There was a massive thud on the the window/door to the garden this morning. Usually these thuds are birds trying to fly through the house. This morning though it was a hare!

There was a pair of them, male chasing the female, running round the garden for about ten minutes. They were about two metres away when I took this.

After nearly 7 years of first seeing this here post/thread, I finally saw one up close and personal. It didn't run, just hopped onto and over the verge then (through?) wire fence. Beautiful... Even stopped on the layby on this tight road/bend to update my Bearbones profile -)

A good morning for me. Woke to Wrens, Blackbirds and a Nuthatch, then went to meet a friend for an alfresco brew and saw a Curlew, Lapwings, a Meadow Pit, and...

(drum roll)

...an Osprey! I think that's a first for me!

Out for a ride exploring down in Croatia yesterday, when passing through a village i saw this wandering into the road, quick stop,check for cars, on about a kilometre away so jumped off the bike and did a bit of foot stomping to get it to turn around and back into the hedge from whence it came. Must be the biggest Slow Worm I've ever seen at best part of a metre long. Job done turned round to see a lady of a certain edge giving me the funniest of looks A quick Dobar Dan and off I went!

IMG_20240526_131615 by Peter Cairns, on Flickr

Sorry about the image ratio must have hit the wrong button or something.
Anyway, reminded me of the little fella (Turtle) last autumn. Crossing the road immediately after a 90 degree bend just before a bridge over a holt (oxbow lake). picked him/her up and delivered safely to the other side of the road. (Lots of timber lorries around as tree felling in surrounding woods.
IMG_20230614_104853 by Peter Cairns, on Flickr

Also yesterday, my first sightng of stork chicks in the nest this yea, sorry about quality had to crop it and bright sunshine and lack of reading classes make these a bit hit and miss! The chick can be seen just below the adult.
IMG_20240526_112250 by Peter Cairns, on Flickr

And,
I was moaning at the wife last week how rubbish I was at recognising bird song, when I thought, mmm probably an app for that (I'm a bit of a technophobe) anyway I found this app, which so far seems to work well. Also works for descriptive input and so on. Though it might be of interest to some.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... l=en&gl=US

Just saw a baby (or teenage) badger. After coming out of the last section of off road and into/onto the estate. Looked at me and ran other way. I always thought they're slower for some reason.

Very thankful for the lovely encounter

redefined_cycles wrote: ↑Sun Jul 07, 2024 10:57 pmI always thought they're slower for some reason.

They can fair shift when they want to!

We had a male Bullfinch in the garden earlier this evening. Not seen one of those here before. One of the more spectacular small birds. well it's a finch so it's gonna be small

Woodpecker on the lawn.


Usually, we see them on the nut-cage but I haven’t filled it up and probably why this one’s looking for ants on the lawn.

frogatthefarriers wrote: ↑Sun Jul 14, 2024 6:11 pm Woodpecker on the lawn.


Usually, we see them on the nut-cage but I haven’t filled it up and probably why this one’s looking for ants on the lawn.

I thought it was a woodpecker I'd seen last month. Nearly where lots of peacocks frequent in Norwich. But that was a colourful bird. Does that mean I saw something else

Well spotted and pic'd Lu.

Most likely a Jay - about the same size as a woodpecker (maybe a little bigger) - pink coloured with flashes of blue. You usually hear them though as they make a right racket.

Felt a bit surreal Bob. It sat on the ledge outside the window/office we were doing Handover etc. Soon as I spotted it, it was gone. Happened too fast, but I only know it was colourful and about the size of a wood pigeon.

Saw a hedgehog wandering across the street just round the corner of my house this morning, when heading out to work. It was ambling along without a care in the world which makes me fear for its life given how some folk drive round here. Anyway I stopped and watched it cross the footway and into the shrubs of the adjacent house so hopefully all safe and sound. First urban hedgehog round here for years

More excitingly, a couple of weeks back I watched a couple of RSPB types ringing Kestrel chicks (four of them!) at my friends farm - fabulous birds

Nice one. Lovely things them hedgehogs. I walked back from the quite lanes in Scunthorpe a month or so ago. Long walk. Saw a hedgehog on the side of the road but in the grass. Wonderful encounters.

Looks like a stone on legs. About 3mm wide. Anyone know what it is!


Easier than training for a Bearbones ride. Just take pics instead.

Tick?

fatbikephil wrote: ↑Fri Aug 30, 2024 10:24 pmTick?

Oh shucks. Really!!

Came across a grasshopper in the garden the other day. Not seen one for a few years - the last one was in the Forest of Dean. I remember finding them regularly when I was a kid.

I found this little feller in our log burner. Fallen down the chimney obs.

Good rescue!

Nice1 Frog...

I'm on the West Yorkshire Cycle Route for the annual Freedom for Dr Aafia Siddiqui cycling protest. 56 miles into the loop and coming past Eccup res. I see something running up on the banking besides me. Fast as a fox but looking like a hog.

It zooms down onto the pave infront and across me. A badger, in the flesh. Never ever encountered that, gorgeous things. Only ever seen em dead on side of road or stuffed at junior school!!

Had to stop specially to write that Alhamdulillah. Riding it anti clockwise, so Ilkley Moor yet to come!!! Joy!

Badgers are a lot bigger than most people think. I've not seen many live ones even though there's a set on the family farm.

Interestingly the Welsh for badgers is "moch daear", literally "earth pigs" so your hog comment isn't far off.

Badgers can be quite aggressive sometimes too. It's not unheard of for them to chase humans, even on bicycles (the human, not the badger...!)

Thanks Bob and Petr/Peter. Yeah, not sure if it was scared of me but I'm guessing maybe not.

Saw a red kite this morning about 500m from the house. Likely to be one of the descendents of the Harewood House release as they increase in numbers and slowly move outwards.

Saw a Barn Owl in broad daylight yesterday - floated across the road in font of me, flew ahead of me for about 50 yds then floated into the field on my left. I've seen three in broad daylight near my parents place.

I also saw a broken spectre at the Tanhill Inn!

fatbikephil wrote: ↑Sat Dec 28, 2024 11:42 pm Saw a Barn Owl in broad daylight yesterday - floated across the road in font of me, flew ahead of me for about 50 yds then floated into the field on my left. I've seen three in broad daylight near my parents place.

I also saw a broken spectre at the Tanhill Inn!

That must have been quite a sight, both of them!