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Author Topic: Wildlife January 2011  (Read 12098 times)

Paddy Tobin

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Re: Wildlife January 2011
« Reply #60 on: January 12, 2011, 07:54:54 PM »
Olga, that poor sparrow is saying, "Oh my God, it's freezing here."

Paddy
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Paddy Tobin, Waterford, Ireland

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Stephenb

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Re: Wildlife January 2011
« Reply #61 on: January 12, 2011, 08:04:09 PM »
The first recorded breeding of Tree Sparrow in my area (Trøndelag) was in my garden in 1995! 15 years on and it is quite a common breeding species in the agricultural areas around the fjord..
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Stephen
Malvik, Norway
Eating my way through the world's 15,000+ edible species
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Hoy

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Re: Wildlife January 2011
« Reply #62 on: January 12, 2011, 08:34:23 PM »
Quote from: Stephenb on January 12, 2011, 08:04:09 PM
The first recorded breeding of Tree Sparrow in my area (Trøndelag) was in my garden in 1995! 15 years on and it is quite a common breeding species in the agricultural areas around the fjord..
Congratulations! How did you persuade them?
I have seen neither tree sparrow nor house sparrow nesting here, but I suppose they do as there are huge flocks in winter.
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Trond Hoy, gardening on the rainy west coast of Norway.

Paul T

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Re: Wildlife January 2011
« Reply #63 on: January 12, 2011, 10:47:27 PM »
Quote from: Paddy Tobin on January 12, 2011, 07:54:54 PM
Olga, that poor sparrow is saying, "Oh my God, it's freezing here."

Paddy

Paddy,

I think you may have cleaned up a little what the sparrow is ACTUALLY saying. ;D :o
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Cheers.

Paul T.
Canberra, Australia.
Min winter temp -8 or -9°C. Max summer temp 40°C. Thankfully, maybe once or twice a year only.

Paddy Tobin

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Re: Wildlife January 2011
« Reply #64 on: January 13, 2011, 08:53:06 AM »
After all, Paul, it is a public forum. Some restraint is needed.

Paddy
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Paddy Tobin, Waterford, Ireland

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Stephenb

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Re: Wildlife January 2011
« Reply #65 on: January 13, 2011, 10:28:21 AM »
Quote from: Hoy on January 12, 2011, 08:34:23 PM
Congratulations! How did you persuade them?

I might talk to my plants, but my neighbours would really begin to wonder if they saw me striking up a conversation with a Tree Sparrow... ;)

It came as a big surprise when they started nesting as I'd only seen them a couple of times previously. Tree sparrows use next boxes and I had a couple of vacant boxes and they obviously liked what they saw!
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Stephen
Malvik, Norway
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mark smyth

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Re: Wildlife January 2011
« Reply #66 on: January 13, 2011, 11:23:53 PM »
Birds in Romania die from alcohol poisoning
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/12170571
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Antrim, Northern Ireland Z8
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When the swifts arrive empty the green house

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Hoy

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Re: Wildlife January 2011
« Reply #67 on: January 14, 2011, 01:00:20 PM »
Quote from: mark smyth on January 13, 2011, 11:23:53 PM
Birds in Romania die from alcohol poisoning
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/12170571
That makes sense!
I have seen drunk waxwings! They couldn't flysteady at all but collided with everything. Some of them got killed.
Leftover berries often start fermenting after the first autumn frost. Birds seem to prefere eating such food!
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Trond Hoy, gardening on the rainy west coast of Norway.

annew

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Re: Wildlife January 2011
« Reply #68 on: January 14, 2011, 04:27:22 PM »
Lots of dead frogs in my pond as the ice thaws. :'(
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Graham Catlow

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Re: Wildlife January 2011
« Reply #69 on: January 14, 2011, 07:36:59 PM »
Quote from: annew on January 14, 2011, 04:27:22 PM
Lots of dead frogs in my pond as the ice thaws. :'(

Anne,
you showed us a photo some time ago of the frogs under the ice which was surprising but to find lots dead seems very strange given that the weather was consistently freezing. I could understand it if there had been a mild period that had brought them out of hibernation and then a sudden freeze. Do you have any thought on the situation.


The first Ladybird of the year seen at lunch time today.
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Bo'ness. Scotland

annew

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Re: Wildlife January 2011
« Reply #70 on: January 16, 2011, 02:43:53 PM »
No, I was wondering if anyone else had. I tried to keep a hole open in the ice most of the time for the birds, and the frogs seemed to come to it. Was the temporary localised warming disturbing them? I can't think it would have reached animals more than a few cm away. Also, I don't think there would have been significant oxygen depletion or build up of toxic gases at that kind of temperature. We've never had such thick ice in the pond before. What would happen if it froze right down to the bottom?
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Hoy

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Re: Wildlife January 2011
« Reply #71 on: January 16, 2011, 04:02:49 PM »
Ponds here are live with frogs in the spring and in the fall but I have never seen any dead due to frost. However, scores are massacred by cars in the spring when they cross the road.
Have your frogs been squeezed from the icesheet?
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Trond Hoy, gardening on the rainy west coast of Norway.

Stephenb

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Re: Wildlife January 2011
« Reply #72 on: January 16, 2011, 05:13:02 PM »
Isn't there a virus killing a lot of frogs in the UK?

Normally they would just burrow into the pond mud and hibernate.
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Stephen
Malvik, Norway
Eating my way through the world's 15,000+ edible species
Age: Lower end of the 20-25,000 day range

Stephenb

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Re: Wildlife January 2011
« Reply #73 on: January 16, 2011, 05:25:28 PM »
Out on a cross-country ski today and a shrew tried to commit suicide by crossing the ski track just ahead of me. I snowploughed and saved its life. Do I get a medal?  :) This reminded me that years ago I found a decapitated lemming beside the ski track (lemmings are known of course for their suicidal tendency, but deliberately putting its head over the ski track.....? ;) )

When out skiing recently, I'd noticed that there were a lot of mouseprints in the snow and it should therefore be a good year for owls. Our commonest owl is the Tengmalm's Owl and it's already been heard singing this year. Also a Great Grey Shrike was spotted a  week ago near where I ski. I've only ever seen them in winter along the coast including once in the garden.

The shrew in the picture was found in my potato cellar.  
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Stephen
Malvik, Norway
Eating my way through the world's 15,000+ edible species
Age: Lower end of the 20-25,000 day range

Hoy

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Re: Wildlife January 2011
« Reply #74 on: January 16, 2011, 05:26:08 PM »
Quote from: Stephenb on January 16, 2011, 05:13:02 PM
Isn't there a virus killing a lot of frogs in the UK?

Normally they would just burrow into the pond mud and hibernate.

If they have mud to dig into - if I remember right, the pictures showed a rocky bottom!
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Trond Hoy, gardening on the rainy west coast of Norway.
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