ED Nature Watch

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Saw a mandarin duck and his missus on the lake this morning. The other ducks weren't too happy with their presence. By this afternoon they had gone.

Very showy.

[reetpetite]

There was a Mandarin duck there for a few weeks a month or so ago seemed quite at home .What does his missus look like?

[SteveT]

She has a long plait and does take aways.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

She is prettier than the other birds - maybe that's the reason!

[PeckhamRose]

AGH!! The squirrels are also back! Climbing up 3 floors and digging up me plants.

Grrrrrrrrrr

[Sue]

Someone I know (not a million miles from FlapJackDavey's flatmate) put a large plastic crow on his balcony, with black feathers glued all over it, to deter pigeons who were nesting on the balcony.

Sadly, real crows attacked it and pulled all the feathers off :))

If squirrels have predators you could try something similar .....

Something to deter them I mean, obviously, not to cause them physical harm ....

[SteveT]

A friend of mine was troubled with squirrels so got a humane cage trap. Baited it with a piece of snickers and cuaght 7 in the course of a week.

He took each of them for a drive in the country and released them.

Then someone suggested he should shoot them, because it is illegal to release grey squirrels.

[SteveT]

I have a pair of robins making a home in one of the bird boxes, in December?

[BrandNewGuy]

First time poster but long-time lurker here :-) I was surprised to see a grey wagtail this morning on my way to work. It flew onto a fence by the corner of Trossachs Road and Glengarry Road, and then disappeared into the garden behind. Not sure I've ever seen a grey wagtail in ED before - they prefer rivers, streams and open countrsyide, normally, though they do venture beyond their range in winter. You're much more likely to see their cousin, the pied wagtail.

I've attached a pic so you'll know one if you see one...

Brand New Guy

 

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

They are beautiful. I've seen a pair in Peckham Rye Park before - but only the once about two month's ago. I forgot to look them up and identify them.

[5imon]

just moved into a place on upland road at the plough end, we've got a trio of goldfinches and a couple of great tits as regular visitors.

what's the recommended winter food for bird feeders? fat? peanuts? seed?

[daizie]

ive got a couple of great tits, and man meat is my recommended winter food, sorry admin , i just couldnt help it .

[Ladymuck]

daizie Wrote:

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

> ive got a couple of great tits, and man meat is my

> recommended winter food, sorry admin , i just

> couldnt help it .

titt titt...sorry I meant tutt tutt...

[red devil]

5imon Wrote:

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

> just moved into a place on upland road at the

> plough end, we've got a trio of goldfinches and a

> couple of great tits as regular visitors.

>

> what's the recommended winter food for bird

> feeders? fat? peanuts? seed?

A group of Goldfinches, Greenfinches and various Tits have just stripped bare my feeder full of Sunflower heart seeds this morning!. I leave out seeds, peanuts and fat snacks so they have a choice...

[CC]

The mandarin ducks are back in Peckham Rye Park and they have a little baby too, v cute!

[Sue]

Oh dear, too early for baby ducks, isn't it? Will it survive?

[dazeykat]

There's a small flock flock of Fieldfares and some Redwings visiting my garden at the moment. They are winter visitors, but I've never seen them in ED before. They are members of the thrush family & look very similar, especially in this grey, dreary weather.

[Sue]

You are lucky, only time I have seen those was when I lived in Sussex.

[EDmummy]

Wondered what that duck was on the lake. The mandarin duck is certainly very beautiful. Lets hope it stays.

Any one know the fate of the seagull caught in one of the meshed plant islands on 22nd Dec? We reported to the park warden and a friend rang the Council who said they would get Animal Control out. It had been there about 4 hours when we saw it.

[Sue]

EDmummy Wrote:

It had been there about 4 hours when we saw

> it.

xxxxxxxx

How on earth could you tell?!

[EDmummy]

The warden told us someone had reported it at around 10.00am the same day we did at 2pm. Make that 4 hrs.

[dazeykat]

Sue, I hadn't seen any since my childhood in Sussex - maybe the extra cold weather we had drove them to visit London. There is a large group of them, mainly Redwings I think, spending a lot of time sitting in the tree at the end of my garden. Hope you see them while they'r here!

[Sue]

dazeykat Wrote:

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

> Sue, I hadn't seen any since my childhood in

> Sussex - maybe the extra cold weather we had drove

> them to visit London. There is a large group of

> them, mainly Redwings I think, spending a lot of

> time sitting in the tree at the end of my garden.

> Hope you see them while they'r here!

xxxxxx

So do I, all I have is loads of sparrows plus tits, blackbirds and a robin.

Even the starlings haven't been around this year :-S

I think redwings eat berries? so maybe the few pyracantha berries I have left after the blackbirds aren't enough for them!

The fox is still sometimes sleeping in the garden, but the other one seems to have disappeared.

[SteveT]

Went to RHS wisley and saw a tree-creeper which was fun as I hadn't seen one for many years.

[Sue]

YAY!

I've only ever seen one tree creeper and it was on the trunk of a tree outside my window when I lived on a farm in Herefordshire. Would love to see another one!