Big Merv's nature watch.

[Cap'n Grumpy]

Also, the day after I moved into my new abode, I looked out the front window and noticed a cat in stalking mode. When I looked to see what it was after, I saw a gull just sitting in the middle of the road. Thankfully we are at the end of a cul-de-sac, so i was able to go out and with not too much difficulty, caught it. It was a kittiwake and from its markings, I reckon it was just sub-adult, about 3 years old.

I brought it into the garage and fed it some ham and chicken (it was all I had to hand) which it devoured. It didn't look injured, but was clearly very weak. I bought some fish fingers in the local spar, and later some cod and mackerel from Tesco which went down very well. After a couple of days I let it loose in the garden and trusted the local cats wouldn't come in, and then put out a basin of water which it happily swam in. On one occasion, a cat did come in and chased it. The bird was still too weak to fly, but half ran and half-flopped across the garden, spewing up its last meal. The cat stopped to have a free feed of half-digested fish. Not a bad escape plan by bird-brain.

After about 4 days of this, it had clearly recovered, took off and I haven't seen it since. I'm hoping its recovery was full, and that it didn't come to earth too weakly again and fall prey to something else.

[Cap'n Grumpy]

Saw a curlew merrily digging worms out of RBAI's redundant playing fields. They're on the red list apparently.

RBAI or curlews?

[big mervyn]

Saw a curlew merrily digging worms out of RBAI's redundant playing fields. They're on the red list apparently.

RBAI or curlews?

It's been a while since I spotted an Instonian so who knows?

[Cap'n Grumpy]

Saw a curlew merrily digging worms out of RBAI's redundant playing fields. They're on the red list apparently.

RBAI or curlews?

It's been a while since I spotted an Instonian so who knows?

Fingers crossed it will be a long long time before the Lesser Spotted Instonian is seen again.

[solidarity]

Feral pigeons! The Instonians of the bird world. We've had some roosting in the eaves for a while and as dawn gets earlier they wake us up earlier. Are those spikey thingys a good way of encouraging them to roost elsewhere or is there a better idea?

[big mervyn]

Feral pigeons! The Instonians of the bird world. We've had some roosting in the eaves for a while and as dawn gets earlier they wake us up earlier. Are those spikey thingys a good way of encouraging them to roost elsewhere or is there a better idea?

Funny. We've also been observing an explosion in the local pigeon population. Maybe they've moved out to the suburbs because the city centre pickings are slim in lockdown?

[justinr73]

Was a thrush digging about in our garden earlier. Didn’t see many of those in Herts.

Am a bit disappointed in the lack of interest in my feeders.

Just the occasional blue t1t at the moment. Not seen any long-tailed t1ts for a couple of weeks.

[Cap'n Grumpy]

Feral pigeons! The Instonians of the bird world. We've had some roosting in the eaves for a while and as dawn gets earlier they wake us up earlier. Are those spikey thingys a good way of encouraging them to roost elsewhere or is there a better idea?

Used to have a lot of feral pigeons an and around the Royal (RVH).

Estates in their infinite wisdom decided to put "those spikey things" on all the window sills around our building.

Pigeons said thank very much and used "those spikey things" to keep their nests and eggs secure and stop them falling off. We had great fun watching the chicks grow and fledge from no more than 2 feet away through the windows. Pigeons didn't care that we were there unless someone tried to open the windows.

Dunno how they work in eaves, but they're brilliant for encouraging them on window sills.

Gotta admit, at my last house I had divided opinions on feral pigeons -
1 - from having very few last spring, I went to having 30+ in one summer and they gobbled up all the bird food before others could eat, but
2 - they did start eating out of my hand very quickly. Would often have half a dozen of them on my arms and hands eating away, and it is a good feeling when a "wild" animal puts its trust in you. At least that's how it affects me. My wife, not so muchly - they dive-bombed her wanting fed but she doesn't like them.

At least in my new abode there are very few pigeons, but magpies are just as numerous. They are at least highly nervous and fly away at the slightest noise or movement.

