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Stigura · 01-08-2019 11:16pm

catrat12 wrote: »

Seen close to 50 curlew today do I report this

Get " BirdTrack " and put it on there

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 10-08-2019 9:00pm

60 to 70 starlings gorging on the rowan berries in the garden today. Some scattering match when I flushed them. Young birds are gathering in their hundreds over the fields here every evening.

Stigura · 11-08-2019 6:34pm

Birdnuts · 14-08-2019 9:13pm

Nice views of a Red Kite today near my parents place just outside Naas. Apparently there is now a pair or 2 breeding along the Kildare/Wicklow border since 2017 so hopefully they will spread quickly along the Liffey Valley and across the rest of Kildare.

magicbastarder · 15-08-2019 1:58pm

https://twitter.com/dgoff17/status/1161799482826264576

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 15-08-2019 4:25pm

magicbastarder wrote: »

https://twitter.com/dgoff17/status/1161799482826264576

Wow! Is right.

That should keep him going for a day or two.

pawrick · 15-08-2019 6:04pm

Possible red kite sighting?

I was out for a walk near Lough Ree a couple of weeks ago and spotted a fairly large bird of prey on a fence post as I drove home (it wasnt a buzzard as i see them almost every day). Location is semi wooded broad leaf with some fields and near the lake. It kept flying ahead of my car in to the nearby large trees perching on branches and moving forward as I'd drive closer along the road, unfortunately i couldn't get close enough to get a picture with my phone. The only bird which i can see that looks like it is a red kite as the colour and size seems to match.

In other news, seems to be a fairly large oil spill just south of Athlone which has spread to the Shannon. It's all over the local FB pages re swans and other birds having to be rescued and incl. some pretty bad pictures of how badly covered they are. They are trying to trace the source up one of the tributaries where it originated.

OpenYourEyes · 15-08-2019 8:40pm

Buzzard is by far the most common large raptor around Lough Ree. There's often a White-tailed Eagle knocking around too, and occasional sightings this summer of a Marsh Harrier. I'd say those three are much more likely than Red Kite to be honest, though Red Kite obviously not impossible!

This oil spill is really showing how ill-educated and ill-equipped the authorities are for this type of incident!

pawrick · 16-08-2019 12:36pm

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

Buzzard is by far the most common large raptor around Lough Ree. There's often a White-tailed Eagle knocking around too, and occasional sightings this summer of a Marsh Harrier. I'd say those three are much more likely than Red Kite to be honest, though Red Kite obviously not impossible!

This oil spill is really showing how ill-educated and ill-equipped the authorities are for this type of incident!

Yes the buzzards are very common around Lough Ree, they spent a lot of time over my house and landing in fields around it, I assume are breeding nearby the lake each year.

This bird just didn't look like one of the buzzards I see regularly to me but i take your point that it's the most likely bird of prey to be seen in the area. Just wish I had been able to get a picture to verify.

Going by the local FB pages it seems they have made a right mess of the oil spill by being incredibly slow to react other than volunteers who helped out best they could.

recedite · 16-08-2019 2:37pm

magicbastarder wrote: »

https://twitter.com/dgoff17/status/1161799482826264576

That's the first time I've ever seen an eagle swimming!
I had to google that fish - its a kind of pike. Which would be a fearsome enough predator itself.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskellunge

magicbastarder · 16-08-2019 11:49pm

if you're on facebook and you don't follow ballymun wild life, you should. but if you are, and don't:
https://www.facebook.com/449603831880433/photos/a.449662285207921/1277997399041068/?type=3&theater

for those not on facebook:

Hi folks, just to let everyone know, as you know i take alot of my photos from the ballymun nct ponds and meadow and its one of the best places in Dublin for wildlife and of national importance for the protected frog, well irish water have permission to pull out the 155yr old hedges and drain the ponds (which had 1400 frogs breeding in them this year) for pipe work to connect its proposed super water treatment plant, its with an bord pleanala at the minute(I submitted a report on all the wildlife laws broken and protected wildlife effected) if it goes with iw it would be a disaster for biodiversity in the area, if it does all help would be appreciated, regards Michael keating

michael and jenny post some great stuff, well worth a follow - and this is the first i've heard of the threat to the wetlands behind the NCT centre.

