Went to RHS Wisley gardens yesterday and saw a reasonable amount of wildlife including some rather unexpected ones. On one of the lakes there was an adult moorhen, a younger one without the red over the beak, and a chick that was still at the fluffy stage, but swimming around quite happily. At the bird hide we saw great tits, another tit which may have been a blue tit, a nuthatch and rather oddly a couple of parakeets. I knew they were in Kent and London but didn't know they had got that far. Rather regrettable as they should be in foreign parts, not here.
Was digging over the potato bed again to pick up ones I had missed and realised there were a few wasps around me. Went to the other side and realised we had a nest between the next bed and a wooden board leaning against it. Will leave them alone as they will die out over winter anyway.
We were up at a show yesterday and there was a kestrel hovering really nicely over the next field. Sadly. son didn't have the right lens on his camera, but it was lovely to see. We used to get a lot of them, but then all the scrub was removed from along the main road and lack of food means they moved on as they got small rodents like mice from the road edges.
Husband and son saw something crossing the track in the woods yesterday at high speed. They described it as a barrel with a pointy bit on the front, and think it might have been a wild boar. They are both sides of us, but didn't know we had any in our area. Will keep a look out.
check either side of the track it crossed for footprints, that would be an easy hog confirmation (ditto hair on the wire etc)
they don't want to meet you, so are safe in that way
you may surprise them in the bushes while working or pottering, which i have been told is interesting (i heard the noises in the dark and spent the night in a tree just in case)
this time of year they are probably after acorns and similar
it has been an odd year for nature so they might be having to seek new forage grounds
it may have been a young boar starting out on his own
It has been sighted, briefly, by someone else in our woodland complex, but again briefly enough not to be sure. The ground either side is thick grass, and unfortunately, by the time they had registered it might be a wild boar, husband and son had driven over the track. No fences, and only hazel one side and general soft undergrowth the other so no hair. It does worry me a bit as most of the trees aren't very climbable.
a family group of mature boar, sows and piglets is quite noticeable.
rooting, nesting, wandering about with squiggly piglets etc all have strong sign or direct observation
i would be aware it (or they)may be around but not very worried, they will avoid you if at all possible (or steal your lunch) and are only dangerous if they see you as a threat, if so back off politely telling them you will go that way so they can continue doing piggy things
a few apples and a night in a tree with a night sight is a viable option if they do seem to be a problem
We do have the option of a trail cam if we think they have been in our bit of the wood. No sign of rooting that I have seen, but do have dogs and badgers digging, so may have assumed it was them. Hopefully just a lone one passing through.
Yes, I would expect them to be on fruit for sugar at this time of year. I was surprised to see hornets on the grapes a little while ago; of course they could have been taking insects that were on the sugar, but I didn't have my glasses on, so wouldn't have been able to see very tiny insects.
Had a visitor in our bedroom yesterday morning. I looked up and there was a robin sat on the inside windowsill. It didn't seem particularly bothered, but as I approached it, it flew out of the room and along to the front of the house. Found it in the front bedroom, so opened a large window, but had to get between it and the window to do so, so it flew back. Went back to our bedroom and opened the big window there and eventually it flew out. I asked it not the make any mucky messes, and as far as I can see it did as I asked. The only way it could have got in was through the fanlight which was only open a tiny bit. Amazing how small a gap small birds can get through; we noticed it with the bluetit that nested in the kiln in the spring.
They are falling well here too. Unless your remark is cryptic of course. We have been living in a rain of beech leaves in the woods the last week or two.
We have found this with out wood. Where we cut coppice that hasn't been touched for 50-60 years, we suddenly get a mass of woodland flowers. This attracts insects, birds, bats and small mammals.
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