Country File

[Heedless Horseman]

Birds are going through Peanuts like mad... a full large feeder in a week! A fat coconut also. Seed feeder largely untouched... maybe plenty natural around.

Cautionary tale about a Hedgehog. Kindly neighbour was given a young pig that someone's dog had got. No apparent injuries and it came out of 'shock' after a while and started feeding. She phoned to ask if she could release into my garden after 2nd day... but didn't. 3rd day, I popped round and it seemed lively... wanting to be out of the good sized bird cage that it was in... but later retreated into shelter and died.
I think it had just 'given up'. Maybe it would have been ok if released earlier? Don't know. 

[John Cook]

Shame about the hedgehog.  We had up to five regulars a few years ago but none at all now.  The boxes were not occupied at all over last winter.  Our Sparrow Hawk, I assume there is just the one, had a wood pigeon for its breakfast this morning.  All that was left were the feathers.  We feed the birds and the birds feed the Sparrow Hawk.  Watching a couple of Kites circling.  They have made a real come-back recently.  They never come into the garden but must be looking for food I suppose.  Perhaps I should put out a chicken carcass and see what happens!

[kustenjaeger]

Something killed a pigeon in our front garden last week and removed the carcass - don't think it was either of our cats but could have been a sparrow hawk (we've had it happen before), possibly a kite as they are increasingly prevalent round here.

Edward

[Steve J]

The hedgehog was in the garden a few nights ago at dusk, which was good to see. The birds are eating the seed like crazy at present, even though Summer is doing its damnedest to hang on here in Bristol. A few butterflies still around which is nice to see.

[Heedless Horseman]

Not seen many Butterflies this year gone.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-63164826
Very few... just odd Whites or Wood browns... but have not really been looking.
Not large numbers of 'outdoor' Moths, either... just the occasional annoying B****r that enters and needs to be captured and put out!

For some reason very large numbers of small Moths in Bathroom... usually dead or weak. Put them out... but probably little chance. No idea where they are coming from! Have not had these before.

Lots of spindly spiders... I would not mind presence, but too much web around!

[Steve J]

I do a daily butterfly count each year and certainly a drop in number and species that came to the garden this Summer.

[sultanbev]

This year's theme for us has been close encounters with raptors. At the Vegan B&B in Kendal recently, a buzzard landed in the garden on some guinea pig pens and just sat there looking around even though we crept closer.

And yesterday twice up close with a kestrel at Brockholes - it was too windy for their usual hovering tactics, so sitting in trees and on posts looking down on the ground was their next tactic - one landed in a tree 20' away from us and stayed scanning the ground a while, then later we saw it on a large wooden post overlooking a play area - I thought it was a carved one at first until it turned it's head.

Saw lots of dragonflys too, and even a butterfly. Which for early October is quite unusual.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Not a vegan buzzard then?

[sultanbev]

Not a vegan buzzard then?

Dunno, I didn't ask him. Certainly showed no interest in the guinea pigs whilst he was there.

[John Cook]

buzzard landed in the garden on some guinea pig pens and just sat there looking around even though we crept closer.

Stunning bird.  We see them overhead from time to time but not in the garden.  The most common raptor we see is the Red Kite which we see in numbers almost daily, 25 years ago you never saw them at all.  The only raptor we see in our garden is a Sparrow Hawk which takes Wood Pigeons and Collared Doves, sometimes the occasional Blackbird.  The main problem in our neck of the woods is the explosion of the domestic cat population, which plays havoc with the birds, particularly during nesting as they take a lot of chicks and scare birds from nesting at all.  They also foul our flower beds and lawn.  I tried 'Silent Roar - Lion Poo' deterent but it didn't really work.  Any suggestions.  I have thought of Claymores already but nothing, even on Ebay:D   

[Leon]

I love the buzzards, we used to get a family of them overhead almost daily when we lived in Cornwall but we don't see many up here in the north-east.  A few kites here and there and sparrow hawks are quite common when we get out into the countryside. 

We've had butterflies in the garden this summer but I've not kept a proper tally list sadly.  Cabbage whites, peacocks and a few red admirals I think.  We had a couple of dragonflies as well which was nice, not had those before.

[sultanbev]

Any suggestions.  I have thought of Claymores already but nothing, even on Ebay:D   

At out community garden we have CDs hanging on strings from plastic tubing hoops at the end of the raised beds. Apparently the CD twirling in the wind scares the cat off enough to stop them pooping in the raised bed, or that the see their reflection in the disc and thinks it's another cat and scarper. Seems to work!

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

There's at least three owls,bats, wrens, kingfisher, heron, deer red kites and kestrel on my local dog walk.
Someone near me saw an otter recently too.

[Heedless Horseman]

There's at least three owls,bats, wrens, kingfisher, heron, deer red kites and kestrel on my local dog walk.
Someone near me saw an otter recently too.

Owls / Bats around. Wrens nest in garden. Have seen Kingfisher and Otters in local river. Herons... or maybe Dragonfly larvae... did for Pond Goldfish long ago! Herons... suddenly this B****y BIG THING takes off nearby! Wump! Wump! Wump! LOL.

Sadness about people, myself inc. Clearing out Ma's stuff... saved some small china bird statuettes. Thought I would gift to local bloke into collecting such.... really into small birds. Chatting, thereafter, he proudly recounted that Sparrowhawk had flown into window and was lying stunned... so he raced out... and stomped on it's head.
I cannot fathom some people. 

[Heedless Horseman]

Berries in 2022. Just wondering what UK berry supply like around UK this year?
Not all that much around locally... S Northumberland.
Brambles / Blackberries were not up to some years. Rosehips vary... some smallish. Not much on Hawthorns but Rowans plentiful. Some on Hollys.
In garden Cotoneasters have loads but not a lot on Berberis.

[Elliesdad]

A caterpillar crawling across the pavement whilst I was walking the dogs a couple of days ago. I'd have thought it waaaayyy too cold. Ah well....

[Heedless Horseman]

A caterpillar crawling across the pavement whilst I was walking the dogs a couple of days ago. I'd have thought it waaaayyy too cold. Ah well....

Memory from long ago. Newly built 'Middle' school had areas of tall weeds. Not sure whether weeds scythed... but think weed killered. Many Hundreds of green Caterpillars trying to cross tarmac 'courts' to find refuge. Sad. 

[Heedless Horseman]

Curious? Are Your Hedgehogs still active? Have not seen for a while... but 'Poo'! Think a bit early for hibernation... will still want food... something clears bowls... but probably Foxes, Cats or Rats!

[Gwydion]

They are here - massive one ran past the side door the other night just as I was letting the cat out, scared the living daylights out of the moggy! Hoping it's the young one I saved from a drain about eighteen months ago all grown up. We have several though, kept them in water during the summer when the normal sources were drying up. Nice to see them thriving (no slug pellets or any noxious chemicals in our garden and lots of undergrowth - neighbours hate me! )

[John Cook]

Curious? Are Your Hedgehogs still active? Have not seen for a while... but 'Poo'! Think a bit early for hibernation... will still want food... something clears bowls... but probably Foxes, Cats or Rats!

We had five hedgehogs a few years ago, and three boxes that were all occupied during the winter.  The population has slowly decreased such that we saw none this summer, no food was taken and there were no tell-tale droppings, and none of the boxes were occupied over winter.  I've left the boxes out but I'm not hopeful.