ED Nature Watch

[Medley]

Hi all,

Never been on this thread before - very interesting it is too.

Was walking home last night and spotted what to me can only be a woodcock browsing around in a front garden on Upland Road. I had a great view of it - no more than 10 yards and I watched it for about 5 minutes.

But can it really have been a woodcock? Has anyone seen one around ED? Definitely too big for a snipe. Very long beak, correct markings for a woodcock (and I have seen them in the countryside).

Any thoughts?

[BrandNewGuy]

Medley Wrote:

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> Hi all,

>

>

> Never been on this thread before - very

> interesting it is too.

>

> Was walking home last night and spotted what to me

> can only be a woodcock browsing around in a front

> garden on Upland Road. I had a great view of it -

> no more than 10 yards and I watched it for about 5

> minutes.

>

> But can it really have been a woodcock? Has anyone

> seen one around ED? Definitely too big for a

> snipe. Very long beak, correct markings for a

> woodcock (and I have seen them in the

> countryside).

>

> Any thoughts?

Wow! It's very unlikely to be a resident bird, but could be one of the winter-visiting woodcock from Russia/the Arctic - they're more likely to be 'confused' about habitat :-)

Having said that, I wonder if there are any resident woodcock in Dulwich/Sydenham Woods. I've never seen one there, or indeed in or near London.

Good spot - next time, please get a photo ;-)

[Medley]

Hmmm hadn't thought of the winter visiting possibility. It looked confused!

My phone isn't up to much photo-wise and I never carry my camera around so doubt there would have been any joy on the photo front.

[gwod]

Penguin68 Wrote:

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> It is highly unscientific, but my impression of ED

> autumn colour this year (vide the comment on the

> plethora of berries) is that it is more vivid and

> vibrant, particularly the reds, than I can

> recently recall. This may be because more acers

> etc. are now planted in roads and front gardens

> but even then I can remember these being quite

> disappointing in the past. Some roads have an

> almost New England air about them, particularly

> when the sun catches the leaves.

You are right - this is an autumn of spectacular colours - apparently due to unusual weather patterns this year

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/autumn-2010-a-golden-vintage-2122608.html.

...but also I think I just appreciate it more as I get older!!!

[Sue]

Thanks for posting that link, gwod, I love the description of Autumn/Fall tourists in New England as "leaf peepers" :))

[Medley]

Update from my parents on the woodcock:

"Watched Autumnwatch last night and they reported that strong winds from the NE have blown in many woodcock from Norway."

So that would seem to explain it - as a kindly forumer PM'd me; you were right.

[BrandNewGuy]

Medley Wrote:

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> Update from my parents on the woodcock:

>

> "Watched Autumnwatch last night and they reported

> that strong winds from the NE have blown in many

> woodcock from Norway."

>

> So that would seem to explain it - as a kindly

> forumer PM'd me; you were right.

Nice one - I'll keep my eyes peeled. Here's what to look out for:

http://orientalbirdimages.org/images/data/eurasian_woodcock_4834b_kk.jpg

Wintering woodcock are like waxwings - some years we get huge numbers and some we get almost none. In fact I've already seen a few waxwings this year, so it must be grim up North ;-) For those who haven't seen a waxwing, it's a very striking-looking bird that you might see in berry trees in winter:

http://www.birdfoto2.fsnet.co.uk/birds2003/waxwings/waxwing226.jpg

[cate]

Beautiful pictures, thanks.

[Medley]

yes, great pictures. That woodcock's what I saw, without doubt. Always wanted to see a waxwing.

[elloriac]

bonniebird Wrote:

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> Does anyone know why the holes in the new

> kingfisher bank have been filled in?

I'm guessing that it's because they like to dig their own nesting tunnels?

[bonniebird]

elloriac Wrote:

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> bonniebird Wrote:

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

> -----

> > Does anyone know why the holes in the new

> > kingfisher bank have been filled in?

>

> I'm guessing that it's because they like to dig

> their own nesting tunnels?

Yeah, could be, was funny though that they were there then blocked up, thanks :)

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Re my comments on the seductive lure of yew berries recently, I am rereading "Moonfleet" written in 1898 at the mo and came across this:

[The protagonist is sitting on a tomb surround by yew trees]

"... and many times in autumn I have seen the stone slab crimson with the fallen waxy berries, and taken some home to my aunt, who liked to taste them with a glass of sloe-gin after her Sunday dinner."

My interested piqued, a little googling came up with The Wild Food School which states:

YEW [Taxus baccata]

Regarded as one of THE most poisonous and deadly plant materials around the scarlet berries of yew contain a slightly sugary gloop surrounding the seed and which can be extracted by VERY GENTLY squeezing the berry. The inner brown-black seed is deadly poisonous and must not be eaten.

If you wish to try the yew berry sap it is ESSENTIAL to check your personal tolerance before trying. In any event only try the sap of one or two berries as a larger quantity might well contain a sufficient build up of toxins which could cause harm. One best left to foraging professionals.

