ED Nature Watch

[Zig-Zag]

I've never seen so few goldfinches around here as this year. I wonder what is different?

I only have two, whereas most years I see 15-20 during the breeding season

[Nigello]

I?ve had them pop by for a day or so then never return. I don?t have a niger feeder so if I got one perhaps they?d come back. If not, do other birds eat from this special feeder?

[Sue]

Nigello Wrote:

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> I?ve had them pop by for a day or so then never

> return. I don?t have a niger feeder so if I got

> one perhaps they?d come back. If not, do other

> birds eat from this special feeder?

I've seen a sparrow on mine, but I don't think their beaks can fit through the narrow slots which stop the niger seed falling out everywhere.

[cookie]

A Jay swooped down to use our birdbath just 3 metres from where we were sitting.

[alice]

Crossing that little bridge in Peckham rye park I spotted a very big greyish fish maybe 60 -70cm long. Any ideas?

[Nigello]

Small red damselflies, sometimes mating, in my front garden.

[Sue]

Sue Wrote:

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> I have loads of little tadpoles! So happy!

>

> Thanks for the spawn, Lynne! :)

My taddies should be getting their back legs now, shouldn't they?

No sign yet .......

[Zig-Zag]

Not very special, but I seem to have attracted every starling in London bringing their very noisy big babies...over 30 of them. They have found the mealworms and are going crazy with excitement, and using the makeshift water-baths with relish. I'm waiting for further complaints from my neighbours, and spending a fortune on giant sacks of mealworms!

[Sue]

Zig-Zag Wrote:

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> Not very special, but I seem to have attracted

> every starling in London bringing their very noisy

> big babies...over 30 of them. They have found the

> mealworms and are going crazy with excitement, and

> using the makeshift water-baths with relish. I'm

> waiting for further complaints from my neighbours,

> and spending a fortune on giant sacks of

> mealworms!

Crikey!

I haven't seen a starling in my garden since one was carried off by a bird of prey some years back :(

[Nigello]

Never a starling in almost twenty years. It?s odd how in such a relatively small area there are discrepancies over visiting wildlife, especially birds which are very mobile. Never seen an owl or raptor or bst, either. (I?m near to Goodrich School and a minute or so from Dawson?s Hill.)

[Sue]

Nigello Wrote:

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> Never a starling in almost twenty years. It?s odd

> how in such a relatively small area there are

> discrepancies over visiting wildlife, especially

> birds which are very mobile. Never seen an owl or

> raptor or bst, either. (I?m near to Goodrich

> School and a minute or so from Dawson?s Hill.)

Those bsts are quite rare :))

[Zig-Zag]

I'm in West Dulwich but have loads of feeders with variety of different foods, but dried mealworms or suet balls or pellets, seem the favourites with starlings...but especially mealworms. They don't seem interested in the nuts or seeds. Seemingly delicious enough to squabble over then despite sharing the garden with 4 cats!

[louisemurray]

THerer were bats flying over my garden earlier in the week.

[pearl1]

Nigello Wrote:

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> Never a starling in almost twenty years. It?s odd

> how in such a relatively small area there are

> discrepancies over visiting wildlife, especially

> birds which are very mobile. Never seen an owl or

> raptor or bst, either. (I?m near to Goodrich

> School and a minute or so from Dawson?s Hill.)

True. I see pied wagtails regularly in Deptford - never seen one around here despite all the greenery.

[sjsl]

I saw a bat this week too! And I've see more starlings lately. At this time of year birds feeding young need the protein of insects etc rather than nuts and seeds.

We need to protect and encourage insect life to encourage and sustain more birds ? so don't keep your garden too tidy, plant indigenous plants, and build a bee hotel (or b&B) by drilling holes in a piece of wood.

[Nigello]

Louisemurray - whereabouts were the bats?

[heartblock]

Such a shame that all the wild flowers and grasses growing down East Dulwich Grove were cut down this week. Full of bees now just dry short grass. On a happier note lots of swifts early this morning.

[sjsl]

Nigello - The bat I saw was in North Dulwich

[louisemurray]

Nigello, my bats were by WIldlife garden centre Marsden Road

[malumbu]

Had a bit of damage from time to time in my pond, plants at the edge can be trampled. This morning found an untidy rip to the lining, fairly large but fortunately well above the water line. And oddly a 10cm plant and basket, which were on a shelf at the edge of the pond, upside down on the lawn.

So is it (a) human intrusion. I am well down on Dominic Cummings list who is the only person I have offended, albeit very remotely, in recent days

(b) foxes - stuff on line suggests not

© a heron? Really?? I have frogs and newts but suspect they would only come if there were fish

(d) cats, at least three neighbourhood cats are seen around there from time to time. How would they move a pot half a metre?

Subject to views I'm going to put some spikes up. Bit extreme but fed up with this. You can get commercial products

eg https://www.wish.com/product/5dd38c462c942a646c02dafb?hide_login_modal=true&from_ad=goog_shopping&_display_country_code=GB&_force_currency_code=GBP&pid=googleadwords_int&c=%7BcampaignId%7D&ad_cid=5dd38c462c942a646c02dafb&ad_cc=GB&ad_curr=GBP&ad_price=7.00&campaign_id=8703990225&retargeting=true&gclid=CjwKCAjw2a32BRBXEiwAUcugiLMIQNS4ZALo4hVABhDqnLK99r0Hiyz7mgFOMMdoSRirU1lpH5eOeBoC5aoQAvD_BwE&share=web

[malumbu]

Had a bit of damage from time to time in my pond, plants at the edge can be trampled. This morning found an untidy rip to the lining, fairly large but fortunately well above the water line. And oddly a 10cm plant and basket, which were on a shelf at the edge of the pond, upside down on the lawn.

So is it (a) human intrusion. I am well down on Dominic Cummings list who is the only person I have offended, albeit very remotely, in recent days

(b) foxes - stuff on line suggests not

© a heron? Really?? I have frogs and newts but suspect they would only come if there were fish

(d) cats, at least three neighbourhood cats are seen around there from time to time. How would they move a pot half a metre?

Subject to views I'm going to put some spikes up. Bit extreme but fed up with this. You can get commercial products

eg https://www.wish.com/product/5dd38c462c942a646c02dafb?hide_login_modal=true&from_ad=goog_shopping&_display_country_code=GB&_force_currency_code=GBP&pid=googleadwords_int&c=%7BcampaignId%7D&ad_cid=5dd38c462c942a646c02dafb&ad_cc=GB&ad_curr=GBP&ad_price=7.00&campaign_id=8703990225&retargeting=true&gclid=CjwKCAjw2a32BRBXEiwAUcugiLMIQNS4ZALo4hVABhDqnLK99r0Hiyz7mgFOMMdoSRirU1lpH5eOeBoC5aoQAvD_BwE&share=web

[tiddles]

No bats or stag beetles yet....

[Lynne]

Nothing to do with ED, so a digression, but I saw my first ever slow worm this afternoon

[LoulaRose]

I saw a bat/bats on Overhill Road last week.

Do they only appear during the hot weather, or do I see them because I?m outside on hot nights?

We also have a starling visit us daily to feast on berries. The tree is very close to our back door, but it has become used to us watching.

[malumbu]

Had another visit to my pond last night even though I have put spikes down which should deter large creatures walking around it. A good authority says it will be fox/es so put water out and will put disinfectant around the area as they do not like this. I worry that they find the pond liner a nice material to use for scratching.

Obviously the Googlesphere wants to put the blame onto cats and herons.