Graces7 · 18-08-2019 3:27pm

Just had a very close encounter with a dragonfly. Not my favourite creature but impressive sight. Always see it in the same spot here and at the same season. No stream or pool near.

Stigura · 18-08-2019 3:58pm

We get some belters, round here! Massive, chunky brown things. I haven't got the faintest idea what sort they are. I just call them " Bog Hovers ". Brilliant! Love seeing them. Little UFO's

Kamili · 18-08-2019 10:53pm

Stigura wrote: »

We get some belters, round here! Massive, chunky brown things. I haven't got the faintest idea what sort they are. I just call them " Bog Hovers ". Brilliant! Love seeing them. Little UFO's

Probably a brown hawker. They do come in some lovely bright blues and reds too.

Have been out photographing them recently, they really are beautiful creatures up close. My favourite has to be the beautiful demoiselle, black with a metallic blue and green iridescent shine off them.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 19-08-2019 9:00am

Kamili wrote: »

Probably a brown hawker. They do come in some lovely bright blues and reds too.

Have been out photographing them recently, they really are beautiful creatures up close. My favourite has to be the beautiful demoiselle, black with a metallic blue and green iridescent shine off them.

My thoughts too. We've had 5 species in the garden this year, plus damselflies.
Fascinating creatures.

arybvtcw0eolkf · 19-08-2019 12:01pm

Would seagull's regularly attack a hawk?.

Reason I ask is during the week I seen a hawk take down a pidgeon, but once it was on the ground two seaguls swooped down on the hawk and chase it off with lots of screeching and aerobatics

The same seagulls were recently protecting a young fledgling but that youngster seems to have grown up and flown off (one of the lads in work had a couple of stitches in a head wound caused by one of the attacking gulls).

recedite · 19-08-2019 1:46pm

Might have been pirate behaviour. Did the seagulls look like they were going to eat the pigeon afterwards, or do you reckon they were trying to protect the pigeon?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 19-08-2019 2:58pm

Jon Cold Plaster wrote: »

Would seagull's regularly attack a hawk?.

Reason I ask is during the week I seen a hawk take down a pidgeon, but once it was on the ground two seaguls swooped down on the hawk and chase it off with lots of screeching and aerobatics

The same seagulls were recently protecting a young fledgling but that youngster seems to have grown up and flown off (one of the lads in work had a couple of stitches in a head wound caused by one of the attacking gulls).

It's mobbing, or anti predator behaviour.

arybvtcw0eolkf · 19-08-2019 9:31pm

recedite wrote: »

Might have been pirate behaviour. Did the seagulls look like they were going to eat the pigeon afterwards, or do you reckon they were trying to protect the pigeon?

Well they chased the hawk and ignored the pidgeon

Kayla Moldy Supernova wrote: »

It's mobbing, or anti predator behaviour.

That's pretty cool, I'd have never thought of something like that.

magicbastarder · 19-08-2019 10:42pm

well, this was a new one for me. amazing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pfeilstorch

recedite · 19-08-2019 11:37pm

The first and most famous Pfeilstorch was a white stork found in 1822 near the German village of Klütz, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It was carrying an arrow from central Africa in its neck. The specimen was stuffed and can be seen today in the zoological collection of the University of Rostock.

Out of the fire and into the frying pan for the poor old stork.

Half-cocked · 24-08-2019 1:39pm

One less House Sparrow - Sparrowhawk swooped in and grabbed one right in front of me while I was gardening. Mind you, I counted over 60 House Sparrows in the garden the other day so bound to attract the attention of predators.

appledrop · 24-08-2019 5:33pm

We have hundreds of sparrows around here along with at least 2 sparrow hawks.

