by chris c Thu Feb 02 2017, 22:44
Oh yes the neighbour who's a pest controller took out one of my rats, with a proper rifle. The bugger of it is, he accused me of having them breeding under my decking, so I took it out. What neither of us knew was that there was a membrane over the ground, and while the rats were going under there to feed on birdseed, they were never in the actual ground under the membrane - and worse still I found they were coming through holes under the fence from his patio!
He wouldn't have it though.
Then they dug out some mole tunnels and started popping up out of what used to be a molehill under one of my feeders, which was when I stopped feeding them. I'm pretty sure the one on the back step emanated from under his fence too. Mind, they have been all over town since last winter, many traumatised young kids who are no longer allowed to feed the ducks as they have been feeding on bread along the river.
Well done on the Shrike! Don't they glow? Almost like a lightbulb on top of the tree. Ours was relatively tame, lots of great photos appeared on the internet.
FINALLY! I spotted some of the Bewick's Swans, fifteen of them out in the middle of a field. I think there have been about 30 in the area but they have been typical "They were here yesterday, honest!" birds for me so far this winter.
Walked on a heath not expecting to see much, and I didn't, but it was uphill, which meant downhill back to the car, useful when it started spotting with rain. Heard and eventually saw a couple of Dartford Warblers. I remember back in the hard winter of 62/63 they were down to about eight pairs, on Arne in Dorset where I saw them (and where Winterwatch was set) and some of the West Surrey heaths. Gradually they spread back into the New Forest, and Ashdown Forest, and made it to Suffolk I think in the nineties, now they are widespread on the heaths in small numbers, and very site specific. Can be hard to spot, they are about the size of a Wren with a long tail and the colour of the heather they live among, and flit about fast. They have a whirring call and a scratchy song a bit like a Whitethroat on helium.
I maintain a belief that birds can actually evolve very quickly into a different species. Two years back I saw plenty of Darties but Woodlarks were absent from a lot of their usual locations, though other people told me they'd seen them. Last year I had Woodlarks coming out my ears but failed to see a Dartie until about August, though other people spotted them in their usual numbers in their usual places. It's the only possible explanation! They evolve back again after I've gone.
There was a tinkling flock of Siskins and a whole flock of House Sparrows on the edge of the village. A couple more Siskins, a couple of Redpolls and a smart pair of Bullfinches in the woods at the back of the heath, plus a bunch of Stock Doves whizzing about the treetops, those guys can turn on a sixpence. I walked on to where I'd seen a Chinese Water Deer last year but that wasn't around, and not a single Woodlark in their usual spot, It's too early for them to be singing really, but you often see them chumbling about on the ground. Nada!
As I cooked the last two venison sausages with Brussels and mushrooms the Rooks and Jackdaws put on perhaps the best display yet, suddenly the whole flock catapaulted into the sky and went whirling around in the wind like a huge black snowstorm, going every which way at every level at once. Then they went over to the back of the field, and although they were further away I could see even more of them as they filled the sky again.
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Well at least he could eat the guinea pig. The rat, not so much.
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