The Hide (chat thread)

Woodville56

Kayla Moldy Supernova wrote: »

Assuming it is a grey wagtail and not a pied wagtail (as most reports to me of greys turn out) , they do move away from their breeding areas in Autumn and move to lower lying areas including city centres.[/quote

Have had the occasional Grey Wagtail turn up in the farmyard at home , only staying a day or less - on migration perhaps ?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Woodville56 wrote: »

Have has the occasional Grey Wagtail turn up in the farmyard at home , only staying a day or less - on migration perhaps ?

On the move to new feeding area, yes. Strictly speaking not migration in the usual sense.

Amalgam

Kayla Moldy Supernova wrote: »

Assuming it is a grey wagtail and not a pied wagtail (as most reports to me of greys turn out) , they do move away from their breeding areas in Autumn and move to lower lying areas including city centres.

I'm familiar with the Pied Wagtail, as there's a cheeky little bird at the local DART station, bit of a beggar!

The Grey Wagtail, the tail is long and splayed out slightly, with less overall colour, but more localised, than a Yellow Wagtail.

Just passing through I guess. Camera by the window, in case of a return.

This is the sort of weather that'll have Jays (Garrulus glandarius) foraging outside their usual habitat, I find. I'm on the lookout..

Bsal

Lots of house martins around Swords today, its a bit sad seeing them leave.

Ulmus

Saw a dipper in the Tolka River, by the bridge adjacent Ballyboggan Road/Finglas dual carriageway - never saw one at the Tolka before.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I have come across Dipper in 5 locations while fishing this year, 2 were regular haunts but the 3 others were new for them (well in the past 20 years or so). It's a great indication of the health of our rivers to see Dippers more often. Long may it last.

Ulmus

I see from www.irishbirding.com that a pair were seen as far back as February 2010 and again this summer so maybe there's a nesting pair.
Has anyone spotted otters along the Tolka? I found what looked like otter spraint on the banks in September but it could have been from a shih-Tzu!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Ulmus wrote: »

I see from www.irishbirding.com that a pair were seen as far back as February 2010 and again this summer so maybe there's a nesting pair.
Has anyone spotted otters along the Tolka? I found what looked like otter spraint on the banks in September but it could have been from a shih-Tzu!

This appeared in the Irish Times recently -

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/dodder-otters-and-tolka-tarkas-1.1542530

Ulmus

Thanks for that, Srameen. The otter spraint (?) - I didn't risk sniffing it - I saw was further up the Tolka from the Botanic Gardens, in the new Scribblestown wildlife park.

OpenYourEyes

Ulmus wrote: »

Thanks for that, Srameen. The otter spraint (?) - I didn't risk sniffing it - I saw was further up the Tolka from the Botanic Gardens, in the new Scribblestown wildlife park.

During the surveys mentioned in that Irish Times article an Otter was seen in the Botanical Gardens - and given that they have pretty big ranges, it seems quite likely that you saw an Otter spraint alright!

mgwhelan

Kayla Moldy Supernova wrote: »

I have come across Dipper in 5 locations while fishing this year, 2 were regular haunts but the 3 others were new for them (well in the past 20 years or so). It's a great indication of the health of our rivers to see Dippers more often. Long may it last.

+1

I help Alex Copland of BWI monitor breeding and winter roosting dippers on rivers that start in the slieve blooms. The fact that there breeding in towns "e.g." Roscrea (at lest three pairs) and Birr (at lest two pairs) shows that our rivers are indeed in good nick.

Seen one in Roscrea singing away there just an hour ago, one of my fav bird songs.

whyulittle

Charleville Castle in Tullamore used to have a bear running around its grounds, who knew!

https://www.facebook.com/Wistorical/posts/511243178983081:0

Bsal

I had a Dunnock in the garden late this evening, first sighting since last winter.

Half-cocked

Had a Bumblebee on my few remaining cornflowers this morning!

