Nature on your farm.

Capercaillie

NcdJd wrote: »

There is a lot of Quail this year in the barley and corn where I live. Can't upload the audio file.

Where are you based, how many calling?

NcdJd

Capercaillie wrote: »

Where are you based, how many calling?

North County dublin, not too far from dublin airport. I would say at least 4 when going through the different fields the other day. Tried walking up to where one was calling got to about 20 feet but stopped.

Lime Tree Farm

Small Tortoiseshell and Meadow Brown, clinging on in the wind this morning - took a while waiting for the wings to open out.

small tortoiseshell.png

meadow brown butterfly.jpg

tabby aspreme

memorystick wrote: »

Just after seeing some type of a seagull in the heart of the midlands. Why?

I believe seagulls are constantly flying inland, but at a height that you don't notice them, years ago, within a few minutes of starting to plough, seagulls would land in the field and I live 50 miles inland.

Capercaillie

NcdJd wrote: »

North County dublin, not too far from dublin airport. I would say at least 4 when going through the different fields the other day. Tried walking up to where one was calling got to about 20 feet but stopped.

Good stuff, have you exact location?

Rows Grower

tabby aspreme wrote: »

I believe seagulls are constantly flying inland, but at a height that you don't notice them, years ago, within a few minutes of starting to plough, seagulls would land in the field and I live 50 miles inland.

You must be living in one of the furthest points in Ireland from the sea.

The only reason I'm commenting on this is I read on one of those daily facts on a calendar just the other day that there is nowhere in England more than 75 miles from the sea.

Rows Grower

We live 5km from the sea and if we see a seagull anywhere within a kilometre or two of our house then sure as night follows day there is a serious storm on the way.

kollegeknight

Coming In From a walk last Night around 11: A barn owl screeching over my head. Got a video but more like one of those ufo Videos.

They are living about 100meters from our house.

Say my name

Walking across the garden this evening and I heard a bit of a ruckus in the glasshouse.
I went for a look and what is it only a sparrowhawk.

There was one pane of glass missing and he must of chased a bird into the house.

So I opened the door and off he flew.

Say my name

I saw two young foxes this evening.
One going among the grass tufts on the dungpats and one just sitting up watching me bring in the cows. No fear in em.
You'd nearly be tempted to try and grab one to make a pet of.. :pac:
Have good crops of sow thistles beneath the wires in places and one or two in the field. Fair bit of biodiversity. Good farmer.

One day last week (Wednesday the hot day) gorse on the ditches could be nearly heard in the parish going snap, crackle and pop.

Oh and a frog was hopping about in a paddock today when I was spreading dairy washings.

AckwelFoley

Found a dead crow this morning.

Looked at the camera to see if a cat or something was the cause.

..sorry about the poor video quality, it's a zoomed in portion of the video.

https://youtu.be/42xXw5MGsrQ

kollegeknight

AckwelFoley wrote: »

Found a dead crow this morning.

Looked at the camera to see if a cat or something was the cause.

..sorry about the poor video quality, it's a zoomed in portion of the video.

https://youtu.be/42xXw5MGsrQ

I reckon twas a murder.... I’ll get my coat.

Water John

Got a lovely pic of an Irish Hare (Lepus timidus hibernicus) outside the sitting room window yesterday evening. Seemed to be watching the television. Must learn how to put up pics here.

alps

Rows Grower wrote: »

You must be living in one of the furthest points in Ireland from the sea.

The only reason I'm commenting on this is I read on one of those daily facts on a calendar just the other day that there is nowhere in England more than 75 miles from the sea.

You'd never think it but true...

Messing here now and reckon point furthest from the sea is a mile NE of Camross in Laois at 62miles.

blue5000

I've seen a few of these shield bugs before, but they were green. First time seeing a brown one;

Lady Haywire

A forest shieldbug apparently. Love those little guys, they're so fun to watch.

https://irishnaturalist.com/irish-shieldbugs/#:~:text=It%20is%20common%20in%20Ireland,coloured%20shieldbug%20in%20the%20garden.

ganmo

Saw a proper red squirrel yesterday here

Base price

ganmo wrote: »

Saw a proper red squirrel yesterday here

Would they be normally in your area. I haven't seen any in NCD since I was a child. Lots of greys about though.

tabby aspreme

This Grasshopper didn't mind having his picture taken

Genghis Cant

I don't have a picture but I might take one yet, the other night I happened to look at the plum tree with the torch. It was full of little eyes reflecting back at me. Moths, about 30mm long, mainly brown wing with orange under wing.
Bad infestation of greenfly on the tree seemed to attract them. I think greenfly produce honeydew. Maybe that's the moth attractant.
Anyone put a name on them?

