Nature on your farm.

forgottenhills · 07-10-2019 3:44pm

Birdnuts wrote: »

Pruning out old growth is very important to re vitalise these bushes every year I've found

Yes I cut back my raspberries to 6 inches or so off the ground every year around this time or later and every Spring and Summer they grow back stronger and more productive than ever. Well they are related to briars after all and we all know how hardy those feckers are. A bit of compost and some watering during the dryest part of the summer doesn't seem to do them any harm. Although I think I will stop feeding and watering my blackcurrants as they grew a big crop of sour berries this year.

Buford T. Justice XIX · 07-10-2019 7:56pm

The BRIDE project are doing some interesting work in conservation in Cork.
https://www.thebrideproject.ie/bride-project-newsletter-september-2019

Capercaillie · 07-10-2019 8:50pm

Buford T. Justice VI wrote: »

The BRIDE project are doing some interesting work in conservation in Cork.
https://www.thebrideproject.ie/bride-project-newsletter-september-2019

Great project, needs to be rolled out nationwide to farmers who have the interest!

visatorro · 09-10-2019 9:21pm

Seen three frog's today. I don't ever remember seeing frogs before. Big lumps of yokes too.

SmartinMartin · 16-10-2019 1:53am

The lane is full on right now. Just finished the blackberries, and the hazelnuts, sloe and Rose hips are mental this year, as are the hawthorn and Holly. Amazing, there wasn't a red Berry last season.

blue5000 · 16-10-2019 8:00pm

I saw two tortiseshell butterflies today, don't think I've ever seen them this late in the year before.

Capercaillie · 16-10-2019 9:12pm

https://youtu.be/oyOwqQTkbXQ
0.3 acre nettle/hogweed early cover patch for corncrake

Lime Tree Farm · 29-10-2019 12:04am

Gold Crest.jpg
Gold Crest Zoom.jpg
Gold Crest Zoom1.jpg

A group of Gold Crests came twittering onto this hedge as I was on chatting on the phone. I managed to, as quietly as I could, get some photos. Most were out of focus as I hadn't time to check the settings.

Absolutely tiny and very colourful, this is a female, the males have a red crest. Zoom in on the first pic to note the bird's size in comparison to the nearby ivy leaves.

https://birdwatchireland.ie/birds/goldcrest/

Lime Tree Farm · 29-10-2019 12:18am

Honey fungus.jpg

I thought these were absolutely beautiful when I came across them; I discovered that they were deadly honey fungus, which dissolved into a pungent ugly mess within days.

uck51js9zml2yt · 29-10-2019 12:52am

Wife saw a stoat last week on our road. Also had a pheasant in the garden

Lime Tree Farm · 29-10-2019 2:06am

american mink.jpg

This is the nearest likeness to an animal I observed near a dry stone wall, except I didn't see any white under his chin. It was about the size of a small cat.

I watched it as it ran along the base of the wall, oblivious to my presence. It then darted in between the stones to pounce on some unfortunate creature it was tracking, who squealed a while, then deathly silence.

Base price · 29-10-2019 10:01am

Lime Tree Farm wrote: »

american mink.jpg

This is the nearest likeness to an animal I observed near a dry stone wall, except I didn't see any white under his chin. It was about the size of a small cat.

I watched it as it ran along the base of the wall, oblivious to my presence. It then darted in between the stones to pounce on some unfortunate creature it was tracking, who squealed a while, then deathly silence.

I have seen them around here over the years and some don't have white under their chin/throat, their coats are glossy/shiny.

SmartinMartin · 29-10-2019 11:58am

Anyone know what plant this is? It's new here. Beautiful, but probably lethal.

Lime Tree Farm · 29-10-2019 4:47pm

SmartinMartin wrote: »

Anyone know what plant this is? It's new here. Beautiful, but probably lethal.

Could it be a guelder rose ? Some references say that the berries cannot be eaten raw but safe when cooked !!

Compare your leaves with the leaves on the attached link -

https://www.alamy.com/guelder-rose-viburnum-opulus-with-berries-in-late-summer-schleswig-holstein-germany-image279973824.html

SmartinMartin · 29-10-2019 6:40pm

That's it LTF, thanks.

