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Recent wildlife sightings (Read 648627 times)

slackline

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#50 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 11, 2009, 12:00:59 pm
Saw deer in Glendalough a couple of weeks ago. Not particularly unusual in itself, but this time there were loads of them! I lost count in the high forties. Forced down from the high ground due to all the snow no doubt. Made walking out really creepy, lots of funny noises and dozens of pairs of eyes shining back at me out of the dark! :o

I saw quite a few deer when I climbed at Glendalough last year,  when we topped out on Twin Buttress there was a heard of some twenty or so, we too had been spooked by the noises reverberating around the valley walking up there.

About the only decent shot I got of them any of them...


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#51 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 11, 2009, 12:07:56 pm
Nice pic.

Yeah, they're always around. Along with the goats who seem to take particular pleasure in stealing my lunch (and shitting under problems)! Lots of deer in Glenmacnass too. They have a habit of bursting unexpectedly from the woods when you walk by. Can be quite startling!

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#52 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 11, 2009, 12:29:58 pm
Yes, they come down out the hils in cold weather. Seen loads on the Lochnagar road, almost nailed one driving up to NW at night.

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#53 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 11, 2009, 12:32:57 pm
Nice pic.

Yeah, they're always around. Along with the goats who seem to take particular pleasure in stealing my lunch (and shitting under problems)! Lots of deer in Glenmacnass too. They have a habit of bursting unexpectedly from the woods when you walk by. Can be quite startling!

Quote
OK, one last time. These are small... but the ones out there are far away. Small... far away... ah forget it!


webbo

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#54 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 11, 2009, 03:54:43 pm
a pair of buzzards at shatoe last week.i occasionally see deer on my way to work as well as a barn owl that lives on one of the local farms,also saw the east riding red kite breeding programme pair circling above the garden last w/e.

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#55 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 11, 2009, 04:10:26 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.

Aye... I saw one today and an hour later had a proper YYFY moment - 'twas preordained I tells ye!  Until I found out about the Harewood reintroduction I refused to believe my eyes - for weeks I was trying to convince myself that they were something more ordinary... like buzzards in fancy dress. 

My best recent sighting was probably a short eared owl near Ramshaw.  I think I saw a waxwing on the way to Caley last week too - it had the right shape (that little crest) but I'm not sure whether they're a likely sighting in this area at this time of year.

Best ones of the last couple of years were almost standing on an adder that was basking on the path back from Kyloe In, and having a little lizard running about for ages on my bouldering mat at Bowden. 

By the way, anyone else having flashbacks to those "Find 50" spotters guides?  I spent my childhood half convinced that it was only a matter of time before I saw a Golden Eagle - after all, at 50 points, it should have been equivalent to just seeing a coal tit plus a woodpecker or somesuch  :-\

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#56 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 12, 2009, 11:23:42 am
Clocked a buzzard circling high above our house a few weeks back. Seemed quite weird in the middle of suburbia...

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#57 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 12, 2009, 11:27:32 am
They've really increased in the last ten years. Ellie saw one over Eccleshall road, hopefully it won't be long before they're regular round here.

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#58 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 12, 2009, 11:30:11 am
Heard and then spotted a flock of Curlew this morning flying over the fields behind the house toward Chinely Churn.  They were flying in from the coasts where they spend winter to the breeding grounds on the moors for the Summer.   Another sign of Spring  :great:

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#59 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 12, 2009, 12:17:59 pm
just some sheep and a pheasant whilst out walking yesterday... :)






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#60 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 12, 2009, 12:27:20 pm
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.

Got the photo off my phone:



Rather disappointed I opted not to use the £$$$$$ of camera gear in my rucksack. Idiot.

Johnny Brown

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#61 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 12, 2009, 12:57:32 pm
Hmm, looks less obviously male in that shot, though it'll be dull prior to its spring skin change. The males typically emerge from hibernation earlier though.

