Wildlife Snaps

ImLost

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Not sure
Osprey I think


Could be a tawny eagle. It was very tall and as mentioned was munching on a rat. It's not a buzzard as we have mainly augar buzzards here. A lot of fish eagles as well as we are near a big lake.
I did think a fish Eagle could be another likely one.
 
Spoil sport!:D Sparrowhawks have to live too!
Aww c'mon! I feed and water the little birds all year round to make sure there's a good supply for the sparrowhawks, and the holly/fence combo gives them a chance to hone their murder skillz. Plus the holly keeps the neighbouring cats from the birds.

The sparrows have had a particularly good year this year so far and there'll be easy pickings for the sparrowhawks over the winter.
 

Netherfield

Member
Location
West Yorkshire
1596366497779.jpeg


Sometimes we just get feathers left on the lawn, and I think 'that's another Pigeon or Magpie less'.
 

Dry Rot

Member
Livestock Farmer
Aww c'mon! I feed and water the little birds all year round to make sure there's a good supply for the sparrowhawks, and the holly/fence combo gives them a chance to hone their murder skillz. Plus the holly keeps the neighbouring cats from the birds.

The sparrows have had a particularly good year this year so far and there'll be easy pickings for the sparrowhawks over the winter.

Just tweaking your tail, mate! :ROFLMAO: I put up a lot of nest boxes in the yard in the hope that it would help the sparrows and maybe encourage a sparrowhawk to visit. There used to be a nest (sparrowhawk) about 200 yards from my door but the trees got too big and they have moved on. The sparrows multiplied but were getting a bit greedy at the feed bin so I put a lid on it. Not so many about now.:(

Used to see the occasional merlin (I am almost at sea level), but haven't seen one for years. Osprey, buzzard, occasional peregrine, a couple of harriers, once a Golden eagle, and ospreys are not unusual, and once a Honey buzzard I think.
 
Just tweaking your tail, mate! :ROFLMAO: I put up a lot of nest boxes in the yard in the hope that it would help the sparrows and maybe encourage a sparrowhawk to visit. There used to be a nest (sparrowhawk) about 200 yards from my door but the trees got too big and they have moved on. The sparrows multiplied but were getting a bit greedy at the feed bin so I put a lid on it. Not so many about now.:(

Used to see the occasional merlin (I am almost at sea level), but haven't seen one for years. Osprey, buzzard, occasional peregrine, a couple of harriers, once a Golden eagle, and ospreys are not unusual, and once a Honey buzzard I think.
Sounds like you could be less tidy around your feed bin and keep your ornothological ecology in good heart. ;)

I had to take a feeder down and limit how much I put out because the sparrows and starlings were getting through it too fast but they seem to coping with my rationing programme. I put up nest boxes this year for 'my' sparrows as they had a turf war with the house martins last year, however instead they decided to move into my roof space, just under the rafters, which is fine as I don't hear them stomping about like the mice.

We only have the generic raptors locally - buzzards, sparrowhawks and kestrels mainly, although I've seen a marsh harrier over the local fen and hobbies in the summer. We have kites moving east, these past couple of years I've seen one scouting out the village allotments and field beyond, but they haven't stayed to nest. One thing I like to do each year is find where the goshawks are nesting in Thetford Forest although I tend to hear them rather than see them as they're well-hidden.

There's something very special about raptors above other birds.
 

Dry Rot

Member
Livestock Farmer
Sounds like you could be less tidy around your feed bin and keep your ornothological ecology in good heart. ;)

I had to take a feeder down and limit how much I put out because the sparrows and starlings were getting through it too fast but they seem to coping with my rationing programme. I put up nest boxes this year for 'my' sparrows as they had a turf war with the house martins last year, however instead they decided to move into my roof space, just under the rafters, which is fine as I don't hear them stomping about like the mice.

We only have the generic raptors locally - buzzards, sparrowhawks and kestrels mainly, although I've seen a marsh harrier over the local fen and hobbies in the summer. We have kites moving east, these past couple of years I've seen one scouting out the village allotments and field beyond, but they haven't stayed to nest. One thing I like to do each year is find where the goshawks are nesting in Thetford Forest although I tend to hear them rather than see them as they're well-hidden.

There's something very special about raptors above other birds.

Yes, I forgot about the kites. I love goshawks which I have trained and flown for years, also bred successfully, but I am not aware of any breeding around here -- too much persecution! But my choice would be merlins. I used to spend my summers in Ireland ringing them (and sparrowhawks) for the BT0. Lovely little birds.

Will you not see the goshawks in the spring doing their territorial soaring?
 
Yes, I forgot about the kites. I love goshawks which I have trained and flown for years, also bred successfully, but I am not aware of any breeding around here -- too much persecution! But my choice would be merlins. I used to spend my summers in Ireland ringing them (and sparrowhawks) for the BT0. Lovely little birds.

Will you not see the goshawks in the spring doing their territorial soaring?
I see them in the spring, yes, but rarely during the rest of the year apart from once when I was in the right place at the right time to catch three flying out over a clear-cut patch and back to the nest, which I presumed were fledglings and/or parent(s).

Falconry is on my list to take up once I can retire and have more time, and a few years ago I treated myself to an 'experience' day spent flying a harris hawk, learning to tie knots with my thumb, fit jesses, weigh falcons, and squeeze the yolks out of dead chicks - all good stuff.
 

Dry Rot

Member
Livestock Farmer
I see them in the spring, yes, but rarely during the rest of the year apart from once when I was in the right place at the right time to catch three flying out over a clear-cut patch and back to the nest, which I presumed were fledglings and/or parent(s).

Falconry is on my list to take up once I can retire and have more time, and a few years ago I treated myself to an 'experience' day spent flying a harris hawk, learning to tie knots with my thumb, fit jesses, weigh falcons, and squeeze the yolks out of dead chicks - all good stuff.

I do not have any experience of wild goshawks but assume their behaviour is similar to sparrowhawks. These will soar over their territory before nesting in the spring. Then, if you know what sort of trees and locations they like, finding them later is not too difficult, i.e. ideally 3/4 the way up a larch tree and a little way off a ride so there is easy secretive entry and exit. I used to ring a lot and got an instinct for finding them. But some would nest in odd places, and I assume these were inexperienced birds! Once at eye level in an apple tree and another time way up in the very top of a big tree like a crow's nest. It is of course now an offence to disturb them, but that was years ago.

Successful falconry is like having a new baby 24/7/365. I wasted too many years chasing what became an obsession!:cautious:
 

andyt87

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Glamorgan
Cattle were pretty determined to trample this leveret this morning. Moved them off then put the lad back in his hiding place. Wouldn't normally disturb them but the calves were being d!cks
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lostdog

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
East Sussex
Does anyone have any idea what this is? It looks like a fly with a frogs head. It's about 15mm long. We found it dead in our kitchen and I've never seen anthing like it before. Sorry for the small picture but it was as close as I could get without losing focus. Hopefully you can zoom in
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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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