Getting close to wildlife - literally

[PhilJ W]

Hope someone can identify my poor description of a raptor for me.  It flew diagonally across the windscreen today, about eye level so I couldn't see the underside of the wings particularly well so not sure of the width of the wings, nor the head.  Bit of a surprise on the motorway.  

 

It had a wingspan of maybe 2 to 3 feet, and seemed to be all over brownish.  There didn't seem to be much pattern or different colouring to the underside of the wings, but, as above, I couldn't see them well.  Wing tip feathers curved up nicely.  I thought of a buzzard, but the colouring seemed wrong.

 

?

 

edit for Phil's post 400      M8 in Renfrewshire, between St James & Erskine Bridge junctions

 

 

Where exactly was this? Your description sounds like an eagle owl, which have been reported in some parts of the country.

Eagle Owls have been spotted in North Yorkshire so it seems unlikely that any would have ventured further afield. Also a full grown adult has a wingspan of up to six feet and they have a reputation for taking small domestic animals such as cats. In that area it could be one of several species of raptor.

[shortliner]

This morning, on returning form a visit to the local (12 miles away) Tesco, I turned into the entrance of the house opposite, in order to reverse into my dive , and there, sitting on his gatepost was a male sparrow hawk -. He was concentrating on the movement of small birds in the beech hedge between his house and the house next door, and (while I know my car is remarkably quiet), continued to sit there within a couple of feet of the Windscreen/passenger front window for about a quarter of a minute before flying off. SWMBO probably had the closest view of a sparrow hawk in the wild that she will ever get!

Edited November 1, 2018 by shortliner

[Shadow]

What about a Kite.

 

http://what-when-how.com/birds/red-kite-birds/

[pH]

Today, we went to try to see spawning salmon and the eagles that congregate from hundreds of miles away to feed on the dead carcasses. (Unlike Atlantic salmon, Pacific salmon return only once to spawn and die afterwards.) Apparently, we were too late to see the particular salmon run we'd gone to see. There were a very few stragglers around, but not the thousands you can see at the peak of a run. And that meant the eagles had mostly gone "home", or on to other, later salmon runs.

 

Here are a couple of the eagles that remained - they may have been "locals". They're both bald-headed eagles. The one with the white head is a mature adult, the other is a juvenile.

 

 

 

Here's a picture showing salmon carcasses (the light-coloured things) in the river.

 

 

We talked to a couple of guys who were dealing with them. They were counting them, keeping separate counts for males and females. Somewhat gruesomely, they ensure that the same fish aren't counted twice by cutting the fish in half as they count them. The fish are dead, so it doesn't worry them, and the eagles aren't concerned whether they're in one piece or not.

[tigerburnie]

Spotted alongside the ECML near Arbroath

 

[tigerburnie]

My luck is running just now, had this Fox appear in front of me, then with one bound it was gone.

[JZ]

A few my trip down under.

Didn't see any in the wild. This was in the Koala Sanctuary, Pennant Hills, Sydney.

 

Loads of these about. Galah.

 

Lots of these as well. Magpie, though not related to those in the UK.

 

All of these proved rather elusive subjects. They fly pretty quickly and head straight into trees. I didn't see them very often in the open.

 

Kangaroos pretty much everywhere.

 

This little guy watched me having lunch at Washerwoman's Beach, Bendalong.

 

And just a few of the many I took from Pacific Drive, Bermagui.

 

 

 

 

 

[hmrspaul]

We found a very young Maned three toed sloth on the ground on a trail at Regua (Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest reserve). It had been raining very heavily and was unseasonably cold - the little thing was shivering.

 

 

Having put it on a tree which it partially climbed,

 

 

Mum came down and, after needing help across the ground, climbed up and reclaimed her baby.

 

 

This is not just any three toed sloth - but one which is only found in fragmented parts of the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest. IUCN Red List Category and Criteria

Vulnerable B2ab(ii,iii)  Regua has replanted half a million trees on their land, and regularly add small parcels of upland to their inventory.

 

Paul

 

PS their claws are needle sharp - how do I know?

Edited December 23, 2018 by hmrspaul

[DaveyH]

This woke me up this morning!

 

 

 

 

 

Davey

[tigerburnie]

A Kingfisher taken close to Montrose station

[shortliner]

These photos were sent to me by a mate in Medicine Hat, Canada I thought you might be as impressed as I am.

[phil_sutters]

Not really in the same league I am afraid. This is not the earliest I have spotted butterflies, but, as last year was very poor for butterflies, here on the Sussex coast, I was pleased to see this one and its partner flitting about in the sun.

 

 

Edited March 28, 2019 by phil_sutters
Wrongly identified as a Pale Clouded Yellow

[leavesontheline]

On 18/02/2019 at 14:43, DaveyH said:

This woke me up this morning!

 

 

 

 

 

Davey

 

A money spider?

[Phil Bullock]

13 hours ago, phil_sutters said:

Not really in the same league I am afraid. This is not the earliest I have spotted butterflies, but, as last year was very poor for butterflies, here on the Sussex coast, I was pleased to see this one and its partner flitting about in the sun.

 

Smashing photos Phil

 

But what you have here is a male Brimstone .....  https://www.google.com/search?q=brimstone+butterfly&hl=en-GB&authuser=0&rlz=1C1GGGE_en-gbGB569GB631&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=_wmFI91LJoGA4M%3A%2Cu6mmPfz5rY9N4M%2C%2Fm%2F03t52l&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kTPgTjqnNoYRSGkoam8bUszk0nh8A&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwiI1NTQ26HhAhW4URUIHcmyDK8Q_B0wCnoECAsQBg#imgrc=_thqscji-Vqk0M:&vet=1.

