Wildlife February 2013

[Michael J Campbell]

The resident pair of Robins in our garden have decide to build their nest in the retractable hose reel just beside the back door. I don't suppose we will get much dry weather before the young fledge that would necessitste the use of the hose anyway.

[bulborum]

Here I saw yesterday in the pond the first green frog eggs ball
to deep to make a picture

Roland

[Maggi Young]

Here I saw yesterday in the pond the first green frog eggs ball
to deep to make a picture

Roland

Wildest life in our frozen pond today was our little dog , who fell in and could not get out. Luckily she was rescued after only a  few minutes but she was very cold- and filthy, of course.  Yes , she was pretty "wild" .

[bulborum]

No frost at all here sins weeks
just around freezing or warmer
early for frogs
I have seen just one
same for the salamanders
a few sunny days would do wonders

R

[Hoy]

No frogs here! It is too cold and has been unusually cold all winter.

However a flock of 5-6 jays in the garden this morning along with the smaller birds and yesterday a golden eagle paid us a visit in the garden! It is usually the white-tailed eagle we do see here.

[mark smyth]

Have you all seen this by now? A Great tit catching and killing a Redpoll just to eat its brain. If this spreads through Europe ....
http://www.iltasanomat.fi/videot/kotimaa/vid-1288538785461.html

[angie]

Have you all seen this by now? A Great tit catching and killing a Redpoll just to eat its brain. If this spreads through Europe ....
http://www.iltasanomat.fi/videot/kotimaa/vid-1288538785461.html

No and I wish I never looked 

Angie 

[mark smyth]

will this cheer you up?

[mark smyth]

The UK and Ireland have a new species of Bumble bee. Bombus terrestris ssp dalmatinus brought in in their 100s to pollinate greenhouse produce have escaped. They are larger and work harder than our own B. terrestris and .... the hive stays active all winter
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2013/0202/1224329539536.html

[angie]

Thats better Mark 

I didn't have to look as you did say what was in the video, nature can be so cruel. I remember years ago seeing a crow attack a kill a blackbird in my garden.

Angie 

[mark smyth]

I remember years ago seeing a crow attack a kill a blackbird in my garden.

That's nature

[Anthony Darby]

Just got my copy of "Above the Treeline" by Alan F. Mark (Craig Potton Publishing). What a lovely book. Amazing photographs, some taken by at least three of our forumists. Not only does it deal with the flora, but there are sections on fauna too: reptiles, birds and invertebrates. $49 post free in NZ is a superb deal for a book of 472 pages!

[Hoy]

Have you all seen this by now? A Great tit catching and killing a Redpoll just to eat its brain. If this spreads through Europe ....
http://www.iltasanomat.fi/videot/kotimaa/vid-1288538785461.html

Make sense. The brain consists mostly of fat . . .
I remember when I was a boy that the great tits made holes in the cork of the milk bottles and ate the cream on top of the milk.

[chasw]

Wildlife today was a sparrowhawk taking a starling from the neighbours feeder

[mark smyth]

Blue tits took the foil off milk bottles in the UK

Chas it has to feed