Wildlife Corner

[Stanley]

Can't think why this has just popped into my head but I haven't seen much of the geese this winter, just the odd small sighting.

[Gloria]

We've got enough over here.

[Gloria]

Outside our kitchen window.

image.jpeg

image.jpeg

[Tizer]

This is another aspect of wildlife during the virus crisis...
`Coronavirus: Why more rats are being spotted during quarantine' LINK

[Stanley]

Some of you may remember my story about the tide of rats leaving London Road Station in Manchester when the old stables were being demolished. Rats and stables go together and when you remove the horses or the stables the rats have to move to pastures new. They can do it in tides or individually and the increased sightings of rats are almost certainly individuals who are being forced to forage further afield because their usual sources have dried up. Think of the washing up water from a restaurant, dilute soup for rats! Take that away and you have to start searching. Think of the classic 'Rats leaving a sinking ship'.

[plaques]

Excess bird feed it a big problem. Always make sure it has always been eaten up at the end of the day. Anything that falls on the floor should be swept up.

[Tizer]

I'm looking forward to seeing even more wild flowers on the road verges!
`Coronavirus lockdown 'could boost wild flowers'' LINK
`A plant charity is predicting a boost for wild flowers because some councils have stopped mowing verges and parks during the Covid-19 crisis. Plantlife has been urging councils for years to cut grass less often. It also wants them to delay cutting until flowers have had chance to seed. The charity says it has seen a shift in attitudes in recent years, but some councillors still say their citizens prefer neatly-manicured lawns and verges. Now Plantlife’s preliminary research suggests that municipal mowing has been among the first activities to be cut under the crisis...'.

[Gloria]

Excess bird feed it a big problem. Always make sure it has always been eaten up at the end of the day. Anything that falls on the floor should be swept up.

The stuff on the floor is blossom off the pear tree, there was just a bit of seed dropped from the feeder above, nothing gets left with all the birds around here.

[plaques]

Gloria, I was talking in general not pointing a finger or anything like that. About 14 years ago our next door neighbour had an open type feeder where small birds could get inside but kept big ones out. Over time there was always a lot of seed left on the ground. One day, you've guessed it, Rats. He was absolutely mortified, got the 'rodent control officer, rat catcher in old money, apologised profusely to us about what had happened and that was the end of it.

[Gloria]

Plaques

[PanBiker]

Our feeder is over soil in the front garden. Starlings come first, mainly to the fat balls and make a proper mess as they are belligerent feeders. Blue Tits, Finches and smaller birds next onto the seed stations. Ground feeders like Blackbirds and Thrushes and more ungainly types like Collared Doves clear up underneath and are then followed by our resident mouse family that do a sweep when all the flappers have gone or an opportunistic lull in proceedings, never anything left really, pretty efficient teamwork I reckon.

[Stanley]

A first for me this morning. An owl in the back street talking to another owl at 02:30.

[Gloria]

Took this today, can anyone tell me what the mark on its back is?

image.jpeg

[PanBiker]

Without seeing the body or rump it is hard to tell as you cant see all the markings. It could be a Female Great Yellow Bumblebee, Female Large Garden Bumblebee or a Female Barbut's Cuckoo Bee according to my pocket guide to Bumblebees and Wasps. The dark patch is just part of the markings and common to quite a few of the Bumblebees.

[Gloria]

Thanks Ian. It looked like a worn bit on its back, thought at first it was pollen but it isn't. We have quite a few large bumblebees around at the moment, all very active. This one was very quiet.

[PanBiker]

Did you try a bit of sugar water Gloria? They quite often run out of steam which is why they end up grounded.

[Gloria]

No I didn't, I put my finger near it and it pulled a leg in, so I left it alone. It had gone later when I went to look.
I've tried to find what it was online but haven't been able to find it.

[plaques]

Not wild life yet but on trial. My neighbour across the road has an aviary where he kept eight budgies. The other day they escaped and are now flying round the nearby wood and in our 30 Ft conifers. He managed to coax three of them back home but the rest are as free as birds. At the moment he seems resigned to their loss. Any ideas how to get them back home?

[Stanley]

Cage with a favourite toy in? Mirror?
You say 'they escaped', any mention of how?

[Tizer]

Perhaps the bee is an old one with a bald patch?

Plaques, hawks will use the budgies for target practise. If he leaves the aviary open they'll probably come back for safety.

[Tizer]

The tadpoles in our pond are loving the sunny weather and feasting on algae. When a large snail comes by they clean the algae from its shell, rather like the fish that clean parasites from the skin of whales. Sometimes the tadpoles get a bit too adventurous and go inside the snail's shell, as shown in the second photo. When one gets too intrusive the snail shrugs to eject it.

[Wendyf]

That's an exotic looking snail!

[Stanley]

It's Somerset Wendy... They are a cut above us down there!

[Tizer]

It's called Brian.

[PanBiker]

Ha, why did I know that?