Nature on your farm.

Birdnuts

Say my name wrote: »

They make a very distinctive cheaping sound to one another.
Very hard to see them but the cheaping is their giveaway that they're there.

Its quiet low pitched though - so some people may not pick it up straight away. If you do happen to get a bit of view of them, the white rump is distinctive.

Lime Tree Farm

Birdnuts wrote: »

Its quiet low pitched though - so some people may not pick it up straight away. If you do happen to get a bit of view of them, the white rump is distinctive.

After reading your post I caught a glimpse of his distinctive breast outside the window. I grabbed the camera and he obligingly turned his bum for the shot. I'll post it later, I wish I had a steadier hand for focusing.

I took pics of the female on Jan 14, but didn't notice them again until yesterday.

Charolois 19

Found this picture going through my phone on lunch, it was in a pile of timber I was putting into the trailer, I think it's a newt but could be wrong ?

blue5000

Newt has 3 toes if I remember correctly.

Birdnuts

Charolois 19 wrote: »

Found this picture going through my phone on lunch, it was in a pile of timber I was putting into the trailer, I think it's a newt but could be wrong ?

Newt for me given the spotted belly(which is a sign of breeding activitiy too)

Charolois 19

Birdnuts wrote: »

Newt for me given the spotted belly(which is a sign of breeding activitiy too)

They only have spots when breeding is it? I must look them up

SmartinMartin

This sikka stag has been play-rutting with the yearlings for the last few days.

Base price

Just saw this on the Nature and Bird Watching forum. Maybe we could give a hand and take part in survey/questionnaire - it's the national Hedgehog survey.
https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=116953659&postcount=2229

Dinzee Conlee

Base price wrote: »

Just saw this on the Nature and Bird Watching forum. Maybe we could give a hand and take part in survey/questionnaire - it's the national Hedgehog survey.
https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=116953659&postcount=2229

Done - cheers Base...

Funny, hadn’t seen a hedgehog for years, and after seeing 2 the past few months...

PMU

heard the cuckoo last thursday ;summers here

blue5000

Thanks BP, do badgers prey on them? Haven't seen a hedgehog here since the hard winter of 2010 even though we are in Glas/REPS. I would have thought we would have a fairly good habitat for them.

Base price

blue5000 wrote: »

Thanks BP, do badgers prey on them? Haven't seen a hedgehog here since the hard winter of 2010 even though we are in Glas/REPS. I would have thought we would have a fairly good habitat for them.

I didn't know but apparently they do.

Gillespy

Other than the odd unfortunate one on the road I haven't seen a hedgehog for ages. Badger footprints I see a lot however. Hares have really increased here. Up from two, last year there were six that I would always see running around together.

kollegeknight

I just heard the Cuckoo for the first time this year

Lime Tree Farm

Went for a walk at 9pm this evening and came across these gorgeous little creatures having a royal old time playing on the roadway. Let's hope life is kind to them.

FOX CUBS.jpg

FOXCUBS.jpg

The Rabbi

Lime Tree Farm wrote: »

Went for a walk at 9pm this evening and came across these gorgeous little creatures having a royal old time playing on the roadway. Let's hope life is kind to them.

FOX CUBS.jpg

FOXCUBS.jpg

I'm plagued with them here coming in around the sheds. They sh1t on the silage and in the meal troughs. When you go to check the calving pens at night the baskets run out frightening the cows and you never know where you will slip on the after birth they dragged out but didn't finish eating. What really makes me love them so much is finding this of a Sunday morning.

leoch

We have 7 or 8 hsres about our place this last few years but haven't seen 1 this year yet do they hibernate or wat

Lime Tree Farm

Took this on April 4th last, a young hare nibbling at dandelions. As they have poor eyesight they can come quiet near.

Young Hare Apr21.png

minerleague

Lime Tree Farm wrote: »

Went for a walk at 9pm this evening and came across these gorgeous little creatures having a royal old time playing on the roadway. Let's hope life is kind to them.

FOX CUBS.jpg

FOXCUBS.jpg

Very nice ( was there a nature photo competition advertised on radio recently? well worth a punt )

Gillespy

Bad picture of the six hares taken from the tractor last June. Hard to see, oldest biggest one was pretty shabby looking and wasn't moving as fast, the rest were younger and looked very clean and healthy.

kollegeknight

leoch wrote: »

We have 7 or 8 hsres about our place this last few years but haven't seen 1 this year yet do they hibernate or wat

Had our one on the lawn today having a good chomp for him/herself

feartuath

Cuckoo is here since Thursday.

Base price

feartuath wrote: »

Cuckoo is here since Thursday.

I only ever hear the Cuckoo when out on our bog saving turf. It wrecks my head listening to his monotonous call hour after hour - then top it off when the feckin midges descend in the evening and ate you.

PoorFarmer

feartuath wrote: »

Cuckoo is here since Thursday.

Around here too this weekend. Actually managed to see one for the first time ever on Saturday.
Not looking forward to the little ba$tard calling for hours on end. Many is the night I wanted to take the shotgun to the shyt

leoch

leoch wrote: »

We have 7 or 8 hsres about our place this last few years but haven't seen 1 this year yet do they hibernate or wat

No, they don't hibernate but it wouldn't be unusual for foxes to take all the hares in their area in a given year, or run them out. You might notice a sharp drop in here numbers when Autumn and winter comes around, when that year's foxes are at maturity.

Hare numbers fluctuate pretty sharply, mostly depending on the foxes, but it might also depend on changing land use.

bogman_bass

Just checked my desk app and I’ve identified 70 species on farm. There was about another 10 that it could identify the genus but not the exact species.
Add another half dozen grasses to that. It struggles identifying grasses

Rosahane

bogman_bass wrote: »

Just checked my desk app and I’ve identified 70 species on farm. There was about another 10 that it could identify the genus but not the exact species.
Add another half dozen grasses to that. It struggles identifying grasses

The national Biodiversity Data Centre have a very nice identification guide to Ireland's grasses:

https://www.biodiversityireland.ie/grass-identification-guide-now-available/

Base price

I see plenty of swallows about refurbishing last years nests but I haven't seen any house martin activity yet.

Base price

This maybe of interest for some but unfortunately imo most farmers will not participate.
https://www.biodiversityireland.ie/festival-of-farmland-biodiversity/?fbclid=IwAR3_jOQH6OAOv92xxf0OnRhUULlUMe7V52aTIA_cQY9jQD093v9Rv0zNJiA

Capercaillie

Base price wrote: »

This maybe of interest for some but unfortunately imo most farmers will not participate.
https://www.biodiversityireland.ie/festival-of-farmland-biodiversity/?fbclid=IwAR3_jOQH6OAOv92xxf0OnRhUULlUMe7V52aTIA_cQY9jQD093v9Rv0zNJiA

Why?