Birdwatching 2012

Anonymouse · 16-04-2012, 15:47

Hmm, my earlier thread seems to have disappeared. As Emperor Palpatine might say, it is of no concern.

Anyway. I went down to the lodge for the first time in ages yesterday; the foliage is mostly still in a state of dieback, but there is new growth. Some of the trees lining the lodge have been heavily trimmed.

And the Canada geese are back! Well, one pair, anyway; I've no idea if they're they same ones. There's a pair of coots and a few ducks here and there.

And on the river, I discovered a family of ducks - drake, mallard and three little ducklings! Yay!

I wonder how the dragonfly nymphs are doing at the bottom of the lodge? Doubtless bringing terror to the denizens of the depths...

Hopefully I'll be able to save up for a new camera at some point! Who knows, <sarcasm> I might even get a job! </sarcasm>

Anonymouse · 26-04-2012, 15:14

Well, earlier today I was planning to pay the lodge a visit...until the downpour and the hail started.

Drought? What bloody drought?!

Anonymouse · 08-05-2012, 15:41

Well, yesterday was definitely a typical Bank Holiday Monday - except for a few hours, after which we returned to the scheduled programme, i.e. rain. But while it was clear, I went to the lodge.

And discovered that the geese are apparently nesting! Down the slope leading to the smaller lodge, I saw one sitting there in a posture very suggestive of egg-sitting. We can but hope!

Also, not far away from them there were a pair of coots - with a family! Yay! I saw 5 chicks, though there may be more. Doubtless they've chosen to nest there because it's harder to get to - certainly it'll be harder for me to take photos (I've been assessing my virtually nonexistent finances and decided I could stretch to a camera for £100 or so; Argos currently have a sale on. We shall see) - and doesn't have pike in it. Sensible birds!

I'll let y'all know how I get on!

joglynne · 08-05-2012, 18:38

Great to hear the continuing saga of wildlife at the lodge. Hope the babies all survive this year, fingers crossed. It would be great to see some photos to illustrate your wildlife rambles but your description of what is going on is still very interesting.

Anonymouse · 09-05-2012, 13:06

And if I had a website I could upload them to (and a camera to take 'em with, though I'm working on that) I'd post 'em, Joglynne. Too busy trying to find a job at the moment, but now the weather's picking up a bit I think I'll go a bit more often, maybe today if the weather holds.

Then again, this is Bolton. I've seen hailstones fall from a cloudless sky here. Go figure.

joglynne · 09-05-2012, 15:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anonymouse

And if I had a website I could upload them to (and a camera to take 'em with, though I'm working on that) I'd post 'em, Joglynne. Too busy trying to find a job at the moment, but now the weather's picking up a bit I think I'll go a bit more often, maybe today if the weather holds.

Then again, this is Bolton. I've seen hailstones fall from a cloudless sky here. Go figure.

Good luck on the job front Anonymouse.

I don't live to far away from you as I live in Manchester and have to admit the weather can be a tad trying. I have even had it rain on the front garden whilst the Patio to the rear has stayed dry and sunny! We are lucky though as being on the Lancashire Plain and mainly surrounded by hills we do seem to do better than you "uplanders" who end up getting our share of the rain dumped on you.

Anonymouse · 10-05-2012, 13:57

Hmm, the weather. Shortly after my last post, it went south, quelle surprise.

It doesn't look much better today; we can but hope. As for the camera, that should arrive tomorrow via Argos; it's a Nikon Coolpix S6150 16MP - £109.99 down from £279.99, and had favourable reviews on Amazon, so it should do nicely. The irony is that I paid £200-odd a few years ago for a less capable Olympus camera. Oh well.

I wish I'd had a camera, any camera, when I went walking in the area and a rabbit dashed across what used to be a waterway. It stopped and sat, looking around; it couldn't have been more than 10 feet away from me. It even stayed put for a few seconds, easily long enough to get a good photo. But of course...

Hopefully after tomorrow this missing of photo opportunities will not happen again!

Anonymouse · 11-05-2012, 13:22

Nope, I must've misheard the sales assistant; today was when they rang me, not when the camera was delivered...although I did get the memory card I also ordered.

It won't be coming till Tuesday - would've been Monday, but I can't guarantee I'll be at home then. Oh well.

Anonymouse · 15-05-2012, 16:18

Well, I've got the camera!

Now if I could only have the halfway decent weather to go with it...

It was looking nice earlier today...but the camera hadn't arrived then and I had to go jobhunting first anyway. So we've returned to the scheduled programme...including hailstones. I'm just going to have to test it out on Tigger. This morning there was a delightful moment when she was washing and suddenly looked up at something or other happening outside, and her tongue was sticking out a bit. She looked so funny, it'd have made a brilliant picture...but this was a few hours before the camera's arrival, of course.

We're in a drought. Yes, of course we are.

This is one of the wettest countries outside of a freakin' rain forest!

joglynne · 15-05-2012, 17:47

As I write this the sun is streaming in through the windows of our conservatory. Pity I can't hear myself think though because of the marble size hail that is threatening to damage the glass roof. I just love our weather, never a dull moment.

