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London (Inner City) Wildlife

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  • rina
    rina Posts: 2,337
    killerandflash said:
    Uboat said:
    We get red kites flying over Barnet these days. Unimaginable a decade ago. 
    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 now
    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 relaxing

    We also have regular visits from ring necked parakeets and a buzzard that pops over every now and again
  • StigThundercock
    StigThundercock Posts: 3,722
    Stig said:
    Uboat said:
    We get red kites flying over Barnet these days. Unimaginable a decade ago. 
    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. 
    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.
    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.
  • Athletico Charlton
    Athletico Charlton Posts: 14,303
    2 badgers and one buzzard seen in Beckenham 
  • Talal
    Talal Posts: 11,515
    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. 


  • killerandflash
    killerandflash Posts: 69,985
    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 :D
  • BlackfenLen
    BlackfenLen Posts: 171
    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.
  • PopIcon
    PopIcon Posts: 5,970
    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.
  • Talal
    Talal Posts: 11,515
    We regularly get woodpeckers but I've no idea if they're quite common or not. 
  • Addictedoldgit
    Addictedoldgit Posts: 1,832
    On BBC news today was pictures of a mangy fox trotting past the door of 10 Downing St.

    No it wasn't Cummings. 
  • Leuth
    Leuth Posts: 23,391
    Talal said:
    We regularly get woodpeckers but I've no idea if they're quite common or not. 
    Greater Spotteds are fairly common in SE London; Greens are a bit more unusual in the city. Lesser Spotteds would be an insane find; I've never seen one

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  • Talal
    Talal Posts: 11,515
    Leuth said:
    Talal said:
    We regularly get woodpeckers but I've no idea if they're quite common or not. 
    Greater Spotteds are fairly common in SE London; Greens are a bit more unusual in the city. Lesser Spotteds would be an insane find; I've never seen one
    It's the green ones we always get. 
  • killerandflash
    killerandflash Posts: 69,985
    I've seem Green woodpeckers on Hampstead Heath, they and the Greater Spotteds are fairly common there
  • Boom
    Boom Posts: 1,681
    There’s got to be a joke there somewhere!
  • Stig
    Stig Posts: 29,104
    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. 


  • Stig
    Stig Posts: 29,104
    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
  • Uboat
    Uboat Posts: 12,205
    thecrazyaddick said:
    Bumped into this beauty walking around the local golf course here in Whistler the other day...
    I have to ask. How frightening was it?
  • Elthamaddick
    Elthamaddick Posts: 15,847
    F**k that !!!!!
  • i_b_b_o_r_g
    i_b_b_o_r_g Posts: 18,948
    Uboat said:
    thecrazyaddick said:
    Bumped into this beauty walking around the local golf course here in Whistler the other day...
    I have to ask. How frightening was it?
    Needed to work on his putt
  • AddicksAddict
    AddicksAddict Posts: 15,841
    Strasburger said:

    This was a Buzzard spotted over Eltham being attacked by crows
    Looks like a flying shark. 

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  • i_b_b_o_r_g
    i_b_b_o_r_g Posts: 18,948
    AddicksAddict said:
    Strasburger said:

    This was a Buzzard spotted over Eltham being attacked by crows
    Looks like a flying shark. 
    Don't get sharks in London mate
  • Stig
    Stig Posts: 29,104
    thecrazyaddick said:
    Bumped into this beauty walking around the local golf course here in Whistler the other day...
    A nice little stroll around your local golf cub.
  • killerandflash
    killerandflash Posts: 69,985
    thecrazyaddick said:
    Bumped into this beauty walking around the local golf course here in Whistler the other day...
    The management was furious as he's not a member
  • Uboat
    Uboat Posts: 12,205
    thecrazyaddick said:
    Bumped into this beauty walking around the local golf course here in Whistler the other day...
    I would definitely need to pop into the pro shop to get some new trousers. 
  • Wilma
    Wilma Posts: 1,618
    Not as exciting as a big bear on a golf course, but I saw a bat in my garden again last night! 
  • DaveMehmet
    DaveMehmet Posts: 21,634
    Wilma said:
    Not as exciting as a big bear on a golf course, but I saw a bat in my garden again last night! 
    Don’t eat it
  • Ferryman
    Ferryman Posts: 2,922
    We've gone from trainspotting to birdwatching!
  • SoundAsa£
    SoundAsa£ Posts: 22,506
    Ferryman said:
    We've gone from trainspotting to birdwatching!
    Speak for yourself squire.
  • Cloudworm
    Cloudworm Posts: 977
    edited May 2020
     Presumably looking for somewhere to nest.
  • thecrazyaddick
    thecrazyaddick Posts: 607
    edited May 2020
    @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.

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