opportunist

[woodspirits]

Saturday found me stripping a field of topsoil for a housing development, wet windy and cold. as usual and especially this time of year there were various birds pecking at anything edible, survival.

among them were two pairs of crows who had stalked my activity for days gleaning whatever they could. to help them along I had taken half a loaf of bread to throw out to them as I worked. they strutted around edging closer to the pile of food, undecided if it was safe or not. then out of the corner of my eye I saw it! a lone magpie coming in fast and low, it swooped over the heads of the crows who looked at each other ***!? and without stopping grabbed a big chunk of bread and flew off. they clumsily gave chase but he was faster, made me laugh.

 

[snappingturtle]

A nice moment to convey, got to love the magpie can be such cheeky sod's!

 

[Nice65]

Corvids are a canny lot, I watched a lone rook from the rookery opposite us, giving a buzzard merry hell for being in the vicinity yesterday. The buzzard gave up in the end. No need really, considering the pheasant marmalade on the roads here at the moment. I struck one in the car at about 60mph a few days ago, thought the windscreen was going to give, again. As it was I emptied the poor things lower tract spectacularly onto the screen and left a cloud of feathers behind me. That chap was a poor luck opportunist unfortunately.

 

[Paul_B]

Corvids indeed are special. Ravens taking the pi$$ out of paragliders by gliding upside down underneath and around them really impressed me. Intelligence marked with what I took as a type of humour. Mind you if I enjoyed the spectacle I reckon being one of those pilots must have been really special moment.

 

[Trig]

Think of all the poor little mice you've made homeless !

I do the same job, always hate disturbing bits and the mice come running out, worse when they get chased by the birds.
Its the worst part of the job, going into a nice green field or area of bushes and trees and ripping it all up,destroying any nests and habitats there were.

Always find the little birds are alot braver, usually come in alot closer to the digger than the crows and seagulls, usually having to jump out of the way before you take the next bucketfull.

 

[daveO]

Think of all the poor little mice you've made homeless !

I do the same job, always hate disturbing bits and the mice come running out, worse when they get chased by the birds.
Its the worst part of the job, going into a nice green field or area of bushes and trees and ripping it all up,destroying any nests and habitats there were.

You've got to remember that nature thrives when landscapes are made up of patchworks and that includes areas of destruction. Just think of yourself as a giant wild boar or forest fire. Some animals will suffer but others will benefit from the easy food and the regrowth. I live on a housing estate that has been half finished since the late 90s and the plants that thrive on the vacant plots that were soil stripped years ago are rarely seen anywhere else around here. At the end of my street is an old larch plantation that is now regrowing as a mixed woodland after being logged out. Most of the rest of the land around here is sheep farm which is grazed to within an inch of its life but the wildlife is abundant thanks to the 'destruction' that has been carried out.

I just read a great book called 'Corvus: a life with birds' about a lady who keeps various birds, including corvids, as pets. Her descriptions of her pet magpie are amazing. Well worth a read.

Speaking of making mice homeless though, I disturbed a vole nest while strimming last year and had to round up a whole load of young voles and move them somewhere safer. Cute little fellas

 

[Paul_B]

One evening camping at Wasdale NT campsite I spotted a mole on the way to the pub. It was working it's way along one side of the road then crossed over right where I was before continuing along the same direction on the other side.

I set off again only to hear something else following the exact track on the verge. It was a stoat / weasel. It had the scent of the mole and was following the exact track of the mole.

I waited and followed the sound of the stoat deep in the grass along the verge until I heard the sound of a struggle. Ten seconds then silence for 20 seconds before some animal continued.

Which animal won so you think?

I've seen this hunter a few times on lakeland fells and they have always been very special encounters. Amazing animals.

 

[MartinK9]

One evening camping at Wasdale NT campsite I spotted a mole on the way to the pub. .

I followed the sound of the stoat deep in the grass along the verge until I heard the sound of a struggle.

Which animal won so you think?

I blame the drink.....

 

[Paul_B]

That caused the shrieking sheep on the way back.

This was on the way to the pub.

Just re-read the first comment I'll leave it in but with the clarification that I wasn't the cause of the shrieking sheep.