Author Topic: Local Wildlife  (Read 527523 times)

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Offline Hugo

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Re: Local Wildlife
« Reply #1515 on: June 29, 2019, 01:50:03 pm »
Very friendly Donkeys in Wyddfyd Road yesterday

Online SteveH

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Re: Local Wildlife
« Reply #1516 on: June 29, 2019, 03:29:34 pm »
Nice photos, Hugo, and I think you have some Mules in there as well.


Offline snowcap

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Re: Local Wildlife
« Reply #1517 on: June 29, 2019, 10:13:11 pm »
there was two fox's and two cubs running around in the top of that field last saturday evening, the donkys are nice untill they start calling to each other at four o-clock in the morning

Offline Hugo

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Re: Local Wildlife
« Reply #1518 on: June 29, 2019, 10:30:33 pm »
That must have been a lovely sight seeing all those Foxes but the Donkeys at 4.00 am,  I'm not sure I'd like that either.

Offline Nemesis

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Re: Local Wildlife
« Reply #1519 on: June 30, 2019, 01:28:55 pm »
Amazing how loud they sound, especially if the wind is in a certain direction. The gulls can start screaming at 3am, suddenly they stop and you think  ''Ahh..sleep''. 10 minutes later they are off again !
Mad, Bad and Dangerous to know.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Local Wildlife
« Reply #1520 on: July 05, 2019, 04:22:23 pm »
We saw these chicks on a building in the Powder works in Penrhyndeudraeth and then moved on to Pont Croesor where we saw the Ospreys.    Only through binoculars unfortunately but the 3rd photo was taken of the web cam just above the  nest
What a lovely location for the RSPB  site

Online SteveH

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Re: Local Wildlife
« Reply #1521 on: July 11, 2019, 10:24:34 am »
With all this nice weather, I have spent a lot of time in the garden recently, enough time for the local Blackbirds to trust me, there are six of varying ages, feeding and drinking in our shaded ( Under a shrub) "Food Court" , a small water bowl with some pebbles in it, is bringing a lot of visitors, ............I wondered if anyone has seen this behaviour before ?  Yesterday the youngest Blackbird, which has taken up residence in a nearby bush, surprised me, by suddenly falling flat on the ground, spreading it's wings and tail feathers, and lying still, after a few minutes, it got up and carried on as normal, about ten minutes later it repeated the same thing......... a quick search on the RSPB site reveals.................

"A male blackbird sits on my flower bed, spreading its wings and fanning its tail in the sun. Is it sick?"

"No, the blackbird is not sick, but you have observed some very interesting behaviour, known as sunning. This usually involves the bird adopting an unusual posture and deliberately positioning itself in sunlight. It may spread or raise its wings, fan its tail feathers, sit down, fluff the feathers on the head and back, and hold the head to one side, looking directly into the sun with one eye. In this country, sunning has been observed in blackbirds more often than any other species (Simmons, K.E.L. The Sunning Behaviour of Birds, Bristol Ornithologists Club, 1986"

No-one knows for certain the reasons birds do this and several theories have been proposed. However, sunning would appear to perform two separate functions: maintaining the bird's feathers in good condition, and helping to regulate it's temperature. There is even a suggestion that they do it simply because they enjoy it!

Precisely how sunning assists with the maintenance of feathers is not known, despite being widely studied. All birds have a gland on the rump, called an oil gland. The 'preen-oil' that this gland produces helps to keep the feathers flexible and hygienic. It has been suggested that the sun affects the preen-oil in the feathers in some beneficial manner, or that it helps to synthesize the Vitamin D from the preen-oil. This preen-oil also aids with waterproofing the birds' feathers. Additionally, the heat from the sun may stimulate activity in parasites within the feathers, making them more accessible when the bird starts to preen. Preening usually occurs directly after sunning.
Cont......  https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/ask-an-expert/previous/sunning.aspx

Another article..... https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/aug/16/country-diary-blackbird-entranced-by-the-sun-crook-durham

Offline Hugo

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Re: Local Wildlife
« Reply #1522 on: July 11, 2019, 10:43:56 am »
We have a pair of Blackbirds nesting somewhere in the garden but I haven't noticed that behaviour so I'll pay more attention in future
What I have noticed though is when the Blackbirds go in the birdbath,  it's quite hilarious really, they flap their wings and the water goes everywhere and I often have to refill the birdbath after they have been there.
Their bird song is a delight to listen to as well.

