Had a strange day today

[Ed.]

Today has been an interesting but strange day for me, first of all I have been adopted by a family of spur winged plovers (Masked lapwings) who have made a nest next to the old greenhouse, there are a couple of eggs there. So I hammered a wooden stake at one end of the nest and a piece of orange conduit at the other end so I wouldn't run over it with the ride on mower as I had to cut the grass today. No dive bombing or squawking and those birds are notorious for doing that.

Then I went out the front door and there was a ramdom dog waiting for me on the door step and wanted some pats from me, I then called out to my daughter and we gave it some more pats, it did have a phone number on its collar so I called the number and apparently the lady lives 300m down the end of our steet on the corner and she came and got it.

Next about 5pm I had a Kookaburra come and adopt me, it flew over to me, I offered it some bread but it didn't like it, so I went into the kitchen and sliced off some chicken from a fillet in the freezer, warmed it up, and it definitely liked that. I went to get some more but by that stage it had flown to the gutter above the kitchen window and was waiting for me, so I got a ladder, climbed up to it and gave it the rest of the slices, then it let me pat it. I suppose it's better to have a Kookaburru waiting for me than a vulture!

I wonder if there is a flood coming? won't fit too many on my boat!

 

[fenman]

Nice you will be rewarded for your good deeds

 

[eSCHEn]

I love it when things like this happen. So rare and wonderful

I had a wren sitting in my hand the other day in the polytunnel. Fabulous little bird and so incredibly teeny.

You're a lucky man Ed

 

[normspanners]

Excellent
You should change your 'handle' to Dr Dolittle

 

[CRB]

I saw the picture before reading, and thought ?What is a kookaburra doing in England?

Much more common in your neck of the woods, Ed.

Wrens....are lovely, no question.

Other than the usual sparrow, blackbird, wren and pigeon, a hobby and a sparrowhawk are the oddities around here.....and the heron which gets beaten up by the magpies.

 

[eSCHEn]

We live in a farm estate and it's well manicured so the level of wildlife is not as good as it could be. Over the last few years we've encouraged a less neat approach in our garden and now we're rewarded with so many different species.

The wrens have gone from strength to strength and are abundant now. You'll often find a hold up of them in winter. They get into a robin box (large front opening) and crowd together for warmth. You'll find ten or so unrelated adults huddling for warmth

Chiff-chaffs are this year's big winners. The garden is heaving with them. They particularly like patrolling the onion bed and removing pests - we don't spray for anything now as the fauna does it for us!

 

[Coo]

We have wild Hedgehogs visit our garden!
Just feed them crushed nuts and raisins, so cute but probably full of fleas.

Amazing how punctual they are though, same time each night

 

[eSCHEn]

Lovely wee critters. We don't get them as there's a lot of badgers round here.

Yes defo full of fleas and ticks!

Live mealworm is a lovely treat for them if you're ever wanting one

 

[Wendelspanswick]

Caught a couple of Red Deer stags giving each other the evil eye on my way back from the wood on Tuesday, a precursor to the rutting season I think. They were stood about 20' apart and completely ignored me as I walked down the path!

 

[eSCHEn]

Caught a couple of Red Deer stags giving each other the evil eye on my way back from the wood on Tuesday, a precursor to the rutting season I think. They were stood about 20' apart and completely ignored me as I walked down the path!

Lovely

Have you tried barking to them? It's not like a dog bark but you can get them to come to you if you can do it reasonably accurate. Only works for the rutting season though - hormones make them dumb!

 

[CRB]

hormones make them dumb!

That explains so much.

Ninja hedgehogs.....daft long legs and good climbers. A bit scary actually.

 

[eSCHEn]

If they can get into my garden then ninja is definitely the word - it's terrier proof!

 

[Mick B]

Today has been an interesting but strange day for me, first of all I have been adopted by a family of spur winged plovers (Masked lapwings) who have made a <<<<<<<<<<SNIP>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Next about 5pm I had a Kookaburra come and adopt me, it flew over to me, I offered it some bread but it didn't like it, so I went into the kitchen and sliced off some chicken from a fillet in the freezer, warmed it up, and it definitely liked that. I went to get some more but by that stage it had flown to the gutter above the kitchen window and was waiting for me, so I got a ladder, climbed up to it and gave it the rest of the slices, then it let me pat it. I suppose it's better to have a Kookaburru waiting for me than a vulture!

I wonder if there is a flood coming? won't fit too many on my boat!

When I 1st read this post I wondered why a Kookaburra would be in England and then I noticed you are from Queensland ! We must be nearly neighbours, can't be much more than a couple of days drive away !

 

[Ed.]

Hi Mick.B I am near Caboolture.

By the way guys, this is a heads up! if I suddenly start growing a white beard and take a liking to wearing robes, you had better start thinking about welding a big boat for yourselves.

 

[Mick B]

Hi Mick.B I am near Caboolture.

By the way guys, this is a heads up! if I suddenly start growing a white beard and take a liking to wearing robes, you had better start thinking about welding a big boat for yourselves.

Gotcha ED, near Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo. We called in there last year on our back from Darwin and Cooktown etc.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Caught a couple of Red Deer stags giving each other the evil eye on my way back from the wood on Tuesday, a precursor to the rutting season I think. They were stood about 20' apart and completely ignored me as I walked down the path!

Lovely

Have you tried barking to them? It's not like a dog bark but you can get them to come to you if you can do it reasonably accurate.

I've seen the reds 'at it' [the fighting I mean, let's keep it clean.... ] and I wouldn't want to get anywhere too close - proceed at your peril!

 

[eSCHEn]

I've seen the reds 'at it' [the fighting I mean, let's keep it clean.... ] and I wouldn't want to get anywhere too close - proceed at your peril!

I have to say it was fallow when I did it and when they finally see you and you're not a deer they run away quick sharp!

 

[slim_boy_fat]

When I was green-keeping, I used to get about 15 yards of the roes in the course on the ride-on mower(s) and they just stood and looked, as long as I made a 'clicking' sound they didn't seem to get alarmed, but if you stopped and dismounted they wandered away. Beautiful animals and uplifting to be able to go round and not scare everything in sight [or rather..... not in sight ]

 

[eSCHEn]

The fallows were up on Perthshire when I lived there. Lots of roe lower down but only saw a few reds in the years I was there.

 

[rikrobson]

The roes are quite easily seen in the country, usually a white @rse dissapearing into tress from the road, whereas the Reds usually stick to the hills and avoid people, so you need to be out in the wilderness and stalk them.