What wildlife did you spot today?

[Toddy]

It was last week but I heard a woodpecker tapping to find food and then managed to spot it.

It turned out to be a female Greater Spotted so pointed it out to a friend who'd said she'd never seen a woodpecker before. She was well over the moon when she saw it.

They come and feed from the bird feeder fat blocks in my front garden. The young ones are hilarious. They haven't quite grasped the concept about gripping onto the feeder, not the pole....and they slide down backwards frantically flapping trying to go upwards

 

[Toddy]

Several shield bugs. Not rare, but relatively unusual to see here.

The birds seem to have had a second hatching. Young bluetits, starlings, long tailed tits and nuthatches. Pretty sure the sparrows have had another set too, and there's a young thrush nipping around under the honeysuckle.

 

[slowworm]

This morning I saw a lovely roe doe, standing next to my runner beans!

 

[PoppyD]

This morning I saw a lovely roe doe, standing next to my runner beans!

They do go well with runner beans.

 

[Keith_Beef]

Pilot whale,
Flying fish,
Shearwater,
Osprey,
Kestrel,
Lizard (common European),
Lizard (some other kind).

 

[Woody girl]

The lesser spotted Boris Johnson's dad! Only learned who he was later in the afternoon.
Pretty wild eh? Just sat outside a cafe having a cuppa, and he sat on the next table, and starts chatting, and asking me questions.
Thought nothing of it, until he turned up at the film club and recognised me again. Twice in one day.

 

[bobnewboy]

Previously seen as tiny puffs of feather and down, our visiting ducklings, born in our garden, continue to come for a bit of food most days. They are flying in now, and are indistinguishable from their mother duck who comes along too from time to time.

How they look now:

https://flic.kr/p/2svYMzE

How they did look:

https://flic.kr/p/2s8aKeJ

We’ve also had a new visitor on the trailcam:

https://flic.kr/p/2svxQ7p

 

[Keith_Beef]

Lizards
More lizards
Even more lizards
Dragonfly
Hover flies
Barn swallows
Bats

 

[66jj99]

Couple of lovely brown trout.

Not sure of weight, but just over 2ft long.

These weren't known here 40 years ago - Great to see this river return to health.

 

[grainweevil]

Returned from a midnight visit to the usual offices to find a bat doing confused laps around my bedroom ceiling. Not sure what variety, other than "lost". After some lengthy negotiation and an unexpected relocation to the landing, I eventually managed to find die fledermus an open window it liked the look of and off it finally popped.

 

[JonathanD]

We used to get them in our bedroom constantly around June/July. Considering how good their sonar is, they really are rubbish at finding open windows when trapped in a room.

 

[Broch]

We have bats in our roof space and, when we first moved in, they would find ways of getting through the small openings between the beams and the walling on a regular basis. The first time, one was flying around the lounge and the missus was panicking (she can't stand fluttery things around her). I told her not to worry, with their sonar there was no way they would bump into her. With that, the damn bat landed on my shoulder - she was not amused

Edit: we have 10 of the 17 resident UK bat species here!

 

[JonathanD]

Edit: we have 10 of the 17 resident UK bat species here!

That’s a bit of a result. I used to do a lot of bat work and I may just get back into it. Pops was involved in an artificial roost construction in an old air raid shelter last year. Sounded like great fun.

Have you put up bat boxes in your woods?

 

[Tengu]

View attachment 104748
View attachment 104749
Couple of lovely brown trout.

Not sure of weight, but just over 2ft long.

These weren't known here 40 years ago - Great to see this river return to health.

Oh, those are respectable fish; you are lucky.

 

[Broch]

That’s a bit of a result. I used to do a lot of bat work and I may just get back into it. Pops was involved in an artificial roost construction in an old air raid shelter last year. Sounded like great fun.

Have you put up bat boxes in your woods?

No, not yet. Two members of our group committee run the Montgomeryshire Bat Group and one is the Vice-county mammal recorder - they considered the wood had good bat-roosting capability as is but I may add a few more roost sites.

 

[PoppyD]

I found a little bat today in an old fence hole on a canal bridge. Cute little Natterers.

 

[Keith_Beef]

I've seen lots of lizards these past four days.


I just helped my niece to catch one that was in her bedroom. We eventually got it to run into the case for my telephoto lens so that we could then put it outside.

 

[JonathanD]

No, not yet. Two members of our group committee run the Montgomeryshire Bat Group and one is the Vice-county mammal recorder - they considered the wood had good bat-roosting capability as is but I may add a few more roost sites.

Really really want to check your woods out and do a scout and survey. But it seems something conspires against that happening all the &£#@ time.

 

[JonathanD]

I found a little bat today in an old fence hole on a canal bridge. Cute little Natterers.

View attachment 104773View attachment 104774

Looks familiar. But you got better pics.

 

[TeeDee]

Beaver