Anyone prepared to try it?

Edited for grievous spelling mistakes

[louisiana]

Re-reading Moonfleet: what a great idea! I salute you. I'm not prepared to tackle the yew experiment, however.

The new generation of jays seem to be bolder, hopping around outside the kitchen window this week, digging around in the soil. What are they looking for? Can I help?

[BrandNewGuy]

louisiana Wrote:

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> Re-reading Moonfleet: what a great idea! I salute

> you. I'm not prepared to tackle the yew

> experiment, however.

>

> The new generation of jays seem to be bolder,

> hopping around outside the kitchen window this

> week, digging around in the soil. What are they

> looking for? Can I help?

They're probably burying acorns - or, in this weather, maybe retrieving them. Jays hide a phenomenal quantity of acorns during the autumn and research has shown that they remember most of them. The rest, of course, stand a chance of becoming oak trees. In fact, there's a theory that the great post-Ice Age oak forests were spread by jays indulging in 'caching' acorns.

[louisiana]

Which reminds me, I have a small oak-ling (9 inches) starting in my fruit bed. I obviously need to transplant it (2 metres from the house, 9 inches from a wall) but I'm just wondering what is the best place...

[The Minkey]

I'd plant an oak a lot further than 2ms from the house if I were you, Louisiana. They grow very big and the roots will play havoc with your foundations.

On the subject of Jays, I have one who comes daily to gather the peanuts on the ground feeder. Although the feeder has a cage to deter pigeon action, it hops straight through which I didn't think it would being quite cautious birds (or so I thought). It's quite interesting to watch as it fills its gullet all the way through to the end of its beak until it looks for all the world like its sporting a fine set of red teeth. I did an idle count today and it had managed to cram in 14 before being disturbed by a squirrel.

[The Minkey]

Whoops, just re-read your post, Louisianna and realised you mean it needs to be transplanted further than 2m from the house. I grew one in a pot for few years and it did quite well - like a bonsai oak - until I forgot to water it one particularly hot summer :-(

The birds are back in my garden at last. This morning I looked out to see fourteen parakeets, one greater spotted woodpecker and the jay :-)

[Sue]

The Minkey Wrote:

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>>

> The birds are back in my garden at last. This

> morning I looked out to see fourteen parakeets,

> one greater spotted woodpecker and the jay :-)

xxxxxxxx

You lucky so and so, all I get are zillions of sparrows, a robin, blackbirds and the odd great or blue tit.

And the occasional very fat pigeon :))

[gwod]

louisiana Wrote:

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> Which reminds me, I have a small oak-ling (9

> inches) starting in my fruit bed. I obviously need

> to transplant it (2 metres from the house, 9

> inches from a wall) but I'm just wondering what is

> the best place...

I have a 40 year old Oak tree in my garden, (which is beautiful) about 50 feet from the house (my neighbours remember it being planted) and it is pulling my house to pieces!!!! I have to get it cut back every other year to try to keep in under control at great expense, so I would advise planting something else of more domestic proportions unless you have a really big garden.

How about releasing the Oak tree into the wild with a bit of guerilla gardening.....

[louisiana]

gwod, that's kind of what I was thinking, but obviously the exact location needs some consideration and good sense.

I would like to think that years from now I could go and see 'my oak' wherever it is planted. :)

[cate]

Where is the best place to put a fat ball so squirrels or foxes don't get it?

[The Minkey]

I hang mine off the washing line in a cage thing made for suet cakes. It's not so hard to prevent foxes getting it, just dangle it from something higher up, squirrels are a different matter because they can climb vertical surfaces and jump a few feet horizontally. My lot haven't yet worked out how to make their way along the line but I've seen footage of squirrels navigating quite sophisticated assault courses to get at something they really want. Best take any netting off because birds can become trapped by it.

[The Minkey]

So, the Jay has become a daily visitor thanks to the peanuts. This morning I watched it more carefully - it nabbed 35 peanuts in one go!

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Isn't nature amazing? It seems the animals are tuned in to the Met forecast.

All the robins and wrens are fluffy (presumably that traps air and keeps them warm) and I've never seen so many squirrels at once: busily hoovering up acorns and it seems, yew berries - are they immune to its poison?

[The Minkey]

Yes, with this cold snap the local wildlife is certainly beginning to home in on my feeders again.

The garden has been positively flowing with squirrels today, six at one point. No idea about the Yew berries - I found a link which said that the Reds can eat them but the Greys can't, which seems to be disproved by your observations. Interestingly, they're able to identify which cats are dangerous and which are not. They run rings round a pretty tortoise shell visitor known in our house as Crap Cat as it has absolutely no concept of stalking or pouncing.

A pair of Greater Spotted Woodpeckers have claimed the fat feeder, while the Blue Tits and Great Tits dart in and out grabbing sunflower seeds. The parakeets are in daily now, a stunning sight against a backdrop of hard frost.