ED Nature Watch

[Sue]

Cooked some chicken. Tied it to a string. Taddies didn't exactly flock but a few started nibbling.

Some of them seemed to prefer the string to the chicken :))

B**** cat then arrived and made a beeline for the tub, whether attracted by water, taddies or chicken who knows.

Quick shower from the hosepipe saw him off, but he'll be back.

My screen of sharp sticks proving totally useless as a deterrent, I will now have to net the tub I think.

Re the name of the thread, I think it's fine as it is .... "Nature" covers it all really. Some posts talk about flowers, trees AND creatures, would be a bit fiddly to try to divide it all up?

[henryb]

Elderflowers are out. Picked a load last weekend for cordial (mixed success as over cooked it). Elderflower fiz next weekend I think.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Here's one for Katy T: some lovely marsh buttercups by the boggy bit on the Rye.

[civilservant]

Back garden this afternoon - starling with two youngsters almost as big as her (him?) both of whom kept chivvying her (him?) to be fed. Lots of cheeping from inside the honeysuckle, out of which an anxious blackbird pair hop in and out frantically, looking very harassed indeed. Loads of tiny finch/tit types sitting in our tree stuffing bits of buggy suet ball into the mouths of their babies, who are also nearly as big as their parents.

[bonniebird]

The baby moorhens are still in the floating planter in the pond in PRP. The parent rushes to and fro feeding them and the other parent who is inside with them, the other morning a coote tried to get to the babies and was attacking them through the wire, the adults were freaking out, the one inside scrambled up the wire fence, flew over the top and they saw the coote off, I am so hoping the babies will be able to get out, they all look healthy enough.

[minder]

I have loads of starlings in my back garden and I love watching them feeding the babies. The babies are as big as the mum and dad but a lot lighter in colour and just more babyish/fragile.

[Cas59]

Saucy devil lol

[Sue]

Just seen mum (?) Great Tit feeding her three fat babies in my garden, sadly first harassed by a pair of sparrows (which she tried to see off, with little success), then manky cat arrived.

Chasing the cat away has also sent the birds away, but at least they may live to see another day :)

[The Minkey]

My feeders are laden with green and goldfinch fledglings. The goldies look so naked without their face markings, aw..

[The Minkey]

And this morning, two fat coal tit fledglings sat on the arch fluttering their wings to be fed by mum/dad.

[The Minkey]

Planted some Centaurea Montana last year, just because I love its blue flowers, and by happy coincidence I find the goldfinches love their seedheads. I was amazed to see just one smallish plant playing host to several busily feeding birds.

No idea what name it's commonly known by in the UK, but it seems to be related to the Knapweed and it doesn't mind clay soils. So folks, you know what to plant if you want to get the goldies dropping in on you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaurea_montana

[Sue]

Hey it's a kind of Cornflower, and I have some Cornflowers I sowed which are about to flower (very dark ones, not the bright blue ones) so if the seedheads bring goldfinches into my garden I shall be celebrating :)

[The Minkey]

I love cornflowers too :-) Let us know if they do draw in the goldies once they've gone to seed.

I have a patch of Flax/Linseed, which self-seeds every year - very pretty sky blue flower. Haven't noticed the seedheads being ravaged by the birds but I'll watch more carefully this year.

[Sue]

I've got a froglet!!!

Just went out to check my tub wasn't overflowing, and a little froggie leaped off the pile of stones and into the tub!

Hurrah!!!

:)-D

Now fingers crossed a cat doesn't get it :-S

ETA: Am feeding the taddies freeze-dried bloodworms recommended by a fish shop for when they start geting legs, on the basis that even though I rarely see a taddie as they lurk down the bottom, they jolly well should be getting legs by now, seems I was right!

[civilservant]

RIP Thaddeus, lone tadpole occupant of our salad bowl 'pond':'(

We had such hopes for you, you managed to outlive your brothers and sisters for so long!

Sue, congratulations! may you have see many more froglets frolicking in your tub!

[bonniebird]

I have seen sparrows over PRP twice now and I hear them frequently :)):)-D(tu) all those meadows seem to be paying off, excellent!

[ianr]

> RIP Thaddeus, lone tadpole occupant of our salad bowl 'pond'crying smiley

> We had such hopes for you, you managed to outlive your brothers and sisters for so long!

RIP Thaddeus, et eius fratres sororesque.

Were any of them named, btw, or was this a sad consequence of Thaddeus's outliving them?

[Sue]

ianr Wrote:

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

> > RIP Thaddeus, lone tadpole occupant of our salad

> bowl 'pond'crying smiley

> > We had such hopes for you, you managed to

> outlive your brothers and sisters for so long!

>

> RIP Thaddeus, et eius fratres sororesque.

>

> Were any of them named, btw, or was this a sad

> consequence of Thaddeus's outliving them?

Is Tad actually dead, are you sure he's not just hiding?

I didn't see any of mine for ages, thought they had snuffed it.

:-S

[Sue]

The RHS has produced this useful list of plants which attract pollinating insects at different times of the year:

Plants for pollinators

Also - tadpole update - since growing their legs, or in the process of doing so, a load of mine have reappeared, and can be admired at certain times of the day taking in air.

They are also greedy little b*****s and eat whole freeze-dried bloodworms at a time :)) Hopefully they won't choke to death before becoming proper froglets.

Have not seen the actual froglet (or possibly toadlet) lately and hope this is because s/he is hiding somewhere in the garden and not because s/he has been eaten by a cat or bird :-S

[civilservant]

ianr - sorry only just seen your question! Thaddeus was the sole survivor, hence his (her?) name

Then he too, alas, succumbed... ave atque vale!

he was blood brother to Sue's greedy little sprogs

[Sue]

Blimey, what's with all the Latin on this thread? What a well-educated lot we are :))

Amo amas amat, mensa mensa mensam etc etc.

[civilservant]

:))

[Peckhamnearbe]

On an earlier thread (which I can't find now), there was dicussion about red squirrel sighting. I would like to know if grey squirrels' coats take on a reddish hue at any point in their life cycle because on the weekend I saw (family also) a squirrel which had a grey top half but definite reddish bottom half and we wondered if there was cross-breeding taking place but then red squirrels are extinct - esp in the south so how can it be so? My nephew who is at work at the moment, took a couple of pictures which I can upload when he is back. Really interested to have any information about this. Hasten to add that we were in Hyde Park when we saw this.

[Penguin68]

'Grey' squirrels can have a russet tinge, either on their backs or the edges of their belly fur - the true red squirrel looks very different (and much browner/ redder, especially about the ears (larger and more tufted). The only southern population of red squirrels is on the Isle of Wight I believe. There is now a new population of black squirrels emerging as well I also believe.

[The Minkey]

I had a very ginger-hued grey squirrel coming into the garden for a while - it's tail positively flamed with the light behind it. It soon became an ex-squirrel.

The recent sunshine and Echinacea blooms have brought flocks of Gatekeeper butterflies into the garden. Although it's not an uncommon species, I haven't seen so many butterflies together in years. Yay!