Another week gone- what's happening nature-wise?

[yogasun]

Hi all!
Had a fantastic Thursday evening experience.
We were invited round with a couple of other wildlife enthusiasts to watch badgers and foxes from this chap's front room!
He is surrounded by woods (just down the road from us) and puts out dog/cat food and peanuts on his front lawn every night. By 10.30 there were four small badgers and four fox cubs munching away quite happily even though the security light was on!
He has had up to eight badgers! The foxes and badgers seemed OK with one another but every so often a fox cub would go and nip a badger's bum for fun!
Springwatch had nothing on this! My son tried to get a video but couldn't really get close enough.
A great experience.
Anything to report anyone? Busy Saturday, catch up later x

[Jules001]

Not much to report here, other than the magpies have now either fledged or were predated (didn't see them go and haven't seen any juveniles around - remember the fox up the tree though) . Mr Jules climbed the tree last weekend and the nest was empty, great nest though with twigs for a roof. As the magpies are no longer in the garden, the other birds are returning. Had a female chaffinch backwards and forwards practically all day on Tuesday (it was very wet) taking great beakfuls of sunflower hearts. The bats have been flying around the garden each evening. At the start of the week, the fledgling sparrows were still being fed by parents, but towards the end of the week they were feeding themselves and were still a bit hesitant about landing sometimes. Saw a really fat dragonfly on Thursday looked on net to identify think it was a female broad-bodied chaser (a new one on me).
Yogasun, the badgers sound great, you are very lucky to have seen them, the only time I ever see a badger it is unfortunately roadkill. I love watching fox cubs, we had them in our garden a few years ago, they were so playful.

[yogasun]

Thanks for that news Jules001
Yes probably a broad -bodied chaser. We are waiting for our blue tits to leave the nest, not long now.
Anyone else got anything to report?

[LoftyLottie]

Well all I have to report is on that other thread about the wren's nest regarding our furious woodpecker!! Oh, and the little runt marsh harrier was still putting up a very good fight for survival last Thursday.

Other than that I can report that it hasn't stopped pouring with rain for two days and the river is about to burst its banks. The ducks are having a lovely time, but the holidaymakers around here are not.

Enjoy your weekend.

x

[bensmum]

What a lovely experience Lottie - sadly most people's experience of badgers is either seeing them on TV or dead at the side of the road and it's such a privilege to see these wonderful animals up close.
Nothing out of the ordinary here. I have been out and about early the last few mornings and have seen deer grazing at the side of the road and the occasional fox on his way home. I had to make up a shelter for a cat this week (not one of mine I hasten to add) and after all the rain on Tuesday I wondered why she wasn't using it. When I looked inside there was a hedgehog curled up in the old duvet I had put in there. Cheeky little devil must have thought it was his birthday!
Also seen a lot of jays and green woodpeckers this week. I have baby sparrows in the garden- they are so funny, little bundles of fluff. Most of the regulars are still around but sadly, once again we have no house martins this year.

[LoftyLottie]

Hello Bensmum - it was yogasun who was badger watching. Unfortunately, I have only ever seen once once and not for long, and one dead one on the roadside :o( .

I love your hedgehog story. Poor cat!

We have a jay regularly vising the garden at the moment. He is using the peanut feeders quite happily along with the other birds!!? I don't think I have ever known this before. Perhaps he has an identity crisis!!!

[bimbo123456]

While out walking the dogs this morning, by the river Chelmer we saw 5 baby long tailed tits flitting about. The cutest thing ever!!!

[LoftyLottie]

Long tail tits are just so very pretty, especially with their pink colouring.

[bensmum]

Sorry yogasun - I need new glasses!

[madboutcats]

my mums birds seen to have a death wish, especially a very cheeky starling that i spotted hopping into the open porch and stealing sam the cats food, nearly from under his nose as well, as sam was snoozing on one of his many beds. the starling was back in again the next day and no doubt will try again. i could hear a young crow shouting for his/her grub the other day somewhere high in a beech tree but couldnt see him/her.

[yogasun]

sorry macats - meant to give you three stars, finger slipped ! * * *
Great to hear all the nature stories. x

[madboutcats]

thank you yogasun.xxx

[KRUSTYMAN]

Hi everybody, an update on the Robins. After the deaths of all five of the previous chicks I went out and bought a new nest box and placed it in - what I hoped was - a safer part of the garden. However, being a man, I kept putting off the job of removing the original nest box so that they wouldn't put themselves at risk again and as a result they have started laying eggs in the old box. Consequently I can't help feeling that I've just re-stocked the old nest box for whatever predated it the first time - I can only hope and pray they survive by some miracle this time. Heaven knows I felt bad enough last time!

[yogasun]

Awww, never mind KRUSTYMAN, what will be will be.
I'd like to think lightning won't strike twice.
Let's keep fingers crossed.
Thanks for posting. x

[bensmum]

Lots of birds out and about again this morning. I had help with the washing - I have a rotary line and had one of the robins sat on the corner of it while I was trying to hang the washing out. I think he was trying to tell me that the food had run out!
Was also watching an interesting stand-off between a squirrel and a rat at the end of the garden. The rat crept up on the squirrel and made it jump but then the squirrel turned and they were facing each other down. The rat backed off eventually but I don't know if they do fight and who would come off best.

[burnhal]

Hi all- nothing out of the ordinary this week- lots of small birds have fledged- lots of young blue tits, goldfinches, greenfinches and sparrows. A family of Jackdaws has moved into the area- first time I have seen them around my garden in 20 years.
Regarding the comment above about never seeing badgers. The answer is to do something about it. In your walks round the country keep an eye open for setts. Most people pass them by without noticing. Once you have found them in daylight look for signs of active tunnels- scraping, bedding, poo pits. Now go back an hour before sunset- dark clothing, no perfume or aftershave and make yourself comfy downwind of the area you want to watch. You can get really close. Their eyesight is not particularly good and I have had badgers walk by four or five feet away. Now be patient and wait!! They generally appear around sunset though in high summer they are often about before sunset.
Incidentally weekdays are better than weekends. With Joe Public stomping around all day they tend to be a bit more wary. I have watched loads of badgers at their setts- as well as fallow deer, foxes, owls and various small mammals putting in an appearance.

[yogasun]

Thanks for all the interesting news.
We've just been to an open day where the farmer has wildflower meadows untouched by pesticides, etc since 1955 ! Incredible, fields of different orchids!

[novalis]

Have seen kingfisher, dipper and all three types of wagtail on our local stream/river.
Also have a friendly blue tit which actually perches on my window-sill.

[gelda]

The foxes that I feed have had 5 cubs, they all appeared with their mums last night, mind you thats not many compared with last year we had 16! At the time I saw a wildlife programme where the photographer came across a vixen with 3 cubs he was over the moon, he said that was the first time he had seen more than one fox, I thought to myself at the time, you should see my lot, that's what I call amazing!!

[madboutcats]

ive not seen any waggies yet, they were my dads favourite bird and i love them too, though i do love the robins more as they are so cheeky. oh yogasun what a lovely sight those fields must have been, good on the farmer for not putting pesticides down and letting nature work its magic.

[bensmum]

That must have been a wonderful sight yogasun. I'm old enough to remember flower meadows years back - we used to get out and play in them but sadly there are too few of them now.