CHANGE TO USE OF THIS BLOG PAGE

As of today, 26th June, 2021, this page will be dedicated to giving update information on group organisation and activities

Information on latest wildlife sightings can now be seen and recorded on the Blackfordby Wildlife Group's WhatsApp channel. To join this group, please contact Richard Pegler via blackfordbywg@btinternet.com

April Birds and Flowers

Greetings all. 

Brian has kindly sent me some photos of birds and flowers, all taken in Melbourne (Derbyshire) during three weeks in April.  I am particularly envious of his sighting (and photo!) of the Red-crested Pochard!

Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina) (male)

Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)

Coot (Fulica atra)

Greylag Goose (Anser anser)

Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba yarrellii) (male)

Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) (male)

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) (female with chicks)

Ground-ivy (Gledchoma hederacea)

Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage (Chrysosplenium oppositifolium)

Butterburr (Petasites hybridus)

probable Water Cress (Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum)

Thank you, Brian

Please, everyone, do respond to Brian's email about a proposal for the group having a presence on social media - either WhatsApp or Facebook.

This would enable group members to immediately post information on their sightings or other wildlife related news, and give the rest of the group members immediate notification and access to such information. For example, Joe Bloggs could post "I'm watching a Ring-necked Parrot feeding on cherries near the entrance to Sarah's Wood - I will be here for an hour if you want it pointed out to you".

This would be a 'closed group' only visible to group members,

Take care, everyone. I'm hoping that we can get together before the summer is over!

Food For Hedgehogs (and Birds)

Greetings, Folks!

Most of you will, I hope, be aware that it is unhealthy for Hedgehogs to have access to more than a few mealworms. Hedgehogs love them, but mealworms are low in calcium and so the hogs can end up with crippling bone disease causing their bones to break easily. Through a discussion on t'interweb, I learned fairly recently that mealworms can have a similar effect on birds too!

This caused me to look around. One lady said she coated her mealworms in calcium powder, but this looked a bit hazardous to me. I was then pointed at dried 'Calciworms' by a friend. Calciworms is an informal term for what are strictly known as Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae. These are high in calcium and considered safe for Hedgehogs and birds. 

I have tried deploying these, and the Hedgehogs took to them immediately. I have to be careful about when I put them out as they are also a hit with the birds. Too early and they are all gone by the time that the hogs get there!

I bought mine on-line from an outfit called Chubby Mealworms and have been delighted with their service and product. They are, however, available from a number of other sources.

I place a small dish of BSF larvae where the hogs have to work to get their fill. They found them on the first night! I finish this blog post with a video clip of one of the hogs (I think we have four visiting regularly at the moment) going on a mountaineering trip for his supper! Note that when he'd finished eating he went straight for a drink - it is important to have fresh water nearby.

Having water nearby is important for the birds also. They too go for a drink after eating them and, in fact, the Magpies take the larvae from the dish and dunk them in the water before eating them!

That's all for now. Please let me have any news and photos you might want to share with the rest of the group.

Best wishes to all. Take good care - - - Richard
 

Mouse Party

Greetings once more, Folks

Colin Carr has sent in a couple of photos and an explanation as follows:- 

Here's an unusual one you might like.

We discovered that a lovely heirloom made by Jen's dad years ago - a homemade dolls house - has been invaded ..... by mice.

Despite being stored four foot off the ground in the garage, mice had found their way in and decided to make themselves at home, not like the others slumming it in

holes outside.

They moved the furniture, stripped the wallpaper and thoroughly trashed the place!

Talk about a Mouse Party!

At least we have photographic evidence for the mouse police.

At first we were horrified but in the end you have to see the funny side.

CC

 

Fabulous! Thank you, Colin for delightfully entertaining us, although I'm sorry that a family heirloom has been trashed.

 

Take good care folks - it's not over yet!

 

Robin in Song - on 28th March, 2021

Greetings, Folks!

Brian has kindly sent in a photo of a Robin that posed nicely for him on Sunday morning as he sang heartily on his view point. I assume that Brian meant it was the Robin that was singing and not himself!

Thank you, Brian.

Make the most of this good weather if you can - I understand that it's going to get rather cold again by the weekend!

Stay safe - - - Richard
 

Spring Is Sprung!

Hot on the heels of his last contribution, Brian sent in some photos a week ago taken on one of his local walks. I hope that you will forgive me, Brian, for not publishing these until now, but with so little coming in at the moment I thought that I should spread it out a bit. However, I'm now beginning to wonder if this is the right approach?

Brian's photos were all taken on 1st March on Heath Lane.

Thank you, Brian!