Lime Tree Farm · 29-10-2019 8:00pm

Guelder Rose - with very distinctive and very pretty flowers - found growing in the wild around Lough Bunny, north Co Clare - this website is requesting sightings.

http://www.wildflowersofireland.net/plant_detail.php?id_flower=398&wildflower=Guelder-rose

Thargor · 29-10-2019 9:50pm

Lime Tree Farm wrote: »

Honey fungus.jpg

I thought these were absolutely beautiful when I came across them; I discovered that they were deadly honey fungus, which dissolved into a pungent ugly mess within days.

Seeing them everywhere this year, all the dead wood and a lot of live trees on Bray Head covered in the stuff.

Buford T. Justice XIX · 31-10-2019 10:58pm

I came across this little guy today and have no idea what he is, only that he appears to be from Kilkenny.

aphextwit · 31-10-2019 11:36pm

In an oak woodpile

Lime Tree Farm · 01-11-2019 8:49am

Buford T. Justice VI wrote: »

I came across this little guy today and have no idea what he is, only that he appears to be from Kilkenny.

Could it be a dethroned Wasp Queen - which is larger than a normal sized wasp.

Wasp Anatomy.jpg

vincenzolorenzo · 01-11-2019 10:43am

Buford T. Justice VI wrote: »

I came across this little guy today and have no idea what he is, only that he appears to be from Kilkenny.

Roughly what length was he? I hope your camera is very zoomed in :eek::D

Danzy · 01-11-2019 10:46am

vincenzolorenzo wrote: »

Roughly what length was he? I hope your camera is very zoomed in :eek::D

Those brown bits are knocked pine trees.

gozunda · 01-11-2019 10:49am

Lime Tree Farm wrote: »

Buford T. Justice VI wrote: »

I came across this little guy today and have no idea what he is, only that he appears to be from Kilkenny.

Could it be a dethroned Wasp Queen - which is larger than a normal sized wasp.

Wasp Anatomy.jpg

I think this is the one you're probably looking for

https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/facebook/000/956/772/9ae.jpg

Buford T. Justice XIX · 01-11-2019 10:54am

vincenzolorenzo wrote: »

Roughly what length was he? I hope your camera is very zoomed in :eek::D

Yeah, very zoomed in, about 20mm in length.

Danzy · 01-11-2019 10:57am

Buford T. Justice VI wrote: »

Yeah, very zoomed in, about 20mm in length.

The dots on the back mark her out as a Queen.

Lime Tree Farm · 01-11-2019 4:28pm

https://irelandswildlife.com/common-wasp-vespula-vulgaris/
and from the comments section from the above site.

Conor Kelly says
July 22, 2012 at 15:39
I think the photo actually shows a Vespula germanica (German, or European, wasp), rather than a Vespula vulgaris(Common wasp). But there isn’t much difference between them, I suppose.

alvin Jones says
August 21, 2013 at 12:22
Just looked at the photo again Conor and I think you may well be right… off out with the camera to try and get a shot of V. vulgaris to replace it.
Oops!

and this from a NZ website.

https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/science/plants-animals-fungi/animals/invertebrates/invasive-invertebrates/wasps/identification/key-differences

SmartinMartin · 01-11-2019 5:09pm

Unusual fungi on our laneway. I'll see what they taste like.

Not.

Lime Tree Farm · 01-11-2019 5:52pm

Mushroom Type
Common Names Common Puffball, Devils Snuffbox, Wolf Farts

https://www.wildfooduk.com/mushroom-guide/common-puffball/

SmartinMartin · 01-11-2019 8:41pm

Edible, no less. Nearly murdered the entire family when I was a youngfella by cooking them breakfast with mushrooms I had picked in the fields. I tend to shy away from them ever since:pac:

ganmo · 08-11-2019 2:04am

Have an impressing ring of these growing
Anyone tempted to name them?

Say my name · 08-11-2019 11:54am

ganmo wrote: »

Have an impressing ring of these growing
Anyone tempted to name them?

Phil, Jonjo, Caroline, Rupert and Alan.

Lime Tree Farm · 08-11-2019 2:50pm

ganmo wrote: »

Have an impressing ring of these growing
Anyone tempted to name them?

Very Nice picture.

The nearest match, found in the Collins wild guide - Mushrooms & Toadstools, is "Roman Shield", though that species fruit in Spring.

Your pic has a slight convex at the centre, an upturned edge with white gills. Does the stem have a ring (ragged near the top) or a volvo (bulbous at the base).

Buford T. Justice XIX · 19-12-2019 2:32pm

A surprise blast of colour this morning, a rose, I think, in an overgrown patch of briars by my parents old house.

blue5000 · 19-12-2019 4:10pm

Say my name wrote: »

Phil, Jonjo, Caroline, Rupert and Alan.

