Wildlife February 2012

[ashley]

In April comes the cuckoo
In May he sings all day
In June he changes tune
In July he gets ready to fly
In August go he must

There are several variations but this is the one I learned as a child.

[Maggi Young]

Regarding wildlife in our gardens...Last week i had a visit of a big cat (Lynx) walking under my Magnolia's...They are pretty common here but not usually in my garden....and i got the answer why there ain't any Roe deers here this winter....//Jonny

 I still reeling from Jonny's lynx.... cuckoos seem 'tame' by comaparison 

[Roma]

Regarding wildlife in our gardens...Last week i had a visit of a big cat (Lynx) walking under my Magnolia's...They are pretty common here but not usually in my garden....and i got the answer why there ain't any Roe deers here this winter....//Jonny

Please send it here, Jonny.  The roe deer eat everything in my garden.

[mark smyth]

Cant you fill the freezer with venison?

[Jonny_SE]

Please send it here, Jonny.  The roe deer eat everything in my garden.
[/quote]
you could have almost all of them for me...no problems at all :-)....shall i send a couple of Wolfs too?...They lurks around here ...not been in my garden...yet...closest was 80 meters away..never manage to get a pic of them ...but  i did wake up one morning...and it sound like a brass orchestra on steroids was outside....2 Cranes on one side of the house and another pair on the north side..they Had a little "discussion" regarding who's garden it was....(sorry for the bad pic. quality)............//Jonny

[Peter Maguire]

Lynx and wolves!    No wonder you have no deer. I had no idea that wolves were found so far south in Sweden; have they spread to your area recently?

[Jonny_SE]

Hi Peter.
I spotted the first tracks back in 1993 so they have been here more or less since then...Cant say i want more of them....it's enough now...always keep an eye on my dogs even when they are in my garden and close to my house...otherwise they can  turn into a snack pretty fast....it's a really infected debate here in Sweden about them...but it's always easy to say yes to something you don't have any problem with....when you live in a city.....like most of the fanatic yes-sayers do.......//Jonny

[Roma]

First bumblebee of the season on Sunday.  Just look at the size of the mites
I saw a butterfly yesterday but it was too far away to identify.  Probably a Small Tortoiseshell.

[Lesley Cox]

Are those small spot on the bumblebee mites Roma? Is that usual? I've never seen anything like them here and I see a lot as the bumbles persist in coming in the house and have to be rescued.

[Anthony Darby]

I think these mite just use the bee as transport. I don't think they harm the bee and may be useful in eating fungal spores etc?

[ronm]

So they are not verrhoa mites Anthony? ( i hope not  )

[fredg]

Not sure where these belong so I plumped for wildlife.

Fascinating little subjects.

[Michael J Campbell]

I found this today growing on a branch of a dead hedge.

[ronm]

Did you try it Michael? 

[Michael J Campbell]

No way.