Wildlife - wot you got?

[Sunbeam]

I saw a grass snake swimming through a disused ford on Monday- but unfortunatley this was near a friends house, not mine - all our wild life is either scared off by the moggie, or bullied by the chickens! Except for the garden Hedgepig which neither chook nor cat seems to want to take on!

[Squirrel]

My blue tit nestlings are nearly ready to leave the nest! If I walk past I can actually see them calling their mum - little yellow beaks agape! Just need to keep my big grey moggie away until they are out!

[FoxHillGardener]

We had a family of great tits in the nest box which fledged a few weeks ago, but are back every day gobbling their way through those berry fat feeder block things. The blocks also attract a greater spotted woodpecker, nuthatches, blue tits, long-tailed tits and robins.

I can hear an owl from my front step sometimes, but don't know what type it is.

We also get lots of squirrels and foxes, but sadly no sign of hedgehogs, despite me getting them a nice hedgehog box.

I can't compete with all your proper wildlife, but this is London! I did see loads of parakeets in my friend's garden in Ealing recently - they were good but they haven't made it so my garden, yet

Last summer got a humming-bird hawk moth on my red valerian and was very excited. It hung around for ages making sure it had done every flower. Not had one of them yet this year.

[Alice]

Oh I think You've got proper wildlife Foxhillgardener. To encourage hedgehogs you could try leaving some dead leaves and grass in an undisturbed corner of the garden. They like to use it to make a nest. We have them and sometomes as I am walking past a shrub I can hear them "snoring like pigs". They're great for hoovering up slugs and comical to watch. I see them going up steps in the garden and it's like something out of Beatrice Potter.

[Shortie]

FoxHillGardener - check out this interesting site about why Hogs don't inhabit many gardens - like the fact that especially with us Londoners, we have lumpy ol' fences that they can't get through (shame the burglers aren't put off in the same way eh?)

I've contacted Epping Forest Hog Rescue to ask for details of a local rehomer. I will need to find out from the if the size of my garden and my Mum and Dad's (gate often left open between us) is big and varied enough. If you're intested, I'll let you know the answer when I get a reply

http://www.thisishull.co.uk/displayN...folderPk=79658

http://www.thehedgehog.co.uk/adopt2.htm

[Jaxom]

I now have copulating ladybirds. Took photo and will post.
Does that make me a voyeur?

[valmarg]

I don't think that particularly makes you a voyeur.

Does anyone else remember when the wonderful gentle giant John Dunn used to do the drivetime radio show on Radio 2? He used to have a slot on Tuesdays called 'answers please'.

I can't remember what the question was, but it was to do with ladybirds.

Apparently, they are the most promiscuous members of the insect world, and are the only ones with a sexually transmitted disease!!!

I think the local population must have got the ladybird equivalent of aids, because they are scarcer than rocking horse manure in this area.

I have not seen any yet this year. Has anyone else this problem?

valmarg

[Shortie]

I now have copulating ladybirds. Took photo and will post.
Does that make me a voyeur?

Only if you want yo be Jax

[Sweet_Pea_Pod]

My mum has slow worms down on her allotment in London! They are protected under the Wildlife and Conservation Act now. Here Oop Norf we have a great crested newt living in the pond in our garden, as well as numerous dragonflies and hoverflies and frogs

[Jaxom]

The Cats catch and eat the slowworms in our garden. I've tried giving them a lecture on eating endangered species but all they seem to say back is "They are tasty. No wonder they are endangered. Oh look there’s another one. Must dash"

Today I spotted a pair of yellow with black spot ladybirds, bonking. My garden seems to be turning into a ladybird boudoir.

[Birdie Wife]

Cuckoos are going absolutely crazy this year. Never seen so many, flying around all over the place. Last year we found a strange feather which turned out to be from a cuckoo chick, which I have never seen alive, but this one looks like it was eaten by something
They fool me every time, they look so much like some wierd kind of hawk thing, I keep wanting them to be something ratre like red footed falcon but maybe that's the twitcher in me...

[SueA]

Never seen or heard a cuckoo in my life & although we have some ladybirds none actually 'copulating 'at the moment but I did catch a couple of red lily beetles at it the other day & they got squashed! Not in my neck of the woods but on holiday in West Wales last week we sat on a hill 2 days watching the dolphins play in the bay below us.I've never seen them before & it was awe- inspiring!

[gcroft]

Wildlife

Ok just noticed this thread and thought i would add my wee list

Frequent visitors
Collared doves
starlings (nesting in roof)
blackbirds (nesting in ivy)
Bluetits (nested then left the nest)
longtailed tits
greenfinch
Goldfinch
Sparrows
Pigeons
jays
magpies
and unidentified bats (fly to fast for me to identify the species)
Squirrels
woodmice

in the waterhole surrounded by wild british plant species
dragon flies
damsel flies
127 adult frogs (on last count although the cats had a few)
millions of taddies
a load of buterflies
ramsnails
common pond snails
pond skaters
whirligig beetles
water spiders

bugs
ladybirds
leaf beetles (pain in the veg patch but very colourful)
vine beetles (another pest but the grubs come in handy for feeding to reptiles)
shed loads of red spider mites this year
and the usual slugs snails (who have claimed more land in trench warfare than i like to admit)
wasps (my only fear in life)
bees
red and black ants
woodlice
millipedes
centipedes
and many more
boris the garage spider its size seems illegal for a species in this country but it does get well fed on waxworms.
Moths galour at night

and i have my pets who enjoy the garden on a sunny day
claws the cat
gonzo the tortoise (has his own arena of edible plants to play in)
Cleo leo and lou the 3 amigo leopard geckos who like to mop up bugs in the greenhouse.

and finally cedric the texas albino corn snake who likes the free mice the cat brings in.

i also have about 300 crickets and a breeding colony of darkling beetles but they stay in the house

[Sunbeam]

We now have a blackbird (male) who hops approx 6 foot into the kitchen & pinches the cat's dinner!!! What with 4 chickens helping themselves to her Arthurs too she is feeling rather put out!

Saw a strange bird being chased by a blackbird & a sparrow - it was larger - like a kestrel size & seemed to have a hooked beak - but I am sure it had a flash of blue on its head... will have to look this one up!

We have no copulating ladybirds, but caught a couple of snails at it - so I fed them to the chickens!!!!

[FoxHillGardener]

aw look! baby hedgehogs!

did I make the photo come up? If not then take my word for it being an "aw look!" picture

Shortie - I'd be interested to see what repsonse you get about the rehoming. We'd love to get one here. As for the walls and fences, foxes and cats seem to find it easy enough to sneak through from next door! Shame they can't do anything useful like eating snails and stuff