[faith0504]

the wildlife are so busy, just into march and the woodpecker is out every mornin, owls are hooting all night, we are seeing and watching the deer dawn and dusk now,

i was watching a little sparrow this morning collecting the ducks feathers off the lawn.

i rescued a beautiful butterfly from my kitchen this morning


Has anyone else had any other nice spring like wildlife bebaviour going on?? 

[Fleecewife]

Well, let's see    There is certainly a whole lot more birdsong around, with them all working up towards the breeding season.  The bluetits, which had disappeared late in winter, have now come back in droves.  Across in the spinney the rooks and buzzards are busy chasing eachother away, each trying to set up their territories, and I even saw the sparrowhawk chasing a buzzard from her favourite site.  And yes, the owls are finding their voices, all around our house.  There were also some eirey (sp?) vixen screams last month but nothing now

No sign at all of any bumble bees, in spite of the warm weather we have had this past week.  There are a few flowers out which they could use, such as crocuses, so I hope their numbers haven't been too badly affected by the cold. I will look harder.

It's too late now to do any more hedge work as that will disturb the birds which are choosing nesting sites, so some of our hedgerows will be a bit scruffy this year 

It must be lovely watching the deer - such beautiful wild creatures    I seem to have been too busy recently to take time for watching, so thank you for the timely reminder    I will go and sit quietly and observe 

[faith0504]

Fleecewife talking about buzzards, on sunday we were watching five of them doing a wonderful display in the sky, then they all went there separate ways, will they have been sorting breeding and nesting sites out, territories as such?? it was spectacular to watch. 

[morri2]

The first and only time I've seen deer was on my birthday in March 1995.  We were on holiday on the Shropshire/Herefordshire borders, staying in an old mill cottage with the mill race yards away from the front door, I awoke to a cup of tea in bed and the sound of the mill race running by.  Masses of daffodils everywhere.  We took an early morning walk long the river and through the woods and I saw a herd of deer run across a field and jump over a fence into the wood. I've not seen any since. That turned out to be the best day of my life - it just got better and better and the weather was fantastic. There were wild flowers in abundance, butterflies and friendly, chatty people everywhere we went.  We must have walked for miles.

Back here in Wales, and back into the twenty first century!! We have a woodpecker who has been visiting every day for many weeks, to feed off the suet balls we've been leaving out.  I have been hearing owls at night in the wood behind us, the red kites have been flying high above the house and, of course, lambs bleating for their mums in the fields.  I can't wait for the garden to get some colour - another week and the daffs will be in flower I think.   This is what life is all about.   Oh! well, dreaming over, better get some work done on my disseration.

[faith0504]

Morri2 what a lovely birthday memory, we are very lucky, seeing the deer there are 4 of them that wander round and about our house and land, we see them most of the time about 5 minutes walk from the house, this morning one of them jumped and cleared a double fence and ditch, it was amazing they are so graceful and agile.

I have never seen a red kite i don't think, we have buzzards, sparrow hawks and kestrels here 

good luck with the disseration

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

I saw a red kite near Weshill Aberdeenshire last summer,it didnt have the tag of a released one so they reckon it was the offspring of one of the releases. Amazing thing.

Im impressed that we have our skylarks back already, about a month or longer earlier than last year. Blue skies, sunshine, hares boxing and skylarks, what a change a few weeks makes from the depths of the winter! Our neighbour was ploughing yesterday.

[Cinderhills]

The birds here are chatting loudly too, it's a beautiful sound.

I love the fact that they are now busy building nests.  Last year a nest fell out of the tree once the fledgings had gone and it was fascinating to see as it was made up of the usual twigs, moss etc but also something from all our animals - sheep wool, goat fur, chicken and guinea fowl feathers.  Glad we could help them in some way make it cosy!  They are a work of art, it's amazing. 

[faith0504]

when i had my german shepherd bless him, i used to groom him and hang his fur in fat ball holders the birds loved it, it must make a very warm nest, nests are fasinating things the detail that goes into them, the birds are so clever 

[lachlanandmarcus]

thats a really good idea will do that with my pony's hair, there will be lots of yellowy orange nests everywhere!

[Hatty]

Lots of phesants in the brambles and a   hare on the field yesterday lots of owls out and about and have seen a couple of deer on the local moor when i've been taking the BH to work at 5.30am and  ladybirds on the compost heap  I love Spring!!

[Cinderhills]

when i had my german shepherd bless him, i used to groom him and hang his fur in fat ball holders the birds loved it, it must make a very warm nest, nests are fasinating things the detail that goes into them, the birds are so clever 

What a fantastic idea. 

Forgot to mention, I hear curlews all the time at the moment.

[northfifeduckling]

an owl catching a bunny earlier in the night. I assume one was a happy sound and one was not...

[Fleecewife]

Fleecewife talking about buzzards, on sunday we were watching five of them doing a wonderful display in the sky, then they all went there separate ways, will they have been sorting breeding and nesting sites out, territories as such?? it was spectacular to watch. 

I wonder if that might have been the parents explaining to last years chicks that mummy and daddy need some quality time together and it's time for them to set out on their own? 

[faith0504]

thats a good theory Fleecewife, didnt realise there babies stayed with them that long, cant wait to hear mum with her new babies, love the buzzards call.

I was out having a gentle stroll with the dogs this morning just thinking i wonder if we will see the deer again, from nowhere one ran out in front of us about 50ft away, straight over the road, over the fence and into the wood, the more i see them the more they fascinate me,

Its a beautiful day here, the little birds are all in full voice. 

[northfifeduckling]

the 1st toad on the road - the kids will be out on rescue mission with the torches!