ED Nature Watch

[Lynne]

One morning last week the water level had dropped by several inches. Re-filled it and it hasn't leaked since, so I wondered if it had been foxes jumping into it to get fish or just have a splash about. In the past they have chewed through the cable that runs the pump and knocked pots over.

[kiera]

Malumbu

It could be fox cubs - they have only recently started to appear and they are very playful. Putting down water for foxes is a good idea, but may not deter them from wanting to drink from the pond, as a pond is a more natural water source.

A garden pond is such a valuable wilife feature in a garden. Couldn't you make a place where creatures (including foxes?) can get to the water's edge to drink? Wouldn't a paving slab or plank of wood on top of the pond liner protect it from damage while enabling wildlife to get to the water's edge to have a drink, So much more wildlife friendly than spikes - and as for disinfectant - I hope you will not use disinfectant! The ingredients that make disinfectants effective in destroying bacteria and viruses make them toxic for animals - and for pondlife, which is especially sensitive to disinfectants.

[malumbu]

Spikes removed, disinfectant on poles ie not on the ground and away from pond. Water left out, can put this in a more natural way as suggested. Yes it probably was playful cubs. If the pond is damaged then that is the end for the aquatic wildlife. So frogs, newts and other pond life come first!

Funnily enough the only harm from the spikes was to me! Karma.

[Sue]

malumbu Wrote:

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>

> Funnily enough the only harm from the spikes was

> to me! Karma.

Oh dear, hope you weren't too badly harmed, malumbu?

[Lynne]

Got stung by a bumble bee yesterday when I accidently disturbed a nest. I didn't know they could sting. Didn't leave a barb in the skin.

[Penguin68]

Stingless bees are all tropical and subtropical. There are none in the UK. All UK bees can sting.

[kiera]

Not quite right - only female bees sting and they are the ones we are most likely to encounter. Male bees are unable to sting. I believe that applies to all our bee species - honey, bumble and solitary

[Lynne]

Not as bad as a wasp sting, I'm finding

[Penguin68]

kiera - yes of course all males are stingless (and also you rarely come across them save during a mating flight or in a hive) - I meant stingless species, of which only females have stings (some of the stingless bees do however have painful bites, I believe)

[siousxiesue]

I've just seen some delightful damselflies hovering around the water leak in Greendale. Too quick for a photo but beautifully coloured..

[malumbu]

Sue Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> malumbu Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

>

> >

> > Funnily enough the only harm from the spikes

> was

> > to me! Karma.

>

>

> Oh dear, hope you weren't too badly harmed,

> malumbu?

Only my pride!

[Sue]

:))

[Nigello]

SiouxsieSioux - was it a red damselfly, about the length of an adult little finger? I?ve had the small red damselfly in my garden four times - no water source there. https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/species/small-red-damselfly/

[siousxiesue]

Nigello Wrote:

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> SiouxsieSioux - was it a red damselfly, about the

> length of an adult little finger? I?ve had the

> small red damselfly in my garden four times - no

> water source there.

> https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/species/small-r

> ed-damselfly/

That was it!

[Sue]

Sue Wrote:

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> Sue Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > I have loads of little tadpoles! So happy!

> >

> > Thanks for the spawn, Lynne! :)

>

>

>

> My taddies should be getting their back legs now,

> shouldn't they?

>

> No sign yet .......

OK I know I'm getting a bit obsessed ...

Does anybody posting on here have tadpoles with legs yet?

Mine are in an old ceramic Belfast sink. It does have plants and algae, but I'm feeding them a plant based tadpole food which is supposed to be only suitable until they get their first legs. I have some different food for the next stage, when they become carnivorous as well.

I'm worried if I miss the leg arrival, they may start eating each other 😭

[Lynne]

We have great tits nesting in our nesting box for the first time! It's been there for a couple of years, ignored, but obviously the ED housing shortage has made it a des.res.

[Sue]

On our allotment yesterday a bird flew over which we couldn't identify, but on looking it up later we think it might have been a yellowhammer.

Is that possible round here?

We didn't get a very close look but it seemed to be about the size of a blackbird, and was brown with definite flashes of bright yellow.

At least one of my taddies now has legs. I think I wasn't looking in the right place 🙃

Anyway I am now giving them pellets of food for taddies with legs (as I'm not sure how much natural food there is in the sink).

[SebsC]

Found this beautiful beetle in our garden today - never seen one before. Having googled, I think it?s a Rose Chafer but correct me if I?m wrong. It?s beautiful! Anyone else seen them? Are they fairly common?

[ianr]

OTOH, we are told :( ...

"Treating rose chafers is important, not only for the health of your rose and other susceptible ornamentals, but for wildlife too. The rose chafer contains a toxin within its body chemistry that can be deadly to birds, including chickens. The same toxin can be deadly to other small animals when they eat these beetles."

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/roses/rose-chafers-on-garden-roses.htm

[Peckhampam]

Reminds me of the time I admired the beautiful irridescent beetles on my rosemary bush. It was dead the next day , killed by said beetles.

[Sue]

Peckhampam Wrote:

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> Reminds me of the time I admired the beautiful

> irridescent beetles on my rosemary bush. It was

> dead the next day , killed by said beetles.

Lily beetles too are really lovely (bright red) but they and/or their revolting larvae strip the plant in a millisecond.

And as for asparagus beetles, GRRRRRR.

[malumbu]

Despite barriers and disinfectant, and leaving water out, I am still getting night time visits, probably from a fox, to my pond. A small pond plant pot is often removed, quite tidily, and left a short distance away on the grass. Would a fox really do this to get at the pond. curiouser and curiouser.

[first mate]

Set up a camera and then we can all see the results!😀

[malumbu]

Love to but I'd need night vision and wont fund that. But (a) if anyone fancies doing that or (b) a night under the stars in my back garden doing it in person that would be great.

Ironic that there is another thread about feeding foxes. Go over to those gardens please. I'm not a fox hater BTW, just grey squirrels and ring necked parakeets. I managed to push a baby squirrel off the hedge as it is small enough to feed from the bird feeder. Howls of protest go round SE London. Oh and the wood pigeons are a pain, but I do drop them some pellets from time to time.

Saw a mouse last week, said hello, but it cleared off. Really big (the ones we got in the house were much smaller). Fortunately the cats in the area are pretty useless. Much smaller than a rat and not a baby one either.

[malumbu]

No strange overnight events, no poking squirrel with sticks, but very excited to see about 20 swifts over the Horniman this morning. Only had swifts pointed out to me last year and tend to see the odd two or three. Oh and the Great spotted woodpecker having a drink from the pigeons toilet aka the bird bath.