ED Nature Watch

[Sue]

kiera Wrote:

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> Sue. - the bird may have seen a reflection of your

> garden in your window. I picked up a dead young

> blackbird which had killed itself flying into the

> glass at Peckham library. When I stood outside and

> looked at the window from the bird's perspective,

> I saw the reflection of a tree. Similarly,at

> home,we experienced a blue tit attacking a

> reflection of itself in a window. I think it's

> only in a certain light that the window acts as a

> mirror - probably when it's in full sun. Might a

> venetian blind reduce the mirror effect?

Oh no :( :( :(

Unfortunately there is absolutely no way I am putting up a blind - I had the new window so I could see more of my (very small) garden from my kitchen!

I will investigate what the window looks like from the outside at different times of day.

[louisemurray]

heaps of toad spawn in the pond over the last few days -they have been very busy!

Though in about 50% of it the eggs are white - which means that they are dead.

Anyone know why - not especially cold

[tomdhu]

Would it be a Dunnock that's been bouncing around our garden this last week?

Grey front and head like a female sparrow but with a slender bill and longer tail. Pecking on the ground a lot around the margins. Very pronounced hopping with long hops - more so than with a sparrow. Just a single one.

Any comments would be welcome.

[BrandNewGuy]

Yes, that's a dunnock. They're usually quite shy of humans, but this time of year the males in particular are out singing (it's a very pretty song) and being visible.

[wulfhound]

Head for the lake around Burgess Park just after sun down & you'll see dozens of bats feasting on all the bugs that come off the lake. Not sure which species.

[Sue]

Saw two swifts (we think) this evening over Ulverscroft Road, hooray!

[dimples]

Yes I saw two swifts just of forest hill road , screeching that summer sound , yippee

[ponderwoman]

In an interlude to the wind a swarm of bees moved into the vacant hive I had provided on election day . They are piling the pollen in so the queen is laying. 'A swarm in May is worth a load of hay' as they say...... Great. A better democratic result for their species.

[katanita]

Is it just me (it might be) or are the birds very quiet at the moment? Have been awake around dawn for the last two mornings, and it just seemed spookily quiet. I'm hoping it was just that I was too late for it or something.

[red devil]

I think the singing in early Spring is more to do with territory and finding a mate. Most birds will have paired up by now and will be quietly sitting on eggs and/or feeding their young...

[Tanza]

Fox cubs spotted in the garden this morning.

[HannahSE23]

Pair of dunnocks and then a pair of nuthatches in my garden yesterday! The dunnocks dancing around on the ground and the nuthatches hanging off the feeder. Also swifts high above!! Very exciting...

[Sue]

Tanza Wrote:

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> Fox cubs spotted in the garden this morning.

Fantastic pictures, Tanza!

[DulwichFox]

Tanza Wrote:

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> Fox cubs spotted in the garden this morning.

Fantastic . Love the Pics...

Foxy

[katanita]

Ta, that's reassuring.

red devil Wrote:

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> I think the singing in early Spring is more to do

> with territory and finding a mate. Most birds will

> have paired up by now and will be quietly sitting

> on eggs and/or feeding their young...

[minder]

For the past few days I've noticed this bird around. It's been landing on the roof of a neighbours shed, tearing the blue covering up and then flying away with bundles which must be for its nest. Hanging out washing yesterday and saw it flying towards me, over my head straight for the shed again! Have told neighbours.

Think the bird is a Mistle Thrush.

[sallyfran]

Saw a bullfinch in the garden for the first time ever - v exciting. Also a greenfinch, which I haven't seen in the garden for several years. Seems to have been a bumper breeding season for birds too - we're getting baby sparrows, dunnocks, blue and great tits, goldfinches, blackbirds and robins at the feeder and birdbath. I'm spending way too much time looking out of the window when I should be doing other things.

[edhistory]

I went to see if some of the old watercress bed plants were now accessible immediately to the west of the Fernery.

I couldn't spot any.

Was I looking in the wrong place?

Has this unique habitat been destroyed?

John K

[tomdhu]

Green Woodpecker showed up this morning.

Very close to our rear window so that its red crown, black mask and green colouring were amazingly bright and attractive.

Unusually it was on the lawn and then went to a raised flowerbed for more pecking around the base of plants and flowers.

Have only ever seen and heard them before when they were high up on our neighbour's oak tree.

Made my day!

[amlh]

This is true. Even if it seems unbelievable. I have a photo. A turtle in the Peckham Rye lake. Two days ago

[SebsC]

amlh Wrote:

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> This is true. Even if it seems unbelievable. I

> have a photo. A turtle in the Peckham Rye lake.

> Two days ago

There used to be quite a few in there some years back. Apparently people who owned them had dumped them in the pond and they had multiplied. They had to take them out though as they were multiplying too much!

[MarkT]

I don't think terrapins (Fresh water turtles) have successfully bred in Britain. All of the adults in London lakes were individually released. I think the young can't survive our winters. However a few mild winters giving time for a little evolutionary adaptation and we could have a future ecological problem.

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/news-and-views/news/mutant-ninja-turtles-could-be-breeding-in-britains-canals

MarkT

[pearl1]

I've seen babies in the pond in the Japanese garden before now (probably a couple of years ago) and saw an adult in the duck pond a few weeks ago....

[MarkT]

We have a population of Goatsbeard - Tragopagon pratensis - at the East Dulwich Community Centre. I see it probably every year. We had a dozen separate plants this time - my photo attached. The flowers are now over and the seeds are dispersed. Has anyone seen it elsewhere in the neighbourhood? Is it rare in London?

http://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/goats-beard

MarkT

[edborders]

Hi, there will be a meeting today, Wednesday at 7:30 PM at The Rose Pub, 108 Forest Hill Road, SE22 0RS to save the woods in Woodvale and Brenchly Gardens cemeteries. They council is planning on cutting down ten acres of woods.

aerial view. listen to local birdsong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b76wj7BO8yI

Lewis Schaffer

Nunhead tree and heritage lover