 

The species exhibits sexual dimorphism, the female is white so if another yellow one was around its another male. Often one of the first butterflies on the wing in Spring. Identification key is the characteristic angular shape of the wings.

 

Clouded yellow is here https://www.google.com/search?q=clouded+yellow+butterfly&rlz=1C1GGGE_en-gbGB569GB631&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=WMgtm7atrF1uoM%3A%2CXTvZ-L5zhy28nM%2C%2Fm%2F06s8tq&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kTN0yh0rgOrL42PiIQUcwGayZGo-w&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjjn9X12qHhAhWGURUIHU82DCEQ_B0wEHoECAsQBg#imgdii=MYEJI1P2vW7XOM:&imgrc=WMgtm7atrF1uoM:&vet=1 and is generally a migrant that wont be seen until later in the year. 

 

Cheers

 

Phil

Edited March 27, 2019 by Phil Bullock

[phil_sutters]

On 27/03/2019 at 06:43, Phil Bullock said:

 

Smashing photos Phil

 

But what you have here is a male Brimstone .....  https://www.google.com/search?q=brimstone+butterfly&hl=en-GB&authuser=0&rlz=1C1GGGE_en-gbGB569GB631&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=_wmFI91LJoGA4M%3A%2Cu6mmPfz5rY9N4M%2C%2Fm%2F03t52l&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kTPgTjqnNoYRSGkoam8bUszk0nh8A&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwiI1NTQ26HhAhW4URUIHcmyDK8Q_B0wCnoECAsQBg#imgrc=_thqscji-Vqk0M:&vet=1.

 

The species exhibits sexual dimorphism, the female is white so if another yellow one was around its another male. Often one of the first butterflies on the wing in Spring. Identification key is the characteristic angular shape of the wings.

 

Clouded yellow is here https://www.google.com/search?q=clouded+yellow+butterfly&rlz=1C1GGGE_en-gbGB569GB631&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=WMgtm7atrF1uoM%3A%2CXTvZ-L5zhy28nM%2C%2Fm%2F06s8tq&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kTN0yh0rgOrL42PiIQUcwGayZGo-w&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjjn9X12qHhAhWGURUIHU82DCEQ_B0wEHoECAsQBg#imgdii=MYEJI1P2vW7XOM:&imgrc=WMgtm7atrF1uoM:&vet=1 and is generally a migrant that wont be seen until later in the year. 

 

Cheers

 

Phil

Thanks for the identification Phil. I have replaced the caption on the original photo.

[Phil Bullock]

Welcome Phil. As previously said smashing photos and whatever the species butterflies are one of nature’s marvels and are a joy to behold. Oh hang on ... may be not cabbage whites!

 

Phil

[jonny777]

No photo of this event, sadly; but yesterday I was sitting in the back garden watching the local birds on the feeders when I spotted a wren flitting around between some old plant pots. Probably looking for small spiders and other critters lurking over there - I thought and then congratulated myself on how lucky I was to see a wren so relatively close (it was about 15 feet away). 

 

At which point, the bird started to venture towards me via a pile of buddleia prunings and was at first 10 feet, and then 5 feet away. I sat as still as I could, trying to breathe as little as possible in case it noticed the movement. Without a word of a lie, the wren came hopping along the edge of the grass, across the paving in front of my feet and then carried on towards the greenhouse on my other side; all the time pecking at whatever tiny insects it could see and not seeming to care that I was there at all. 

 

Amazing. 

[laurenceb]

Worth not getting a photo which would probably have scared it off

[Phil Bullock]

Absolutely - best way to do it, sit still and let the wild life come to you!

 

First hedgehog of the year out tonight - not sure if its the one from our lodge, will check if bedding has been disturbed tomorrow. He was stocking up well on Spike's Dinner - they love that

 

Phil

[Phil Bullock]

On 05/12/2018 at 05:53, pH said:

Today, we went to try to see spawning salmon and the eagles that congregate from hundreds of miles away to feed on the dead carcasses. (Unlike Atlantic salmon, Pacific salmon return only once to spawn and die afterwards.) 

 

 

The Pacific salmon runs can be spectacular! As you say 100% mortality - and it isnt that much less amongst Atlantic salmon, probably 95% overall and higher in males than females. Varies from river to river and year to year dependant on conditions - a decent height of water in the rivers after they have spawned in November/December gives them the best chance to get back to sea and get some food quickly, they dont feed in fresh water.

 

The most impressive fish I have heard of in recent years was found on the banks of the River Cothi in South Wales - dead and half eaten but was a female estimated to weigh about 50lbs. Scale readings showed she had just completed her 4th spawning run - so will also have gone to Greenland and back 4 times. 

 

Amazing creatures!

 

Phil

 

 

[Claude_Dreyfus]

A couple from a trip to South Africa last month.

 

Pair of male White Rhinos in KwaZulu-Natal.

 

Young bull Elephant making its views on our presence quite clear. Trumpeting and flicking his ears. We left him to it. Kruger national park.

Edited March 28, 2019 by Claude_Dreyfus
Typo

[Claude_Dreyfus]

One more...

 

Pusscat, doing what they do best. A Leopard having a post-dinner snooze up a tree. Kruger national park.

[Free At Last]

13 minutes ago, Claude_Dreyfus said:

One more...

 

Pusscat, doing what they do best. A Leopard having a post-dinner snooze up a tree. Kruger national park.

A Sleepypussycatalotamus.

[pH]

At a local lake yesterday;

 

Wood duck

 

Teal duck

 

Sandhill crane

 

Blue heron through the bushes

[Phil Bullock]

Wood duck has beautiful plumage....

 

Phil