nature notes II

[OH MY WORLD!]

Beautiful cats.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/leisurely-lynx-surprise-yukon-photographers-1.3481532

[floo]

"Spring has sprung, the grass is riz, I wonder where dem birdies is?"

First day of spring today.

[wigginhall]

Yes, some spring birds coming through now.  At my local patch in London, sand martins, dunlin, little ringed plover, godwits, and the bitterns have left, I think.   Off to Norfolk next week, to see all the gorgeous spoonbills etc.

[Rhiannon]

Just saw a blackcap in the front hedge.

And I forgot to say... last week I had my second sighting of a red kite around here. This time it took off from the field in front of me and flew not fifty feet above my head. Double checked on my phone as I couldn't quite believe it, even though I know they are more widespread now.

[wigginhall]

Yeah, I see red kites in Norfolk and London now, and last week saw 5 on the M4.

Walking round the outskirts of Bath, saw a pair of ravens, guess they are breeding, shows how much they are infilling across England. 

[wigginhall]

That got me reading about ravens being able to count, and also recognize faces.  I remember the story that researchers who trap crows, to ring them, are then often mobbed by other crows, as they recognize them, whereas other people are left alone.   There are also stories that certain farmers are mobbed, as the crows recognize them as shooters.  So when that little wren looks a bit twitchy at you, better beware, you're not being nice enough.  Just smile more, or try to look like a wren.

You heard it here first: crows hold grudges!

[Rhiannon]

I read once about a wildlife documentary crew who couldn't understand why every songbird nest that they tried to film got predated, until they realised that crows were watching where they set up their hides and equipment.

[wigginhall]

There's a funny story about a Starbucks in the US, where crows kept pooping on customers' cars.   So they got an employee to fire an air-rifle in their general direction.   So they flew off, but after that, every time someone went out with a Starbucks cap on, crows would come over and poop on their head.   Revenge is best served poop-shaped.

[L.A.]

There's a funny story about a Starbucks in the US, where crows kept pooping on customers' cars.   So they got an employee to fire an air-rifle in their general direction.   So they flew off, but after that, every time someone went out with a Starbucks cap on, crows would come over and poop on their head.   Revenge is best served poop-shaped.

I refuse to believe that anyone in America would ever use a weapon as benign as an air-rifle 

[Shaker]

Big over there - they call them BB guns.

[L.A.]

Big over there - they call them BB guns.

Presumably issued at kindergarten.

[Rhiannon]

Saw my first swifts today, hunting over the bean fields.

[floo]

I was wiping a load of bird poo off the car, and wondering why it is mainly white?

[Enki]

I was wiping a load of bird poo off the car, and wondering why it is mainly white?

http://www.rspb.org.uk/makeahomeforwildlife/advice/expert/previous/bird_poo.aspx

[floo]

http://www.rspb.org.uk/makeahomeforwildlife/advice/expert/previous/bird_poo.aspx

Thanks for that.

[wigginhall]

Got up early the other day, and wandered around, and saw a short-eared owl on the saltmarsh, always nice to see one.   And quite a few swallows zooming around.   The local farmer has built an absolutely huge reservoir, and it's full of ducks and gulls, quite a bonus for them.   Nearly every farm has one now, I wonder if they use underground sources of water.

[wigginhall]

I've been watching the local tree of heaven, and finally, it has put leaves out.  It is one of the latest trees to do this, so the second week of May is about right.  A nice tree, but unfortunately, it has two bad habits - it secrets toxins from the roots, thus killing plants nearby.   And it suckers, meaning that you not only get two for one, you get ten for one.  And they are big.

Somebody just told me that they survived Hiroshima, not sure how true this is.

The last thing to emerge are Jerusalem artichokes, still not up yet.

[wigginhall]

Saw two very large bronze beetles copulating today, on a blackcurrant bush.   They look like scarab beetles or chafers, but anybody know better? 

[SusanDoris]

Today my visiting Australian friend drove us to a spot in the Forest where, dave-at-the-gym told me, there are willow warblers. We heard two.

We visited exbury gardens and there heard a chiffchaff really clearly.

[Enki]

Encouraging news from the Kielder Forest:

http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=5724

[floo]

I have seen some goldfinches in the last few days. I can't remember ever seeing them before.

[SusanDoris]

I have seen some goldfinches in the last few days. I can't remember ever seeing them before.

I was looking them up on the RSPB site just the other day. It seems that goldfinches and goldcrests are quite common, so I have been listening to their songs (on the pages for those particular birds and intend to listen out for them locally. I shall ask Dave-at -the-gym's advice on where they are likely to be.
I'd like to be able to identify redstarts too.

[wigginhall]

Well, cuckoos are starting to go back to Africa, it's autumn!

At this time of the year, insect life is amazing.  This morning, I was watching a skipper on a leaf, opening and closing its wings, which have diagonal black stripes on them.  Perfect.

In Norfolk, we've had a goldcrest singing in the garden, hopefully breeding.  It proves I'm not deaf, as they're high-pitched.  Its song is like a tiny sewing machine.

[Rhiannon]

I get goldcrests too, apparently they like the conifer hedge at the side of the house.

[wigginhall]

Purely subjectively, they seem to have increased, as I didn't use to see them much; now I see/hear them everywhere, including London gardens.