Wild life near you

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  • Mrs Sparrow is definitely nestbuilding in our swift box. Now she just has to rear a brood before the swifts arrive in May - they are bolshie beggars, and will physically evict other nestlings!
  • ClimacusClimacus Shipmate
    Saw this little fellow on a walk this morning; thought I'd share [I have a very cheap phone, sorry].
  • Mrs Sparrow is definitely nestbuilding in our swift box. Now she just has to rear a brood before the swifts arrive in May - they are bolshie beggars, and will physically evict other nestlings!

    Mom was forever at war with the house sparrows (she called them "spikkies" after the Edward Lear poem) in the martin house. Poor Dad hoisting it up and down the pole six times a year.

    AFF
  • A Brush Turkey is wandering around our street. We don't want him messing up our garden.
  • Mrs Sparrow is definitely nestbuilding in our swift box. Now she just has to rear a brood before the swifts arrive in May - they are bolshie beggars, and will physically evict other nestlings!

    Mom was forever at war with the house sparrows (she called them "spikkies" after the Edward Lear poem) in the martin house. Poor Dad hoisting it up and down the pole six times a year.

    AFF

    I take the view that they are all welcome (I do also have a sparrow box on another wall - but as it faces South it may be too hot, even though I've painted it white), though I am aware that the swifts might kick not-yet-fledged sparrows out. But I haven't got eaves space for everyone!

  • I take the view that they are all welcome (I do also have a sparrow box on another wall - but as it faces South it may be too hot, even though I've painted it white), though I am aware that the swifts might kick not-yet-fledged sparrows out. But I haven't got eaves space for everyone!

    The house sparrows will "stake a claim" to a spot by leaving a few pieces of nest material in a location, and then take their prospective mates on a "location tour" before settling.

    Mom was on this like stink on poop - the moment she saw a "spikkie" going into the box with a piece of stuff, my Dad was hauling it down and ejecting the potential nest.

    I don't believe she ever ejected a family once it was established. There was the occasional year she lost the war though just because Dad was tired.

    AFF

  • ClimacusClimacus Shipmate
    In case any are interested in some Australian morning bird song -- with some marsupials.

    [I know a few Ukrainians who are fascinated by Australian flora and fauna so I try and capture things where I go and share it.]
  • jedijudyjedijudy Heaven Host
    @Climacus, I love the peaceful sound of the birds! Marsupials are an exciting plus! Our opossums are cute, but don't have the wow factor of yours!
  • ClimacusClimacus Shipmate
    We do have some very screechy ones that like to get up early. And the raucous kookaburra!

    I wonder if familiarity breeds acceptance? I remember when I first saw an opossum photo -- there was a wow factor. I was talking to a Ukrainian last night about our nature and she was "Wow!" I said, "'Wow!' back at you!" -- yours is so different, Europe, America's, etc.: there is an amazement of the unknown/different at least for me. But I get ours are quite strange comparatively.
  • ClimacusClimacus Shipmate
    [not sure if I've said this, but my priest, raised in a country town, is a city man through and through. I told him about a Catholic study group I went to and some travels I'd done the other day: "Happy you're having fellowship; your engagement with nature, however..." :smiley: ]
  • jedijudyjedijudy Heaven Host
    We have an abundance of iguanas here. They tend to stay in places near water and trees. The islands are favorites, as are quiet communities near the river and the multitude of canals. Except maybe for the two foot plus one today gazing at the traffic from the sidewalk beside a busy highway! :joy:

    It looked very healthy; bright green with magnificent spines.
  • Gee DGee D Shipmate
    Climacus wrote: »
    Our local wildlife comes with warnings 🐊

    Some hand-written.

    Any drop in the number of trespassers after you put that up?
  • PuzzledChristianPuzzledChristian Shipmate Posts: 34
    Reading in the Thames valley - last year first sighting/screech of the march of parakeets from London. Over the last 20 years red kites wheeling overhead common sight. Sad observation over the last few years is the huge decline of swifts skimming over the roof tops.
  • The RogueThe Rogue Shipmate
    The other day someone came to my workplace with a drone to take some film for our website. He sent it up in the air and I could see the images on his controller but when I looked up in the sky for the machine itself I saw a bird of prey hovering. Fortunately, just as I was thinking that this could end badly the bird went off in the opposite direction.
  • Heh. It HAS ended badly for a number of drone owners--I gather people are actually training eagles, falcons, etc. now to take them out.
  • I have been visiting my son in the Adelaide Hills and was surprised to see English Blackbirds in his garden. They have a distinctive way of hopping around.
  • So happy to have been visited by the wren family over the last couple of weeks. It was so funny watching my cats totally mesmerised by the tiny ones hopping about on the concrete close to the front door. I am not sure whether the wrens are coming looking for food, or for things to build a nest with, but I suspect it's the wrong time of the year for that.

