Yes I was watching two very together sparrows in my neighbour's guttering from my attic window today. They live on benefits with their many children and extended family under the slates in his roof, and I assume, my roof, but can't confirm that as can't see it. Of course I may have mentioned the two who flew down my chimney and out the stove door when I was lighting the fire the other week?
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » General Edinburgh
Wildlife in your garden
(49 posts)-
Posted 12 years ago #
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"Of course I may have mentioned the two who flew down my chimney and out the stove door when I was lighting the fire the other week?"
They clearly mistook "flew" for "flue" ;-)
Posted 12 years ago # -
Nice
Posted 12 years ago # -
Pleasantly shocked to see an immature* Goldcrest in the garden today. I haven't seen one in many years! It checked under the garage eaves for insects before flitting round the garden, getting a surprise when it clung to the side of the window and saw me watching it! hoping it will be a regular visitor.
*For the non-ornithologically-minded, "immature" doesn't mean it was wearing torn jeans and looking up rude words in a dictionary ;-)
Talking of surprised birds, I'd put my road bike out by the front door and as I turned back from pulling the door closed, a blackbird flew round the corner of the house and narrowly avoided contact with the front wheel. I think it may actually have flown between the spokes! I don't know who was more surprised, him or me!
Posted 12 years ago # -
Dad has been having redpolls in the garden but I haven't seen one yet. Maybe another time ...
Posted 12 years ago # -
Not in the garden but I might pop down to the Musselburgh Scrapes this evening to try to see the avocets.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Our house sparrow count continues to progress, now getting 2 pairs on a frequent basis. Also forked out on a niger feeder at the weekend and delighted to be getting immediate visits from siskins. Albeit only one at a time so it might be the same one.
And this morning there was a goldcrest flitting about.Posted 12 years ago # -
Less common for our garden, a song thrush poking around on the lawn. Very uncommon for us, a tree sparrow partaking of some sunflower seeds.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Very pleased a few nights back when I was in the kitchen in the middle of the night and put the light on at the same time as I heard rummaging outside. I glanced through the window to see not one, but two badgers scrambling to get past the plant urns in their way, pretty much clambering all over each other to do it! Comical!
I've heard stirrings previously but it's the first time I've seen badgers in the garden for a long time.
Posted 12 years ago # -
That's the coolest garden spot of all. Wish we got badgers (allegedly there are some in the Figgy - I've seen on the NEPN once.
Posted 12 years ago # -
I was over the moon to see them. They are getting so much bad press these days but I wouldn't be surprised if they are in a substantial decline in towns and cities down to one simple thing - wheelie bins.
It used to be a nightly event, hearing your bin topple over and badgers raking through it for scraps. We never minded because it meant badgers in the garden. Now, we put our rubbish in wheelie bins and take away their easy food source.
So make that two things - now that we have food "waste" bins too. Even when we think we're helping the environment we can be hindering it!
Posted 12 years ago # -
The only time I've ever seen a badger was during a night-lap of Sleepless in the Saddle, about 10 years ago.
It ran alongside a few of us for about 10 meters. very odd.
Posted 12 years ago # -
My neighbour had badgers under his garage. Not foxes, no,badgers, garage had an overhang to make for nice wee house. Alas badgers undermined the garage. Fortunately insurance paid out. They would not have done so if it had been foxes. Friends of the pentlands do a groovy night time badger spy thing in late summer.
Posted 12 years ago # -
"They would not have done so if it had been foxes."
How bizarre! Was the reasoning that they consider foxes "vermin" or what? I struggle to see any justification for such a stance.
Actually, maybe I can answer my own question. Badgers and their setts are protected and so you couldn't have them removed. Foxes are only protected from standard cruelty laws and so could have been removed without penalty so maybe the insurers' view is that you could avoid damage from foxes by removing them? Much as I don't like that as a resolution.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Badgers - excellent :-)
Posted 12 years ago # -
@focus
Vermin Fawlty yes.
Also liked your answer to your one question. My neighbour very nice man and very insistent on badgers under garage being left to leave of their own accord, which they did. Some of them may or may not have been the rare red coated badger.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Five frogs/toads in grass cutting today. One missing a head possible clawed by neighbours' cat. Was still alive, just.
Posted 12 years ago # -
A pair of blackcaps in garden this afternoon, nice to see. And even nicer to hear had they been singing.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Interesting. I've had a regular blackcap visitor to my garden for the last few weeks - only seen the male so far - but had never seen one before this year.
Posted 12 years ago #
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