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What have you noticed in your garden during the lockdown?

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    #212
    magicbastarder
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 48,321 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    Banded demoiselle?


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    #213
    JustAThought
    Registered Users Posts: 5,323 ✭✭✭JustAThought


    I watched a baby hooded crow being fed by two different adults yesterday! I was lying in the sun tossing bits of bagel at them. I 100% saw the baby crow HIDE bits of the bagel under moss and drag other bits of moss over to cover it up! Couldn’t believe my eyes.

    Then it kept running and sqwalking at the adult crows until they separately fed the bits they had got into its gullet - madness! Does any crow feed another or do crows mate and feed together as pairs??


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    #214
    Mossie1975
    Registered Users Posts: 196 ✭✭Mossie1975


    I’ve spotted a hare in my back garden twice in the last week. The minute he sees me he tears off up the fields.


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    #215
    whelzer
    Registered Users Posts: 557 ✭✭✭whelzer


    My garden is full of frogs at the minute, with the bit of rain tonight i'll go out later and get a few pics. The colours are unreal, every shade brown and green and "black", some have fairly red/brown bellies!


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    #216
    New Home
    Moderators, Arts Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 76,351 Mod ✭✭✭✭New Home


    whelzer wrote: »
    My garden is full of frogs at the minute, with the bit of rain tonight i'll go out later and get a few pics. The colours are unreal, every shade brown and green and "black", some have fairly red/brown bellies!


    Would you please consider logging them here? I'm sure they'd be happy of the extra records.

    http://www.ipcc.ie/help-ipcc/hop-to-it-national-frog-survey-irelandcard/


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    #217
    DrGreenThumb82
    Closed Accounts Posts: 95 ✭✭DrGreenThumb82


    Robins, Blackbirds, Thrushes, Nesting Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Great Tits, Sisken, Bullfinches, Dunnock, Collared Dove, Nesting Wood Pigeons

    Which were attacked and eaten by a Pine Marten. Raided the nest, attacked the adult wood pigeon which stumbled off in a daze then the Pine Marten grabbed and killed one sizeable wood pigeon chick and then returned five minutes later and nabbed the other chick.

    Have had a fox visiting too.

    Had a few visits from a Sparrowhawk which killed a collared Dove

    Have a pair of buzzards circling overhead regularly.

    Had a huge poplar hawk moth too. That was a first.

    Oh and bats, loads of bats


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    #218
    auspicious
    Registered Users Posts: 4,497 ✭✭✭auspicious


    Spotted a hedgehog in the yard about a month ago and began leaving food out nightly. Seen it a few times since but tonight She had a little hoglet with her. Unfortunately it just ran for cover as I was taking the pic. You can just about make it out under the dock leafs.
    They love meal worms.
    Not good for them: milk, fish, cat food in gravy, starchy vegetables.


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    #219
    magicbastarder
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 48,321 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    auspicious wrote: »
    Not good for them: ... cat food in gravy
    where did you hear this? hedgehog rescue dublin often put out requests for food and they usually say any wet cat food of any brand is fine.


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    #220
    auspicious
    Registered Users Posts: 4,497 ✭✭✭auspicious


    magicbastarder wrote: »
    where did you hear this? hedgehog rescue dublin often put out requests for food and they usually say any wet cat food of any brand is fine.

    Hey.
    I read it on Hedgehogstreet.org.
    " It is better to offer them either one of the many hedgehog foods which are available, or cat/dog food – meat varieties – and preferably in jelly not gravy or cat/kitten biscuits – not fish varieties of any of these. This will make for healthier hedgehogs".

    Maybe gravy is not bad but just not preferable...

    Also said" I am not at all sure that suet pellets are good for hedgehogs and have not seen them recommended anywhere, officially, for hedgehogs. They are actually designed for birds. I can’t help thinking that a balanced diet, i.e. in the form of hedgehog food has got to be better for them. We don’t want to end up having a problem with obese hedgehogs from eating too much fat!"

    They love mealworms( the chitin is great for their fibre ) but it's not hugely nutritional I read. High protein cat food works well and fresh water.


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    #221
    auspicious
    Registered Users Posts: 4,497 ✭✭✭auspicious


    An informative colourful pdf below to encourage hedgehogs into your gardens/neighbourhoods and help fight their decline.
    The more active participants in your area the better chance the 'hogs stand.


    https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/pdf/WAGW.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiB9qf8ioXrAhW5SxUIHeVpAo4QFjABegQIDRAG&usg=AOvVaw2l2rIGcT23SEqhI1OH7Dsa


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    #222
    auspicious
    Registered Users Posts: 4,497 ✭✭✭auspicious


    Took this on the 25th of July. But now only one appears nightly around 10.30.


