ED Nature Watch

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

A heron was fishing in the Peckham Rye pond for most of yesterday. Anyone know what it's stocked with? Looked like black blobs about an inch long (my pescatoral knowledge is astounding).

Re black blobs, anyone noticed these flourishing on dead trunks in P Rye and Nunhead Cemetery? Looking remarkably like dog poo they are in fact King Alfred's Cakes - a fungus which when dried out and cut into slivers, has very good qualities for lighting camp fires as it creates a long glowing ember.

[SteveT]

The blossom on the pear and victoria plum trees in the garden point to a bumper crop this year, provided the weather doesn't go berserk.

The rhubarb is just showing through, and the grape vine has swelling buds, it is all looking good and healthy this year.

I planted some early crop Duke of York from Plantnation in upland rd as they sell them in small quantities which is helpful. Never grown this variety before so I shall see how palatable they are and how well they crop.

I have planted runner beans this year for the first time, they can grow up in front of the shed. Must get some canes or perhaps trim a few pieces off the bamboo.

[east-of-the-Rye]

My resident frogs have produced lots of spawn in my little (approx bath sized) pond and despite the recent frosts, yesterday I noticed the spawn start to wriggle and today it was a mass of little black lines instead of dots. They'll be alright as tadpoles (unless fished by crows,) but once they start looking tasty the cats and foxes will be after them... Several times plants have been pulled out of the pond, and assuming that the frogs didn't do it, I guess the foxes go fishing in the night.

[dazeykat]

While reading this thread, just heard panicky commotion from pair of blackbirds in garden. When I looked out, the cause of their distress was a beautiful jay. The blackbirds were obviously fearful for their eggs/young, but the jay was only interested in eating peanuts (this time). I've noticed a greater variety of garden birds in the last few years. Sadly, no sparrows or song thrushes in my garden though. Does anyone else have them?

[snorky]

you will see more rapacious birds- Jays/ Magpies and the like, which prosper at the expense of the thrushes

[jimbo1964]

I've seen sparrows in some of the hedges around the Ryedale area. I get wrens in my garden too.

[dazeykat]

Yes I get wrens, and little goldcrests. Blackcaps too earlier this year. There are song thrushes in the parks, I know, but they don't venture into my garden. Saw a mistle thrush this winter though.

[Sue]

dazeykat Wrote:

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> Sadly, no sparrows or song

> thrushes in my garden though. Does anyone else

> have them?

xxxxxx

I had loads of sparrows last year, not seen many this year though.

[SteveT]

Coference pear and jonagold apple trees in lidl for ?4 today.

I thought they were a bargain basement buy to plant a fruit giving bird pirch in the garden

[LaurenB]

talking about nature watch... did anyone hear about the guerilla gardening that took place outside the Police station on Lordship lane last weekend - found this link about it: http://www.yourlocallondon.com/editors-blog/east-dulwich/

Also, anyone got any suggestions about how to attract small birds to my garden. We recently bought a bird table and the only birds we are attracting a 4 rather large pigeons, which swiftly gobble up all the food leaving none for the smaller,prettier birds.. it's really frustrating! any ideas????

[red devil]

Get yourself some feeders that only small birds can get to.

You can get anti-squirrel feeders too, they work on gravity, i.e. the squirrels being fat little buggers...

RSPB Bird Feeders...

[SteveT]

I had one of the feeders with a glass tube for small birds to feed at, the following day it was empty.

After refilling it I watched and saw a pigeon hang on to the base and tilt it, the perpetrator did not eat, but the rest of them did as the seed poured out of the small bird feeding hole on to the ground.

Moral of this story do not buy any thing with a glass tube if you have pigeons visiting your garden.

I have less pigeons calling since one was caught by the sparrow hawk, it looked like a red indians war bonnet lying there with all the feathers spread out in a semi circle around the remains of the carcass.

[red devil]

I take my hat off to the smart-arsed pigeons of ED, obviously privately educated...surely the anti-squirrel would still work though, the weight of the squirrel(or smart-arsed pigeon) closes off the opening where the seed comes out...

[SteveT]

I dont know, I have not seen it in operation.

[dazeykat]

I hang up the plastic mesh bag that the peanuts are bought in, they don't provide any perch for something as large as a pigeon. The half coconut shells with fat mixture in attract robins, as well as blue tits etc, as they can perch on the top of them. You can also thread peanuts in their shells onto cotton, like a string of beads, and hang those from a thin branch. They look quite pretty too.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Just seen a turtle sunning himself on the island in the pond in the Japanese Garden, and four most adorable moorhen chicks.

[SimonM]

I often see that turtle there. I hope he is not alone!

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Couldn't see the chicks tonight. Hopefully they are just tucked up for the night, but the heron had moved from the big lake to the J Gardens.

Do herons eat chicks? Certainly the Canada Geese seem to get v. agitated when the heron's around.

[Sue]

We got really close to the heron on Saturday, it was right by the path. Have only ever seen it on the island before. Sadly however a family came and started throwing bread at it and it flew off :-S

[dazeykat]

The heron won't eat chicks...the turtle/terrapin might though.

[SteveT]

Pike and rats do.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Yuk. Couldn't see them yesterday either, but there is one new mallard duckling on the big lake.

[pearl1]

Actually I witnessed a heron snatching a duckling at Peckham Rye Park a couple of years ago.

[dazeykat]

Well, I didn't know herons ate chicks. I saw a crow grab a gosling once. Nature in the raw!

[kelmorain]

bigbadwolf Wrote:

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> Louisiana, the only organisms I target wear

> hoodies. If you're interested in bats there's only

> one place to be. Ever since I was a pup I've

> always wanted to see behind the steel gates of the

> abandoned railway tunnel in Sydenham woods. During

> the summer they open it every Sunday evening and

> to my surprise there are hundreds of Bats roosting

> in there!

There are bats in the Sydenham Hill Tunnel, buts its never open to the pubic, due to Health & Safety and to protect the bats. Your also unlikely to see the bats if you stood outside the tunnel at sunset, the bats using the tunnel are species that emerge well after sunset. The bat of most significance using the tunnel is Brown Long-Eared. The Youtube video below shows how Brown Long-Eared would hunt in the wood.

Video showing Brown Long-Eared hunting

Dulwich Park has a bat walk planned for the 11th August, though I'm not sure if the date has been confirmed. Probably need to book through Southwark Council. It will probably be "sold out" very quickly.