Urban Wildlife Tales

[Hot Pepsi]

[Nocturnal Submission]

I chucked an old baguette into the back garden yesterday for the local birdlife but I've only seen our furry friends take an interest in it so far. The squirrels have taken a few bites out of it but an old and rather feeble-looking fox has been standing over it for a good half-an-hour-plus, occasionally nibbling away at it and staring at the house.

I think the poor old thing is on its last legs. I wouldn't be surprised to find it pegged out on the lawn in the next day or two.

[Nocturnal Submission]

I chucked an old baguette into the back garden yesterday for the local birdlife but I've only seen our furry friends take an interest in it so far. The squirrels have taken a few bites out of it but an old and rather feeble-looking fox has been standing over it for a good half-an-hour-plus, occasionally nibbling away at it and staring at the house.

I think the poor old thing is on its last legs. I wouldn't be surprised to find it pegged out on the lawn in the next day or two.

It's still there.

Either stale bread is tastier than I thought and to be lingered over whenever possible or the fox has lost its mind. Or teeth.

[ursus arctos]

https://twitter.com/cbsnews/status/1735413149770162643?s=12&t=xvOireV8JOIS_CpbTtDBow

[Amor de Cosmos]

A longhorn in New Jersey just seems, well... wrong!

[Sits]

These are of course a feral species here but live and breed freely enough to be wildlife round here. Since next door and their cats moved out this one has decided our drive is perfect for evening grooming. Lucky the dog can't get out front unleashed.

[Gangster Octopus]

Nope, rabbits should not be in Australia. Give your dog a chance. Especially if it's a dingo.

[Sits]

Nope, rabbits should not be in Australia. Give your dog a chance. Especially if it's a dingo.

Opinions are divided as to whether the Australian Kelpie has any dingo blood. The way ours is on the lead it wouldn’t surprise me.

[Sits]

Gecko in a shady corner.

[Balderdasha]

Gecko in a shady corner.

What species of gecko is that? Never seen one with a tail like that.

[Toby Gymshorts]

Got a picture of this noisy customer the other day.

[Hot Pepsi]

I love magpies.

[Sits]

I love magpies.

Yeah this. It's good to be reminded what those magpies look like as Australia has its own. A great bird in its own right, apart from the occasional divebomber.

[Hot Pepsi]

We don’t have them in the eastern US. We have blue jays and crows, which are also corvids.

[Balderdasha]

MrB is hugely superstitious about magpies and hates only seeing a single one. If he does, he immediately looks round for another one and if he can't find one he says "Hello Mr Magpie, how's your wife?" It comes from the "one for sorrow, two for joy" rhyme. I love magpies and used to find it a deeply annoying habit but I've learned to accept it as one of his quirks and I try and remember not to point out lone magpies as he's perfectly happy if he doesn't notice them.

[Capybara]

Being superstitious about magpies is extremely common. As, these days, are magpies themselves, in the southern UK at least. I can guarantee that if I go out now I will see one within a couple of minutes. They used to be a lot less common.

[ad hoc]

Yes, magpie populations have exploded in lots of places I think. There are loads in the UK whenever I go and there are loads at home in Transylvania

[Sits]

Gecko news.

[Janik]

Being superstitious about magpies is extremely common. As, these days, are magpies themselves, in the southern UK at least. I can guarantee that if I go out now I will see one within a couple of minutes. They used to be a lot less common.

British Ornithology Trust numbers are that the UK Magpie population has actually shrunk marginally over the last 25 years (down 4% since ~2000). However in the 30 years before that the population more than doubled. And a wildlife population number that is relatively stable in recent years is, effectively, it being majorly successful - the average is significant reduction.

Where their populations are has shifted, though. Increasingly urban. Which explains sighting increases. The human urban environment suits them well:- https://www.theguardian.com/science/...to-build-nests

[Lang Spoon]

I never saw them in Fife at all as a kid, now they are as ubiquitous as the evil bastard herring gulls in my parents' garden.

[slackster]

Jays, those quite colourful Corvid cousins of the magpie, which were once rarely spotted secretive woodland birds, also seem to be about a lot more and braving suburban gardens now.

[Balderdasha]

Gecko news.

I did a bit of research. I think they're these guys: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broad-tailed_gecko

[hobbes]

We have a regular magpie team who live near us and spend a lot of time in the garden, worm hunting.
Them and the wood pigeons are often in a postcode standoff over whose manor it is.

Until the crows turn up and give it the big one. Cause frankly it's their turf. I've watched our crows see off a heron before.

It's only 3 months until the swifts turn up too. Hundreds of tiny turds coating the car are small price to pay for the sort of swift numbers that would have Chris Packham furiously abraiding his corduroys.
I remember an episode where they sent Meg to look at the impressive swifts. There were about 8 of them.
I reckon on a warm summer evening in July as the sun sets we could usually count into 3 figures (if the little feckers would keep still enough to count, that is)

[Sits]

I did a bit of research. I think they're these guys: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broad-tailed_gecko

Yes indeed they are. Many, many pages ago I met my first, a tiny example hissing at me in an impressive manner after I disturbed it while sweeping.

[Sits]

The rabbit on post 481 is no more. This morning Mrs. S saw it - on the drive as ever - looking poorly. By this afternoon it was dead in the same spot. I buried it, technically because it's too long before the next bin day but it felt like a nice thing to do. Sentimental old fool.