Wildlife in your Garden

trueblue84 said:
Don't mind them eating the pigeons but I have squirrels in the garden as well and I'd be gutted if it attacked them as they are like pets now.
;)
Click to expand...
They are certainly capable. Much easier to take a slow (when perched) and clumsy pigeon I suppose. I've had them take half a dozen pigeons over the years and also smaller birds but never yet the squirrels.
 
Been a nice week for wildlife viewing here. Saw a really impressive eight point buck in the front yard early in the week. This time of year they start heading more frequently into the neighborhood from an adjacent large wooded tract of land (Teddy Roosevelt used to hike in these woods while he lived in Washington, DC both prior to and during his presidency).
Yesterday, the neighbors had an owl in their tulip poplar. Fantastic! I hadn’t seen an owl in its natural habitat since my uni days. Was really nice to share that experience with my kids and some neighbors who were on a walk
 

OneTrueLegend said:
.....investigating the boarders. I read that during lockdown they were going further afield for food as their usual food supplies at the back of businesses were becoming scarce as the businesses were shut. The advice was to get rid of any food sources or water sources and they would move on. After that that the Mrs wanted the strawberry patch gone, so that's been dug up, lined with a membrane and covered in a plum slate, awaiting potted plant or shrub at a future date. We haven't seen anymore rats since then.
Click to expand...
Got any vacancies? I don't mind being investigated.
 
I just saw a massive bird from my bedroom window. Twice the size of a gull with huge wingspan. Landed on the other side of some houses, bothered some gulls and left before I could get a picture.
Had a weirdly shaped beak, a bit like this: 1604768294782.webp

White feathers on its underside, black/brown on top.

In the suburbs of a coastal city so gulls are normal but never seen a bird so big before. Tried googling but closest I could find was an albatross and nothing on the RSPB bird identifier comes close to what I saw.
 
Zezti said:
I just saw a massive bird from my bedroom window. Twice the size of a gull with huge wingspan. Landed on the other side of some houses, bothered some gulls and left before I could get a picture.
Had a weirdly shaped beak, a bit like this:View attachment 107362

White feathers on its underside, black/brown on top.

In the suburbs of a coastal city so gulls are normal but never seen a bird so big before. Tried googling but closest I could find was an albatross and nothing on the RSPB bird identifier comes close to what I saw.
Click to expand...
Like this?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-humber-53282880
 
Zezti said:
I just saw a massive bird from my bedroom window. Twice the size of a gull with huge wingspan. Landed on the other side of some houses, bothered some gulls and left before I could get a picture.
Had a weirdly shaped beak, a bit like this:View attachment 107362

White feathers on its underside, black/brown on top.

In the suburbs of a coastal city so gulls are normal but never seen a bird so big before. Tried googling but closest I could find was an albatross and nothing on the RSPB bird identifier comes close to what I saw.
Click to expand...

2228CD32-A53E-476C-A170-5D40CA82ECE7.webp

Spoon Bill.

Exceptionally rare in this country, but they are here ?
 


Welcome to GrandOldTeam

Get involved. Registration is simple and free.

Register
Back
Top