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    #223
    gzoladz
    Registered Users Posts: 2,196 ✭✭✭gzoladz


    auspicious wrote: »
    Took this on the 25th of July. But now only one appears nightly around 10.30.

    This is great. Hedgehogs and Badgers are on my wishlist to see!


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    #224
    fryup
    Registered Users Posts: 18,069 ✭✭✭✭fryup


    Flying Ant Day today ..in my garden ..anyone else?


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    #225
    nutjobb
    Registered Users Posts: 88 ✭✭nutjobb


    IMG_20200614_145646.jpgLoads of frogs here too..


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    #226
    scarepanda
    Registered Users Posts: 3,438 ✭✭✭scarepanda


    fryup wrote: »
    Flying Ant Day today ..in my garden ..anyone else?

    Yup, loads here today and then all of a sudden they were gone.


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    #227
    John_Rambo
    Registered Users Posts: 9,500 ✭✭✭John_Rambo


    fryup wrote: »
    Flying Ant Day today ..in my garden ..anyone else?

    Yeah! Swallows, swifts, herring gulls & black headed gulls gobbling them up all day along with a sparrowhawk cruising around, dozens of bats out at dusk. As scarepanda says... gone in a matter of hours.


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    #228
    SnowyMuckish
    Registered Users Posts: 858 ✭✭✭SnowyMuckish


    I was wondering why the swallows were out in force this evening! I didn’t see any of the ants at home but noticed them elsewhere!


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    #229
    Yakult
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 7,941 Mod ✭✭✭✭Yakult


    Woke up to a dead Sparrow Hawk and Blackbird in my Garden. Judging by where I found them, it would appear the Sparrow Hawk just flew straight into my shed outter wall, dying on impact! He was carrying the somewhat eaten Blackbird when impact happened.


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    #230
    upupup
    Registered Users Posts: 605 ✭✭✭upupup


    Yakult wrote: »
    Woke up to a dead Sparrow Hawk and Blackbird in my Garden. Judging by where I found them, it would appear the Sparrow Hawk just flew straight into my shed outter wall, dying on impact! He was carrying the somewhat eaten Blackbird when impact happened.

    Possible that the hawk was being chased and flying at speed,,chased by angry blackbird parents?...buzzard?....or just a crazy speedfreak hawk not paying attention!


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    #231
    SmurfX
    Registered Users Posts: 236 ✭✭SmurfX


    Spotted this on a street light a couple of mornings ago, unfortunately it was incredibly foggy so the picture is more like a silhouette but was wondering what it might have been since I've never seen something so large in the area before. It sat there resting for about 20 minutes before flying off at a low height so never really got a good look at it.
    For a size comparison those are rooks beside it.

    This is an area where white tailed eagles have been introduced recently so I did wonder but think it probably doesn't fit the shape and rooks probably wouldn't have been moving so close to it if it was.

    Thought maybe a heron or some kind of goose? Anyone more knowledgeable have an idea what it might be?
    MkZCEUw.jpg


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    #232
    New Home
    Moderators, Arts Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 76,351 Mod ✭✭✭✭New Home


    Cormorant, I'd say.


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    #233
    fryup
    Registered Users Posts: 18,069 ✭✭✭✭fryup


    strange to see one on a telegraph pole ?


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    #234
    SmurfX
    Registered Users Posts: 236 ✭✭SmurfX


    Picked this up on the garden trail camera last night.

    Anyone know if it's a mouse, rat or some kind of shrew?

    https://streamable.com/gs7spf


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    #235
    finla
    Registered Users Posts: 173 ✭✭finla


    My vote is Shrew


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    #236
    New Home
    Moderators, Arts Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 76,351 Mod ✭✭✭✭New Home


    Mine also, with that snout. :)


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    #237
    Phillip876
    Registered Users Posts: 9 ✭Phillip876


    I spent my whole lock down in my home garden. I saw a lot of stuff there which I never noticed before. The beauty of flowers, the smell of soil, and the life of birds. It made my mind calm and peaceful during my busy life full of duties.


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    #238
    Arequipa
    Registered Users Posts: 1,010 ✭✭✭Arequipa


    Hi! I hope you are all well.
    Over the later summer months, I found that there wasnt much birdsong.

    But over the last week or so, every evening I can hear a robin singlng beautifully in the trees around my house and also early in the morning at around 6am.

    Is this the robin asserting his / her territory?

    Is it true the robin is the only songbird to sing through the winter months?

    Thank u!


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