Author Topic: Wildlife watchers  (Read 969 times)

Dizzy

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Wildlife watchers
« on: 23:06:19, 25/05/08 »
After reading darksky's post about the possible eagle he spotted thought this might make a nice topic.Does anyone else enjoy looking out for the local wildlife whilst out on walks?I'm really enjoying keeping my eyes peeled and seeing what I can spot.

So far have seen several Red Kites in wales, gorgeous looking birds.Last weekend was really surprised to spot something quite large moving in the sea and on getting out the binoculars saw seven seals!The larger ones were basking on the rocks and there were smaller ones swimming and diving around them,it was an awesome site.Must have stood there for an hour,loved it.Yesterday was up at the Roaches in the Peak district and they've got two nesting Peregrine Falcons(unfortunately we'd already climbed up the killer steps before the nice ranger bloke asked us to go back down again to avoid them ::)).Was keeping an eye out for them when I spotted a buzzard quite close by...next minute the poor thing was dived on by one of the falcons!Also saw several Red Grouse and a lapwing.

Am really enjoying looking out for things now.Just wondered if anyone else does this and whats the most unusual thing you've seen?

Claire

mike knipe

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Re: Wildlife watchers
« Reply #1 on: 23:16:55, 25/05/08 »
I was wandering through Brampton market place at Christmas when a pigeon exploded (!) - seems that a peregrine had got it - the whole thing was over very quickly and not many people noticed that a pigeon had just disappeared before their very eyes....

Ive also watched young stoats playing  and been barked at in the middle of the night by small deer when I was camping on their bit of grass..... and watched a black grouse lek at Langdon Beck....

I've often not got much idea what I'm looking at when it comes to wild birds, though - I usually just take whatever somebody else declares it to be as fact...
Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles

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ogy

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Re: Wildlife watchers
« Reply #2 on: 10:47:10, 26/05/08 »
Last wed me and a mate went mountain biking in Dalby, we were sat having a sarny when a deer ran in front of us, we were just sat there like wtf??? then three more shot in front of us.... Fantastic, literally 5 feet max in front of us.
There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing. - Sir Ranulph Fiennes

karen_the_artist

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Re: Wildlife watchers
« Reply #3 on: 10:55:59, 26/05/08 »
Yes I love watching the wildlife when walking.

On a munro hike in Glenshee in Feb we saw so many mountain hares and ptarmigan. I've seen herds of red deer of 100+ grazing on hillsides, and got quite close to some whilst walking at dusk alongside Loch Muick, near Ballater. They had come down from the hills.   We always hear the red deer rut in autumn where we live, I can stand in the back garden and hear them roaring away.

It's a privilage to be able to get so up-close with such amazing wildlife that we have in Britain.

I saw my first osprey recently. I was looking over one of the local reservoirs at what I thought was a buzzard. Then I saw the white underside and realised it was an osprey, hunting. Someone we met on a walk there last year had seen one feeding nearby. There's only 148 breeding pairs in the UK, most are in Scotland.

I wanted to watch it for longer, but Corbie, my labrador, started whinging, so we continued into the area where he can go off-lead. I let him off and sat watching it for a bit longer. I wanted to stay and see if it would dive and I wish I had had my binoculars with me.

I know where all my local buzzards live, and often see them sat on fence posts or soaring above the house. They are lovely, I've been lucky to see so many so close up. A couple of times they've flown over my car when I've been driving and one actually clipped his talons on my roof  :o It was ok, thankfully.

I've had a couple of golden eagle close-encounters - one in Glen Feshie, near Aviemore. It was hovering low down above us, and I had my bins then  ;D

The other was up a mountain called Ben Ledi near Callendar, two flew right in front of me and OH as we were walking up!

There are white-tailed sea eagles (UK's largest bird of prey) around here too, several were released in Fife last year, but still waiting to see one of those.

Here's a few pics:
Ptarmigan, managed to get quite close to this




A male and female


Mountain hare


I would love to spend all day wildlife watching.  Even just a local walk can throw up surprises.

Springwatch starts tonight on BBC2 and Simon King is in Strathspey, so that will be good to see as it's one of my favourite places and should see some great wildlife.
Karen - lurking somewhere in Perthshire, Scotland

Snowman

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Re: Wildlife watchers
« Reply #4 on: 12:58:41, 26/05/08 »
Thankfully Red Kites are now common in the Chilterns.    10 years ago seeing one while out walking was a luxury, now I occasionally see one when I look out of my bedroom window, although I never tire of watching their graceful flight.    I also know that in Wales there's a feeding station near Cross Inn, and at one time the Landlord of the Cross Inn also ran it (Cross Inn is a few miles south of Llandovery).

One occasion I always remember was the start of a descent into the Ordesa Canyon in the Pyrenees.    We were sat down taking a break in preparation for a near vertical climb, when we spotted a Vulture circling above us.   My walking partner turned to me and said 'do you think he knows something we don't?'

S.

thisismusic

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Re: Wildlife watchers
« Reply #5 on: 15:38:49, 26/05/08 »
Where I live (Buckinghamshire) the most common sights are hares, muntjac and lately buzzards. I've noticed hares seem to have really bad eyesight. I often spot them running towards me so I freeze on the spot and they don't seem to notice I'm there until they're about 10 feet from me. Odd because the slightest twitch of movement 60 feet away and rabbits tend to scatter into the hedgerows.

If you're into red Kites, book yourself a couple of nights camping at White Mark Farm, Watlington in the Chilterns. You'll wake up every morning to the sound of Kites calling overhead. Every time I've been there I've seen 30 or so kites just soaring over the town.
“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty" - David Attenborough

 

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