Anyhow... glad to hear your camera has finally arrived, have fun recording your nature rambles and I look forward to finally seeing the wildlife you encounter on your travels.

Anonymouse · 16-05-2012, 13:39

Actually, later that day it brightened up a bit, so I took the camera for a field test - this didn't last long, as the battery, of course, wasn't fully charged, but it lasted long enough for testing. It worked very well, I thought. I got a shot of mama goose egg-sitting - and I'm sure of it now, as you can clearly see downy fluff under her. I tossed her some bits of bread, which seemed to go down very well. I suspect these two were here last year and thus remember me, though the male isn't ringed.

The male goose has accepted me in no time at all, hissing like a punctured inner tube when he approaches; I could even feed him by hand - not recommended, though; it's difficult to get the timing right (ouch!) and you end up feeling grateful that modern birds don't have teeth. Feeding Archaeopteryx by hand...hmm, I'd have given that a miss!

I got a few shots of one of the coots feeding the (three, now) chicks. I read in BBC Wildlife that coots aren't the best parents; if they have a runt, they have a habit of picking it up and shaking it, sometimes to death. But these three look healthy enough.

I saw that damn heron, too. Grr. But there's quite a bit of overhang from the surrounding trees where the geese and coots are at the moment, so they might be relatively safe from it.

I've taken a few snaps of Tigger, too. Apparently the camera has face detection capability...which also works on pets. No, honestly!

It's quite bright and sunny today; here's hoping. I've heard from a couple of job prospects, too; again, here's hoping.

joglynne · 16-05-2012, 19:11

Sounds like you have had a productive couple of days. I hope something comes of the job leads. Fingers crossed.

Anonymouse · 17-05-2012, 14:01

Update on the coots: I saw four chicks yesterday - probably one was off doing its own thing, as they frequently do, bless 'em. I got within a few feet of mama goose, tossing bits of bread to her - difficult, as the slope is treacherous and there are patches of moss. A few pieces went where she couldn't quite reach them without getting up, which she was clearly reluctant to do...but the coots, crafty beggars that they are, nipped in and grabbed whatever she couldn't reach!

I'll have to work on gradually moving a bit closer so I can toss more accurately, but I daren't go too close, else she might abandon the nest, heaven forbid,

I saw a rabbit again, but it bounded away and did a Brer Rabbit into the undergrowth before I could get a shot. I followed it as far as I could, but rabbit camouflage is excellent; I was probably looking right at the bunny and not seeing it. Oh well.

A couple of oddities I've noticed:

I haven't seen any butterflies yet, or is it too early?

I haven't seen any Oxford Ragwort in the general area of the lodge. In fact I've hardly seen any in Bolton anywhere. Those cinnabar moth caterpillars must've really done a number on that ragwort! Given the cyclical nature of insect populations, I wonder if this happens every few years and I just haven't noticed?

Apparently it's a problem in the States, competing with food crops for resources; maybe they should introduce the cinnabar moth there. Oh, wait, they have.

Anonymouse · 18-05-2012, 10:58

Yesterday was just brilliant!

I went to the lodge, to discover that papa goose wasn't in his usual place, i.e. cruising on the main lodge. I thought it was odd he should go foraging elsewhere, as there's plenty of greenery thereabouts. Hmm...

I went to see the nest site, and sure enough there he was, right next to mama goose. There was only one reason I could think of for this changed behaviour...and when I tossed them some bread and mama reared up to grab it, what should peep out from under her but a cute little fluffy yellow face?! A gosling, yay! Papa must've known there'd been a hatching! Camera out, shot taken! Then she stood up, to reveal another gosling and two unhatched eggs! I got a shot of the whole family!

Later I went walking to the former waterway where I'd seen a rabbit a couple of times. I wasn't really looking for one...but there one was, about 20 feet away, crouched down and nibbling at grass! Cue slow careful walk forward; I got within 10 feet before the rabbit started hopping unhurriedly away. S/he was very cooperative, stopping every so often to nibble. I got a number of photos until s/he did the Brer Rabbit thing again and disappeared into the undergrowth.

If the weather holds (currently overcast but bright, with the odd drop of rain), I'm going back later to see if the other eggs have hatched. One looked a bit discoloured, though; I suspect it's a bad egg and won't hatch. Still, we'll see!

Anonymouse · 21-05-2012, 16:01

Oh, I really must find a way to upload some pics - I got what has to be the cutest photo ever! Mama goose was sitting on the nest - and a gosling was on her back, under her folded wings, peeking out! All I could see of him/her was his/her little head!

As of Saturday, the goslings have acquired their water wings - they were crusing on the main lodge with their parents! They had a hell of a slope to yomp up to get there, mind; I'm amazed at the stamina those little guys have. There are only two; the discoloured egg has been abandoned (it's not hard to guess why), and the other vanished...I suspect egg poachers again. Grr.

But given today's lovely weather, I'll definitely pay 'em a visit later. Both parents are now happy to see me when I'm handing out bread, hissing like punctured inner tubes

, and even the goslings were nibbling at crumbs.