Visitors

[mercalia]

Grey squirrels are lovely little things: they just shouldn't be here.

I understand that eighteen Pine Marten are being reintroduced to the Forest of Dean.

Why did the pine martens die out? Possibly they were thought to be a pest and killed off. The same for the red squirrels? I find the idea that certain animals don't belong here strange

[Pastychomper]

Funny thing I learnt about grey squirrels was from a guy online from either side of the Canadian US border. Apparently he didn't know about uk grey squirrel problem. Where he's from the big issue is the grey's being out competed by foreign reds. The reds were bigger and better able to compete for resources so there was a legal take all you can, all year round for reds.

Obviously not our red squirrel species but it did confuse him awhile.

I've seen references by North Americans to the threat posed by reds, didn't realise they were talking about squirrels.

[kwackers]

Robins are around in the garden Waiting for food then getting chased off by blackbirds.

Robins are my favourite, my garden is full of them.
I love their curiosity, the way they'll follow you around whilst in the garden often hopping around ones feet.
And I love their song, I've one that hangs around the compost bins when I'm there that if you talk to it will start singing back.

It's easy to see why people like them so much.

Blackbirds are pretty good too, a bit more timid but will hang around.
Tits and finches are merely ornamental.
Starlings are basically boisterous teens.
And I do like magpies, fantastic looking birds and their privileged strutting is great.
I've a few wrens too although they take a lot of watching to see. So quick and so tiny.

[Oldjohnw]

Grey squirrels are lovely little things: they just shouldn't be here.

I understand that eighteen Pine Marten are being reintroduced to the Forest of Dean.

Why did the pine martens die out? Possibly they were thought to be a pest and killed off. The same for the red squirrels? I find the idea that certain animals don't belong here strange

So far as I recall with pine martens it was late 19thC persecution: loss of habitat, the fur trade and assumptions about how damaging they were to game. The Red Squirrels have been driven out by competition from Grey's and squirrel pox, spread by Grey's but to which the Grey's are immune.

[mercalia]

Grey squirrels are lovely little things: they just shouldn't be here.

I understand that eighteen Pine Marten are being reintroduced to the Forest of Dean.

Why did the pine martens die out? Possibly they were thought to be a pest and killed off. The same for the red squirrels? I find the idea that certain animals don't belong here strange

So far as I recall with pine martens it was late 19thC persecution: loss of habitat, the fur trade and assumptions about how damaging they were to game. The Red Squirrels have been driven out by competition from Grey's and squirrel pox, spread by Grey's but to which the Grey's are immune.

I seem to remember reading game keepers didn't like the reds for the reason now the greys, so killed them. Presumably a squirrel is a squirrel reds can be as destructive as greys if there are enough of them? Seems like greys are increasingly turning ginger rather attractive

[mercalia]

Robins are around in the garden Waiting for food then getting chased off by blackbirds.

Robins are my favourite, my garden is full of them.
I love their curiosity, the way they'll follow you around whilst in the garden often hopping around ones feet.
And I love their song, I've one that hangs around the compost bins when I'm there that if you talk to it will start singing back.

It's easy to see why people like them so much.

Blackbirds are pretty good too, a bit more timid but will hang around.
Tits and finches are merely ornamental.
Starlings are basically boisterous teens.
And I do like magpies, fantastic looking birds and their privileged strutting is great.
I've a few wrens too although they take a lot of watching to see. So quick and so tiny.

We have some pigeon size all green birds. Any idea what they are - look like parrots. Noisy so and sos. And i think a kestrel. Tons of tits 3 floors up

[100%JR]

Robins are around in the garden Waiting for food then getting chased off by blackbirds.

Robins are my favourite, my garden is full of them.
I love their curiosity, the way they'll follow you around whilst in the garden often hopping around ones feet.
And I love their song, I've one that hangs around the compost bins when I'm there that if you talk to it will start singing back.

It's easy to see why people like them so much.

Blackbirds are pretty good too, a bit more timid but will hang around.
Tits and finches are merely ornamental.
Starlings are basically boisterous teens.
And I do like magpies, fantastic looking birds and their privileged strutting is great.
I've a few wrens too although they take a lot of watching to see. So quick and so tiny.

We have some pigeon size all green birds. Any idea what they are - look like parrots. Noisy so and sos. And i think a kestrel. Tons of tits 3 floors up

Parakeets are quite common in the SE.

[mercalia]

Robins are my favourite, my garden is full of them.
I love their curiosity, the way they'll follow you around whilst in the garden often hopping around ones feet.
And I love their song, I've one that hangs around the compost bins when I'm there that if you talk to it will start singing back.

It's easy to see why people like them so much.

Blackbirds are pretty good too, a bit more timid but will hang around.
Tits and finches are merely ornamental.
Starlings are basically boisterous teens.
And I do like magpies, fantastic looking birds and their privileged strutting is great.
I've a few wrens too although they take a lot of watching to see. So quick and so tiny.

We have some pigeon size all green birds. Any idea what they are - look like parrots. Noisy so and sos. And i think a kestrel. Tons of tits 3 floors up

Parakeets are quite common in the SE.

well a flock of 13 or so of them decided to visit the tree across the road today - all that flashing green colour impressive. really very noisey though

[Cyril Haearn]

Saw some geese, about a hundred, flying west in almost perfect echelon

A rat scuttled across the cycle path in front of me, rats are ubiquitous apparently but one rarely sees one

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi
Haven't seen a deer on my route for some time
But last time out a white tail scurried into the bush at hackney marshes (newton abbot) smallish no head gear, on my return a different one head on larger, some looked like one foot growths on the head, struggled to get off path with head in bush.
no kamikaze bats though.

[Cyril Haearn]

True story from the newspaper
A jogger got back to his vehicle to find it surrounded, besieged by wild pigs
He tried making a noise to scare them off, but they stayed (he was braver than I should have been)
So he called the cops, who used blues and twos to frighten the wretched beasts away

[Vorpal]

I recently discovered that our bird house, which has been up on the shed for 3 years, has had residents this year. I had checked earlier in the year & saw no signs of nesting, but they were definitely going in and out on Saturday. I think it was blue tits, but I am not 100% certain & didn't want to try to get close enough for positive identification.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Blue or Coal tit probably.

[mercalia]

just had a visit sitting on the rail of the balcony of a bird of prey. dont know which one it is. smaller than a big pigeon - Kestrel or sparrow hawk? well he didnt get any dinner from me, so flew off. One of the green birds tried to sit on the small platform that surrounds the sunflower seed bird feeder but didnt seem to have much joy, looked like one of the toy parrots bobbing on a line

[Tangled Metal]

Whenever I've seen Robin and blackbird altercations the Robin is always the winner. Cocky little birds and I've good reason to appreciate them.

Following a midwinter cold spell and a walk in a forest with route diversions not not enough diversion signs. It was getting dark and the batteries of my head torch was fading fast due to cold. But the robins were still out despite the low light. They were noisily calling from every diversion sign one after the other. So I followed the sound of them to get back to the track.

Jeez I was getting cold and tired so they were much appreciated. Of course we're just a modern day wild boar to them. That's their ancient way to get food. Follow the boar around to eat disturbed bugs. That's why they hang around gardeners digging.