Chit Chat
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Beautiful spring like day today in my neck of the woods.Its been a long dreary Winter.
So - New thread - ( hope you like it annie ?)
Lets share our observations of all the flora and fauna this diverse country of ours has to offer.
So - New thread - ( hope you like it annie ?)
Lets share our observations of all the flora and fauna this diverse country of ours has to offer.
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facking gorgeous day today
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I love it, facts
 I had a walk in the local park a few days ago and I saw an exotic pair of geese with their three new babies. These geese were brought into the country years ago. I did know their names last year, but I have forgotten. |
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keith, ian & andy?
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the bee geese ?
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 bito and david - great to laugh again on chit chat  |
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Not sure if this counts, but this morning there was a red sky & across the valley (I live in the country) the ground was all frozen & it was reflecting all of the red light making the grass appear red.
Sorry, I think this is one of those where you had to be there, but it did look amazing. |
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Bleedin' cold at Plumpton today and three horses killed.
Might be commonplace elsewhere but saw a Bullfinch for the first time in my garden yesterday,on a cherry tree. |
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was out for a run last week in morpeth, about 6am, rustling in the bushes as ran through park, low and behold, badger comes scuttling out, only second time ive ever seen live one . quite a big critter.
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There are badgers that come around my cottage. I live in a row of cottages and one night over the winter I was out putting the rubbish into the bin at the same time as someone else and a badger was stuck scared between the two of us. It decided to run my way and passed about 3 feet away from me growling.
I hadn't seen it until I heard the growling etc, nearly shat myself! |
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Yesterday at about midnight my dog started barking and growling at the patio doors, so i let him into the garden, i knew straight away what it was he had heard - Owls !
It sounded like two types, there was the high pitched screaming of a Barn Owl and the Twooo of a Tawny Owl. |
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That reminds me of another.
Out walking my dog at about 9:00pm & saw one of the Eagle Owls. There was no mistaking it. Monster of a bird, wing span about 6 foot wide. It flew off when it saw me, but every morning as I walked the dog when it was still dark it would make a screeching sound to warn me away. I used to feel somewhat alarmed I have to admit. Those things think nothing of snatching small dogs or cats etc. By the time it moved on the field that used to always have about 6 or 7 rabbits in it had none.  |
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eagle owls are lovely, i know theres a few around northumberland, have escaped and running amok in countryside.
was up northumbrian coast today, saw the biggest flock of geese ever( barnacle ? ), like a hitchcock scene, noisey birds. all landed and then shut up . |
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Another one that I saw whilst out with the dog was two foxes having what I assume to be a fight over territory/female foxes. It ended with one of the foxes running away very fast making a screaming noise.
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Egyptian Geese annie ?
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Thats the name, facts. Right as usual.
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several geese flew over me this morning
i'm not a tree either |
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Great, was just lookin for the old thread again and seen we got a new one!
i didn't know where everyone had gone, was on the point of setting up a watching for nature watch watchers thread, something like that, but everyone's flocking back and i've discovered some great new fatballs, they're made with peanuts and are going down a storm |
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Good news, as the duck that nested in our wall among box hedging has come back. In the last 2 weeks she has laid at least 17 eggs. Last year there were 9 ducklings I think. In the last day or so she has started sitting, so about a month from now we should have lots of little ducks!
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^ great stuff !
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Been feeding my new 'pet' blackbird grapes. He is getting very used to me now & let's me get quite close to him . He is roosting in the big conifer in my front garden. He arrives back just before dusk , hops up to a certain branch in a tree then from there through his 'front door' into the conifer. Hopefully he will get a mate & nest in there later.
Frogs only now appearing in my pond , not even started mating yet. Previous year frogspawn on Mar 5th , 1st , 7th , 23rd . Going to be the latest yet this year. |
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I noticed a Blackbird sitting under our garden bench one day last week, it was in a dreadful state, all rough looking and with puffed up eyes. I thought it must of had a lucky escape from a cat attack or something.