Primroses - Heath Lane

Hazel - Heath Lane

Snowdrops - Heath Lane

Does anyone remember a poem that went something like this, from way back in my youth? - sounds as if it might have been something from Spike Milligan :-

  Spring is sprung

  The grass is riz

  I wonder where dem boidies is

  De boid is on the wing

  But dat's absoid

  I tought de wing was on de boid

 

Until the next time. Take great care everyone - - - Richard

 

A Few Gulls!

Greetings, Folks!

Brian has sent in a couple of photos with the following note:-

Where do all the gulls suddenly arrive from when the farmer starts ploughing? We normally only see a handful in the field behind us but there were hundreds the other day as soon as the ploughing started they arrived.

Did you count them, Brian? I'm sure the County Recorder would like details of species and numbers!  ;-}

I wouldn't be at all surprised if these had come from the Gull Roost that is relatively close by at Albert Village.

Thank you, Brian, for these, which brought a smile to my face!

If any group members have any interesting wildlife information and/or photos to offer for the blog, I'd be delighted to receive them.

 

A quick note about Hedgehogs

It seems that Hedgehogs are emerging early this year. We have had sightings every night this week, with at least three on one one night and at least two a couple of nights later. You might like to consider putting food and water out for them if you think that you have Heedgehogs near you. We feed ours on Tesco Chicken Kitten dried food, which is favoured by  some professionals.

Hoping that we will all be able to meet up again soon. In the meantime, take good care and stay safe.

Richard

 

Colin's Garden Mustelid

I have received a message from Colin Carr with some photos - as follows:-

When you look out of the early morning window for some signs of Spring, and see something else entirely! #stoat or #weasel

Hard to be sure when you can't see the tail.   I would guess at the former based purely on its small but highly alert stature.

Sorry for the poor photography, but they move in spurts so very fast.

Only the second I have seen in the garden since moving to Blackfordby 5+ years ago.

 

Stoat (Mustela erminea) or Weasel (Mustela nivalis) - Colin Carr's garden in January, 2021

It can be difficult to see the difference between a Stoat and a Weasel but, as Colin mentions, the real clue is in the tail. A Stoat has a black tip to a tail that is approximately half the length of the body. The Weasel's tail is purely brown and rather short in comparison. A Stoat has a body length of 30-34cm, whereas the smaller Weasel is 20-27 cm. If that's a 4 inch pipe in Colin's second photo, it suggests to me that the animal has a body length of around 8 inches (20cm), challenging Colin's conclusion that it is probably a Stoat. Brian and I think that it is probably a Weasel. 

Note: due to me initially miss-reading an ID guide, I have changed the above paragraph! RP

 

There is an old addage that simplifies the situation:- "A Weasel is weasily recognised, but a Stoat is stotally different"!

Thank you, Colin, for sending in these delightful photos to brighten our day!

I hope that you are all managing to stay safe and well and that we'll have the opportunity to meet up in the not too distant future.

Best wishes - Richard

 

Lockdown Winter - from Brian

While the threat of this terrible virus still has us in its grip, most of us are, I believe, pretty-much confined to our homes, and our wildlife observations will largely be of what we can see from the windows of our houses. 

Brian has kindly sent me some photos of winter sightings which beautifully capture the spirit of winter.

The first is of a Magpie sitting in what I think might be a Viburnum (we have a similar tree in flower still, which is a Viburnum) 

Snowy Vigil

The winter theme continues, with his shot of a SilverBirch covered in hoar frost.
 

Hoar Frost on Silver Birch

His last shot is not so wintery, but is, nevertheless, seasonal and depicts a Long-tailed Tit. These small birds are often in need of our help in winter.

Long-tailed Tit

Thank you, Brian for these delightful images!

A sustained cold spell is often extremely difficult for birds, and supplemental feeding in our gardens can be of great benefit to them. However, every bit as important to them is a supply of fresh water. This should be changed on a regular basis.

Even more important is to regularly check that the water has not frozen. We use plant-pot dishes for some of our supply for the birds. When these freeze, they can be tipped up-side-down,  the ice knocked out in one piece, and then refilled with water. For our immovable 'bird baths' I take a kettle of boiling water to them, ensuring that the water is cold before I leave it.

Having Pied Wagtail in our garden is extremely rare - most years we don't see one - but during the recent freeze we were visited by one several times a day and I am sure that this is because we had the only non-frozen water in the area. As soon as the freeze was gone, the wagtail disappeared!

Pied Wagtail - the Pegler garden on 7th January 2021

Hopefully, the Covid vaccination programme will continue apace and we will all be able to meet up again in the not-too-distant future.

In the meantime, take great care and stay safe.

Richard Pegler