I don't mind them taking the sparrows but round here they are very fond of the pigeons. The problem is the garden is like a horror scene the odd time with pigeons feathers everywhere + sometimes the remains of pigeon Not for the faint hearted! They like our back garden as no dogs or cats.

Capercaillie · 24-08-2019 9:29pm

Main news from Spring/Summer on farm. Corncrake nettle beds grew poorly in Spring but recovered well. 5 calling male corncrake. Nest of chough fledged 5 chicks. Kale crop failed so no twite food for winter. No drumming Spring over fen, as neighboring dried it out by digging out massive drains on their adjoining land.

Autumn/Winter projects: reconditioning a degraded nettle bed by re-sowing with common hogweed. Prepare an area for reed canary grass. Both hogweed/canary grass act as early cover for corncrake.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 24-08-2019 9:35pm

Capercaillie wrote: »

Main news from Spring/Summer on farm. Corncrake nettle beds grew poorly in Spring but recovered well. 5 calling male corncrake. Nest of chough fledged 5 chicks. Kale crop failed so no twite food for winter. No drumming Spring over fen, as neighboring dried it out by digging out massive drains on their adjoining land.

Autumn/Winter projects: reconditioning a degraded nettle bed by re-sowing with common hogweed. Prepare an area for reed canary grass. Both hogweed/canary grass act as early cover for corncrake.

Any indication of breeding corncrake? We had situations in the past with males calling but no females about.

Capercaillie · 24-08-2019 9:40pm

Kayla Moldy Supernova wrote: »

Any indication of breeding corncrake? We had situations in the past with males calling but no females about.

Always difficult in proving breeding. High concentrations of males will not spend summer in small location unless females present. They would relocate if no females present.

recedite · 24-08-2019 10:00pm

Capercaillie wrote: »

High concentrations of males will not spend summer in small location unless females present. They would relocate if no females present.

Try leaving out some beer. May keep them happy for a while longer.

Stigura · 27-08-2019 3:55am

Common Toad (Bufo bufo). I keep his crickets in a little cricket keeping tank. It comes with two plastic pipes which slot in. The crickets crawl into these pipes, to do what ever they do in there.

I then pull a pipe out and tap it, above my toads tank. Crickets get dislodged and it's game on!

Just decided to feed Toad some more. Opened the lid of his tank. Got the tube. Started tapping it with my finger. And, at that quiet, tapping sound; Toad very deliberately looked up and focused on the end of the tube!

Now, to put this into context? Toad's figured out, in about a week, that my tapping the tube equates with food appearing. I haven't used this method in a year! He's just sussed it.

How cool is that? A bloody Toad demonstrably learning as fast as many Dogs!

Toads rock!

vargoo · 27-08-2019 9:50am

Stigura wrote: »

Common Toad (Bufo bufo). I keep his crickets in a little cricket keeping tank. It comes with two plastic pipes which slot in. The crickets crawl into these pipes, to do what ever they do in there.

I then pull a pipe out and tap it, above my toads tank. Crickets get dislodged and it's game on!

Just decided to feed Toad some more. Opened the lid of his tank. Got the tube. Started tapping it with my finger. And, at that quiet, tapping sound; Toad very deliberately looked up and focused on the end of the tube!

Now, to put this into context? Toad's figured out, in about a week, that my tapping the tube equates with food appearing. I haven't used this method in a year! He's just sussed it.

How cool is that? A bloody Toad demonstrably learning as fast as many Dogs!

Toads rock!

I bet if i put you in a tank for a week youd figure it out to

Eddie B · 27-08-2019 10:39am

vargoo wrote: »

I bet if i put you in a tank for a week youd figure it out to

Bit of a nasty post that. No need for it. Lots of people on this section have pets of all sorts. You probably have some yourself.

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