I think I know who you are now;)

Say my name · 19-12-2019 4:49pm

blue5000 wrote: »

I think I know who you are now;)

It's Mr.Murdoch to you sir..

ganmo · 19-12-2019 7:41pm

Say my name wrote: »

It's Mr.Murdoch to you sir..

Who's hannibal?
Reggie is BA :P

Say my name · 19-12-2019 7:56pm

ganmo wrote: »

Who's hannibal?
Reggie is BA :P

Ah sure it'd have to be Buford.
He keeps the whole show together.

Apologies blue and other mods.

Buford T. Justice XIX · 19-12-2019 8:25pm

Say my name wrote: »

Ah sure it'd have to be Buford.
He keeps the whole show together.

Apologies blue and other mods.

I thought I was Faceman:(

gozunda · 19-12-2019 9:34pm

Buford T. Justice VI wrote: »

A surprise blast of colour this morning, a rose, I think, in an overgrown patch of briars by my parents old house.

A December Rose ....

SmartinMartin · 01-01-2020 12:37pm

A very early admiral. The mild weather must have brought her out.

Birdnuts · 01-01-2020 10:44pm

SmartinMartin wrote: »

A very early admiral. The mild weather must have brought her out.

Great Pic lad but its actually a Small Tortoishell - it is indeed significant the amount of Spring signs out there atm, I even saw a good few bats on the wing only last week!! Winter though is far from done with us yet and I expect a pay back at some stage between now and early summer

have2flushtwice · 02-01-2020 12:41am

Is it too late to plant daffodils?

Say my name · 02-01-2020 12:47am

have2flushtwice wrote: »

Is it too late to plant daffodils?

If you have them plant them. Otherwise they'll dry out and be dead anyway.

OpenYourEyes · 07-01-2020 2:42pm

The 8th International Swan Census is coming up this week, focusing on our migratory swans - Whooper and Bewicks' Swans. Their preferred feeding habitat is agricultural grassland, so if anyone comes across any in the next week or so please give me a shout with a count, location, day/time!

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/swan-census-part-of-european-research-into-warming-threat-1.4131025?mode=amp

tabby aspreme · 07-01-2020 2:57pm

Anyone know what this paw print belongs to. Thanks

SmartinMartin · 07-01-2020 3:10pm

gozunda · 07-01-2020 3:10pm

tabby aspreme wrote: »

Anyone know what this paw print belongs to. Thanks

Size of print?

Somewhat similar to that - the tracks from Badgers usually have five toe prints. However claw marks would normally also be seen. Also toes seem very close together for badger, otter etc tbh.

A little Big Foot maybe?

tabby aspreme · 07-01-2020 3:16pm

gozunda wrote: »

Size of print?

Somewhat similar to that - the tracks from Badgers usually have five toe prints. However claw marks would normally also be seen. Also toes seem very close together for badger, otter etc tbh.

A little Big Foot maybe?

40-50mm wide, if I remember correctly, I took it last spring, plenty of badgers around, but as you say, no claws on this print

gozunda · 13-01-2020 4:50pm

Birdnuts wrote: »

Great Pic lad but its actually a Small Tortoishell - it is indeed significant the amount of Spring signs out there atm, I even saw a good few bats on the wing only last week!! Winter though is far from done with us yet and I expect a pay back at some stage between now and early summer

Question for Birdnuts. Do you have any good links for Irish wildbird calls?

I have heard a repeated bird call from an adjacent wet and rushy area during the day which I cant identify. From the call - it's not a small bird. Also checked and its definitely not a bird of prey, a bittern or a corncrake. It is also calling from the ground and not whilst flying. Any possible ideas?

Birdnuts · 14-01-2020 1:47am

gozunda wrote: »

Question for Birdnuts. Do you have any good links for Irish wildbird calls?

I have heard a repeated bird call from an adjacent wet and rushy area during the day which I cant identify. From the call - it's not a small bird. Also checked and its definitely not a bird of prey, a bittern or a corncrake. It is also calling from the ground and not whilst flying. Any possible ideas?

Could be a water rail or moorhen - they both have a wide variety of calls depending on their mood.

Some good APs on the link below

https://www.birdspot.co.uk/bird-watching-iphone-apps

I personally got to know many bird calls over the years from simply listening to them in the days before such tech

Nature on your farm.

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