Wildlife December 2009

[mark smyth]

I heard nasal honking in the fog tonight from very low flying geese that must have been lost.

dozens of redpolls continue to feed in the garden and great for me they have taken to feeding on spilt seeds.

[Gerdk]

Big-game hunting

Today I started a hunt in order to get rid of an unexpected Christmas visitor
- after successful ending we made a little journey to another place in the neighborhood - but outside!

Gerd

[Lvandelft]

Big-game hunting


After being successful we made a little trip to a place nearby - but outside.

Gerd

In this case no BBQ, Gerd ?

[Roma]

Santa's reindeer?  or was it just roe deer?

[Gerdk]

In this case no BBQ, Gerd ?

Luit,
Too cold outside ! 

Gerd

[Tony Willis]

Probably not very exciting for those farther North but we have a small flock of redwings feeding on our cotoneaster 'cornubia'. This is the first time we have ever seen them in our garden (or at all ) It has been ignored by the other birds so far but these are feasting on it.

[Anthony Darby]

Lovely festive pic Tony. We took Heidi up the hill and noticed the Sea Buckthorn berries had been stripped from the bushes there. These bushes seem to be dioecious.

[mark smyth]

I had to look up Dioecious - refers to a plant population having separate male and female plants

I read yesterday that the fieldfare, Turdus pilaris, population in the UK is -50%
Some photos of this lovely bird http://www.birdguides.com/iris/pictures.asp

[mark smyth]

There is a king eider, Somateria spectabilis, in or around Burghead, Moray/Nairn

[Anthony Darby]

Went for a five mile walk up to The Gathering Stone on Sheriffmuir this afternoon. Plenty of people and wildlife around. Firstly, can you see two birdies? I will show a closer shot.

[Anthony Darby]

Here's a closer view, but this is a different birdie.

[Anthony Darby]

Here's a closer view of the first pic.

[Anthony Darby]

Final pics of the birds. Even the robin was fishing in the burn before flying off onto the branch.

[Armin]

Anthony,
nice field observation. The white wagtail usual does not stay during winter in our area.
But interestingly since a couple of years a small population of them hibernates close to our public wastewater treatment plant. There seem to be enough insects and warmth available around the never freezing wastewater tanks

[Anthony Darby]

Yes Armin, both the pied and grey wagtails seem to find enough food in the little streams (burns). Even the robin seemed to join in. I wonder what makes a robin either stay or migrate, even as far as Spain? Is it genetic, like the eiders of the Ythan Estuary. There are two genetically different populations that co-exist side-by-side on the Ythan, distinct because the group that migrates south pair up before they return, so don't interbreed with the residents.