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Louisa, if it was really small (about half the size of a grey) and had distintively tufty ears then it was a real red squirrel. What a mystery, lucky you.


I've seen them a few times in Hamburg, and embarrassed myself by getting rather excited and squealy. It's somewhat the equivalent of going to London and going Oooh ooh! A pigeon!

The bumble bees have been out over the last couple of weeks (yesterday too, but not today).


They seem very fond of a plant I have next to the front steps, and have been nosing around it in search of flowers.


The plant is a perennial (weed), that I have failed to date to ID. Grows a bit like a foxglove (leaf-wise), has a consistent cream-coloured flower, grows back again and again. I don't get rid of it as the bumbles love it so much, although it's hemming out my lavender and japonica.

I've just watched a bird of prey, either a Peregrine Falcon or a Goshawk, kill and pluck another bird (a young pigeon, I think). It was all I could do not to go out and intervene, as the process took a while and the victim bird was flapping a quite a bit. Quite horrible, but also incredible to see this in your garden.

After consulting my trusty RSPB Pocket Birds, and given the overwhelming evidence from fellow forumites, I think we can conclude it was indeed a hen Sparrowhawk- be frightened other birds, be very frightened.


I discounted the Sparrowhawk at first because the bird I saw didn't have the reddish brown tinge of the cock Sparrowhawk, but the hen's plumage looks right.


I'm desperate to hear more of All for Nun's Peckham Rye wild cat episode- or was it an early April Fools joke? I hope not, as walking Peckham Rye at dusk seems much more exciting in the knowledge that we may have a beast of Peckham Rye lurking. Also, I did a quick google and found a report suggesting that some years ago a man living in the Peckham area was given special permission to keep some endangered big cats- I think they were Cloud Spotted Leopards???!!!

There is of course also the Beast of Sydenham which may have had offspring by now.


I'm currently interested in bats. They supposedly favour ivy-covered trees for roosting (as well as tunnels such as up the road in Sydenham Woods, and buildings), and I have one of those at the bottom of the garden. so am keeping my eyes peeled.


Any bat fanciers or experts on the forum?

Louisiana, the only organisms I target wear hoodies. If you're interested in bats there's only one place to be. Ever since I was a pup I've always wanted to see behind the steel gates of the abandoned railway tunnel in Sydenham woods. During the summer they open it every Sunday evening and to my surprise there are hundreds of Bats roosting in there!

We get loads of stag beetles in our garden every year, amazing things. Always quite funny to watch our cat being scared off by them! I haven't seen any bats, to be honest I didn't realise they existed in these parts, so will keep an eye out for them this year.


In both the houses we've owned in ED we've had frogs (toads?) in the garden - I'm figuring it must be quite common around here.

Well I think a bat-lovers Sunday eve visit to Syd Hill Wds is deffo on. (Yes, I've always wanted a peek in there and never knew if/when it was open.)


I hear there are also bats in Dulwich Park and on the hill in front of Dawson's Heights (I'm between the two). And I live in hope of some sign in my own old ivy-clad tree... No doubt there are other bat redoubts in the locality too.


And as you say, Peckhamgatecrasher, there will be social events to organise around all that bat-watching. Perhaps even an annual picnic to the fabulous bat Mecca just south of Midhurst (where they live in the old train tunnels, long since abandoned). And then the various bi-lateral visits, both national and international. Chauve-Souris Sans Frontieres perhaps.


Pickle: we may need to start a stag beetle 'splinter group', as it were :-S

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