[Fleecewife]

I'm wondering if there is room on here for a wildlife section?  Is anyone else interested in wildlife other than as something to kill?  We run our smallholding to benefit wildlife - birds, animals, invertebrates, wild bees, plants and so on - and I would be interested in discussions on how to encourage these creatures further.
Anyone else interested?

[faith0504]

i would really like that, as we love all things wildlife, and it would be great, to be able to read others experiences,
just sat here watching the swallows gathering ready to vacate their summer residence.

[lazybee]

Good idea !!!

[Rosemary]

I'll tell Dan!

[Fleecewife]

Thank you Rosemary.  Look forward to chatting in our little corner 

[BAKEWELL11]

That sounds a great idea! I know we feel so so honoured every single year when the swallows come to nest with us..we creep around  ducking, trying not to upset mum n dad swallows.  We also get quite a lot of birds of prey, kestrels, sparrowhawks and buzzards, so so breathtaking.  Have to say, I'm not a bunny lover at the moment tho. Even I fell down a hole whilst long reining!! And yes, it was caught on video!

[faith0504]

the birds of prey are something i love about living in Scotland, the call of a buzzard is amazing, love watching them. and the owls so many owls, its incredible, I'm in awe of everyday, love it

[BAKEWELL11]

yes.... I always think of Scotland when the buzzards are calling and wheeling around..
They are a new thing to us down South, successfully reintroduced by RSPB a few years ago and seem to be thriving. Farmers aren't so keen... but I have yet to hear of lambs/piglets/whole sheep or fully grown cows being taken! Dunno about chickens tho?

[faith0504]

not sure if anyone has had probs with there chickens, mine have been ok, not lost any to the buzzards,

[Hellybee]

We are on a scheme called Tir Gofal, which aims to help the farmer live in harmony with it s natural environment. We have an SSSI jsut over the way,  have porpoises and dolphins visit the mouth of the Teifi, seals are pupped on the gravel beaches below the cliffs on which our top fields sit on, this is also the world famous pembrokeshire coastal path   It runs through our front yard too

I remember Pheasants, woodpeckers, heard a Cuckoo:) , lapwings, lots of birds of prey, hobbies.

[faith0504]

were very lucky arnt we, i go down to the beach with the dogs and dolphin watch, there are some amazing things out there if people would just take the time to open there eyes and ears to it

[BAKEWELL11]

I love spotting the first black headed gull to  get his cap.... sign of spring. 

[Cinderhills]

Good idea. 

[Fleecewife]

I envy those of you with dolphins to watch 

I think what clinched it for us when we bought this place was the mewing buzzards making it seem so remote (it's not really).  We have never had a problem with them taking poultry (so far) but they have dined on Muscovey after the fox killed some young drakes which refused to go to bed.  I love it when the young buzzards fledge and make such a noise of 'hey Mum look at me I'm flyyyyying'.  We call all our buzzards Aldrin  (Buzz Aldrin, astronaut)(we call all our cock pheasants Gilbert - hmm, don't really know why)
We also have sparrow hawks - fantastic to watch them hunt, although I did watch one crash into a tree when it got it wrong.  They take little birds off our feeders, but realistically it's just another way of feeding the wild birds........just a different food  They love our hedgerows and hunt along them weaving in and out, leaving a shock wave behind them as the little birds freeze in horror.
There are also peregrines here occasionally.  When we first arrived we were watching a lark doing his thing when suddenly whoosh....the peregrine had got him.
Another bird of prey I used to see but haven't recently was quite small, sitting on the telephone wires - a pair in fact. I thought maybe they were merlins.
We do have owls here too.  They set the dogs off at night by sitting in a tree near the house and doing their thing.  There are at least two varieties but I'm not totally sure about which, apart from barn owls.
Oh there are kestrels too.
There have been big problems with gamekeepers poisoning birds of prey , especially in the Borders, but at least the police are taking it seriously now.

[faith0504]

i couldnt believe my eyes the first time i saw a dolphin when  iwas out walking the dogs(never seen a live one before) it was incredible, not far down the coast from where we are moving to is a colany of seals cant wait to visit them.
so far this summer i have seen buzzards, kestrals, barn owls, long eared owl, osprey, and sparrow hark, they very beautiful, but the buzzards do it for me also, like you said the young calling mum, and mum shouting flying instructions back, spent hours watching and listening.
when we went to view our new house a buzzard flew over the barn and across the house land, and i thought then, thats it this is the house, apparently there is a barn owl family locally,
the owls are very busy at night here at the min, loads of hooting going on.
how lucky are we?