[Cap'n Grumpy]

Was a thrush digging about in our garden earlier. Didn’t see many of those in Herts.

Am a bit disappointed in the lack of interest in my feeders.

Just the occasional blue t1t at the moment. Not seen any long-tailed t1ts for a couple of weeks.

I hadn't seen a song thrush for years and very few Mistle thrushes.

Have a pair of song thrushes now and several mistle thrushes.

Also have Meadow Pipit which looks like a miniature thrush, or one that's shrunk in the wash.

Have a pair of blue t1ts looking very interested in a nest box (25mm hole) I put up on one of the trees just outside my kitchen window, and some interest in one with a 28mm hole from some great t1ts.

have lots of coal t1ts which dart all over the place and are lovely, and every few days get a wee flock of long tailed t1ts doing acrobatics in the trees and on the feeders.

A couple of days back I also had a pair of bull finches - male was magnificent in his breeding plummage, and female was beautiful, but looked dowdy beside him.

Must admit, I love just watching out my side kitchen window to see what's there - it changes by the day and the hour.

[Dave]

Nature is fcuking class. The cat kills a mouse and dumps the carcass on the back step. Then the crows come to remove the mouse the cat has just stiffed.

You would hardly see such teamwork in humans.

[big mervyn]

Was a thrush digging about in our garden earlier. Didn’t see many of those in Herts.

Am a bit disappointed in the lack of interest in my feeders.

Just the occasional blue t1t at the moment. Not seen any long-tailed t1ts for a couple of weeks.

It has been pretty cold. (sorry! couldn't help meself).

Great t1ts are holding sway (literally on the feeders) in my garden.

We have a regular fox visitor, and also a pheasant, for a while. The pheasant has disappeared. I fear the worst.

We also have an idiot squirrel who spent an entire morning gathering up bird food and burying it in the snow. Come the evening the snow was gone and so was his stash

[Cap'n Grumpy]

Have also caught fleeting glimpses of one or more sparrowhawks, but haven't managed to photograph as they just whizz past the window.

I have twice though found a mess of feathers in the middle of the grass, which I presume is from one of them taking a smaller bird that's been feeding there and ended up getting caught and plucked .

Sparrowhawks have to eat too though - just wish I could get one on camera.

Saw one catching a collared dove in my last house garden, but only got a blurry video on the wife's mobile phone as I didn't have a proper camera to hand. Could just about recognise the hawk, and it was only by examining the plucked feathers after I was able to determine that the prey was a collared dove. Collared doves fell prey several times in my last garden, judging from the feathers, but never actually witnessed it any other time.

[Cap'n Grumpy]

Was a thrush digging about in our garden earlier. Didn’t see many of those in Herts.

Am a bit disappointed in the lack of interest in my feeders.

Just the occasional blue t1t at the moment. Not seen any long-tailed t1ts for a couple of weeks.

It has been pretty cold. (sorry! couldn't help meself).

Great t1ts are holding sway (literally on the feeders) in my garden.

We have a regular fox visitor, and also a pheasant, for a while. The pheasant has disappeared. I fear the worst.

We also have an idiot squirrel who spent an entire morning gathering up bird food and burying it in the snow. Come the evening the snow was gone and so was his stash

I had 2 or 4 foxes dandered past my window a few weeks back - two went past, stopping only to pose for my photos, then two more went past. Never did find out if these were another 2 or the same two that had doubled back somehow without me seeing them. Brilliant to see them that close.

I have never been much of a cat person, but must admit I have got friendly with a neutered Tom that comes into our garden and is very friendly. It does try to catch the birds, but the owner has put a bell on its collar, so it has no chance. I did see it walking out of the wood a few weeks ago and thought it had something in its mouth - I took some photos and realised that that particular field mouse must have been deaf and didn't react to the cat's bell.

[Cap'n Grumpy]

Anyone know if it's still possible to post photos?

(Without using a url)

[big mervyn]

Anyone know if it's still possible to post photos?

(Without using a url)

Scroll down below your post (in full editor) and there's an attachments tab where you can add your files ... I think!