    Anyway I expected the cats to jump off the bed and run to the window chirruping, but they sat on the bed as still as statues and just stared out the window. I've never seen them do that before. Normally it's the slinking to the window, but not this time!!
  • NicoleMRNicoleMR Shipmate
    Saw some very tame and unafraid of people squirrels today playing around. So cute! Sadly, not much wildlife here in NYC so ya' gotta' be grateful for what you have.
  • @Cheery Gardener
    Jealous of you having wrens. We have too many aggressive honeyeaters and little places smaller birds can take refuge in.
  • I have been visiting my son in the Adelaide Hills and was surprised to see English Blackbirds in his garden. They have a distinctive way of hopping around.

    When we first moved to Australia, we used a work colleague's house in the Dandenong Hills outside Melbourne. It was bad enough that I didn't see kangaroos hopping about on the Tullamarine en route from the airport, but when we found blackbirds in the garden, I thought "Have I really left UK?"
  • ClimacusClimacus Shipmate
    edited March 26
    Gee D wrote: »
    Climacus wrote: »
    Our local wildlife comes with warnings 🐊

    Some hand-written.

    Any drop in the number of trespassers after you put that up?

    Ha ha ha.

    3 warnings from a suggested short walk to break up the day.
  • We arrived at church on Sunday to find a huge, fat, hawk sitting on a car in the car park. It flew over to the entrance and looked down on us at very close quarters as we went in - never saw anything like that before. It's a presbyterian church shared with a Lutheran congregations:. It's well known that Lutherans have much better food than we do, so we reckoned the hawk had its eyes on them.
  • That did make me laugh @Stercus Tauri , hopefully on the scraps and nothing else!!

    I'm glad our wrens keep returning @Climacus, I heard a bird expert on ABC saying that places that provide hiding spots are essential to them. We have a jasmine on one side fence and a wisteria on another one, I'm not sure whether those encourage them or not, but they are quite bold, which I love!!

    Today at my place it's grey, but warm. I'm keen for rain to arrive this weekend, but be gone on Sunday as Cheery son is hoping to attend a birthday party outdoors. He doesn't have an amazing social life, so I'd love this to work out for him!

    We've declared today a slow day, so having put some washing on, I'm looking forward to getting that hung out and just lazing around for a bit.
  • We arrived at church on Sunday to find a huge, fat, hawk sitting on a car in the car park. It flew over to the entrance and looked down on us at very close quarters as we went in - never saw anything like that before. It's a presbyterian church shared with a Lutheran congregations:. It's well known that Lutherans have much better food than we do, so we reckoned the hawk had its eyes on them.

    I can think of a few Lutherans worth eating...
  • We have been entertaining the European blackbird on our terrace all winter. I crush a couple of walnut halves and mix them with suet and put them out on a tin tray alongside a water bowl and bath tray.

    The bird roosts in the spiky palm-like tree in the next door garden that overhangs our terrace, and recently he found a mate and transferred to the bougainvillea going up the side of the building.

    Today Dad, Mom and a large fluffy-rumped baby showed up together at the snack bar and spa. I thought the snacks were disappearing faster than usual and now I know they were feeding a teenager.

    Little brown not-a-mus tries every now and then to cadge a bite but blackbird family has been very territorial. Soon I will stop with the feeding now the weather is better - as soon as teen bird flies the coop. Then I will just leave water out for the dry season.

    AFF
  • DafydDafyd Hell Host
    I have just downloaded a birdsong identification app. It identified more than ten species in what I would have otherwise heard as just general birdsong.
  • Dafyd wrote: »
    I have just downloaded a birdsong identification app. It identified more than ten species in what I would have otherwise heard as just general birdsong.

    😍

    AFF
  • JLBJLB Shipmate
    Just been for a walk round a local nature reserve for the first time since it re-opened after the Wildlife Trust had to fell lots of trees due to Ash Dieback. It has made a huge change and has created a different habitat, but no doubt it will soon be colonised by other things.
    Anyway I saw several peacock and brimstone butterflies, and wood sorrel and violets as well as the more common celandines and primroses. It was lovely to see more signs of spring.
  • NicoleMRNicoleMR Shipmate
    I didn't see it myself, but someone I follow on Facebook posted they saw a fox here in Queens!
  • LatchKeyKidLatchKeyKid Shipmate
    JLB wrote: »
    Just been for a walk round a local nature reserve for the first time since it re-opened after the Wildlife Trust had to fell lots of trees due to Ash Dieback. It has made a huge change and has created a different habitat, but no doubt it will soon be colonised by other things.
    Did they have to fell them because of the danger to the public?
    That's why the camphor laurels we kill on public land in Landcare have to be felled.
    I work on Crown land not open to the public and leave them to deteriorate naturally. This way they provide food for insects and perches for birds etc, and after a few years and orange fungus grows on them. However, on windy days I don't enter the area as large limbs can fall.
  • JLBJLB Shipmate
    Yes, danger of trees or branches falling.
    Now huge log piles left as homes for various creatures.
  • The_RivThe_Riv Shipmate
    I was unaware that a small bird had built a nest in the wreath that hangs on our front door. As I opened it on Sunday afternoon, a hatchling fell to the doormat below. I felt horrible. It was so young it had no feathers -- barely even fuzz -- just a few light gray wisps that reminded me of a dandelion pappus. It continued to wiggle, and I was able to return it to the nest where I hope it continues to grow. The mother bird is so small and fast I can't tell what species it is.
  • LatchKeyKidLatchKeyKid Shipmate
    Three Blue Faced Honeyeaters in the garden this morning.
  • NicoleMRNicoleMR Shipmate
    Saw the first (American) robin of spring today!
  • LatchKeyKidLatchKeyKid Shipmate
    NicoleMR wrote: »
    Saw the first (American) robin of spring today!

