MrsBiscuit
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I have been meaning to start this thread for a month now, inspired by the great geographic distances between us, I thought we might spot different wildlife. We don't get much with 4 legs around here (last week I saw a rabbit. This is noteworthy!) but there are a lot of birds and a great variety of insects. Its the behaviour as much as anything which fascinates me, for example, in January I saw a sparrow eating an olive. This is unusual, because as you may know, raw olives are 100% revolting, and even the birds don't normally eat them. Perhaps in the cold they make an exception for the oil, and/or the fruit is about 3 months old so perhaps it is less unpalatable.
I am no expert and not even a well informed amateur, but I do spend quite a bit of time gazing into the near and middle distance Anyway, the ninny thread has spurred me into action, specifically Marigold's mention of a fieldfare and HG's observations. Yesterday I thought I'd spotted my first ever fieldfare, but closer inspection with the binoculars and a book made me realise I was looking at mistle thrushes and my first ever redwing(s). They were on waste ground opposite, which is relatively open but with enough long grass to hide in and eat the seeds, or wait for worms and ground dwelling insects. They were doing that thing of being still so you didn't know they were there till they moved. Whilst I was marvelling at them something else, much larger, came into view and as yet I can't ID it. It was like a small hawk/falcon with blue/grey shoulders. It was sitting on the ground and I never saw it in flight so I couldn't deduce much from its tail.
Anyway, what's going on in your part of the world? I am holding romantic view that artic foxes or hares are up on Fetlar
I am no expert and not even a well informed amateur, but I do spend quite a bit of time gazing into the near and middle distance Anyway, the ninny thread has spurred me into action, specifically Marigold's mention of a fieldfare and HG's observations. Yesterday I thought I'd spotted my first ever fieldfare, but closer inspection with the binoculars and a book made me realise I was looking at mistle thrushes and my first ever redwing(s). They were on waste ground opposite, which is relatively open but with enough long grass to hide in and eat the seeds, or wait for worms and ground dwelling insects. They were doing that thing of being still so you didn't know they were there till they moved. Whilst I was marvelling at them something else, much larger, came into view and as yet I can't ID it. It was like a small hawk/falcon with blue/grey shoulders. It was sitting on the ground and I never saw it in flight so I couldn't deduce much from its tail.
Anyway, what's going on in your part of the world? I am holding romantic view that artic foxes or hares are up on Fetlar