Offline Ian

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Re: Local Wildlife
« Reply #1523 on: July 11, 2019, 10:58:26 am »
The blackbirds we have are also fearless.  They hop out and watch us gardening, from only a couple of feet. We're used to that from Robins, but not usually from blackbirds.

Yesterday I heard what sounded like a very strong wind, followed by a thump against our patio doors. I looked out to see a Sparrow Hawk disembowelling a wood pigeon. I've seen this particular Sparrow hawk catching smaller birds - we seem to be in its territory - but never anything as large as a wood pigeon.  Quite a sight.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline Fester

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Re: Local Wildlife
« Reply #1524 on: July 11, 2019, 09:12:48 pm »
What a mess the Sparrowhawks leave when they do this Ian!

This week, a neighbour’s cat has attacked three different types of birds in our garden.
Tonight, I had to interrupt a life or death scrap between the cat and a large jackdaw.
The jackdaw is unlikely to survive as it has one wing now trailing on the ground.

Anyone got any good advice about how to deter cats from entering your garden?
Fester...
- Semper in Excretum, Sole Profundum Variat -

Offline snowcap

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Re: Local Wildlife
« Reply #1525 on: July 11, 2019, 11:28:59 pm »
i believe orange peel is a way of keeping them out as they do'nt like the smell may be worth a try

Offline Ian

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Re: Local Wildlife
« Reply #1526 on: July 12, 2019, 08:30:53 am »
If they're not feral cats, F, I'd approach the neighbour who owns it and ask that they be fitted with a neck bell.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Online SteveH

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Re: Local Wildlife
« Reply #1527 on: July 12, 2019, 10:06:46 am »
I have had a bit of success with pepper, in deterring cats from using our garden as a toilet. we spread it around, especially where we thought the cat was coming in. but this would need replacing after it rained.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Local Wildlife
« Reply #1528 on: July 12, 2019, 11:22:04 am »
It may be just nature with the Sparrowhawks but it is still upsetting to see it happening, especially in your own garden.   We've had to take a number of Pigeons to the vets over the years that have been the victims of Hawks and it's not nice to see
Cat's on the other hand are different, they are cruel and don't hunt for food and just tease or torment their prey before killing them.    We are lucky because we have a dog so the cats don't come here during the day but at night the security lights come on often triggered by cats.
There are a number of things on the internet that may help like Steve and Snowcap have said so it's worth a look there. 

Online SteveH

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Re: Local Wildlife
« Reply #1529 on: July 13, 2019, 12:59:20 pm »
Following on from the Blackbird post's above, I wanted to check on, what we could feed them, and I found out more importantly what they should not eat, a few I was unaware of...........

Foods to avoid     ref  Woodland Trust
Certain foods should always be avoided when feeding birds, as they may have a damaging impact on their health:
Seed mixtures containing split peas, beans or lentils. Small birds cannot eat dry foodstuffs like these.
Leftover fat from cooking
Polyunsaturated margarine's or vegetable oils. Soft fats can destroy the waterproofing and insulating properties of feathers.
Dry biscuits as birds may choke on the hard lumps.
Milk. A bird's gut is not designed to digest milk and can cause stomach upsets.
Desiccated coconut. This can swell up in a bird’s stomach.
Moldy food. Some molds can cause respiratory infections.
Stale food. This can provide a breeding ground for salmonella bacteria, which can cause food poisoning.


I would like to recommend the Woodland Trust, a very interesting and informative site for those interested in the outdoors, lot's of link's, don't miss their Blog.

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/about-us/

Blog   https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/

Top ten Coastal woods... Including   Marl Hall Woods, Llandudno, Clywd, North Wales    http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2019/06/top-10-coastal-woods/