ED Nature Watch

[Only me!]

Blackbirds swooping about doing what looked like nest material/stuff collecting yesterday!

& the tree blossom is out.

Just me ... or does all this still seem just a bit early?

[Twirly]

I was thinking that myself today Only me! And it probably is. Saw a dead bumble bee today.

[Sue]

Oh dear, I saw a dead bee today, too.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

I captured a huge bumble bee yesterday and let him out of the house. He seemed very dozy.

[wee quinnie]

Frogs are back in the pond chez Wee Quinnie. Also hearing an owl every night. Blossom on the cherry trees. I love Spring!

[Cas59]

yeh the foxes get a bit naughty on my doorstep at times

[Sue]

I poured frogspawn (thanks lousmith) into my tub from a jar and it sank.

I was expecting it to float back to the surface, but it hasn't and I can't see it in the tub (the tub is black so a bit hard to see things in it).

Is it OK for it not to be at or near the surface? Do I need to put my hand in, locate it and pull it up?

:-$

[lousmith]

Hi Sue. Try and get it back to the top. The plants I gave you should float and support it. You can get some more weed if you need. It will hatch at the bottom, but may be much slower without the sun's warmth. You could even hatch it indoors in a big enough jar?or ?ub.

[Sue]

Oh dear, OK I'll go and have a fish around in the tub!

[Sue]

Have hauled spawn to top of tub where it is now resting on weeds just below the surface - let's hope the weather does not get even colder and it freezes :-S

[Sue]

There is a quite realistic plastic duckling on the pond at Peckham Rye :))

[Sue]

I went away for the weekend and when I came back there was no sign of ANY of my frogspawn - it hasn't sunk to the bottom again, it has just completely disappeared.

It hasn't hatched - no sign of tadpoles.

I've just googled and apparently cats and some birds will eat it :-S

I had removed the netting over my tub - now I wish I hadn't.

[lousmith]

I too went away for a week and found a decimation of frogspawn. There was a bit on the side of the pond. I blame the magpies!

[Only me!]

Two dead Bumble Bees as i walked the 50m to the car this morning.

Warm days & crisp nights seems to be bad news for them. Shame.

[Sue]

I just saw what looked remarkably like a swallow (only one) fly overhead.

Is this possible? When do they arrive?

ETA: Just looked up swallows, and it didn't seem to have such a forked tail as a swallow, but two very long "streamers" (and no, it wasn't a green parrakeet!)

[henryb]

Are you sure it wasn't a Swift? They are more common in London or maybe a House Martin. They all arrive about now.

[first mate]

Heron was out in Japanese Garden in Peckham Rye today- enjoying the sun. Saw three rats too- very busy.

[PeckhamRose]

Starlings completely ravished the entire contents of my squirrel proof bird seed feeder. Bastards! Still, mustn't discriminate! It's meant for littler birds than them!

[jimmah]

A massive frog behind my house, I'm hope he's not gobbled up by a fox.

[reetpetite]

Six beautiful ducklings and four baby coots (or moorhens ..can never remember which is which) on Peckham Rye lake today. Hope they stay safe from the Heron.!

[mynamehere]

Is it starlings that get the fat balls hung on metal hooks on 2+ metre metal poles in the middle of clear lawn? We thought that the squirrels jump vertically and somehow manoeuver it.

[uplandsneighbour]

Jimmah, thanks for pic, but you've got a toad, not a frog!

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

If there is red on the beak, it is a moorhen (remember the 'r' in moorhen). White is a coot.

[Sue]

henryb Wrote:

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> Are you sure it wasn't a Swift? They are more

> common in London or maybe a House Martin. They all

> arrive about now.

xxxxxxx

Yes, might have been, but tail seemed very long.

Will be lovely to see the swifts swooping about again.

PGC, I was about to post the same thing about the coot/moorhen thing, it is the only way I can remember which is which!

[reetpetite]

Peckhamgatecrasher Wrote:

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> If there is red on the beak, it is a moorhen

> (remember the 'r' in moorhen). White is a coot

Thanks I'll try to remember .They are coots :))