Kingfisher in Peckham Rye Park

[Siduhe]

True (at least the colonisation of South London, not sure about the great escape). The best explanation I've heard for that was that "Jimi Hendrix released them in the 1960s to add a touch of psychedelia to the monochromes of Britain".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/britain/article/0,2763,1507643,00.html

They regularly stop off in our tree of a sunny morning. Big flock in Richmond Park too.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

I thought the official apocryphal version was that they escaped from the set of "The African Queen".

[fluffy]

Cassius " Please don't feed the foxes - they are enough of a pest without being encouraged. You don't have a garden, but I do, and have had more than enough of fox poo, cubs destroying plants, whatever."

Erm I meant feeding the birds....was just saying that they visit my area along with other wildlife...

[Mellors]

Not quite the same, but I saw a grey seal in the Thames when I was walking past Hammersmith Bridge the other day and was quite amazed. It would have made a lovely handbag for Dulwichmum.

[Sue]

(6) :)

Oops got smileys wrong way round first time :-$

[sallyfran]

Mr SF got a shock at 6.30 one morning when he looked out of the kitchen window to see a heron in our side alley, nicking all the fish that lived in a sheep trough out there. Sue, there are long-tailed tits in ED, they seem to scoot around in little flocks at certain times of year, presumably when some kind of food source is around. We had a flock in our garden (Upland Rd) a couple of weeks ago and I've seen them in a friend's garden in Friern Road.

[Sue]

AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH feeding the birds has taken on a whole new meaning - a bird of prey sat in my garden last Thursday with its claws on a screaming starling, which it then proceeded to fly off with (grammar).

Anyone got any idea what it was likely to be? It was quite big with a speckled underside.

Having rushed into the garden clapping my hands, I belatedly realised that was not a great idea in case it ripped my face off :(

Luckily it didn't :))

[SimonM]

Sounds like a Sparrowhawk

[Sue]

Thanks. Hope it doesn't come back now it's discovered a convenient source of food !!

[Knomester]

There was no sign of the kingfisher in Peckham Rye Park on Sunday... Mum was none too impressed at me dragging her out in the cold to look for it after a boozy lunch at the Herne! :-$

As for birds in our garden, the count so far is two blackbirds (one male one female), blue tits, a robin, a jay, two collard doves and a partridge in a pear tree. The tree rats (aka grey squirrels) (6) have chewed through the seed feeder and keep knocking the peanuts off the tree so I've moved the fat balls and the poor birds are now totally confused... Anyone know where to buy a stake with hooks at the top so that we can hang the feeders where the squirrels can't get them?

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Try the garden centre near ED station. Alternatively, buy an air rifle and have some fun.

I've sat twice recently for half an hour at the lake and had no luck spotting the kingfisher.

[SimonM]

>>Anyone know where to buy a stake with hooks at the top so that we can hang the feeders where the squirrels can't get them?<<

That will not work. The squirrels will just shin up the pole/stake and then hang upside down by their feet to get at the feeder contents. After much experimentation we have found that the *only* squirrel-proof feeders are the ones inside spherical or bell-shaped cages, and we now have nuts, seeds and suet balls in this kind of feeder. These are fine for feeding sparrows, finches, tits etc, but we are still stumped for the ground-feeding birds like blackbirds and robins: you'd be amazed at how small a mesh a squirrel can squeeze through...:))

[Nero]

This week's London Life (or something - you know, the one that is page upon page of great news about London and its illustrious leader) has a feature on kingfishers in it. Says they have to eat their body weight of food every day to stay alive. Didn't say anything about the Peckham Rye one. Nero

[Knomester]

Thanks - tried the garden centre but no luck. Mum has already put air rifle on the Christmas present list for next year! >:D<

I've hung the suet ball feeder off a hanging basket bracket attached to the side of the house but the tits haven't found it yet....

[kford]

Make sure it's squirrel proof.

[dulwichmum]

Lovely darling Mellors, OHMYGOD! I so love to say that name... you can call me mLady.

I would love a couple of feathers from that Kingfisher for my hat, but a lovely new handbag would be good too! A good game keeper is always an asset!