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

Another marvelous moment!
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I had heard a plink, plink, plink from oak tree to left of my window for sometime and in my usual effort to tie a noise to a bird looked up into tree. I thought it is just a Great Spotted Woodpecker, nice but not rare recently, until I thought how odd it is hanging onto leaves and have only seen them on branches. I then thought it looks a bit small as they are massive and noticed the wing patches and markings look odd and messy. Ah I thought a Middle Spotted Woodpecker! However it wasn't as looked at top of head and it was red and when it moved after 5 mins in same place which is odd for a Woodpecker of any type it was very clumsy and looked a bit, well tatty. It is a baby Great Sotted Woodpecker and really quite young too!
It was moving aound a little in a slightly stumbley way and pecking at leaves. It was there for 15mins which is rare for a Woodpecker, and moved to top of tree where mum appeared.
What a lovely sight, mum is out there now looking for grubs next to fence and can hear the baby in tree still. Over last few weeks there has been a lot of Woodpecker activity on my water bowl, both male and female, I am wondering if there is a nest nearby?
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I got a realy lovely and close view of baby as it was only around 20 feet away and could see the red underneath was paler than adults as should be.
What another wonderful wildlife moment!!

I just looked out of window and a Woopecker was at water bowl again and thought, well it won't be able to give any to its young. Then I remembered that I saw a Starling on the water bowl feeding a youngster also on water bowl water from its mouth. Mind you since the youngster was drinking by its self it was a bit pointless but interesting none the less.

I have just remembered something that happened at sanctuary the other day. It was at the Frog pond where a lot of the frogs are and has a short walkway to view it.
There was an Emperor Dragonfly arond 3 feet above patroling around so I stood very still. In know they are there due to info board and reading field guide.
It was fully grown and a massive beauty with blue body and green head.
I tried to get binos on it but couldn't as too fast and at times just 3 feet from me, and I could hear wings buzzing. I couldn't work out why flight was erratic and it went up and down briefly then realised that after it had passed the spot the nat in air had gone so it was hunting. Far from being the scary creatures they look like they are eating the bugs we don't like. Yet another reason I love these wonderful creatures one of which I rescued last summer as had crashed landed in a pond.

You are certainly seeing some interesting things lately SS. Well spotted to see a woodpeckerhthat young.

I put the peanut cake with insects out yesterday late afternoon, and today the female woodpecker was there tucking in. I haven't seen one for quite a while, and I am thinking of writing to BTO about their woodpecker survey which clearly stated that GS woodpeckers prefer peanuts to fat! Nonsense, ours definitely prefer the fat, and get quite stroppy when it runs out. Perhaps it is the additional insects which are the attraction.

Love the dragonflies. I must get down our country park to see what I can spy. I would like to get some photos but I think I would have to be very lucky.

Websailor

WS, this last week I have been particularly lucky, I am not certain but believe the Woodpeckers may have a nest in the dead looking tree trunk about 30 feet to side of my flat inside our fence. It would explain the regular visits to water bowl and garden.
Dragonflies are a joy and great as even if very hot and no birds are around you can just about guarantee a fascinating hour watching those strange beauties while sitting at a pond.

Hello Strangely Strange, Websailor and others!

I am enjoying reading your observations Strangely Strange! I live in South Africa so what we have here is quite different from what you have there! But there are similarities too. We have for instance woodpeckers, squirrels, kingfishers and so, but different species. Of kingfishers I've seen the Woodland, Brownhooded, Striped, Giant, Pied, Malachite and Pygmy. The Malachite is very similar to the kingfisher you have over there, but somewhat smaller, and it has an erectible bluish-green crest. They are incredibly lovely, commonly described as 'jewels' flashing in the sunlight as they skim over the water. The Pygmy kingfisher is really tiny - the size of a small warbler - and just as lovely, orange below, blue above, with lilac on the side of its face.

Of woodpeckers, I've seen the Golden-tailed, Cardinal, Bearded, Bennet's and Olive. South Africa's woodpeckers are rather small and dull compared to other countries', most being greenish and streaked above, and dirty-white below with spots or streaks. The Olive is mainly olive-green and grey. They have variable amounts of red on the head, but the female of the Cardinal Woodpecker has a black cap with no red.

Of squirrels, the only species I've seen for sure is the Bush squirrel, which is quite a small squirrel but incredibly pretty! Nothing fancy - yellowish brown in colour with a rather thin and wispy tail, but I love the graceful way it moves! This squirrel is common in dry savannah and woodland. I might have seen another species on the Kwazulu-Natal coast, the African Red squirrel. This is totally a different species from the one you have there in Britain and Europe. Anyways I only caught a very brief and fleeting glimpse of it.

Anyways ... Strangely Strange, I will check in on this thread from time to time ... I hope you continue to enjoy the wildlife and telling us about it!

Hello Pillowcase, if I may call you that, you are very welcome to brows or comment at will!

Hi SS I have just got my first pics taken today on my (for me) new camera , can I try to put them on here ?

Hope you don't mind but I will try to put the pics here ,I think they are of a pair of Shrenks Bitterns but not sure , everybody here just call them Sagi (Heron ) not sure I can but here goes http://www.flickr.com/photos/21128589@N02/2553263598/http://www.flickr.com/photos/21128589@N02/2552443321/ not sure if that worked

Think I got them mixed up nr 4 has a pair nr 5 has only one.

Found you and added you to my contacts. Sent you an invitation too

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21128589@N02/

That one might work better. If you put yourself a nickname in you can put your link up like this and we can find your new photos quickly:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/Websailor

Very interesting ones so far. The Discus fish were interesting.

Websailor

Thank you I hope I did join correctly just got to get used to all these new toys

I have always been interested in fish and finally started breeding Discus about 15 years ago they are a very difficult fish to keep but so rewarding when you see the tiddlers feeding from the parents side

Gotcha email. Got to

Websailor

It is very kind of you Moonraker but I can't read links at the moment.

Moonraker, the photo's are brilliant .

SS, if you are not able to access the link, I can send them to you via email?

Nigel

Nigel are you talking about the rice pic's

I just clicked on my pic's on post number 49 and todays pic's are there

I think Moonraker, that SS is having problems accessing photos on his computer . Perhaps because of not having enough memory, not too sure .

Your photos are very good and enjoyed viewing them as a slideshow . When I have my Flickr photos sorted, I will let you have the link .

Moonraker, perhaps you would be so kind to title/write a little about each photo. I know you have with some but not all, and I am interested to read about each one .

Thanks . Remember, SS if you would like me to email you Moonrakers photos, then email me your address to gardener122atyahoodotcodotuk

dot meaning . and at meaning @ just in case you didn't know. I put it in code form to avoid the spammers .

All the best.

Nigel

Nigel If you read ( my grandmother in law ) one of my journals on my space dated sep 2007 It may help you with some unmarked pictures, but I will try to check them out , I will be getting more tomorrow as the rice is planted , I will take more of the birds around here but it's all a little new to me .

Thanks moonraker .

Will look forward to some more . You are doing brilliant with your new camera. They are wonderful things, digital cameras - no film to develop, you haven't got to wait days for them to be developed and then realise they have not come out .

I would be lost without mine now .


Nigel