ED Nature Watch

[BrandNewGuy]

I once nicked Bill Oddie's pint at the Festival Hall, but that really is another story...

[heartblock]

💩

[RichH]

Shouldn't your back garden micro-habitat also include a predatory factor? It's just nature after all and the cats are just doing what they do. Let it and them get on with it. You can choose to intervene if you happen to witness the imminent kill of something you'd rather didn't get eaten.

Pure conjecture, but I'd imagine that Bill Oddie dung would repel just about everything. Not easy to come by though unless you know the right people.

[BrandNewGuy]

RichH Wrote:

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> Shouldn't your back garden micro-habitat also

> include a predatory factor? It's just nature

> after all and the cats are just doing what they

> do. Let it and them get on with it.

Yes, but your 'rewilding' of the back garden would have to include not feeding the cat if you were going 'back to nature'. And ensuring your neighbours didn't feed it either...

[jimmah]

I just had a pair of Greenfinches on my feeder I usually have plenty of Chaffinches but this was something new.

Previous weeks I was treated to some long tailed tits who were even friendlier than robins coming right up to the window to peer in at me and my cat. Their faces are like little teddy bears.

[RichH]

jimmah Wrote:

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> Previous weeks I was treated to some long tailed

> tits who were even friendlier than robins coming

> right up to the window to peer in at me and my

> cat.

It's funny that you should mention that. Despite several decades of bird watching I'd never seen LTT's doing this until last year. Since then I find they often perch, somewhat precariously, on my kitchen window sill and appear to be looking in. I presume they've learned that window sills often harbour juicy insects and that they're simply looking for their next meal. They also seem to be fascinated by the outlet from my kitchen extractor fan. I just hope they're not planning on building a nest there! There are several youtube videos that illustrate similar behaviour. One commenter suggests that they're also looking for spider webs as nest building material. Who knows?

[malumbu]

I've seen LTTs get up quite close to people at a nature reserve, and they are the least cautious of the small birds in our garden (although I expect that I could befriend a robin). Very cute as well, particularly as they feed in flocks and chatter to each other.

[Zig-Zag]

I used to go out with Bill Oddies nephew ....😉🤣

[malumbu]

My word, what a coincidence, I am Bill Oddie's nephew. Or niece.

[malumbu]

My word, what a coincidence, I am Bill Oddie's nephew. Or niece.

[Nigello]

I saw a newt, briefly, in the pond in the PR Park wildlife garden, as well as a handful of bees taking moisture (and maybe minerals) from the sides of the pond. Not sure what kind of newt it was though it had a pale belly.

[Nigello]

I saw a newt, briefly, in the pond in the PR Park wildlife garden, as well as a handful of bees taking moisture (and maybe minerals) from the sides of the pond. Not sure what kind of newt it was though it had a pale belly.

[malumbu]

You'll be getting solitary bees picking up mud from around ponds in coming weeks as they build their nests https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/blog/ryan-clark/guide-solitary-bees-britain

[malumbu]

You'll be getting solitary bees picking up mud from around ponds in coming weeks as they build their nests https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/blog/ryan-clark/guide-solitary-bees-britain

[Sue]

2am.

I suddenly awoke to noises as if something was scrabbling over the fence at the back of my garden. Then they stopped, then they started again. This happened three times.

The third time, I went downstairs to see what it was. I thought it might be a fox, and I was worried about the frogspawn. I turned the garden light on.

There, at two o'clock in the morning, sitting very still in its usual place, was the EFFING CAT.

[Sue]

2am.

I suddenly awoke to noises as if something was scrabbling over the fence at the back of my garden. Then they stopped, then they started again. This happened three times.

The third time, I went downstairs to see what it was. I thought it might be a fox, and I was worried about the frogspawn. I turned the garden light on.

There, at two o'clock in the morning, sitting very still in its usual place, was the EFFING CAT.

[Sue]

Nigello Wrote:

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> I saw a newt, briefly, in the pond in the PR Park

> wildlife garden, as well as a handful of bees

> taking moisture (and maybe minerals) from the

> sides of the pond. Not sure what kind of newt it

> was though it had a pale belly.

My allotment neighbour has a small pond with newts in :)

[Sue]

Nigello Wrote:

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> I saw a newt, briefly, in the pond in the PR Park

> wildlife garden, as well as a handful of bees

> taking moisture (and maybe minerals) from the

> sides of the pond. Not sure what kind of newt it

> was though it had a pale belly.

My allotment neighbour has a small pond with newts in :)

[HJb]

Seen a couple of nuthatches (or maybe the same one twice) recently.

Not seen them in London before!

[NewWave]

I went to school with Bill Oddie's daughter...FACT!

[Zig-Zag]

We clearly need a special Bill Oddie thread judging by the number of us claiming to be friends or relatives 😉😂. The nephew I knew (Paul) lived in Brighton (or Hove actually)

[Sue]

Zig-Zag Wrote:

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> We clearly need a special Bill Oddie thread

> judging by the number of us claiming to be friends

> or relatives 😉😂. The nephew I knew

> (Paul) lived in Brighton (or Hove actually)

My ex was a scriptwriter and had a play on Radio 4 which Bill Oddie was in. I went to the recording, which was how I met him. Bill Oddie, not my ex. I met my ex on a 176 bus 🤣

Back to nature. Despite my best endeavours to protect it, I think something has eaten most of "my" frogspawn.

FrogLife says you shouldn't net ponds as predators may get caught in the netting.

I had rigged up a load of sticks over my sink, which don't seem to be disturbed, so I assume it must be birds. Ironically, as I have gone to great efforts to attract birds to my garden, but the frogspawn wasn't one of them 😭

[Lynne]

Just spotted the first clothes moth of the season in the bedroom. Does this count?

[Hamletter]

Lynne Wrote:

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> Just spotted the first clothes moth of the season

> in the bedroom. Does this count?

That reminds ne to spray against the box caterpillars. Thanks

[Veronicaveronica]

In responding to the banging and clanging in my garden, I startled a fox. It was ?black?, well very very dark brown on most of its body. Then googled it, possibly a cross fox?