ED Nature Watch

[DawnSE22]

Sounds like a male swallow to me. They have long tail streamers. They are migrating now whereas swifts and house martins generally arrive in uk in may.

[jimmyay]

i saw a single swallow last Thursday too - they are back . about a week early this year - usually around St George's day.

[DavidVilla08]

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[Only me!]

Magpies being a real nuisance to our nesting blackbirds. Not sure if they are after eggs or chicks ... but they are really having a go! Blackbird alarm calls at all times of the day.

[KirstyH]

I saw a single swift (long scythe like wings, short 'square' tail - yesterday (Sunday 29)early evening over Nunhead. Lovely. Was speaking to parents up in Scotland when I saw it, apparently no swifts there yet (east lothian). A pair of jays a couple of weeks back in a garden off Rye Lane in morning during commute sort of time.

[Hollybush]

Is it possible that I saw a red squirrel at East Dulwich station? It really did look red not grey, but I didn't think there were any around here!

[Sue]

Grey squirrels' fur does go a bit reddish sometimes - I think it depends on their age or the time of year.

If it was an actual red squirrel I'll eat my hat. It wouldn't survive a day round here!

Did it have tufty ears?

[Hollybush]

Maybe it was that then. Can't remember about ears. It didn't look as bushy tailed as a normal grey one, but maybe just old or something! I will have to keep an eye out to check again, though I'm sure you're right, it can't be a red one!

[Sue]

"Special features: The grey squirrel frequently has patches of reddish-brown coloured fur, and we often get asked if this is the product of cross breeding with red squirrels. It isn't. In fact grey squirrels are more often half grey and half brown."

http://www.uksafari.com/greysquirrels.htm

Colour anomalies - Squirrels

ETA: Bloody hell, that albino grey squirrel is a bit frightening :))

[Hollybush]

Thanks, am sure it was a grey one now having seen those pictures and also googled the red one with ear tufts!

[minder]

Often see a heron in Sunray Park on the lake and also 4/5 terrapins basking on logs.

Yesterday I spotted the heron and also this terrapin on its own. Googled it and think it is a red eared slider.

[minder]

Couple more photos taken on Friday 9th.

[Sue]

Great pictures!

I have a family of Great Tits living in my garden. The babies seem to be several times the size of the parents, and the parents seem to be spending all their time feeding them, even though they (the babies) can peck on my feeders themselves.

Last week there were goslings and baby coots on the lake in Peckham Rye Park.

Note to the mother who told her children that the baby coots were baby swans: a) There are no swans on the lake b) Coots do not, so far as I know, feed cygnets, even in the absence of cygnets' parents.

Duh.

[gedwina]

Should the terrapin be reported and removed? Definitely not native and dependent on species quite a predator on birds eggs etc.

[minder]

Good idea gedwina, it does seem strange that there's a native of America living in a London park. Maybe somebody let it go into the pond because they couldn't look after it anymore. There are lots of turtles/terrapins that come out now and again in the park but come to think of it this is the most unusual one I've seen.

I'll contact a number on the park noticeboard and let you know what they say.

[uplandsneighbour]

MInder, while you're about it, could you also ask about these strange foreign birds that I saw in St James's Park? I'm so worried about the threat to our native pigeons.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/5b/St_James%27s_Park_Pelicans.jpg/800px-St_James%27s_Park_Pelicans.jpg

[minder]

Will do!

[Sue]

minder Wrote:

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

> Good idea gedwina, it does seem strange that

> there's a native of America living in a London

> park. Maybe somebody let it go into the pond

> because they couldn't look after it anymore.

xxxxxx

Ooops I think I just sent this reply to someone as a PM by mistake - apologies :-$

People buy terrapins when they are tiny and don't realise how big they get. When they can't keep them any more, they put them into ponds.

When I lived in Ditchling, there was a large terrapin I used to see quite a lot swimming in the village pond and sunbathing on a rock. Then one day I saw three together and realised there was more than one of them!

I also once found one walking down a path at the horticulture department at Stanmer Park, near Brighton. I had no idea what to do with it, so ...... I put it in a pond ......

[Only me!]

Pair of Goldfinches in the garden this morning.

Never seen them before .... beautiful.

Hanging seed feeder seems to be working, although at times it does resemble an "eat all you can" buffet .... for squirrels!

[lousmith]

Goldfinches seem to be on the up, unless we're all seeing the same pair.

[Pickle]

We got a surprise last night to have a bat delivered to us in the sitting room by our cat :-S

It was very small (body about 4 or 5cm long, with a wingspan of 20cm or so), and as it was curled up we couldn't work out what it was. Admittedly it caused a grown man and woman to scream when it then stretched its wings out and flapped!

It seems unharmed and was released into a tree at the back of our garden. A lesson for me, I didn't realise there were bats in the UK!

[minder]

I went on the annual open day and tour of Nunhead Cemetery a few years ago. They have lots of bats living in the trees there.

[bonniebird]

Last year about this time we were sitting in the garden (Forest Hill) and there were a couple of bats flying about :)) and over PRP I have been seeing and hearing a few sparrows! Joy!

[Sue]

There have always been sparrows in ED, I have them in my garden.

Very jealous about the goldfinches though, I've never seen one here even though I have a niger seed feeder in the hope of attracting them!

[Only me!]

Sparrows are now amongst the rarest of birds we see. One or two very occasionally at our feeders.

To try & cover all bases we have feeders for nuts, sunflower seeds, & fat balls.

Sunflower needs filling every day .... peanuts much less often & fat balls .... never!

Blue Tits, Great Tits, Robins, Blackbirds, Wrens & Wood Pigeon are all regular visitors.

Sparrows, Jays, Goldfinch & Magpies are occasional visitors.

Oh yes .... & Squirrels ........... but at least now they have sunflower seeds they have stopped pulling up the bulbs!