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Wildlife in your Garden

…they’re huge, they must eat some fish.
They have a beak bill that stores the fish they catch before swallowing them -

What is the purpose of a heron beak?​

The heron and the egret find their long, broad, pointed beaks useful when hunting fish, frogs, crustaceans, and other small animals that live in and around water. Whether their prey is swimming, hopping, crawling, or skittering, herons and egrets use the same hunting method.
 

I live next to a canal and walk down it most days to get to the bus stop for work. Last week I saw a dark coloured creature with 5 little ones running alongside, looked like some form of large ferret, a bloke on one of the Narrow boats informed me it was a family of American Mink.

Outside of pollution, Mink are the single worst thing to happen to the eco system of any waterway.

Ruthless hunters, with no natural predators in this country (outside of humans ). They breed like mad, have incredible hunting skills and will eat anything they can - birds, chicks, small animals, birds eggs etc.

I don`t where you live, but if you go online, there`ll be a way of reporting what / where you saw them, as there`s mink " eradication " programmes on the go across the country and your area might be one that`s running one ?

They may look cute, but they`re very bad news.
 
Outside of pollution, Mink are the single worst thing to happen to the eco system of any waterway.

Ruthless hunters, with no natural predators in this country (outside of humans ). They breed like mad, have incredible hunting skills and will eat anything they can - birds, chicks, small animals, birds eggs etc.

I don`t where you live, but if you go online, there`ll be a way of reporting what / where you saw them, as there`s mink " eradication " programmes on the go across the country and your area might be one that`s running one ?

They may look cute, but they`re very bad news.
I'm in Dudley in the Black Country. I believe they from the American Mink that were released in the wild by anti fur brigade years back. The bloke on the Narrow Boat said he was going to inform someone, obviously living on a canal he more clued up than me
 
Outside of pollution, Mink are the single worst thing to happen to the eco system of any waterway.

Ruthless hunters, with no natural predators in this country (outside of humans ). They breed like mad, have incredible hunting skills and will eat anything they can - birds, chicks, small animals, birds eggs etc.

I don`t where you live, but if you go online, there`ll be a way of reporting what / where you saw them, as there`s mink " eradication " programmes on the go across the country and your area might be one that`s running one ?

They may look cute, but they`re very bad news.
Used to see them a lot round where I used to live but think otters returning took them out. Haven’t seen one for 20 years.
 
Used to see them a lot round where I used to live but think otters returning took them out. Haven’t seen one for 20 years.

Otters, don`t take them, but they`ll push them out of their territory, with them being bigger and stronger.

A very real programme with the Otter recovery programme, is that if Mink have cleaned out a stretch of river of fish etc, it`s impossible to re introduce Otters to a " barren " area.

So the Mink have to be dealt with first and then either wait for the river to recover or re stock with fish.

if you haven`t seen a Mink for that long, someone is pro actively keeping it that way.
 

Saw my first Swallow of the year yesterday.

Anyone else seen any, as it seems to be really late this year ?

Also, saw Lapwings on the fields off Oglet Shore, going through their airborne courtship display, which again seems late ?

( I`ve found Lapwing nests in April in the past )
Saw my first Swallow yesterday, late this year.
From the 8th may last year ? In the north east we would normally see around about April 20th with housemartins about a month later.
 
From the 8th may last year ? In the north east we would normally see around about April 20th with housemartins about a month later.

So only a week late this year !

This years ones were in in Wales, haven`t seen any around by us yet - ( there`s a pair that nests on a neighbours security light in the front porch every year ! )

The Lapwings are deffo late though.
 

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