ED Nature Watch

[BrandNewGuy]

That's unusual, as other gregarious birds like sparrows are happy to come back not long after a sparrowhawk has picked one off. Over time, predators have very little influence on prey population numbers.

[Windrush]

Dyson Dave Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Does anyone else thinks there's a lot tmore

> squirrels about this year?

Certainly more round my way (Oglander) but I got them sorted.

If they bother you try https://trapbarn.com

[civilservant]

why would they bother me? and why are you even posting (boasting) on this thread about trapping them?

[Robert Poste's Child]

A few evenings ago I cycled past a fox with something large, grey and very fluffy in its jaws, two back legs trailing limply, with a second fox trying to steal whatever it was. Couldn't see what it was but assume a large rat or squirrel. Don't mean to sound bloodthirsty but it was nice to see evidence of foxes taking vermin rather than emptying bins.

[civilservant]

i've watched a fox walk past our kitchen window with a squirrel in its jaws

i expect that the fox and its family would have eaten all of the squirrel, and nothing wasted - unlike the people who chuck out the stuff that makes it worthwhile for foxes to go bin-raiding

[sunbob]

hello trees! I couldn't help a big grin and going to feel the bark when I saw the avenue of limes 'unfenced' for the first time today. This is at the Peckham Rye park entrance opposite Harris Boys.

[Lynne]

Our neighbours had a large container of frog spawn in their garden which they then re-homed when they turned into miniature frogs. This was weeks ago and now they keep finding tiny newly developed frogs in their garden. They don't have a pond and the original container has gone. Where are these babies coming from? I thought frogs only spawned only a year, and anyway, they have no-where that an adult frog would want to spawn.

[Penguin68]

They may be toads, rather than frogs, in which case ponds are only of interest to them at spawning time. Great for your garden, but don't use slug pellets as toads will eat poisoned slugs and then die.

[heartblock]

Speckled wood butterfly in the garden today...nice.

[Jenny1]

When watering plants don't forget to also put out a shallow container with water for the birds - will need replacing daily. Great risk of birds dying from thirst.

[benharcs]

Box hedge Caterpillars have been a bit of a nightmare for us - absolutely smashing their way through the box hedges we have - after looking around there's a biological insecticide which you can get from Amazon which appears to have worked for me - it's called 'XenTari'

[jimmah]

There's at least three tawny owls within earshot of me tonight

[rendelharris]

jimmah Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> There's at least three tawny owls within earshot

> of me tonight

Really? Fantastic, whereabouts are you?

[Comeback Book Group]

I came across this massive moth in my back garden this morning. I *believe* it's a deaths head hawk moth. Must have been around 2.5 inches from head to tail and the wingspan was around 3+ inches when I disturbed it and it took flight. Astonishing sight.

[Comeback Book Group]

A bit of research leads me to conclude that this was a convolvulus hawk moth Agrius convolvuli) rather than a deaths head hawk moth. Impressive beast. It would be interesting to see whether there have been any further sightings in the area.

[Sue]

Crikey, glad I didn't come across that in my house :))

[ianr]

> A bit of research leads me to conclude that this was a convolvulus

> hawk moth Agrius convolvuli) rather than a deaths head hawk moth.

I'm not sure even of that. I take it, from what I've found, that Ag con can emulate tree bark, as does the fellow in your fine photographs, but as far as I can remember without the photo, there were also some structural differences. How sure do you feel?

I spent some time this morning medium skimming through the varied finder pages at https://ukmoths.org.uk/, and didn't find one convincing match. For a novice like me it's quite an exhausting process. I wish there were a systematic key one could work though. I did note a couple of other genera which also showed some markings in the same position as the death head. But without the expert knowledge of variations within species, let alone that of being able to instantly recognise even its genus. I feel at a bit of a loss. When our piccies are up again - unless you've already got the convincing evidence - might it be worth trying a moth recognition forum such as https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheMothAndButterflyIdentificationForum/about/.

[KevC]

I?ve noticed a Martin Bailey on the Heber Rd school site.

Are you related to Julie Bailey?

[Sue]

KevC Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I?ve noticed a Martin Bailey on the Heber Rd

> school site.

>

> Are you related to Julie Bailey?

Eh?

[Nigello]

Last night whilst taking a walk in the drizzle I saw a frog hopping from the gutter onto the pavement at Dawson's Hill, near to the junction with Upland Road. It was odd to see it there because I do not know of any pond or marsh near there. Can anyone offer any ideas as to how it got to Dunstan's Road? Thanks much

[Sue]

Nigello Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Last night whilst taking a walk in the drizzle I

> saw a frog hopping from the gutter onto the

> pavement at Dawson's Hill, near to the junction

> with Upland Road. It was odd to see it there

> because I do not know of any pond or marsh near

> there. Can anyone offer any ideas as to how it got

> to Dunstan's Road? Thanks much

I have frogs in my garden, and the only water I have now is an old butler sink with water and pond plants in.

There are probably several gardens in that area with frog inhabitants! My partner and I once found one hopping up the pavement on Crystal Palace Road.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Saw a host of starlings taking a bath in the flooded carpark of Lidl, Peckham yesterday. A lovely sight but of course they flew off when I took my camera out.

[nxjen]

Over the years, I?ve had many frogs visiting my garden though there isn?t any water. One year, one of my cats took a fancy to one, and would, very gently and without doing it any harm, bring it down from the bottom of the garden to just outside my back door and crouch on the ground staring at it nose to nose. I would rescue the frog and ?encourage? it to return to the bottom of the garden but before very long my cat had brought it back to the house end.

One morning, bleary eyed on my way to the kitchen for the morning coffee, I saw what I thought was a bit of fluff like you get from the vacuum cleaner. I had a major shock when, on nudging it with my toe, it jumped 2 foot in the air!

[Pugwash]

We have had frogs in our garden for many years. Originally discovered when local residents were campaigning about development of several houses in Plough Lane. A rare breed of frog was discovered by specialists from London Zoo. It got to the South London Press and headlines were 'local residents were hopping mad'. If my memory is correct this was in the early 1980s. because of this find - Southwark Planners only gave permission for a few house to be built and not the number the developer wanted. I think, but not sure, that a section of the old alley way between Landells and Barry was put under a protection order.

We have a small pond in the garden currently holding one frog but we have had more in the past.

[ianr]

> It got to the South London Press and headlines were

> 'local residents were hopping mad'. If my memory

> is correct this was in the early 1980s.

The BNA currently has no digitised copies of the SLP later than 1909. The only local frog-related cutting I could find was this one about the Marsden Road reserve.