ED Nature Watch

[panda boy]

Interesting material on this thread but none of you has told me what the hell the foxes are getting up to when they make that shreiking noise that sounds like an infant being stabbed, I've heard that it's the female vixens 'fakeing it' but surely there's more solid explaination.

This should answer your fox related screaming question...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061001145713AA7qjrP

[panda boy]

It's a greater spotted woodpecker louisiana.

The best thing is the other birds don't seem to mind it.

I've seen the woodpecker and 2 great tits on the feeder at the same time.

[PeckhamRose]

Over here on the SE15 side of the park, we have seen flocks of goldfinches in the trees behind our flats, and also heard but not seen the greater or lesser spotted woodpecker tho not caught him at the birdfeeder yet. The Peckham Rye Park kingfisher earned a thread all to himself last year on this site, but not had the honour of seeing him myself. Anyone going to the dawn chorus ID parade I think being organised by Peckham Society, on One Tree Hill? Details here.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Put away your combinations - the hawthorn is in full blossom: ne'er cast a clout till may is out.

[louisiana]

Hawthorn is fab.

(But my other half has a reaction to it.)

Combinations. That's what I've been missing all these years...

[Sue]

Peckhamgatecrasher Wrote:

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> Dear Google! Could it be a daddy long legs? Is it

> transparentish?

xxxxxx

No, wrong time of year and legs weren't that long.

Body maybe about a centimetre long, opaque white.

Will try a Google.

PGC, your bird with yellow flash on its wings, could it have been a greenfinch? Though I think they usually go in flocks, but maybe not all the time?

[Sue]

Peckhamgatecrasher Wrote:

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> Put away your combinations - the hawthorn is in

> full blossom: ne'er cast a clout till may is out.

xxxxxx

Could also be May of course, ie ne'er cast a clout till June.

[panda boy]

So i'm sure everyones seen the new ducklings and moorhen chicks, but today i noticed the terrapin is awake now, and a new young heron in the Rye, (seemed smaller than the one that has been around for a few months...?)

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Saw the heron being attacked by a crow today. And yesterday saw a crow ripping apart a rat. Vicious buggers them crows.

ps - the binoculars I bought are actually pretty good - I don't think I was using them properly. Great view of St Paul's from Nunhead Cemetery.

[pearcesa]

panda boy Wrote:

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> So i'm sure everyones seen the new ducklings and

> moorhen chicks, but today i noticed the terrapin

> is awake now, and a new young heron in the Rye,

> (seemed smaller than the one that has been around

> for a few months...?)

We were so happy to see the new ducklings and moorhen chicks on Sunday .... (tu)

[reetpetite]

Only two ducklings this morning .Boo Hoo

[red devil]

Over the past week a pair of robins have been non-stop feeding their young, the nest is located in some ivy covering a fence, in another week they could be ready to fledge...camera at the ready...

[red devil]

Sad news I'm afraid, whilst in the garden this morning I suddenly noticed that I could see the Robin's nest, before it was hidden under the ivy. I looked closer and could see it was empty. Something had taken/eaten the chicks. No sign of them on the ground either. I'd just been playing with a friendly cat who frequently comes into the garden, and later watched it walk up to beneath the nest, look up, and jump up into the hedge pawing at the empty nest. Not saying that cat, or any other cat, is the culprit, but I had to chase another cat away last week when I saw it hanging around and looking up at the hedge. We also have foxes and squirrels around, although I think squirrels are more interested in eggs. Nature can be cruel. The parent Robins have unsurprisingly disappeared. They have several clutches a year so hopefully they have better luck next time. Ironically, the friendly cat carries a tag with the name 'Savage'...

[Moos]

Today on the pond/lake in Peckham Rye Park there were two families of coots, one with 2 and one with 3 chicks. Didn't see any ducklings or moorhen chicks though.

[SimonM]

I would not automatically blame the cat....there's a lot of magpies around and they really are vicious bastards!

[red devil]

we don't seem to get bothered by magpies, however 'Savage' came back this afternoon and went straight to the empty nest...looking for seconds?..

[SteveT]

How one becomes attached to the birds that nest in our gardens, I become very protective towards them and chase off all the feline visitors.

[pearl1]

My garden is VERY small and has a buddleia which has become extrememly overgrown and is blocking out most of the sunlight. It means I won't have room for any beans or tomatoes unless I cut it back. However...

Yesterday I noticed a pair of goldfinches flying in and out of it. They've been doing it regularly since. Should I cut back the tree or will it stop them from coming into my garden?

I'm not planning to cut the whole thing down, just reduce it by about a third. Oh and they're not nesting in the buddleia as it is not stable enough - it blows about all over the place in firm wind...

[red devil]

They're probably after grubs to feed their chicks, ideally a buddleia should be cut back hard in early spring...

Pruning Buddleia

[tasty_snacks]

i noticed a very strange bee like creature with an enormous proboscis in choumert square, that has since been identified as a hummingbird moth.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Wow that sounds cool - I suppose there's a more interesting selection of flowers in a small area than anywhere else round here.

[Sue]

That's amazing, didn't think they were in this country, only one I have ever seen was in Venice

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Two new coot chicks this morning - don't know how long they'll last. And the irises round the lake are beautiful. Most stunning of all for me though is the smell of May blossom as one wanders round the park.

[snorky]

red devil Wrote:

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> we don't seem to get bothered by magpies, however

> 'Savage' came back this afternoon and went

> straight to the empty nest...looking for

> seconds?..

cats=scum

[red devil]

The Robins are back!, they're building a nest in a neighbour's garden, similar place though, in an ivy clad wall about 4/5 foot of the ground, easy for a cat/fox to jump up, might suggest to neighbour to put some kind of wire mesh 'ring fence' guarding on the ground underneath the nest to prevent an animal from jumping up, any ideas?...