Wildlife -Winter 2008

[Gerard Oud]

I have seen it more often in my "snowdropforrest", but that was always seeing it flying away with that typical sound.
This time it came very close to my house and i could take a photo still in my pyamas.

[Maggi Young]

As Groucho Marx would have said, Gerard, what on earth was that snipe doing in your pyjamas ??

[Anthony Darby]

We used to get the snipe's relative the woodcock flying over the house every night in summer, but not last year.

[Paul T]

Howdy All,

some pictures taken today of some very obliging ----flies, i.e damselflies and dragonflies.....  Some of the details on the wings etc of the sunning dragonfly in particular were amazing.  I dared not make these pics any bigger though.

I also saw a bunch of tadpoles hanging suspended near the top of the water sunning themselves.  I've never noticed them doing this before, just hanging in the water in the patches of sun.  I wonder if they tan?    I did take a photo, but haven't posted that here.  If of interest I can.

Enjoy.

[ranunculus]

Wonderful images yet again, Paul!  Tadpoles please.

[David Shaw]

We have a very large coppiced ash tree at the end of the garden. Whilst I am writing this I am sitting in the warmth of the house and watching, through the window, a tree creeper bobbing up and down on the trunks. The bark of the ash tree is dark but it is currently in full sun and the pale coloured breast of the tree creeper keeps racing up and down and round and round the trunk and branches. The tree creeper is an occasional visitor to our garden but there is little chance to photograph it.

[mark smyth]

BBC's Swarm is brilliant. I'm watching it now here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00gkrm2/Swarm_Natures_Incredible_Invasions_When_Worlds_Collide/
It's not available outside of the UK

The 10 million starlings in Rome are amazing like Anthony just told me elsewhere. One thing I am against is playing starling distress calls after dark to move them on. It would be better to move them on before they roost. We complain about one bit of bird crap on a just cleaned car. Just wait to you see the car parked beneath the tree. It's a series so set your Sky+

[Andrew]

Wildlife seen this week, no pictures I am afraid, as I was driving but one fox, weasel, mouse sized rodent, white heron sized bird and four barn owls (sadly one dead).

[mark smyth]

Your white heron will be an egret. They can now be found around the UK coast. Some are now moving in land. Cattle egrets have now spread in from Europe. Was it as big as a heron?

[Mick McLoughlin]

Frost not gone from here all day, wind is getting up now.
We had a Grey Wagtail in the garden for the first time today.

[Mick McLoughlin]

There was a comment by Maggi about life being too short for cleaning windows.
But not when this ghostly apparition of a bird strike is on the bedroom window. No injured bird found though.

[ranunculus]

A heavy-duty tooth fairy perhaps, Mick?   

Happy New Year to you both.

[mark smyth]

  wow that's the best bird ghost I have ever seen. It will be from a collared dove or wood pigeon.

Your wagtail is a good example of one out of summer finery

[Mick McLoughlin]

That will be a collared dove, as they are regular visitors here.

[Maggi Young]

I agree with Mick that sometimes you do  just HAVE to clean the window!
The Grey Wagtail is very smart in those super photos.... would love to have those visit our garden.
Even around town, where one could often see Pied Wagtails, they are not nearly so frequent now as they were fifteen or so years ago.  We never have them ( Pieds) come  to the garden either... it's really not their kind of habitat.