Nature Walk - What Have You Seen Today?

Have had a red kite fly over the house three or four times in the past couple of days. Watched it this morning, over the back garden just swishing around. Then again this afternoon, intimidating the rookery over the road then later this afternoon, as the cat and I stepped out the side door to go around the front (thankfully the cat went to the back of the house!) I heard a loud "Reeeeee" and looked up to see the kite flying not much over the garage! And off it went, towards the hills. It's very rare to hear one make a sound so it did make me jump!
Don't know if it's ill, looking for food or just finding our village a nice place to be!

Sadly no photo as wasn't quick enough with my phone..

We went for a long walk yesterday and I had hoped to see a stork. According to the local paper they have started to return for the summer. Every village around here has a stork nest ready on too of a tall building or just on a pole and some villages pride themselves on their large stork population. Didn't see one. But I'll keep my eyes peeled.

Early morning photo

SusieB50

I’ve just had a magnificent fox in the garden , eating the remains of my D’s dog’s breakfast. DD and family are staying and I keep telling them to bring in the dog bowl once he’s finished but they don’t listen! Presumably I will have Mr Fox visit daily now for food! They drink from the pond most days but I have never fed them.

I feed the foxes every evening at between 8&9 . I buy snd give them cheap dog food plus anything the dog leaves plus any left over food - all gratefully received.
I started last early summer as I watched two very thin bedraggled foxes and felt so sorry for them. By early autumn they looked magnificent - their tails were bushy snd coats thick and glossy.

I have wondered about worming - has anyone done this?

Today? Heard lots of birdsong, including several different robins, at least one woodpecker drumming, a dog fox sunning himself on a driveway. As for flowers... Loads of hellebores, two daphnes, a frangrant honeyuckle, a magnolia stellata starting its display,daffodils and narcissi, flowering cherries galore. All this in a rather built up area of Bristol.

Just before dusk we’ve had a magnificent sparrow hawk in the garden, he/she was swooping in and out of the shrubs. I hate to think of them killing small creatures but I know they have to eat too.

Namsnanny

Bit of a poor photo, but can anyone see the rooks building their nests?
They stood out against the bright blue sky yesterday, but I couldn't get any closer to take a better photo because they would all fly off.😄

They make the most incredible nests. There is a huge rookery over the road from us. They sit in a tree in our garden and physically snap off the small twigs/branches with their beaks then fly off with them. I wondered for ages why there were twigs on the grass - now I know why!!

Bit of a poor photo, but can anyone see the rooks building their nests?
They stood out against the bright blue sky yesterday, but I couldn't get any closer to take a better photo because they would all fly off.😄

LucyAnna

Went for a walk in nearby woodlands earlier and there were several huge piles of logged trees. Lovely fresh smell

LOVE the smell of freshly cut logs/wood 🥰

SusieB50

I’ve just had a magnificent fox in the garden , eating the remains of my D’s dog’s breakfast. DD and family are staying and I keep telling them to bring in the dog bowl once he’s finished but they don’t listen! Presumably I will have Mr Fox visit daily now for food! They drink from the pond most days but I have never fed them.

Lucky you! We don't see them around here. Used to have a family visit the front garden. I used to feed them jam sandwiches every couple of days. They'd have foxy time under our motorhome then bring the babies a few months later. Glorious!

Went for a walk in nearby woodlands earlier and there were several huge piles of logged trees. Lovely fresh smell

I’ve just had a magnificent fox in the garden , eating the remains of my D’s dog’s breakfast. DD and family are staying and I keep telling them to bring in the dog bowl once he’s finished but they don’t listen! Presumably I will have Mr Fox visit daily now for food! They drink from the pond most days but I have never fed them.

Cat, obviously! 🐈‍⬛

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202402/medium-190778-pxl-20240224-140844768-mp.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202402/medium-538584-pxl-20240224-125726961-mp.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202402/medium-433489-pxl-20240224-113500357-mp.jpg

Mega frost here this morning so had to defrost the car in preparation to take the car to the cattery. No wildlife for me as such today, so just scenery. Eryri/Snowdonia, Lake Bala, Ffestiniog and bits and bobs in-between. Such a beautiful drive. Highly recommended!

This morning I watched a magpie struggling with a beak full of twigs. It is nice to think spring is on the way, although there is a heavy frost today.

We've had torrential rain here and I find earthworms washed up on the tarmac. I rescue them and find some drier soil for them. My little garden buddies!

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. ☺

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

Nope!

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.

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

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.

Saw a lovely double rainbow yesterday

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!

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 🤗