h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

SS, I am so glad you managed to get away. You didn't mention the weather so I hope it wasn't too bad.

It sounds like goldfinches. They are a bit scruffy at this time of year and the young ones only really have their true plumage half way up the body, so the telltale face of many colours is not visible.

The Wood ants must have been a sight to see. I find them fascinating, except for when ants get in the house.

Hope you are well and the break did you good.

Websailor

Hi, Loonycat,

We have seen less butterflies than usual too, but I think it is down to the weather more than anything. At least i hope that's all it is. I love them.

Websailor

Hi WS, the weather was changable but didn't mind as quite like walking in rain on wet days at coast. I am ok and it was enjoyable to get away. I don't remember seeing many butterflies but as said weather could be reason.

Hi Stranmgely Strange! I'm happy to hear you enjoyed your time away. Over here, I've also spent a bit of time in a nature reserve of sorts. I must say, there were lots of birds *there*! Over here in South Africa, certainly there seems to be a much higher diversity of stuff in 'wild' nature. There are comparatively few bird species that enter gardens; there are many others that seem to absolutely avoid areas with many humans! At any rate, here's a 'report' mentioning most of the birds I saw in the reserve: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/plain/F63395?thread=5859508&post=68742205#p68742205

Pillowcase, you do have a wider variety of animals, etc in Africa and I think partly that is due to heat and space.
We do have such birds as the Kingfisher which would be a match for some African birds for colour and ablility, and Badgers are pretty special here too, however although Britain is somewhat lacking in wild Elephants it is not that long ago, comparatively, that the last wild wolf was killed in Britain, and I believe there was somesort of wild hog, but not certain of that.
.
Sadly Man led to the extinction of many of the more wilder animals like Wolves in UK as land was taken up for farming , housing, etc and Wolves and farming don't mix so Wolves were hunted to extinction. Fortunately we have the smaller scale creatures like Dragonfly from prehistoric times to give us joy! Britain is just too small and has too many people to remain wild like a lot of Africa, although parts of Scotland are pretty unspoilt and certainly can be rugged and have a few of the more interesting creatures.
.
Interestingly, Foxes are coping better in towns than perhaps countryside these days and can be found just about everywhere. It is easy to forget that Foxes are a wild animal and certainly would be something that might do well in africa due to their adapatabilly and cunning, somewhat like the Squirells here that again maybe more common in towns than countryside as I have found them rarer there.

I forgot to mention Pillowcase, anytime you want your noisey Rose Ring Necked Parakeets back I have a large net and crate waiting for the 20 or so living in my tree in garden!

Best of luck catching them SS.
I have thought about catching some bats but think it's a bit difficult

For about 4/10 day's now at about 6 :30 pm I have been going out to watch the bats ,It's sunset time and they are so interesting to watch even took a pic last night ,

Thinking about it , most every night I go outside, partly to meet my wife to be a good boy and carry her bags in for her and to enjoy the bats , now I know they understand I am standing there because they tend to dive bomb me which I have not been able to fathom out why until now perhaps, is it possibly because when I stand outside I attract the mossies and the bats are picking them off before they get to me I wonder , I never hear the bats but I do so enjoy them they change directions so quickly better than any other living thing I think, and while I am here I would like to say , The black cat that had kittens in my wood pile back in April has again had kittens the third time on my land , they look about a month old , she must feel very safe here

Moonraker, it seems the bats are doing you a favour then I am sure your wife appreciates you 'being a good boy'

Websailor

The only wildlife I've seen today is the huge dangling outside my kitchen window. Can't walk through the garden without getting entangled at the moment

Finally saw some Red Admirals yesterday!

A couple of days ago I saw my first Cranefly of the year and a Wasp which haven't been around in great numbers. I remember a summer a couple of years ago when we had a Cranefly plague and I was asked to take the hundred or so out of a bungalow as others didn't wan't to do it!
Sadly Spiders seem unaffected by weather and always plague us, don't ask me to remove 100 spiders though!

Yesterday I thought I saw some 200-300 at least Jackdaws all fly in same direction as they headed off around dusk, I have just seen around 100 fly in same direction so there could be more to come. I suspect they have found trees or a field to roost in locally over night.
.
I don't recall seeing many jackdaws last year just a few in a wooded park locally so don't understand sudden explosion in numbers. I have seen 20+ in my back garden around water bowl regularly and the squawky call in flight is quite common here now.

