Wildlife & Gardens

******* squirrel has had a go at my chilli plants yesterday.

1 jalapeño with a cm bite mark in the middle let on the patio. 1 cayenne let on the patio un-touched and half a chewed scotch bonnet in the bird bath.

I can only assume that the jalapeño was acceptable and the scotch bonnet blew it's ******* head off and it needed a drink pronto. Expecting to find trails of squirrel diarrhoea in the shrubbery later today.

 

Would you recognise it as such?

 

Expect a border full of jalapeño next summer. #hownatureworks

 

By taste, yes.

 

Gross

 

I witnessed a 'terrible beauty' on Tuesday.
I was taking my tea outside when there was an enormous commotion from the bird area.
Three starlings flew over my head,followed by a kestrel with a juvenile starling in its talons.
There was nothing I could do as the kestrel flew off into one of the '*** trees' next door.
On a happier note the remaining starlings are feasting on the sultanas and the blue and great **** are doing the same with the peanut pieces.

 

Just watched a small ring necked dove see off a magpie that was too close to its nest. They look sweet but are pretty ferocious.

 

The fireflies have come out of the ground recently in our back garden. We are being treated to incredible light shows every evening at the moment.

Truly spectacular.

 

Saw a bloody fox sitting in my front garden this afternoon at 4.30 PM

 

Quick, get him in the box!

 

It's a no from me

 

I would love to see that. Unfortunately about the closest we get is flying ants - which have been a bother these last few days

 

Excellent, lucky you ! We have an injured young fox that visits our garden every day and we put cat food out for it after dark.

 

Not really - there's lots of interest in numbers this year as there's a feeling that they're becoming scarcer. You've missed most of the more local walks.

 

Come on in Cley - the water is warmer here.

 

Good afternoon all and thank you Sting ...

 

Ours have chicken wings,meatballs,sausage rolls,sausages and pork pies. Butcher's dog food on the side.
Pretty Fox comes first and takes food back for her three cubs.
Limpy,Cub E Broccoli and Edward and James come after midnight,although not with JJ Cale!
I'm worried about our hogs. I haven't seen either for a week or two.
They have wet cat food,not fish though,hog biscuits and fruit and nuts.

 

Foxes have probably eaten them.

 

Badgers do but we don't have any unfortunately.
Brilliant programme on tiger conservation in India just now on ITV.
Stunning creatures.

 

Yes they definitely do. Think foxes might too (google things they do sometimes) ?
We were woken last night about 11pm by the sound of our fox wailing at a badger that was in the bird feeding station eating the dropped seed and fat scraps that it wanted to eat.

Was lucky to get great views and photos of wild tigers in 2 Indian reserves a couple of years ago. Stunningly beautiful as were Jaguars in Brazil.

 

Our foxes,felines and hogs dine side by side!
How wonderful to see the big cats, they are on my 'to do' list,along with The Grand Tour, although Google that and you get Jeremy ****** Clarkson!

 

Ps looks like I missed the program by a few mins but recording it on ITV+1.

 

Cley - if you visit here away from politics - you might like to see my brother's website "ballaterskies.co.uk". He is a very keen astronomer and photographer and has some tremendous pictures of the night sky. He is also quite close to Loch Garten I believe where there are/were Ospreys.

 

Thank you. I have checked out your brother's site. Excellent!

Well Ballater isn't THAT close to Loch Garten where Ospreys first returned to breed in the UK half a century ago. Loch Garden is in the Abernethy forest rather than on Royal Deeside. There are now, believe it or not however, over 200 pairs of Ospreys breeding in Scotland so doubtless there will be pairs nearer Ballater. The other well publicised RSPB site in Scotland is at Loch of the Lowes near Dunkeld.

Ballater is right next to Glen Tanar though, one of the best bits of ancient Caledonian pine forest in the the country.

 

I had no idea where Loch Garten was - just that he used to talk about it a lot. Think he visited it some years ago. He certainly takes lots of walks in and around Aboyne so probably knows the Abernethy forest well.

 

Lock Garten is a lovely place but not worth a trip to see the ospreys as the nest is so far away and they are pretty easy to see almost everywhere else in the world.

 

I take your word for it - I think my brother's interest was sparked there many years ago when there were very few breeding pairs.
Personally I prefer buzzards and red kites.
I am very jealous though of anyone who has actually witnessed an eagle.

 

Glen Tanar starts at Aboyne. So he will know that well. Abernethy is miles away near the A.9. Honest!

 

I've seen dozens of eagle species across the globe but frustratingly NEVER EVER seen a golden eagle anywhere. Even contemplating a trip to Harris (I think) which is supposed to be a great place to see them. Been to Mull which is also good and not seen them.

 

They become easier as we move into autumn and they (especially the young birds) move down the mountains to lower altitudes. Upper Glen Findhorn (west of the A.9.) and the Rhinns of Islay are both very good.

 

Thanks. Tried the Finhorn Valley but admittedly not in Autumn.

 

Unfortunately there are no breeding pairs at the Loch Garten RSPB reserve this year - but the site is still well worth a visit - it's a haven for red squirrels. I'm considering a quick trip down to Threave Nature Reserve near Castle Douglas where some osprey chicks hatched only a couple of weeks ago.

 

Just for information, Loch of the Lowes is a Scottish Wildlife Trust site, not RSPB. Abernethy is a huge RSPB reserve, which includes the Loch Garten visitor site.

 

Yes. Whoops. I forgot that Loch of the Lowes was SWT. I guess that there are probably a number of other reasonably well publicised Osprey sites around Scotland now too?

 

If you want to see Badgers the hide at Tewin Orchard is the place.

https://www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/badgerwatching