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Recent wildlife sightings (Read 648504 times)

Bonjoy

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Recent wildlife sightings
March 10, 2009, 06:48:56 pm
Have seen quite a few interesting things this year and would be interested to hear what others have seen lately. So here's a thread to post onto when you see any noteworthy wildlife whilst out at the crag.
 My top 4 this year so far are:
 A large male (at least Adam tells me it's a male) Adder at Curbar, taking in some rays beside the top path, a couple of weeks back.
 A flock of Bramblings about a month ago at Froggatt whilst all the snow was still down.
 A Barn Owl flying beside the road near Cratcliff on Saturday eve.
 A large flock of Curlews (have never seen them as a flock before) overhead at rivelin yesterday.

 Hit me with some nature.

Adam Lincoln

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#1 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 10, 2009, 06:53:00 pm
An Adder in February is a good sighting!

Fiend

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#2 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 10, 2009, 07:15:34 pm
I saw a large bee in a small goose costume the other day...

Not lately, but...

Best tick in this country has been a pod of dolphins at Cilan Head.

Had some good bird sightings: 5, yes, 5 owls at Wilton 1 a couple of years ago, a red kite very low over Almscliff.

Coel saw an adder at the top Gogarth at Gogarth, I unfortunately missed it. Lizard at St Bees was pretty cool. Not seen any bees at The Lizard tho :S.

Bubba

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#3 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 10, 2009, 07:25:33 pm

I see quite a lot of Owls from the truck but i'm not sure I can tell the difference between the breeds as they flash by. They don't have great road-sense.

cofe

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#4 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 10, 2009, 07:59:21 pm
red kites are almost more common than people nr almscliff.

the adder was a good tick. was psyched about that.

saw a one-eyed trouser snake the other day too. winked at me.

Johnny Brown

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#5 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 10, 2009, 08:11:38 pm
Quote
A large flock of Curlews (have never seen them as a flock before) overhead at rivelin yesterday.

Same at Bamford on weds evening, counted 20. On the edges and moors their call is the first sign of spring for me.

An Adder in February is a good sighting, not too hard though if you know where to look. The same individuals are usually first to appear every spring.

grumpycrumpy

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#6 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 10, 2009, 08:39:48 pm
I haven't seen much of note out on't edges , but I have seen a pair of kingfishers in Endcliffe park , and a few waxwings near Lloyds pharmacy on London Rd ....

SA Chris

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#7 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 10, 2009, 09:08:19 pm
Dolphins fairly often up here. Sometimes seals, pretty cool. Concentrating on climbing and you hear a sound like someone clearing their nose behind you. look behind and there's a seal watching you. Mate saw a sea otter at reiff. Often see red deer at clova. Saw what I was convinced is a scottish wild cat on the way back from Lochnagar late one evening. If not it was the biggest domestic cat I have ever seen.

GCW

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#8 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 10, 2009, 09:17:08 pm
Just seen loads of bats at Trowbarrow.  Lovely evening with a bright, full moon.

SA Chris

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#9 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 10, 2009, 09:30:36 pm
Bats. Are they really blind or just taking the piss?


Falling Down

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#10 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 10, 2009, 09:32:01 pm
We had flocks of Fieldfares in the fields behind the house over the winter. Hundreds of them and quite a spectacle.

I recently read Mark Crockers book Crow Country and had the pleasure of discovering a roost and flocking point at the side of Eccles Pike on my regular run. Now I know where it is I can now see them from the house flying at dusk to meet in the fields before gathering up into a scrawking cloud and making for shelter.

Dozens of Choughs chucking themselves off the Frontales crags in El Chorro oblivious to the surrounding climbers and infrastructure in stark contrast to the shy denizens of the Lleyn.



<Good thread JonBonjovi>
« Last Edit: March 10, 2009, 09:40:52 pm by Falling Down »

andy popp

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#11 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 10, 2009, 09:37:52 pm
A heron, flying directly over my house; not that rare but very beautiful and still exciting. Last year, ravens and peregrines dogfighting over Helsby.

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#12 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 10, 2009, 09:47:56 pm
The following in my garden since putting out some feeders. Nothing special but more species than I expected.

Robins.
Sparrows.
Coal Tits.
Great Tits.
Blue Tits.
Long-Tailed Tits.
Bullfinch (a glimpse and not seen since).
Goldfinch.
Greenfinch.
Nuthatch.
Greater Spotted Woodpecker.
Collared Doves.
Gang of juvenile crows and a rook.