    I think I saw them when we visited friends in Pennsylvania.
  • LatchKeyKidLatchKeyKid Shipmate
    While playing tennis this afternoon I saw two topknot pigeons on a power line. They were both displaying fantails. Two males, I suppose. No female in sight, so I suppose this was just sparring practice.
  • That reminds me that turtle doves in Europe have been increasing, as there was a hunting ban. For some reason, thousands of hunters shoot them on their migration. I don't know whether we will see more here, we used to hear them in the garden purring away.
  • jedijudyjedijudy Heaven Host
    A red-bellied woodpecker has been drumming on my backyard metal shed. I figure it's his/her way to let all the other birds around know that he/she is present.

    Also, there are a lot more Swallow-tailed kites in the area. I've seen several in places I hadn't seen them before. They are beautiful birds!
  • la vie en rougela vie en rouge Purgatory Host, Circus Host
    This afternoon's hike featured pretty butterflies. :smiley:

    I have no idea of the names. A white one with orange wingtips and a yellow one. We also spotted a frog in a puddle.
  • Yes, i can hear the woodpeckers drumming away on metal things around my house in the early morning. You’d think it would hurt!
  • DafydDafyd Hell Host
    This afternoon's hike featured pretty butterflies.

    I have no idea of the names. A white one with orange wingtips and a yellow one.
    If they're the same species as in the UK they'd be an orange tip and a brimstone.
  • SandemaniacSandemaniac Shipmate
    I took down the owl box today that my idiot brother put up in *completely* the wrong place, and will probably now get psittacosis from emptying out an entire wheelbarrow full of jackdaw nests.

    Hopefully tomorrow I will get
    the thing up in an oak tree in the hedge where it should have been in the first place... and hopefully before said idiot brother spots it's absence!
  • MrsBeakyMrsBeaky Shipmate
    Dafyd wrote: »
    This afternoon's hike featured pretty butterflies.

    I have no idea of the names. A white one with orange wingtips and a yellow one.
    If they're the same species as in the UK they'd be an orange tip and a brimstone.

    We had both of those in our garden today too 😀
  • The robins are back in force here. That is, the North American version, much bigger than the little British ones. They are very friendly, building nests close to the house, and quite sociable while we are working outside. The only difficulty we've had with them was building their nest over the garage door light, as that was a terrible place for them to launch their fledglings when the time for flight test operations arrived. I solved that a few years ago by suspending a CD over the light fitting before nesting started: they decided it was much too annoying and moved to a nearby tree. Our garden is a good place for friendly wild life (except for my sworn enemies, the beavers).
  • Good idea! I'll keep it in mind.
  • @Stercus Tauri I have a wee bird of some kind who thinks it is wise each year to build her nest in my front porch light. I have several birdhouses in the back patio, but not to her preference, it seems. A CD it is.Thanks.
  • DardaDarda Shipmate
    We've just returned from the Isle of Mull and our trailcam got some great night time video of red deer jumping the fence into the garden of the cottage where we were staying.
  • ArethosemyfeetArethosemyfeet Shipmate, Heaven Host
    Darda wrote: »
    We've just returned from the Isle of Mull and our trailcam got some great night time video of red deer jumping the fence into the garden of the cottage where we were staying.

    Sheep and cattle treat fences as polite suggestions. Deer treat them as an invitation.
  • LatchKeyKidLatchKeyKid Shipmate
    Beautiful King Parrot in an orange tree as we were having breakfast. I expect he be back when the Custard Apples ripen.
  • That sounds lovely @LatchKeyKid. I've noticed of an early morning that the little wrens bob in and out around my pots near the front door. Later in the day they seem to move into the trees all about the neighbourhood.

    There has been a bit of activity in the wetland near me, in that some construction has been going on, which is related to frogs and a particular health problem they may develop and is a project in association with one of the local universities. Even though people walk nearby all the time, I've noticed lots of people stopping to have a look at the sign and check out what is happening. I'm glad people are so interested and want to know what's happening.
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