Anyway it didn't take long to see what the problem was as two other Blackbirds flew in and attacked it :-( It just about gathered up the strength to fly and just made it over my fence, quickly followed by the other two chasing it. I didn't see it again after that. |
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Wrong prediction , frogspawn spotted today , late record not broken.
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i've got a really nice little new bird that's flying in and out of the ivy that's climbed the garage block bordering my garden. consulting my little booklet, i think it's either a dunnock or a wren. a wren would be great because i've never seen one before. i do hope he's making a nest as i haven't had any nesting birds in my barren garden before either
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If its tiny and has a stubby upright tail - its a wren.Your description - suggests it is.Dunnocks are much more ground birds - and they are about the size of a sparrow. An ivy covered wall is ideal for a wren's nest.Let us know !
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I have a Wren nest in my ivy most years. It might be small and hard to see in your garden but it will make up for that with a very loud song
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Anyone short of Greenfinch this year ?
I have what looks like a lone Greenfinch so far, feeding at the seed tray on its own with no sight of any others anywhere. |
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Thanks guys, my further extensive research seems to confirm your thoughts that i do indeed have a nesting wren.
my little fella is tiny and also has quite a distinctive snout compared to a dunnock. However, according to the below, i'll have to await mrs wren's approval before i can confirm this and exchange contracts:"In spring, the male wren arrives and begins to establish his territory. You'll know he has arrived when you begin hearing him sing from his perches. As you watch, you'll notice he begins placing sticks into prospective nest holes. He may build as many as twelve different nesting sites. After pairing with a mate, the male takes the female to each of the nesting sites he has begun building. The female selects the one she likes and begins to rebuild by adding soft materials to the nest before laying eggs." |
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My Wren nests are the shape of an Easter egg with a small hole in the front
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ST
Are you sure its a Greenfinch. These usually feed in at least pairs. Could it be a Siskin ? |
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Definitely a Greenfinch Facts, its strong looking beak made me sure about that.
We have had a real decline in Greenfinch the past 2 years, we went from having literally dozens feeding at a time to none at all last year [:o] |
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Odd. Do you get many Goldfinches ?
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Just thinking back - I found two dead and one dying Greenfinch in my garden toward the end of last year. I had earlier read about a disease that is readily picked up by birds from feeders that have not been cleaned for some tme. Greenfinches were particularly prone apparently.Needless to say I disinfected all my feeders immediately.
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We didn't get any Goldfinch until the Greenfinch disappeared, now we have them everyday.
I should add that the Greenfinch was only feeding from the wild-bird seed that i have on a M² tray about 2M above ground level. At the time the niger feeders were fully occupied with Goldfinch as usual. Also, thinking back to when they disappeared i don't think i ever found a dead Greenfinch. |
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I'm aware of the virus problem with Greenfinches and when I first read of it began sterilising my feeders,though not as often as I should.Chaffinches and Greenfinches are the most numerous birds in my garden.From memory,I think I reported 9 Greenfinches in the 'Birdwatch',which is fairly typical,so I'd say that the disease problem hasn't taken hold here.
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And now i think about it, i haven't seen a single squirrel for a year or more either [:o]
Not that iam complaining about that one as they destroyed my feeders on a regular basis  |
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re; squirrels - wish I coud say the same.I have three of the buggers!!
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yep, definitely a wren. back and forth into his hole in the ivy. he stopped on a nearby fence post earlier to sing a little song
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Beautiful day. Went for a walk across fields and near to a river this morning. Ground was quite boggy. Suddenly a bird flew up and away with rapid wing beats and a zig ,zag flight.A bird I'd not sen for over 10 years - a Snipe.Also in trees near to a lake, about 15 cormorants were perched in the highest branches - building nests.
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They say that you learn something every day.Didn't know that Cormorants nested in trees.
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