WHAT'S BUZZING OR FLYING NEAR YOU 2020

Discussion in 'Wildlife Corner' started by strongylodon, Jan 5, 2020.

  1. Sheal

    Sheal Total Gardener

    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2011
    Messages:
    35,546
    Gender:
    Female
    Location:
    Beauly, Inverness-shire. Zone 9a
    Ratings:
    +52,317
    I hadn't thought about them being Scandinavian @strongylodon.

    I eat my words! The first geese flew over this morning, about twenty of them and I would say about a month earlier than normal. Are we in for a long winter? :doh:
     
    • Like Like x 3
    • strongylodon

      strongylodon Old Member

      Joined:
      Feb 12, 2006
      Messages:
      14,755
      Gender:
      Male
      Occupation:
      Retired
      Location:
      Wareham, Dorset
      Ratings:
      +28,243
      @Sheal Many summer visitors here also breed in Scandinavia, Flycatchers, Warblers, Swifts, Swallows, Martins, Wheatears, Pipits, Redstarts and Whinchats (to name a few!:biggrin:) some up as far as Finland and fly through the UK on passage Spring and Autumn (Autumn migration starts now as shown by the Martins).
      If flying from Central Africa to here is a feat for such small birds imagine some doing the extra 1000's of miles from S Africa to the top of Norway and back eg Swifts!!:smile:
       
      • Like Like x 2
      • Informative Informative x 2
      • hydrogardener

        hydrogardener Total Gardener

        Joined:
        May 10, 2013
        Messages:
        1,005
        Gender:
        Male
        Occupation:
        Retired
        Location:
        Brunswick, New York, USA
        Ratings:
        +4,731
        American Red Squirrel. We don't see too many of these anymore because they can't compete with the Grey Squirrels.
        Red Squirrel GC.jpg
         
        • Like Like x 6
        • Agree Agree x 1
        • Informative Informative x 1
        • Sheal

          Sheal Total Gardener

          Joined:
          Feb 2, 2011
          Messages:
          35,546
          Gender:
          Female
          Location:
          Beauly, Inverness-shire. Zone 9a
          Ratings:
          +52,317
          Hydrogardener, not a problem seeing your cute squirrel here :) but you may not have realised that we have a thread for non winged wildlife....

          Land/Water Wildlife
           
          • Agree Agree x 1
          • hydrogardener

            hydrogardener Total Gardener

            Joined:
            May 10, 2013
            Messages:
            1,005
            Gender:
            Male
            Occupation:
            Retired
            Location:
            Brunswick, New York, USA
            Ratings:
            +4,731
            Thanks, Sheal. So noted and going forward that is where I will post furry critters.
             
            • Friendly Friendly x 3
            • Like Like x 1
            • Sheal

              Sheal Total Gardener

              Joined:
              Feb 2, 2011
              Messages:
              35,546
              Gender:
              Female
              Location:
              Beauly, Inverness-shire. Zone 9a
              Ratings:
              +52,317
              The evidence....

              IMG_5660.JPG

              the damage.....

              IMG_5662.JPG

              Oh no! The woodpeckers have discovered Oswald the owl!

              IMG_5664.JPG

              I think his days are numbered anyway. :sad: There's a split down his back and the wood is rotten.
               
              • Friendly Friendly x 4
              • Informative Informative x 1
              • strongylodon

                strongylodon Old Member

                Joined:
                Feb 12, 2006
                Messages:
                14,755
                Gender:
                Male
                Occupation:
                Retired
                Location:
                Wareham, Dorset
                Ratings:
                +28,243
                @hydrogardener Same here, the loss of our Reds is due to the introducton of US Eastern Greys 150 years ago.
                 
                • Agree Agree x 2
                • Friendly Friendly x 1
                • CanadianLori

                  CanadianLori Total Gardener

                  Joined:
                  Sep 20, 2015
                  Messages:
                  9,687
                  Occupation:
                  Battle Axe
                  Location:
                  Oakville, Ontario, Canada Zone 5A
                  Ratings:
                  +30,478
                  That is way too weird. We have the opposite problem. The red squirrels from your part who hitched a ride here are bullies and drive out our grey and black squirrels. They even broke into my house and I had to catch them all before sealing things up again.

                  Our black squirrels have to be the stupidist of the class. They are highly representative of road kill sightings!

