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dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46187
Location: yes

Posted: Sat Jul 20, 24 2:31 pm Post subject:

summer birdtown report

3 species doing sort of ok, many absent, some at far reduced numbers and visitation eyeballs

Invertebrates do not seem to be thriving either, from aphids to rare wasps and the terrestrials many are absent, the ones present are massively reduced

i know i am about to alter a significant chunk of the area i have, it will be done with resistance to the 6th extinction in mind

mouse castles and bug homes are best done well(unlike most approved by committee or done by enthusiastic children)

the new mouse castle will have ceramic voids with safe multiple access points, it will not show on the surface, ditto invertebrate homes
the tunnels of cuchicuchicoo

bug homes and foods sort of develop, but some are planned into the new build

it should look nice and function "for humans" and function as a lifeboat "for critters"
ps many of my random weeds are ace medicine and for other trad stuff such as seasoning or feeding critters or making nests etc

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15947

Posted: Sun Jul 21, 24 8:48 am Post subject:
Think it was the wet and cool spring that did for a lot of things. Butterflies don't seem to be so numerous this year, but not sure about other things. Bluetits and other insect eaters seem to be as numerous here.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46187
Location: yes

Posted: Sun Jul 21, 24 11:13 am Post subject:

the counts here compared to say 5 yrs ago look like a multi species extinction level event, with some survivors in reduced numbers

beetles, bugs etc very rare, bees rare to missing etc etc

local birds got cooked while breeding which reduced some spp to none , others to very few and some recovering with help

migratory birds are rare, etc

bats, there are 2 of i know rather than tens of in the same area

not seen a random phib for 2 yrs(i used to get a few a year)

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15947

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 24 9:13 pm Post subject:

Well we certainly have plenty of slugs, snails and ants. I got bitten at a show last week and husband got bitten by some in the garden this week. Saw a hare and some unidentified animal in the woods today. Not sure what it was as it crossed the track in front of us and we just got a view of the back end disappearing into the undergrowth. Heard what may have been a buzzard chick; definitely a buzzard, but rather high pitched.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15947

Posted: Thu Aug 01, 24 7:36 am Post subject:
Had a young blackbird sitting on our windowsill being fed. The windows are open, and it started to hop inwards, so had to yell at it to change its mind. Rather nice to see though. We also saw a fox in broad daylight in a residential area wandering along the verge. Semi-rural, but that part is mainly houses.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46187
Location: yes

Posted: Thu Aug 01, 24 8:59 pm Post subject:
i met a very local toad, it met me hopefully it is still local

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15947

Posted: Fri Aug 02, 24 7:31 am Post subject:
If it knows your garden is wildlife friendly it might know which way its bread is buttered. We were sitting having lunch yesterday in our 'yard' when an Ichneumon wasp of some sort appeared on the side of the trailer. Son got the ID as far as that. Shortly after, a whole load of others appeared, so must have been a hatch not far from where we were sitting. They moved off quite quickly.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46187
Location: yes

Posted: Sat Aug 03, 24 8:17 am Post subject:

some old pals have been seen, assorted snail spp is nice

the new improved mouse castle with toad halls(it can choose) is different and better

the human plants are liking light

destruction and construction and not upsetting the wildlife more than minimum is a bit delicate
the chap doing all the heavy stuff has become quite taken by mice and hand feeding birds, im not sure he really understood when i grabbed a stump off him saying" careful, one of my special spiders" , i was quite brave, three times i have had Schmidt 3 hits from the false widows
"a tiny stimulus not unlike the tip of a thistle prickles, some hours of no obvious problems, then you hope the skin won't split, then you hope it will"

they are not shy like the funnel webs who are polite even though they also have a nasty nip

i think my arm was probably a flower bug, S2
and something got my foot in a S2+ way, might have been multiple wasp stings in a safety slipper

both swelled a bit

the birds are getting used to the new environment

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15947

Posted: Sat Aug 03, 24 3:30 pm Post subject:
Not too sure about your spiders, but glad the other wildlife approves. Currently we have a number of snails living in our recycle bin, so hope they either wander off before it goes out. or the like the recycling centre.

Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2570
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Sat Aug 03, 24 5:38 pm Post subject:

Yesterday evening I tossed out the usual - dry corn kernels, peanuts, black oil sunflower seed. Thirty minutes later I tiptoed through the dark kitchen, flicked on the outside light and

there were SIX raccoons in a couple of sizes, three or perhaps four smaller ones, the others larger but not massively so, daintily picking up the goodies.

Looked again not quite an hour on. No raccoons. No seed either.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46187
Location: yes

Posted: Sat Aug 03, 24 5:40 pm Post subject:

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46187
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Aug 05, 24 6:07 pm Post subject:
that nasturtium has at least 50, medium-sized white going by who has been laying eggs nice to see at least one spp coping, sort of, the lack of numbers and lack of spp among the insects(birds and bats) is scary if this posts i will carry on in a few mo

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46187
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Aug 05, 24 7:40 pm Post subject:

total leccy crash between writing and posting, this pooter is more robust than i expected
more of leccy later

where was i?

ahh, tt's today anecdote says the area of woods etc around Knaresborough are noticeable lacking in invertebrates birds etc compared to previous observations
(the river is filthy, even 5 yrs ago it was between grade one and two out of 5 clean, decent size trout etc)

mouse and its two tiny mousey children were happy to feed 3 feet away from me, they like stage one of the mouse castle improvements

ps i recon that snap is ok for a less than fancy phone

get close and a minute with pro photoshop beta/raw tweaks was all it needed to make it look ok

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15947

Posted: Tue Aug 06, 24 7:23 am Post subject:
Have not seen many butterflies this year, but there are the usual range of them I think. Weather was rather against them this winter and spring. Otherwise, think we have about the same number as in previous years, so avoiding areas where ticks are likely to lurk, but still pick them up sometimes.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46187
Location: yes

Posted: Fri Aug 09, 24 10:52 am Post subject:

the improved mouse castle is approved

i was a bit worried they might be upset by the alterations, the log with 3 holes makes a fine gatehouse, the extra passages and runways between and under lumps are popular

never more than a few inches from safety seems to be ideal for them, before the improvements some parts were a little exposed

although there are many nooks and crannies and tunnels, they are even happier to show themselves posing on choice stones

the birds are a bit upset at the gap between the restaurant and the trees and bushes over the alley
it is exposed in a way grin could exploit, rather than bushes almost meeting over the alley

next year a lot more co-potted nasturtiums, the pillars have almost eaten these two
very few insects of all spp, they need any help they can get, i feel rather odd having to fluff elsie, craig and shirley

thinking of insects, aphids have been depleted which goes with few ladybirds, wasps, other predators
moths and butterflies are almost not present
ditto large insectivores, eg bats
worm town is thriving

very few birds compared to 3 or 4 yrs ago,for numbers of the spp present and many spp just not present
that goes for locals and seasonal migrants

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