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Author Topic: my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald  (Read 125377 times)

cohan

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Re: my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald
« Reply #930 on: December 14, 2020, 07:09:24 PM »
Lots of interest in your new area!

ian mcdonald

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Re: my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald
« Reply #931 on: December 14, 2020, 08:39:58 PM »
Hello John, as far as I know any attempts to eradicate grey squirrel have failed to make any impression on the numbers. There used to be a bounty offered, in the 1950,s or thereabouts but the cost of ammunition became more than the bounty and time used?  Perhaps someone has other ideas why little impression on numbers has occurred. Other introduced species, such as foreign plants, have become too aggressive to control and should not have been brought in to the country.

ashley

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Re: my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald
« Reply #932 on: December 14, 2020, 09:55:25 PM »
Maybe bring back pine martens to rebalance from grey to red ;)
Ashley Allshire, Cork, Ireland

johnw

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Re: my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald
« Reply #933 on: December 14, 2020, 11:12:27 PM »
Maybe bring back pine martens to rebalance from grey to red ;)

When the pine marten disappeared here the porcupine population sky-rocketed. Only a marten could dispatch a porcupine.  They've tried to re-introduce the marten but numbers are not growing as was expected.  They blame human habitation as incompatible with martens.

john
John in coastal Nova Scotia

Maggi Young

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Re: my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald
« Reply #934 on: December 15, 2020, 01:41:34 PM »
Pine martens are  reasonably  common  in NW Scotland - witness Angie  finding  a  pair  in the  greenhouse  where  her  koi pond  is - eying  up her  fish!
There  has been an official  project  of  trapping  grey  squirrels to then dispose  of  them in order  to improve the  chances  of the  red squirrels  in many  Scottish areas.  Not  sure  if  it  is  still ongoing. I expect  it  is , but  that the  organisers  are  keeping a  low  profile  because  of the  reaction from the  public. 
Once  in a  blue  moon we  have  a grey  visit  our Aberdeen garden - and  there  was  one  visit  from a  red  that got  us  very  excited, but  we  haven't  seen it  again.
Margaret Young in Aberdeen, North East Scotland Zone 7 -ish!

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ian mcdonald

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Re: my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald
« Reply #935 on: January 02, 2021, 05:20:03 PM »
Best wishes for 2021 everyone. I walked around a small valley which contains many mosses and lichens. The trees look as though they have a heavy frost on them but it is a coating of lichens, mainly Usnea species? Fungi are few in this habitat.









Hylocomium sp?



Plagiothecium sp?

Perhaps a Bryologist can put a name to the mosses.




ian mcdonald

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Re: my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald
« Reply #936 on: January 02, 2021, 05:30:37 PM »
Many of the Birch trees would make good habitats for small birds to nest in.



There is a small waterfall at the top of the valley, it is only accessible when the water in the stream is low.





The weather is mixed, with drier days and some days when sudden rain and sleet showers make a walk a gamble. The exposure I mentioned in a previous post (December 13th.) which looked like limestone is Sandstone with a thin white coating. I managed to reach it when the water in the stream was lower.

ian mcdonald

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Re: my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald
« Reply #937 on: January 07, 2021, 10:39:25 PM »
I walked along the small valley again, the snow and frost crunching as I went along. The white outcrop which I thought was lime but tuned out to be sandstone with a white deposit, stood out in the sun.



Tufted Hair Grass looks good with a coat of frost.



The mist reflected the sunlight shining through conifers.



A crisp day along the Burn (stream).



A light green lichen on a log caught my attention.



« Last Edit: January 08, 2021, 12:46:26 PM by Maggi Young »

ian mcdonald

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Re: my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald
« Reply #938 on: January 07, 2021, 10:47:09 PM »
The valley would be a good site for Bryologists and Lichenologists.







I have now learned that the pink growth is the fruiting (Apothecia) of the lichen.



Above the valley, in pine trees were a small group of birds among the pine needles. There were coal tits, goldcrest and at least one Crested Tit.



« Last Edit: January 14, 2021, 08:06:04 PM by ian mcdonald »

ian mcdonald

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Re: my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald
« Reply #939 on: January 07, 2021, 11:01:05 PM »
The valley narrows at one point and is in the shade of tall conifers. This site is said to be the haunt of Fairies. It is very atmospheric.



Among the bird feeders put out by someone are a good number of birds. Chaffinch are always here.



I noticed a small bird picking up food under the feeders, this was a Goldcrest.



I went for a closer look at lichen on a large Alder tree whose branches were overhanging the stream. I noticed a white structure under one of the branches and though it might be a Slime Mould. I sent a photo. to a colleague and she came back with Hair Ice. This is something new to me. Apparently it is formed when a Fungus inside the branch, Exidiopsis effusa, expels moisture. This forms ice slowly giving the object a filamentous effect.





Birds seen were, blue tit, great tit, coal tit, long tailed tit, crested tit, chaffinch, greenfinch, dunnock, blackbird, fieldfare, jay, wood pigeon, buzzard, great spotted woodpecker, goldcrest, raven, robin and tree creeper. Also red squirrels. One of the locals told me he has American Blackbirds visiting his feeders.
« Last Edit: January 07, 2021, 11:14:43 PM by ian mcdonald »

Gail

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Re: my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald
« Reply #940 on: January 08, 2021, 08:10:51 AM »
Fascinating Ian, thank you for posting. I love the fairy haunt, and the hair ice.
Gail Harland
Norfolk, England

ashley

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Re: my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald
« Reply #941 on: January 08, 2021, 05:06:13 PM »
Wonderful photos Ian.  Thank you.
Ashley Allshire, Cork, Ireland

Robert

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Re: my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald
« Reply #942 on: January 08, 2021, 09:23:39 PM »
Great posting Ian!

I enjoyed it immensely!  8)
Robert Barnard
Sacramento & Placerville, Northern California, U.S.A.
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If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him stepto the music which he hears, however measured or far away.
- Henry David Thoreau

ian mcdonald

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Re: my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald
« Reply #943 on: January 20, 2021, 01:01:57 PM »
As we are now deep into Winter I am taking more notice of Lichens. Brian Coppins has kindly identified the Lichens from my attempts at close up photography, otherwise I would have no idea what they are.



Cladonia polydactyla.



Usnea subfloridana with a gall, Biatoropsis usnearum.



Lecanora chlarotera.



Melanelixia subaurifera.



Evernia prunastri and Hypogymnia physodes in the background.

Any mistakes are mine.

ian mcdonald

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Re: my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald
« Reply #944 on: January 20, 2021, 01:10:21 PM »


Platismatia glauca with Hypogymnia physodes.



Xanthoria parietina on ash twig.



Ochrolechia parella.



Xanthoria calcicola on dry-stone wall.



Parmelia saxatilis.

 


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