for drumming and rotting or insect damaged wood would be best for feeding.

gz



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8579
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
PostPosted: Sun Feb 28, 21 9:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    


Any ideas? Sorting our pallet stack today and we found this

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15542

PostPosted: Fri Mar 05, 21 7:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Sorry, can't help you there as I am afraid I don't know much about moths.

We spent Wednesday night in the woods as we were going to light the charcoal kiln early, and heard a variety of bird life. The owls were noisy at dusk and early morning, but silent during the night, so presumably hunting. Heard a woodpecker, pigeons and a thrush and I think a pheasant being very noisy at dusk yesterday. Managed a walk in the woods on Wednesday ( and got a bit wet) and found a couple of lovely clumps of primroses, lots of bluebell leaves, but no other flowers yet. Think I may also have found a new badger sett, but not sure if it is a full sett, or just an outlier that some of them go to in the spring. There was also a red kite soaring just above the trees, but by the time I got my phone sorted out it had disappeared.

gz



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8579
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
PostPosted: Fri Mar 05, 21 10:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I have been told elsewhere that it is a Herald Moth, the bright colours being fresh from hibernating. I haven't found my book to check yet

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15542

PostPosted: Sat Mar 06, 21 8:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Looking at other pictures of the Herald moth, it could be. Hard to be sure, but you have seen it. There are some good pictures if you search on line.

Post new topic   Reply to topic    Downsizer Forum Index -> Conservation and Environment All times are GMT
Page Previous  1, 2, 3 ... 86, 87, 88 ... 188, 189, 190  Next
Page 87 of 190
View Latest Posts View Latest Posts

 

Archive
Powered by php-BB © 2001, 2005 php-BB Group
Style by marsjupiter.com, released under GNU (GNU/GPL) license.
Copyright © 2004 marsjupiter.com