                  My granddaughter is a better photographer than I and will try to capture pictures of the Monarch butterflies visiting my garden. Hopefully I'll be able to share tnem soon. :)
                   
                  • Like Like x 4
                  • Informative Informative x 2
                  • hydrogardener

                    hydrogardener Total Gardener

                    Joined:
                    May 10, 2013
                    Messages:
                    1,005
                    Gender:
                    Male
                    Occupation:
                    Retired
                    Location:
                    Brunswick, New York, USA
                    Ratings:
                    +4,731
                    We do not have the black squirrels yet, but I understand they are getting closer. The squirrel in the photo is the first red squirrel I have seen in a long time, the greys are out of control. I hope with the coyotes moving in they bring them under control as they are destructive, like tearing the screen on our screen house.
                     
                    • Informative Informative x 3
                    • Like Like x 1
                    • Friendly Friendly x 1
                    • Logan

                      Logan Total Gardener

                      Joined:
                      May 27, 2017
                      Messages:
                      14,723
                      Gender:
                      Female
                      Occupation:
                      housewife
                      Location:
                      redditch Worcester
                      Ratings:
                      +43,804
                      Tortoiseshell butterfly
                      20200812_080010.jpg 20200812_080138.jpg 20200812_080140.jpg 20200812_080327.jpg 20200812_080342.jpg
                       
                      • Like Like x 9
                      • shiney

                        shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

                        Joined:
                        Jul 3, 2006
                        Messages:
                        61,004
                        Gender:
                        Male
                        Occupation:
                        Retired - Last Century!!!
                        Location:
                        Herts/Essex border. Zone 8b
                        Ratings:
                        +117,313
                        We had a few spots of rain this morning, for two minutes after weeks of drought. For some reason it seemed to bring the birds out in swarms. Mainly sparrows, tits, greenfinches (dozens of them) and some robins and other small birds. No large ones at all.

                        Not very clear pictures but they were flying around the feeder and backwards and forwards (actually, it was always forwards :heehee:) to the willow and the feeder. At one time we reckoned there must have been at least 60 birds hanging on to the willow.

                        P1490476.JPG

                        P1490478.JPG
                         
                        • Like Like x 5
                        • strongylodon

                          strongylodon Old Member

                          Joined:
                          Feb 12, 2006
                          Messages:
                          14,755
                          Gender:
                          Male
                          Occupation:
                          Retired
                          Location:
                          Wareham, Dorset
                          Ratings:
                          +28,243
                          Envious of you having so many Greenfinches @shiney only one for us this year and it only visited twice.

                          Portland Bill, despite the hundreds of people there, Wheatears were in good numbers having just arrived from further North.
                          wheat.JPG
                           
                          • Like Like x 6
                          • Sheal

                            Sheal Total Gardener

                            Joined:
                            Feb 2, 2011
                            Messages:
                            35,546
                            Gender:
                            Female
                            Location:
                            Beauly, Inverness-shire. Zone 9a
                            Ratings:
                            +52,317
                            House Martins gather around my garden at this time of year before migrating. There were about twenty here today and were revisiting and old nesting site in one of my gables.

                            IMG_5666.JPG

                            IMG_5668.JPG

                            IMG_5672.JPG

                            IMG_5675.JPG
                             
                            • Like Like x 7
                            • shiney

                              shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

                              Joined:
                              Jul 3, 2006
                              Messages:
                              61,004
                              Gender:
                              Male
                              Occupation:
                              Retired - Last Century!!!
                              Location:
                              Herts/Essex border. Zone 8b
                              Ratings:
                              +117,313
                              We used to have well over a hundred of them for decades. They used to flit backwards and forwards to the willow and sit there making quite a racket. About three years ago they seemed to disappear. Last year some came back and this year there are dozens of them. They're the most numerous of the birds in our garden but I've never seen them nesting. Each year I know all the robin nests (four this year), three woodpecker nests, at least a dozen blackbird nests, two wren, five blue tits (one in the bat box :rolleyespink:) and three pheasant.

                              Never seen any pigeon, dove, crow, bullfinch or greenfinch nests despite lots of them in the garden.

                              About 40 years ago we had hundreds of sparrows nesting in the laurels but they disappeared years ago. Some are back this year.
                               
                              • Like Like x 3
                              • Informative Informative x 3
                              • strongylodon

                                strongylodon Old Member

                                Joined:
                                Feb 12, 2006
                                Messages:
                                14,755
                                Gender:
                                Male
                                Occupation:
                                Retired
                                Location:
                                Wareham, Dorset
                                Ratings:
                                +28,243
                                I presume they haven't nested there this year then @Sheal
                                 
                                • Friendly Friendly x 1
                                Loading...

                                Share This Page

                                1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
                                  By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
                                  Dismiss Notice