wildlife

[dedee]

Heard a funny squeaking noise from behind one of shutters yesterday. This is what I found. Found a total of seven behind 4 of the shutters on a south facing wall, until I rudely awakened them for a few photos.

I've never before been able to appreciate quite how amazing these things are. One flew off, flew twice around one of my daughters giving us a brilliant view of their wings. I felt a bit guilty having disturbed them but for me and the kids it was a chance not to be missed.
Toady there are only 3 of them roosting.

Not quite the quality of the bats drinking water pics of earlier this week.

A pipistrelle I believe.

cheers

Andy,

 

[wizer]

flying rats, give me the willies

 

[woodbloke]

Andy - are they protected in France same as the UK? - Rob

 

[dedee]

Rob,
yes they are protected here too. I am not sure of the specifics but I believe you need a licence to hold them and that you are not allowed to remove or disturb them.
I am very conscious of this but the educational opportunity for me and the kids was too good to miss. I have tried to drum into the children that we are very lucky to have them and that they must not disturb them again.

Since moving here to a very rural location we have of course seen much more wildlife than in the suburbs of London where I spent all of my life. This in turn has led me not to use any pesticides or insecticides in the garden as a resuly I am sure we benefit from the multitude of mammals, insects and birds which seem to keep slugs, snails etc at bay.

My eldest daughter keeps a book of the 23 (so far) species of bird and 5 mammals seen from or in the garden.

Cheers

Andy

 

[Alie Barnes]

Rob,
yes they are protected here too. I am not sure of the specifics but I believe you need a licence to hold them and that you are not allowed to remove or disturb them.
I am very conscious of this but the educational opportunity for me and the kids was too good to miss. I have tried to drum into the children that we are very lucky to have them and that they must not disturb them again.

Since moving here to a very rural location we have of course seen much more wildlife than in the suburbs of London where I spent all of my life. This in turn has led me not to use any pesticides or insecticides in the garden as a resuly I am sure we benefit from the multitude of mammals, insects and birds which seem to keep slugs, snails etc at bay.

My eldest daughter keeps a book of the 23 (so far) species of bird and 5 mammals seen from or in the garden.

Cheers

Andy

Bat laws are changing all the time but currently it is an offence to even enter an area where you know bats are (also need a licence to handle and disturb). It isnt breeding season so its not such an issue but you need to minimise disturbance as best you can. However your next port of call should be to your local wildlife/Bat group who will more than likely come out and survey your place and offer guidance or mitigation on your bat colony.

Lovely to see though.

 

[woodbloke]

Andy - I've never seen a bat so it sounds like a great experience for you and the kids...the wildlife diary your daughter's keeping also seems like an excellent idea - Rob

 

[Digit]

Come this way woodbloke and you can spend some time in my garden watching them.
We have Pipestrelles and Horseshoe Bats in abundance, and a few nights ago ago we were visited by one bat with a wing span larger than I have seen before.
Can't understand why Bats have such a bad rep myself, aside from the fact that they bite!
Oddly, Bats mate in the Autumn and the foetus doesn't develope till the spring

Roy.

 

[Dibs-h]

flying rats, give me the willies

I don't think you are the only one. :!:

As for climbing rats (the Grey ones), those I shoot.

 

[newt]

Bats seem to have more protection than a child

 

[Digit]

Yep!

Roy.

 

[Ironballs]

We have plenty of bats flying around about here, don't know where they roost though. Once had a bat managed to get in the office at work, you would have loved it Tom, kept doing low passes across the desks until we cornered it and managed to get it released somewhere quiet outside

 

[wizer]

Once had a bat managed to get in the office at work, you would have loved it Tom, kept doing low passes across the desks until we cornered it and managed to get it released somewhere quiet outside

The word BAT is appropriate.... :lol:

 

[dedee]

We have had another visitor these past two nights alas no photos. It arrived about 8.00pm when it is getting dark, we could see quite clearly the unmistakable outline and round head with large eye area.

It alighted on an exposed branch of a large willow in the garden and it looked kind of brown in front, definitely not white. On the basis that we were kept awake a few nights ago by a very distinct Hoo Hu Hu huhuhooo noise I reckon it was a tawny owl. Evidently barn owls don't hoot.

Another one to add to my daughters book.


Andy

 

[Ironballs]

I was doing some night mountain biking a couple of years back, out on my own and buzzing a wonderful singletrack trail through a wood, utterly pitch black except for my light. Next thing I knew this massive object appeared from above my head and swept down in front of me before disappearing back into the trees.

It was after I had filled my shorts and stopped swearing that I took the opportunity to appreciate the majesty of an owl in its native environment

 

[Digit]

Beautiful things Barn Owls but they can be very scary if they approach from behind as unlike other larger birds their flight is silent.
I used to be mobbed every night walking to work and every night the darn thing managed to frighten the life out of me!

Roy.

 

[Woody Alan]

It was after I had filled my shorts and stopped swearing

It' surprising what you see when cycling. I was on a little back road near Barton broad in Norfolk just drifting off mentally when there was a sudden lunge from the verge on my left and I was nearly "taken out" by a red deer which had been snoozing until I distubed it, After I screamed and lurched across the road I turned to see the deer doing an impression of Bambi on ice with hooves sliding on the tarmac. Took a while for the heart rate to come down.
Also been lucky enough to see two weasels this year, one ran out of the verge in front of me, turned to face me, and "barked at me" and ran back where he came from.

Alan

 

[Ironballs]

Nearly got taken out by two young deer whilst blasting down a piece of singletrack at night. Mate of mine caught a crow in his spokes, not sure how.

Couple of years ago we were riding out near Holmfirth by some ponds in spring, noticed some frogs knocking about and then more and more and more. Eventually had to stop and tiptoe through a carpet of them. We'd obviously stumbled across the frog equivalent of Ritzy's on a Saturday after pay day