Getting close to wildlife - literally

[The Lurker]

There are penguins near Simonstown in South Africa. They rope parts of the beach off but you can walk right past them. Or you could in 1997 anyway!

[tigerburnie]

 

[steve1]

Have discovered two of these Smooth Newts inside the house in the last week. First was sadly deceased but this chap(?) was rescued and put in a safe place in the garden.

 

steve 

 

 

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Long time absence, is this still the right thread for birds in the garden?

 

Whatever, I have definitive evidence that finches have lower IQ than titmice and nuthatches.

 

This began with a plague of green flying tree rats. (Ring necked parakeets.) A massive flock came and raided the seed feeder, with their incessant shrieking as accompaniment, and none of the titmice etc. getting a look in. So I installed some fine wire mesh blocking direct access to the feeder ports, and victory! They gave up after two days of fruitseedless shrieking.

 

My dear wife was most concerned that the birds the seeds are put out for might be discouraged, but her observation quickly established that all the regular titmice and the nuthatches had no problems, found that the indirect approach worked  within minutes.  Finches, which are less regular visitors, haven't mastered it yet, a month on since the wire mesh was introduced.

 

Now referred to generically as Dimfinches. Let's see if Darwin was right, will they evolve into Brightfinches?

[tigerburnie]

Spring migrants arriving on  the breeding grounds in the Glens

First spring migrant by tigerburnie, on Flickr

[Martino]

Captured on one of static outdoor cameras.  A Raccoon interacting with a White Tailed Deer.  They don’t really like each other.  Often the deer will back off first, but this time the raccoon thought hesitancy was best.  Later the deer came back and shooed the garbage panda off by waving his hoof at it.

[Martino]

Further interaction.

[Clagsniffer]

 

Met this fella in a field next to where I was working.

[Jeff Smith]

Saw 23 white tailed deer on a dusk ride around our neighbourhood golf course the other night.  They are very skittish and run away as soon as we come into sight.

[Martino]

Yes, they are a bit nervous, the bucks especially.  We’re on the side of a wooded mountain and they come up to feed but they are very aware of our presence.  We had a group of 10 come up last evening, but they were very alert.

[Jeff Smith]

We have sand cranes wandering about - they are fearless and just stand in the road letting cars drive round them.....

[J. S. Bach]

7 hours ago, Jeff Smith said:

We have sand cranes wandering about - they are fearless and just stand in the road letting cars drive round them.....

I saw these in a rest area on southbound I-95 in Florida: 

 

 

They do not look it in the photo but they are quite tall, up to three feet or so.

Edited March 15 by J. S. Bach
To add some information

[Jeff Smith]

Magnificent in flight too!

[tigerburnie]

Rare Red by tigerburnie, on Flickr

[Rich_F]

Friendly (or just hungry) squirrel in Battersea Park recently...

 

[tigerburnie]

Red by tigerburnie, on Flickr

[tigerburnie]

 

[Martino]

 

Mother white tailed deer getting impatient with a crow!

[03060]

Saw my first butterfly of the season last Mon, a beautiful, bright yellow green Brimstone that looked like it was on a mission heading for the river Nidd from high up at Knazzerberoo Castle.

 

My only other sighting this year has been an overwintering Peacock butterfly that I think had found itself a warm spot but had woken up a little too early. I managed to catch it gently in my hands and release it back into the wild ... much better than getting covered in ink and shi ... I wish somebody would do the same for me !! 🤣
 

Regards,

Ian.

[Martino]

Butterflies have suddenly emerged this week in our neck of the woods.  I scrambled down one of our deer trails to investigate a wild Mountain Azalea that was flowering.  I’m amazed I managed to get down the trail, let alone back up afterwards!  Anyway, I was rewarded by a Tiger Swallowtail doing its pollinator thing on the Azalea.

[monkeysarefun]

An East Coast low weather system dumped a heap of rain  up and down the East Coast yesterday and  over night. I awoke to water views and in the mid distance a pair of swans taking advantage of the new giant paddling pool.

 

 

Edited April 5 by monkeysarefun

[tigerburnie]

 

[Martino]

 

It’s only a camera trap, so I feel it’s a bit of a cheat, as a photographer.  However, it’s interesting.  Their coats are a bit ratty, as it’s the time when they shed their winter coast and grow their summer wear.  Most of the older females are pregnant and will shortly push out (temporarily) their yearling daughters which they will welcome back after giving birth. Their yearling sons however (these are the ‘button’ bucks) will be banished for good, becoming bucks and preparing for the rut later in the year - around November/December.   The interaction between the males, females and different family groups is fascinating and all happening outside our back garden.  We’re very lucky.

[sb67]

Been getting regular visits from this beauty, we put some food out and she waits around 7 ish onwards, she must have cubs somewhere as she takes the food away and then comes back and eats for herself. 

 

 

 

 

[PhilJ W]

There was an obviously pregnant vixen in my garden a couple of weeks ago but no sign of any cubs yet. Last year I watched a vixen suckle one of her cubs in my back garden. Later one of the cubs, despite its siblings running away would come up to my patio doors and paw the glass as if begging. It appeared to be smaller than its siblings but a lot braver.

Edited April 29 by PhilJ W