The DA Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 Just now, The_Kincardine said: Aye but not the ornithological type, shirley? No. You're right there. Some birds don't deserve the pie treatment. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kincardine Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 Just now, The DA said: No. You're right there. Some birds don't deserve the pie treatment. Oh they do...if it involves flaky pastry, seasoning and vegetables. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The DA Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 BTW if anyone has the slightest interest in Scotland's (OK, Britain's) raptors, this book is a must read. If you can't afford it, I'll pass on my copy (not really, it's my book of the year) - everyone has to read it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dee Man Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 4 hours ago, The_Kincardine said: It's something I miss since moving from Deeside. 'Here' you may see some dead foxes, badgers or muntjacs on the back roads as opposed to 'there' where it was always a thrill to see some living wildlife when you took the weans for a walk. We do, though, have an abundance of red kites and they look magnificent soaring overhead. They do seem to be the lazy b*****ds of the raptor world...certainly where we are...and it's common to see them raking through bins or eating roadkill. I never saw a when I lived 'up there' but they seem hard wee b*****ds: That thing is fucking nails. It even gives a " 'Mon then" to the lorry that stops. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaffenThinMint Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 13 hours ago, The_Kincardine said: It's something I miss since moving from Deeside. 'Here' you may see some dead foxes, badgers or muntjacs on the back roads as opposed to 'there' where it was always a thrill to see some living wildlife when you took the weans for a walk. We do, though, have an abundance of red kites and they look magnificent soaring overhead. They do seem to be the lazy b*****ds of the raptor world...certainly where we are...and it's common to see them raking through bins or eating roadkill. There was a hysterical Daily Mail last year about red kites with the usual overreaction from thick urban proles moving out into the sticks & unable to handle a bit of mother nature. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3631633/Buckinghamshire-village-terrorised-dive-bombing-birds-prey.html The people that moved next door to us from the centre of Weegie wanted the council to bring the pest exterminators around because hedgehogs & squirrels kept wandering through their garden & they were convinced they'd bite their children & give them diseases. They were duly told to man the f**k up. The freak out the next year when we got some foxes & ONE wild rabbit (where it came from & where it was burrowed no one ever found out) was even worse. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The DA Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 16 minutes ago, WaffenThinMint said: There was a hysterical Daily Mail last year about red kites with the usual overreaction from thick urban proles moving out into the sticks & unable to handle a bit of mother nature. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3631633/Buckinghamshire-village-terrorised-dive-bombing-birds-prey.html The people that moved next door to us from the centre of Weegie wanted the council to bring the pest exterminators around because hedgehogs & squirrels kept wandering through their garden & they were convinced they'd bite their children & give them diseases. They were duly told to man the f**k up. The freak out the next year when we got some foxes & ONE wild rabbit (where it came from & where it was burrowed no one ever found out) was even worse. Except maybe the foxes. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaffenThinMint Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 31 minutes ago, The DA said: Except maybe the foxes. Unless it came wrapped up in chip paper or McDonald's wrapping the rabbit was pretty safe. You have to go way out into the countryside to find foxes that still bother to hunt, today's ones are useless scavenging c***s. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamamafegan Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 The village I stay in when I go to Lewis. Sometimes you can go there for a week and see nowt, not even buzzards. Other times it's wall to wall eagles. That picture man. Beautiful. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mantis Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 (edited) 20 minutes ago, jamamafegan said: That picture man. Beautiful. A wee bonus just for you then . This one was flying over the house one morning. Shows the benefits of leaving your camera ready in the porch. However it also shows you should compensate if you're shooting into the sky took a fair bit of Photoshop to lighten it up. Edited February 19, 2017 by The Mantis 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mantis Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 15 hours ago, The_Kincardine said: It's something I miss since moving from Deeside. 'Here' you may see some dead foxes, badgers or muntjacs on the back roads as opposed to 'there' where it was always a thrill to see some living wildlife when you took the weans for a walk. We do, though, have an abundance of red kites and they look magnificent soaring overhead. They do seem to be the lazy b*****ds of the raptor world...certainly where we are...and it's common to see them raking through bins or eating roadkill. I never saw a when I lived 'up there' but they seem hard wee b*****ds: I think that's what you call a game bird. Looks fucking game anyway. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mantis Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 On 2/18/2017 at 21:07, The DA said: BTW if anyone has the slightest interest in Scotland's (OK, Britain's) raptors, this book is a must read. If you can't afford it, I'll pass on my copy (not really, it's my book of the year) - everyone has to read it. Probably end up buying this. Trouble is, my missus and I have a policy of buying ebooks these days, or if we buy a real book we're supposed to give one away The house is full of books. Anyway I looked up amazon and the preview is useless. It must have a few blank pages at the start so there's nothing to read except the cover. More interesting is the price - the paperback is only £7.49 but it's a preorder (March 23rd). Strange the kindle version is £12.49, only a pound cheaper than the hardback. Maybe come down after the paperback comes out. