Nature in the Garden

I'll pass that comment on to Mark Thompson.

quote:

Originally posted by JWM:

Anyone else enjoy a bit of garden naturalism?

I saw a pair of rats scrapping over a piece of pitta bread the other day.

[Pasted in from Tony's Kingfisher thread]

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This year I’ve given the garden birds a treat with a group of four hanging feeders, niger seed, mixed seed, fat-balls and nuts. To my delight this food supply is getting constantly raided by many different birds busy to feed their hungry offspring. Goldfinches, Greenfinches, Blue Tits; one would expect but I’ve been witnessing some clever acrobatics from Jackdaws, Blackbirds, a Robin, and a very comical pair of Collared Doves, all after the seed and fat balls.
The latest and most exciting addition is a mother Great Spotted Woodpecker that is frequently visiting the fat-ball and nutter hangers to feed her young male fledgling who sits watching close by.

nymph
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p.s. Those Great Spotted Woodpeckers are returning so often, i've lost count how many times now, must be a dozen times a day at least! : )

nymph

For as long as I can remember I have dilligently fed the birds/wildlife in my garden and have been delighted to watch and interact (a couple of years ago I managed over a spring/summer to get a pair of wood pigeons to feed from my hand).
BUT NO MORE
Bloody ingrates have abandoned me.
New neighbours over the wall have put up two feeders (yeh only two) and every feathery little sh@% has P~#$ed off from my garden to theirs.
Where's ME GUN

dog,

why dont you put 3 feeders in your garden ?

sorted

dog, try 4 feeders and a bird bath! : >

Derek, nice photo!

what are they?

...my guess is Redpoll's and maybe Hawfinches ?

But it looks like a raid, they're wearing bandit masks! : )

nymph

Aaargh, it's agonising! Mummy Crow (of which they are many) seems very interested in fledgling Song Thrush (of which there are few), presumably with a view to feeding it to fledling Crow...

Nature red in tooth and claw. But couldn't it pick on a less declining species...?!

I only press the shutter - but most likely Junkoes and House Finches

quote:

Originally posted by JWM:
Aaargh, it's agonising! Mummy Crow (of which they are many) seems very interested in fledgling Song Thrush (of which there are few), presumably with a view to feeding it to fledling Crow...

Nature red in tooth and claw. But couldn't it pick on a less declining species...?!

As many of you may have seen with my picture postings, these days I observe nature on a very much amateur level. I'm happy to do a spot of bird watching or even deer stalking or badger watching locally. However, if ever there was a species that would make me pick up a gun, it would have to be those horrible nasty crows

Whilst enjoying one of my early morning cycle rides round Pitsford Water earlier today, I was startled and suprised to come upon two crows scrapping in my path. At first I thought they'd got a frog, but no, at 7am basking in the early sunshine they had found a rather unfortunate young grass snake and continued ripping it to shreads whilst it writhed in agony. Only when I was very close and now on foot did they fly and take shelter in a nearby tree and continued the shredding!

Yes, nature in the raw alright and like you James, I wish they had picked a less endangered species to consume. - Still, they do at least help to clean up the mess we leave on our roads.........

Kind regards,

Peter

Good news - Song Thrush fledgling still holding its own for the timebeing!

My parents always have moose in the garden during winter. (It is 3 kilometers to the woods)

OK Christian, you win