Johnny Brown

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#13 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 10, 2009, 09:54:19 pm
Quote
I recently read Mark Crockers book Crow Country and had the pleasure of discovering a roost and flocking point at the side of Eccles Pike on my regular run. Now I know where it is I can now see them from the house flying at dusk to meet in the fields before gathering up into a scrawking cloud and making for shelter.

Ha, ditto! I've got an big late summer/ autumn sub-roost I can see from the house, but once winter gets underway they move to the main roost which, I finally located and visited two weeks back, is in Eccleshall Woods. I'd estimate very roughly its 2:1 jackdaws to rooks, the rooks seem to sneak in later though. God knows how many, there must be a couple of thousand in the sub-roost so 10,000? Very impressive at dusk. I don't know its sphere of influence to the east but collects all the birds from the Derwent valley, from the eastern edges you see them heading east at sunset.

The Choughs at Dorys aren't too shy, though those at Pembroke and Gogarth are verging on friendly.

Quote
and a few waxwings near Lloyds pharmacy on London Rd

Always a pleasure! I got a brief glimpse of a party at Ringinglow at New year, no decent views though this year. Had them in the garden in Broomhall once a few years back.

fatdoc

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#14 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 10, 2009, 10:05:07 pm
Deer, a lot of deer... Gamboling over the moor at sunrise with Sheffield in the backgound just after dawn.. Big antlers   
And everything!!

AndyR

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#15 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 10, 2009, 10:08:17 pm
Have had numerous bears in the back garden and a bald eagle in our garden as well - plus a family of skunks living under the house....

mini

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#16 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 10, 2009, 10:11:31 pm
A fox ran past me a couple of weeks ago along the path leading to the local rec. Luckily my dog was still on his lead, but I think he was a shocked as me!

Oh, and a couple of Peregrines hunting little mouses at Five Clouds ;)

SA Chris

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#17 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 10, 2009, 10:14:35 pm
Nowt wrong with skunk.

See plenty of shitehawks on the seacliffs here. Wish they would fuck off somewhere else with their piles of stinking shit, vomit, and louse-infested heaps of twigs they call nests. The Kittiwakes, Guillemots and Puffins can stay though.

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#18 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 10, 2009, 11:15:56 pm
saw a heron at rubicon last week on a run.as i went past it took off.was great to see it.huge wingspan

andy_e

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#19 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 10, 2009, 11:27:12 pm
Red Kites may be ten-a-penny near almscliff and caley but they're still beautiful birds all the same! You know it's gonna be a good day at the crag when you see one.

Carnage

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#20 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 11, 2009, 02:44:17 am
Whoa, don't even get me started. I've seen:

Big possums that sneak down from the trees during lantern session and will take food out of your hands
Cocktatoos
Gallahs
Laser Birds (don't know what they're called but they make a noise like a laser gun)
Kookaburras that always seem to be laughing when you fall off
A few snakes (Brown and Red-bellied black)
Various Gecko's, lizards and Goanas
A small bat in the pocket of a roof
Couple of wombats near the road
Various 'Roos
One funnel web (and one is enough)

Thankfully no sharks yet but the chances are pretty good this year as there have been numerous attacks - One guy got his hand virtually bitten off by a suspected White Pointer at Bondi. Just don't tell the tourists!
« Last Edit: March 11, 2009, 02:53:29 am by Carnage »

Bungle.

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#21 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 11, 2009, 05:44:37 am
i saw a penguine wilst surfing off manly last week ........

slackline

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#22 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 11, 2009, 07:35:57 am
Not overly recent but a few months ago there was a bat in the crack Usurper starts up at Curbar.  We'd just turned up and heard a high-pitched chirruping and could just see it squeezed into the crack.

DaveC

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#23 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 11, 2009, 07:40:31 am
We see most of the stuff Carnage sees up around Sydney (the 'laser bird' is probably the New Holland Honeyeater btw Stu!) except for the goannas and the wombats. I have also recently seen a few wallabies, the odd Tiger Snake, various Rosellas (a medium-sized parrot), hordes of Little Lorikeets



and some Yellow-Tailed Black Cockatoos
http://www.parrots.org/index.php/parrotgallery/image_full/1465/

Wedge-Tailed Eagles
http://webzoom.freewebs.com/aussiemarie/wedgetailedeagle.jpg
(yes it's nearly as big as a kangaroo!!)

and even the odd Echidna (a primitive monotreme most closely related to the platypus.)


Fortunately, the drop bears have been quiet this year, no fatalities yet!! ;)

SA Chris

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#24 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 11, 2009, 08:14:03 am
saw a heron at rubicon last week on a run.as i went past it took off.was great to see it.huge wingspan

Was it lanking the problems with it's huge wingspan?

 

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