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamamafegan Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Today I was down at a section of the River Tay reed beds. I was there for no more than 2 hours and as soon as I arrived there I had a remarkable animal encounter. I walked along a ridge - on one side of me there is the Tay, the other side a murky loch/pond. In the loch I hear some rustling in the reeds just below me. I thought it was a rat. Then I saw bubbles appear and they were making a trail along the pond. I followed the bubbles across the pond with my eyes waiting for the mystery animal to appear and then, from the murky depths, appeared a big otter. It was a huge one and it took me totally by surprise. It was no more than ten metres away from me. Sadly and stupidly I had not prepared my camera and as I went to get it out the bag, the otter made a great splash and disappeared. I also saw a Kingfisher which was great because I haven't seen one of them in years. I'm going to go back down another time and spend the day there. Hopefully I can get some great photos next time. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamamafegan Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 Enjoyed an awesome moment today when I drove past a sparrowhawk with a broken wing. Turned the car around and managed to fling a blanket over the thing as it tried to hop away. Took it to the vet as directed by the RSPCA. Hoping to get in touch with them and hopefully they'll let me assist in the release of the bird.I'd never held a wild bird of prey before so that was pretty special. She had her talons wrapped round my fingers and gave me a wee cut. Don't have a great photo but heres a screen shot from the Facebook live video I took at the time 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamamafegan Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 Was climbing a munro behind Blair Atholl today. Wasn't expecting to see anything special in terms of wildlife but it turned out to be a very fruitful day. First I saw a male hen harrier and then minutes later a group of about 5 black grouse flew past us. Later on I saw a merlin as well. We didn't make it up the munro due to a white out but the rare wildlife that made an appearance had already made my day. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ya Bezzer! Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 One of the biggest scares I've ever had in my life was when I was walking in the woods and a capercaillie launched itself out of the the foliage about 3 feet ahead of me. They are fucking big. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wile E Coyote Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 2 hours ago, jamamafegan said: Was climbing a munro behind Blair Atholl today. Wasn't expecting to see anything special in terms of wildlife but it turned out to be a very fruitful day. First I saw a male hen harrier and then minutes later a group of about 5 black grouse flew past us. Later on I saw a merlin as well. We didn't make it up the munro due to a white out but the rare wildlife that made an appearance had already made my day. Always a good day when you see a hen harrier. The area around me is great for seeing them. Remember once I got to the top of a small hill just as a male hen harrier got to the top from the other side. It was within 5 feet of me, I don't know who was more surprised, me or him 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgecutter Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 I've had a Ghostbird. Over the past three days the sneaky f***er has evidently and suddenly started knocking all the bird feeders to the ground and guzzling the lot whilst I'm away. Either that or the neighbours like peanuts and have hit hard times. I'll genuinely put the holder back up, go back inside look out the window for a few mins to see nothing, nip through the house for 20 secs and then return to see it back on the ground again. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wile E Coyote Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 5 minutes ago, Hedgecutter said: I've had a Ghostbird. Over the past three days the sneaky f***er has evidently and suddenly started knocking all the bird feeders to the ground and guzzling the lot whilst I'm away. Either that or the neighbours like peanuts and have hit hard times. I'll genuinely put the holder back up, go back inside look out the window for a few mins to see nothing, nip through the house for 20 secs and then return to see it back on the ground again. Feeders are heavy (relative to the weight of your average garden bird), it would probably take a crow or magpie to do that, I would say its more likely to be a squirrel. Do you get squirrels in your garden 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgecutter Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 (edited) 12 hours ago, Wile E Coyote said: I would say its more likely to be a squirrel. Do you get squirrels in your garden Never seen one here, although I live on the very edge of Aberdeen with fields behind so can't totally rule it out. Far more likely to be a Crow / Magpie though. That said, I've seen them around my garden for almost four years now and this is the first time I've had this. There are also seagulls of course. Crafty f***ers though as you hardly see any around this part of town, but stick a slice of bread out and you'll see a million of them descend out of nowhere. Think they have a system similar to the mountain beacons in Lord of the Rings where they put a single bird in one area that calls to all when something of interest happens in it's 'hood. ------ Eta - more of a quick question thread thing but more likely to get an answer here: any good suggestions for duck food that that isn't bread (bad for them, I know)? Seen online suggestions like sweetcorn and oats but the former sinks and the latter doesn't seem to interest them. This springs to mind as today I found a rather 'sporting' pond full of Mallards nearby me in which you have to land the food within 30cm of a duck to ensure the seagulls don't get it first. Tricky when they're all right out but quite satisfying when you piss off the b*****d scorries. #MonTheDucks Edited March 13, 2017 by Hedgecutter 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamamafegan Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 10 hours ago, Hedgecutter said: Eta - more of a quick question thread thing but more likely to get an answer here: any good suggestions for duck food that that isn't bread (bad for them, I know)? Seen online suggestions like sweetcorn and oats but the former sinks and the latter doesn't seem to interest them. This springs to mind as today I found a rather 'sporting' pond full of Mallards nearby me in which you have to land the food within 30cm of a duck to ensure the seagulls don't get it first. Tricky when they're all right out but quite satisfying when you piss over the b*****d scorries. #MonTheDucks I've read that they will happily eat standard mixed bird seed? Like the stuff you put in your feeders. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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