Edit. I looked it up there. Seems to be the Large Yellow Under wing. Noctua pronuba.

Lime Tree Farm

Large Yellow Under wing. Good range of pics on this site.

https://butterfly-conservation.org/moths/large-yellow-underwing

NcdJd

Genghis Cant wrote: »

I don't have a picture but I might take one yet, the other night I happened to look at the plum tree with the torch. It was full of little eyes reflecting back at me. Moths, about 30mm long, mainly brown wing with orange under wing.
Bad infestation of greenfly on the tree seemed to attract them. I think greenfly produce honeydew. Maybe that's the moth attractant.
Anyone put a name on them?

Edit. I looked it up there. Seems to be the Large Yellow Under wing. Noctua pronuba.

I was reading this post and had to go in to a room in the house just there and what was on the window? The moth you were talking about!

Have a couple of acres of pumpkins growing and find there is a big scarcity of bumble bees this year. So I'm hand pollinating them for 2 hours every morning. Wonder was it due to the drought earlier. Have a couple of beds of phacilia to aid the pollination which would normally be buzzing with activity but very quite.

Base price

NcdJd wrote: »

I was reading this post and had to go in to a room in the house just there and what was on the window? The moth you were talking about!

Have a couple of acres of pumpkins growing and find there is a big scarcity of bumble bees this year. So I'm hand pollinating them for 2 hours every morning. Wonder was it due to the drought earlier. Have a couple of beds of phacilia to aid the pollination which would normally be buzzing with activity but very quite.

Are you near any of Keelings commercial orchards. If so they are constantly spraying the trees so I assume it would impact insect populations.

forgottenhills

NcdJd wrote: »

I was reading this post and had to go in to a room in the house just there and what was on the window? The moth you were talking about!

Have a couple of acres of pumpkins growing and find there is a big scarcity of bumble bees this year. So I'm hand pollinating them for 2 hours every morning. Wonder was it due to the drought earlier. Have a couple of beds of phacilia to aid the pollination which would normally be buzzing with activity but very quite.

There were plenty of bumble bees around in the good weather spell earlier in the summer, in fact there seemed to be more than normal, certainly around me. However they seem to have disappeared in the colder and wetter snap since. Maybe they are resting on their piles of forage and waiting for warmer weather to re-emerge?

_Brian

forgottenhills wrote: »

There were plenty of bumble bees around in the good weather spell earlier in the summer, in fact there seemed to be more than normal, certainly around me. However they seem to have disappeared in the colder and wetter snap since. Maybe they are resting on their piles of forage and waiting for warmer weather to re-emerge?

Finding less flowering around the garden/farm this year and so seeing fewer bees than other years. This year we’re seeing a massive explosion in numbers of ladybugs, every where I go I’m seeing plenty.

NcdJd

Base price wrote: »

Are you near any of Keelings commercial orchards. If so they are constantly spraying the trees so I assume it would impact insect populations.

I'm at the other side of the airport near cloghran but the some of the lads are growing corn and garlic so I suppose there would be a bit of drift. But plenty of ladybirds and other predators about.

NcdJd

forgottenhills wrote: »

There were plenty of bumble bees around in the good weather spell earlier in the summer, in fact there seemed to be more than normal, certainly around me. However they seem to have disappeared in the colder and wetter snap since. Maybe they are resting on their piles of forage and waiting for warmer weather to re-emerge?

Yeah there was a good few around earlier in the year. Probably all holidaying in someone's posh garden up the road ha

Lime Tree Farm

White Jackdaw in Donegal.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/offbeat/very-rare-white-jackdaw-seen-in-donegal-1.4306404

kollegeknight

The two barn owls have become a family of barn owls, the two parents are flying to and fro all evening. The chicks calling mad.

I emailed birdwatch Ireland about them, interesting to see will they get back to me.

A new neighbour is coming into the area with birds of prey and he is supposed to have a pair of hawk owls. Who, if free seek out other birds of prey nests and kill them and chicks.

forgottenhills

kollegeknight wrote: »

The two barn owls have become a family of barn owls, the two parents are flying to and fro all evening. The chicks calling mad.

I emailed birdwatch Ireland about them, interesting to see will they get back to me.

A new neighbour is coming into the area with birds of prey and he is supposed to have a pair of hawk owls. Who, if free seek out other birds of prey nests and kill them and chicks.

Surely it would be illegal for your new neighbour to let those hawk owls go free to seek prey? Local animals and birds would not have any defence against something new like that.