Wildlife in Your Area

[Two_Sheds]

Wildlife seen today: the first Hoverfly of the year. He looked a bit shocked when the sun went back in. I expect he'll find his way inside my plastic mini-greenhouse - I spend all summer scooping the silly things out of it.

[Birdie Wife]

Wow! such moments make life worth living. I've never seen an otter in the wild, but apparently we have mink around the river here, so that may explain a lot. Some do-gooders released them and they've eaten most everything.

The good news is that usually when otters arrive, they drive out the mink, being much bigger. In some areas they co-exist, but I've never heard of otters staying away from an area because of mink. Otters have been making a huge come-back in the last ten years and are around in many areas, although unless you happen to be in the right place at the right time, they can be very elusive. Happy spotting!

[Mrs Dobby]

We saw a pair of Toads mating today on our plot, think they were Common ones (Bufo Bufo). Having the toads on the plot is good, as they will help to control the pests, but I was under the impression that they hibernated until March, so these were up and 'busy' very early this year, Mr D says, he thinks they must have been horny!

[NEWTO THE PLOT]

can anybody recomend and easy guide for birds one with good pictures and not a lot of thumbing through until you have forgotten what the bird looked like think my kids would like to find out and me too

[madderbat]

Just your luck Mrs D! I know that we have frogs and toads on our lottie, but Bubblewrap goes around with his eyes closed (as well as his ears! ) and has not seen anything.
We are still looking for some sort of container - old sink or something - that we can turn into a pond. BW says he doesn't want a liner jobbie because we have a load of raspberries around that could come through. We plan to have a pond though, but have left it a bit late for this spring.

[wellie]

Hi NewToThePlot,
I've got a lovely book entitled "Attracting Birds to your Garden" by Stephen Moss and David Cottridge £12.99, ISBN 1-85974-005-7 which concentrates on the sort of birds you're likely to get in or around your garden or the countryside around your garden, rather than birds visiting someone else's in outer mongolia (!)

[NEWTO THE PLOT]

thanks wellie it's hard to know what to buy when the local wh smiths never seems to have any books like this in stock

[pigletwillie]

Two of the best field guides for Britain are

Collins Bird Guide ISBN0 00 219728 6

and

The Shell guide to the birds of Britain and Ireland ISBN 0 7181 2219 4

which is probably out of print now. The Collins guide is in print and is available in two sizes. Its smaller size is a field guide and is small enough to slip into a jacket pocket. Both are very relevant to your needs and whilst being a bit more in depth than Wellies reccomendation dont have a Mongolian bird in sight either.

[Alice]

I think we must have the frogs. The other day when I was working on my kitchen garden (listen to her !) I noticed that the little pond (read flooded area) in the woodland area was rippling. When I watched, I saw the heron - jings he is big when you see him on the ground - grabbing things out of there. Must be frogs, what else ? We usually only see him flying over on his way to the burn to grab trout. I have ocassionally found trout in the garden which I can only assume he dropped.

[CarolineSonning]

can anybody recomend and easy guide for birds one with good pictures and not a lot of thumbing through until you have forgotten what the bird looked like think my kids would like to find out and me too

Nowadays you can get a simple fold out card of Garden birds that you could tack to the shed wall http://www.uksafari.com/shop/goods/idgdnbirds.htm I've not see this one myself but found their tree and butterfly ones very handy.

If you want a more in-dept book then I would highly recommend the "Kingfisher Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Ireland" ISBN 0-86272-139-3. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Field-Guide-...314714-1282249 Simply but just enough info and again restricted to what you are likely to see here.

[Benacre]

Having bird books from other countries usually gives the non birdwatcher the idea that the unknown bird in thier garden is something is rare.

I was called to a house one day to observe a rare bird that was coming to a birdtable. It turned out to be a Starling. "No you are wrong" replied the home owner. "Starlings go round in flocks and never go around on thier own".
"It MUST be something rare."

[johnty greentoes]

Minature undergound toads?

Yesterday I dug up a tiny toad, about 2cm long. It was at least 6 inches down in thick heavy clay.

I'm assuming that it is either

1. One of last year's late hatchers that didn't grow much and hibernated deep down
2. One that hatched deep down and couldn't get to the surface

Is there another explanation - wish I'd taken a photo. Se my blog for location etc...

[Jardiniere]

I dug up a small lizard a week or two ago.Thought it was dead - put it on a ledge - didn't move - came back a little later and it had gone - hope it survived becasue it was very cold have seen one alive one since then - very small.

[smallblueplanet]

Just sitting down having my morning cuppa looking down to the bottom of the garden, when a different movement caught my eye. A bounding movement....hmmm I thought that squirrels back. Woah, its not grey though, blimey a red squirrel!! Wait on, it's small, red on top and white underneath, similar size to a small squirrel.....

So how do you tell the difference between a weasel and a stoat? Well, a weasels weasily recognised and a stoats stoatally different!

I think it was a weasel (on size grounds - stoats are bigger) but I couldn't really check out whether its tail had a black tip (stoats do).

I sent the OH out to investigate and on some paving near where I'd seen the weasel scurrying about was a dead mouse!

[SueA]

Did it go 'POP' SBP?
Saw a family of weasels once playing along a path when we were walking along near a canal & river, they're lovely but deadly as the mouse near you found out! Usually see them as a blur running across country lanes when we're in the car. Nothing exotic round here at the mo. but have seen a red-tailed bumblebee & ladybird (BBC Springwatch notified) & a comma butterfly which nearly flew in the back door yesterday.