Woodville56

Half-cocked wrote: »

Had a Bumblebee on my few remaining cornflowers this morning!

Similarly, I was out walking in my llocal woodland during the week and loads of winged insects flying about - like it was still a summer evening ! Temp wax around 8 c - strange ??

axe2grind

Some winter flowering shrubs had bumble bees today about 10 in all, mostly queens, but did see a worker collecting pollen!

Bsal

I got a great view of my local Sparrowhawk today catching a House Sparrow about 5 metres in front of me, the speed the Sparrowhawk was diving at was incredible and the impact was quite impressive, she didn't mind me being there at all. In and out in a few seconds.

OpenYourEyes

Saw my first ever Peregrine in County Roscommon over the weekend, was delighted! No doubt they've always been here, but I'm more tuned into what to look out for after the last couple of years

axe2grind

Blackbird in full song for most of afternoon,
Queen Bumble Bees collecting pollen,

I tell you its an early Spring

Woodville56

Yes indeed, heard a blackbird in song last week - I know some thrushes start to sing in January (Mistle earllier ?) but it sounded really strange, not a sound but the blackbird, cheerful as ever, on a dark damp November day !!

tricky D

Hedgehog out last night.

OpenYourEyes

Some 'scratch' markings in the grass directly beneath the pole that holds up my birdfeeder - anyone else had similar experience and know whats doing it?*





*I'm 99% sure I know, but interested to see if there's any alternative suggestions....

Connacht

Question please folks :
Do corvids only mob what I would (perhaps ignorantly) consider larger, slower birds of prey, like Harriers, Eagles, Buzzards ? Or do they also mob smaller, faster ones like Kestrel, Peregrine, Merlin ? Just askin'...

OpenYourEyes

Connacht wrote: »

Question please folks :
Do corvids only mob what I would (perhaps ignorantly) consider larger, slower birds of prey, like Harriers, Eagles, Buzzards ? Or do they also mob smaller, faster ones like Kestrel, Peregrine, Merlin ? Just askin'...

They'll mob/harrass all of them! Peregrine's less so I'd imagine, due to reduced opportunity as much as anything.

Bsal

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

Some 'scratch' markings in the grass directly beneath the pole that holds up my birdfeeder - anyone else had similar experience and know whats doing it?*





*I'm 99% sure I know, but interested to see if there's any alternative suggestions....

Maybe a cat, but what do you think it is?

OpenYourEyes

Bsal wrote: »

Maybe a cat, but what do you think it is?

There are c.3 strayish cats that visit the garden on a daily basis, but during the day at least none of them seem too interested in the pole/birdfeeders - except sometimes if they think they can nab a sparrow!


This scratching seems to be done at night, since I'm usually watching the feeders for a lot of the daytime. But I don't think its a cat.

Woodville56

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

This scratching seems to be done at night, since I'm usually watching the feeders for a lot of the daytime. But I don't think its a cat.

Possibly a badger ?

OpenYourEyes

Woodville56 wrote: »

Possibly a badger ?

Someone else I was talking to suggested that too! I've never seen a badger in the garden, and have never come across a likely set in the 2 or 3 fields behind the house - though that doesn't mean they aren't there or didn't come from fields beyond that either!

The mammals I've seen in the garden are fox, hedgehog, rats and mice.
my thoughts were that it was probably rats, but I suppose that was a bit of a guess too. With plenty of seeds and fatballs left out for the last few weeks, and the fact that rats are obviously present in the garden and wider area, and with the scratching seemingly done at night, I had presumed rats!

Anyone got a more definitive suggestion than my own theory?

V_Moth

Had a butterfly (Peacock or Red Admiral) fly past the window a few minutes ago. First time I have ever seen one in December!

snowstreams

V_Moth wrote: »

Had a butterfly (Peacock or Red Admiral) fly past the window a few minutes ago. First time I have ever seen one in December!

Yeah I had a red admiral in my house yesterday too. I don't know how it got in. But I doubt it will survive at this time of year.