Here's a shot showing typical colour differences, the female is the brown one:


dave

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#62 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 12, 2009, 01:06:40 pm
Rather disappointed I opted not to use the £$$$$$ of camera gear in my rucksack. Idiot.

I thought it was more that you couldn't get £$$$$$ of camera gear in focus. ;)

Mark Lloyd

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#63 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 12, 2009, 01:10:30 pm
Seen quite a few deer on the flanks of Stanton Moor when riding home from work on the bike, nearly took one out a few weeks ago as I'd turned my lights off to save the battery.
Regularly get buzzards soaring over the woods at Rowsley, Ravens seem to be pretty regular sighting in the peak these days too.

dave

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#64 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 12, 2009, 01:13:02 pm
I saw a fox on marlborough road the other day. had to go back and finish it off with a jack.

cofe

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#65 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 12, 2009, 01:25:18 pm
Rather disappointed I opted not to use the £$$$$$ of camera gear in my rucksack. Idiot.

I thought it was more that you couldn't get £$$$$$ of camera gear in focus. ;)

when i'd finally decided it might be worth getting the camera out. time for one shot, out of focus.

slackline

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#66 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 12, 2009, 01:28:33 pm
I saw a fox on marlborough road the other day. had to go back and finish it off with a jack.

That's just reminded me that I saw a fox trotting down our street about a month ago whilst have a late night tab which was quite surprising.  First time I've seen one round where I live in the ten years that I've lived there.

Johnny Brown

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#67 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 12, 2009, 01:36:58 pm
See or hear foxes regularly in Hangingwater and when we lived in Broomhall. There's a badger about too who is wont to roam in unusual places, like Hangingwater crossroads!

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#68 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 12, 2009, 01:46:25 pm

There's foxes pretty much everywhere, whether in town or out - I see bucketloads of them driving at night. A work colleague of Ms Bubbs saw one on the top floor of a multi-storey car park the other day. They just don't give a shit.

I was coming back from Darlington t'other night and was surprised to see a lying down fox going 55mph alongside me. It didn't look very well after it's trip under the wagon in front - not pretty.

See quite a few deer too, but they're mainly those little Muntjac deer. Seen one mid-morning happily nibbling grass ten feet from the A1.


dave

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#69 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 12, 2009, 01:55:03 pm
forgot to say that fox i saw in bromhill was at about 12 noon, which was the surprising factor.

slackline

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#70 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 12, 2009, 01:59:44 pm
forgot to say that fox i saw in bromhill was at about 12 noon, which was the surprising factor.

Was it with a duck  ;D

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#71 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 12, 2009, 02:33:27 pm
There's foxes pretty much everywhere, whether in town or out - I see bucketloads of them driving at night. A work colleague of Ms Bubbs saw one on the top floor of a multi-storey car park the other day. They just don't give a shit.
Twice now I've gone to pet a cat hiding under the bushes outside my flat only to discover it was in fact a wee fox; I'm not sure who is more stunned by these attempted pettings but usually the fox runs faster.  ;D

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#72 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 12, 2009, 03:18:34 pm
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See quite a few deer too, but they're mainly those little Muntjac deer. Seen one mid-morning happily nibbling grass ten feet from the A1.

Sure they're not Roe deer? Still pretty small and more widespread.

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#73 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 12, 2009, 03:25:55 pm
Came home the other night to find a large fox chilling out on our front lawn. Happy as larry, watched it in my headlights for a couple of minutes whilst it was grooming itself, only ran off when we drove up the drive.

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#74 Re: Recent wildlife sightings
March 12, 2009, 04:09:43 pm
Quote
See quite a few deer too, but they're mainly those little Muntjac deer. Seen one mid-morning happily nibbling grass ten feet from the A1.

Sure they're not Roe deer? Still pretty small and more widespread.
Hmmm might be - but some of them are those really teeny ones that look improbably small.

 

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