Nature Walk - What Have You Seen Today?

I went skiing with my son's family yesterday (it was Family Day here, statutory holiday). It was a glorious spring day up on the mountain, with the snow a bit soft for skiing, but we were able to sit outside and have our lunch on the picnic tables.

The grandkids were having fun feeding the cheeky Gray Jays that swoop down to the tables to collect crumbs. They are commonly known here as Whiskey Jacks, and are found at higher elevations.

I did not take this photo, but my grandson had great fun trying to capture a video of them.

I don't do much walking at the moment but frogs have been singing love songs in my pond for the past few days and if I'm very careful I can sneak up and see their heads above the water.

MayBee70

lixy

Wren with a mouthful of tiny twigs hopping around in the front garden this morning. I often see them from my kitchen window as my little rockery sems to be a favourite foraging space.

They are supposed to be the most common bird in the UK and yet I very rarely see one!

It’s only because of using Merlin sound identification that I realised we had wrens in the garden. However, last year a nest was made in one of our bird boxes - a domed nest which as I was quietly sitting in the garden last summer, watching newly fledged baby wrens being fed, must have been the one used by the family. I do hope they nest again. Apologies it’s not a today observation.
Photo is of the nest which we removed in the autumn.

Not sure why the photo is at the top

SeaWoozle

Namsnanny

Urban rather than country, but dramatic skies and the start of a rainbow yesterday.

I do love cloud watching! ☺️

Me too

Juliet, what a beautifully crafted nest!

I just came back from a quick walk around the block and saw an eagle returned to a nesting site from last year. It is a tall spruce on the street behind us, and although we can see the top of the tree from our yard, the nest itself is not visible. They can become huge if returned to year after year.

Last week as I sat drinking coffee in our Wetherspoons' roof garden, which has abundant greenery, a Red Admiral butterfly landed nearby and a bumble bee flew past.

What a lovely thread, all the beautiful photos and observations.
It's like we have our own 'Nature Table' from school here on GN
I saw two wiggling newts in my pond yesterday!

Female muntjac come daily to trim my bushes and even the grass! They never eat enough to kill a plant, they know it will grow fresh new shoots if they only nibble a few leaves at a time. I don't shoo them away, as I feel their need is greater than mine. I also get to see a baby in tow from time to time - so cute.

I had to stop feeding badgers due to rats sharing the peanuts, I miss them. As many as 6 would come at a time and press their noses to the french windows if I was late putting the food out.

Here in Oxfordshire the red kites are everywhere, I love them. My Reader's Digest Book of the Countryside tells me they are extinct - it is an old book. The re-introduction programme has been a fantastic success!

keepcalmandcavachon

What a lovely thread, all the beautiful photos and observations.
It's like we have our own 'Nature Table' from school here on GN
I saw two wiggling newts in my pond yesterday!

Isn't it wonderful? So glad I set it off unsure if people would contribute! Appreciate it hugely. Love hearing about other people's wildlife experiences! Thank you 😊

shysal

Female muntjac come daily to trim my bushes and even the grass! They never eat enough to kill a plant, they know it will grow fresh new shoots if they only nibble a few leaves at a time. I don't shoo them away, as I feel their need is greater than mine. I also get to see a baby in tow from time to time - so cute.

I had to stop feeding badgers due to rats sharing the peanuts, I miss them. As many as 6 would come at a time and press their noses to the french windows if I was late putting the food out.

Here in Oxfordshire the red kites are everywhere, I love them. My Reader's Digest Book of the Countryside tells me they are extinct - it is an old book. The re-introduction programme has been a fantastic success!

Sounds idyllic! Lots of kites here too - we're in mid Wales. Sadly not much wildlife as we're surrounded by Estates 😢 But I did find some mice in my garage the other day. They'd made a little nest in a box of stuff, but they were very good and not destroyed anything else within the box! We do have a hedgehog visit too. Not seen it yet as probably a bit early.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202402/medium-47806-pxl-20240222-145631205-mp.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202402/medium-52087-pxl-20240222-145509617-mp.jpg

Rather wet and soggy today. But that's OK because it's keeping me busy inside ready for our move! Who thought one come accumulate so much stuff in just over two years. Have been looking out the window though and the sun is trying to come out! Our tree at the back has suddenly blossomed too. Have a lovely rest of your day.

Good luck with your move Seawoozle,wishing you every happiness in your new home, hope it all goes to plan and you are soon settled and 'at home'

Dog and I met a Muntjac in the garden this morning as we were setting off for our walk. They have become quite common here (Worcs) and we also see roe deer now. The single track lane behind our house has turned into a river so I was glad to be wearing wellies, we saw several fat pheasants who have escaped our local shoot. We also have red kites in the area, it's lovely to see the population reaching good levels again.

I had to look up what a Muntjac was; I was surprised that they are in the UK!

My DH spotted his first american robin yesterday, here they are migratory. I thought this was very early though. I usually hear them before I spot one.

From the train window this afternoon - two swans swimming across a ploughed (flooded) field. They looked very regal if somewhat out of place!

I often see the wren in my front garden ferreting about in the shrubs. For a while I thought it was a mouse.
Juliet27 No nest that I have found as yet though - it looks like a work of art.

keepcalmandcavachon

Good luck with your move Seawoozle,wishing you every happiness in your new home, hope it all goes to plan and you are soon settled and 'at home'

Thank you so much. We're moving to the seaside. A lifelong dream for both of us. I can't wait. Just waiting for a definitive date which should mean we're there by the end of next week 🤗

foxie48

Dog and I met a Muntjac in the garden this morning as we were setting off for our walk. They have become quite common here (Worcs) and we also see roe deer now. The single track lane behind our house has turned into a river so I was glad to be wearing wellies, we saw several fat pheasants who have escaped our local shoot. We also have red kites in the area, it's lovely to see the population reaching good levels again.

They're cute little things! Used to get them a lot where we lived previous to here. Usually munching a hedge!

Saw a lovely double rainbow yesterday

LucyAnna How wonderful! Love to see a rainbow. Best one I've ever seen was at the Rhayader dams a couple years ago. A whole rainbow right across the water.

Ah, yes - always lots of red kites near Rhayader too.

I had a walk around out country park on Monday and I’ve never seen so much blackthorn blossom for years. It was like a snowstorm had hit the hedgerows. Lots of birch and hazel catkins too; always a sign of spring for me. And a heron roosting in a tree - always seems counterintuitive, that! Don’t think my photos won’t load here, but I’ll try.

Nope!

Three gulls having a little paddle in the flooded part of our garden

On my walk with toddler DGS this morning, we didn't see anything particularly noteworthy, but while eating lunch afterwards, he got very excited when he spotted the huge number of birds flying over over the fields behind our house.

I've lived here many years, but it is only recently that I have started seeing these starlings in large enough numbers to describe as 'murmurations' . While they are not are not as huge as those you might see on things like Countryfile, they are still spectacular. ☺