Attention: Please take a moment to consider our terms and conditions before posting.
London (Inner City) Wildlife
Comments
-
We have about a dozen out the back of my house in Ruislip, it's rare to look out the window and not be able to see at least one of them. I've taken to lying in the hammock in the garden and watching them circle overhead, it's quite relaxingkillerandflash said:
That's brilliant. They've been so successful since being reintroduced to the Chilterns not that long ago, but I never realised that had reached the edge of London nowUboat said:We get red kites flying over Barnet these days. Unimaginable a decade ago.
We also have regular visits from ring necked parakeets and a buzzard that pops over every now and again3 -
The majority of the stock used for the Thames Valley reintroduction were bred from Spanish birds but a proportion owe their heritage to Wales, where man never quite succeeded in exterminating them. Their inherent laziness and lack of discernment when it comes to food led to their historic unpopularity in the London area. The 17th century metropolis was such a stinking refuse pile Red Kites were thriving on man's rubbish. Pepys refers to them in pestilential huge numbers. They were persecuted to practical extinction in England as a result.Stig said:
Red Kites are surely the feelgood story of the new millennium. It's amazing to think that none of our kites are real native-natives but the descendants of European imports.Uboat said:We get red kites flying over Barnet these days. Unimaginable a decade ago.
Resistance to their reintroduction of course persists from the usual ignorant prejudiced quarters, claiming quite wrongly that they prey on ground nesting birds. A Red Kite much prefers prey that doesn't move, it has to be very hungry indeed to consider mobile food, its staple diet is carrion i.e. stuff what's already dead. Persecution of Kites and all raptor species has multiplied exponentially under lockdown as the murderous scum believe they have been getting away with poisoning, trapping and shooting birds while many fewer people have been abroad in the countryside. One special kind of scum sucking lowlife shitstain has even taken out one of the very recently reintroduced (to the Isle of Wight) White Tailed Eagles, may that criminal rot in perpetual agony. All UK's raptors are officially protected. Interfering with any of them is prohibited. The grizzling bullshit about ground nesting game birds is tenuous in the extreme and those criminal scumbags put the ground nesting game birds (pheasant, grouse, etc) in the habitat already populated with predators then bleat about a few chicks being buzzard breakfast. Pricks all.10 -
2 badgers and one buzzard seen in Beckenham3
-
Nothing particularly unusual but have had a fox with four cubs visit the garden almost daily for the past couple of weeks.
Had a blue tit was right outside the window for a good hour, must've dazed itself on the glass. Was watching when it flew off suddenly as if nothing had happened.
Also caught some badgers on cctv a month or so ago but no photo of that.
5 -
I like foxes. Except when they're mating or their cubs are fighting and making a massive racket at 2 in the morning outside my bedroom
1 -
Had a family of foxes(5 cubs minimum) living under our extension for the last 2 months. Drives our dog nuts and can't wait to get rid of them, but can't do anything until the cubs move out.0
-
I made a list of every breed of bird I saw or heard in my SE12 garden in 2019. There were at least 25 different varieties.
Biggest surprises were a tawny owl and a cuckoo.
A couple of years back there was a hawk moth in the garden. Was an absolute joy, couldn't believe my luck, I actually thought it was a hummingbird at first.3 -
We regularly get woodpeckers but I've no idea if they're quite common or not.0
-
On BBC news today was pictures of a mangy fox trotting past the door of 10 Downing St.
No it wasn't Cummings.5 -
Sponsored links:
-
-
I've seem Green woodpeckers on Hampstead Heath, they and the Greater Spotteds are fairly common there0
-
There’s got to be a joke there somewhere!1
-
I saw this beauty in Richmond Park. I disappeared behind the bushes for a quick slash and this came up behind me and peered over my shoulder. I don't spook easily, but that frightened the shit out of me.
9 -
For anyone who want's to know what they've seen or keep a catalogue of sightings, I can thoroughly recommend iNaturalist. Apart from the computer algorithm that helps you to make identifications, there are plenty of helpful experts on there. I've posted over 4,000 observations there since joining three years ago.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&subview=grid&user_id=jarvo&verifiable=any
1 -
Bumped into this beauty walking around the local golf course here in Whistler the other day...
24 -
I have to ask. How frightening was it?thecrazyaddick said:Bumped into this beauty walking around the local golf course here in Whistler the other day...0 -
F**k that !!!!!0
-
Needed to work on his puttUboat said:
I have to ask. How frightening was it?thecrazyaddick said:Bumped into this beauty walking around the local golf course here in Whistler the other day...0 -
Looks like a flying shark.Strasburger said:
This was a Buzzard spotted over Eltham being attacked by crows2 -
Sponsored links:
-
Don't get sharks in London mateAddicksAddict said:
Looks like a flying shark.Strasburger said:
This was a Buzzard spotted over Eltham being attacked by crows0 -
A nice little stroll around your local golf cub.thecrazyaddick said:Bumped into this beauty walking around the local golf course here in Whistler the other day...0 -
The management was furious as he's not a memberthecrazyaddick said:Bumped into this beauty walking around the local golf course here in Whistler the other day...1 -
I would definitely need to pop into the pro shop to get some new trousers.thecrazyaddick said:Bumped into this beauty walking around the local golf course here in Whistler the other day...0 -
Not as exciting as a big bear on a golf course, but I saw a bat in my garden again last night!2
-
Don’t eat itWilma said:Not as exciting as a big bear on a golf course, but I saw a bat in my garden again last night!14 -
We've gone from trainspotting to birdwatching!0
-
Presumably looking for somewhere to nest.0
-
@Uboat - actually not too frightening, we see a bunch of black bears in Spring and Autumn around in the valley here. When I first saw one, not long after I moved here I crapped myself!! Used to them now though... if I saw a grizzly bear that close however, different story.3