Just been to my Wildlife Sanctuary and heard an unusual twitering and looked up at a bird above me in tree and hastly got binos on it as looked unusual. Knowing there are rare birds there I saw its unusual bright yellow chest and thought great a rare bird! This was somewhat tempered by noticing the thick black strip on chest and realising it was a Great Tit in its new winter suit! I had fallen into the trap that many do of hearing the often varied and confusing call of the Great Tit, often heard in wooded areas.
.
Someone had emptied the now unused nesting material from santuary's nest boxes and left it on fence rail fo others to see and investigate. I looked at it and found the expected somewhat gruesome sight of the often found live maggots in nesting material!
.
There was an assorted flock of Long Tail and other tits there but best of all, apart from the Grass Snake there today, was a Kingfisher and Buzzard above reserve with its feathers like fingers at end of wide wings.
.
The Kingfisher was on a stick placed by water at reserve, placed there for Kingfishers at reserve to use. It didn't dive for a fish like I had seen elswhere before but was a lovely sight to see! The weather was fantastic too, a lovely hour or so!

Hey Strangely Strange you might find this interesting! A find at the school where my parents work: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/plain/F63395?thread=5884424

There is a tree around 200 feet from my flat that is used by Starlings all the time. I watch it and around 50 come and go back and forth but usually no larger amounts. The other day around 200 arrived and I was pleased to see a bit of the snakey swirls often seen and admired around piers at coast.
.
Again there have been posibly 3oo hundred Jackdaws flying in groups to same spot and in same direction at dusk. The other day there may have been up to 300 in one group which was quite errie as sky was full of them and thier distinctive squawking..

Hi SS ,

How are things with yourself? I'm , been to Weston-super-mare for a week and we had lovely weather which was lucky .

The foxes are still sounding off at night, but I am not complaining. It is nice to hear the wildlife, if only they would show themselves . They have definitely been in our garden, because of a present they leave us on the grass .

All the best.

Nigel

Hi Nige, glad you had a good holiday!
.
I was at nature reserve yesterday and a wonderfully bushy fox stood on path and looked at me for a while 20 feet away. It had pooded on gravel path and it was odd to see it still fresh instead of dryer ones. It must have peed/scent marked too as there was an awful smell away from poo.
.
I was outside supermarket the other day and watched Crows hunt for food in precint. It was interesting to see a fairly large bird fly in a comparatively small are as it needed to really tilt wings to land and all feathers displayed well. I couldn't understand why crows were there as could see no food on pavement then noticed one tip up a piece of food trodden into pavement.
.
I was surprised today as there is a an Oak tree around 3oo feet from my flat and without binos saw a walking up trunk movement which looked familiar so got binos and although could barely see it as so far away caught a glimpse of red on a Great Spotted Woodpecker. I was really surprised to recognise a bird from so far but it shows how much a bird's movement stands out, although a woodpecker has a distintive sort of hop/walk when going up tree trunks.

SS, it is truly amazing how quickly you can recognise a movement or flash of colour and identify a bird, or animal, when you watch regularly. I am sure it is good for our observation and eyes. I have certainly noticed more than I ever did before. I never understand what birders meant by 'jizz' but I do now.

Websailor

It was a joy to see, and I was quite proud actually, that a female Greenwoodpecker has been back at my water bowl for 2 days running again!
I have heard Pecker squawking but only seen one fly from my tree outwards. I believeve, but not certain, that it was one of the juvenils often at water bowl earlier in year. Greenwoodpeckers are my favourite bird and like their waryness and ever watchfulness with a head raised skywards. It had a drink and was disturbed by a Squirell so waited on log near bowl for a few mins before disapearing again into oak tree.
.
Yesterday I was feeding Squirells one Monkey Nut at a time as like to see them look to my window and make eye contact. A Jay was around but throwing single nuts scares them off so chucked a handfull on grass and Jay dashed back and forth grabing one at a time and proceeded to hide them around garden in corners! It was nice to observe such behaviour as never seen by me before and have again learnt something new about wildlife!
.
What with Squirells burying food in garden and now Jays stashing it too is begining to look like a supermarket, well it would if could actually see hiden food!
.
I have observed that Squirells play less than I thought as some behaviour is not fun tag games as I thought, but chasing of rivals, and not just when food is around. Who knows why they bicker sometimes as only one is clearly a female, the one with six mummy bumps, so might or might not be relted to mating. I am purely guessing but wonder if they only get the clearly defined mummy bumps after giving birth?
Who knows, the Squirell world is clearly a mystery to me and perhaps many others. I only recently found out that they dig dummy holes for food to trick others, after reading scientist's observations.