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dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Sun Dec 27, 20 9:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

little bracket is starting to dress as a man so will probably be away looking to impress a ms brown in the next few weeks

the rat is a proper pita

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Thu Dec 31, 20 8:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

mrs brack arrived on the window sill at dawn to mention that the breakfast service was a little late

i am now feeding on a widow sill tray so the birds are at eyeball height and about a meter away, 5 mm glass included

it does give opportunity to set the camera up close on the food/them and press the remote button from the warmer comfort of a nice chair

perhaps i should organize something similar for the rat
tempting but unethical, illegal and antisocial( loud noises plus burning flying rat parts are never a popular new year gift )

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Thu Dec 31, 20 8:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

it is rather frozen here, so i have put out a tub of warm water for the birds
it will be replenished as necessary when it freezes

much like folk in the cold, liquid water can be as much of an issue as food for birds.

penquins are probably odd

from out to type this was 5 mins and mrs brack is face down in warm water

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Thu Dec 31, 20 9:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I must check our pond today. Yesterday it seemed to have liquid water, so the birds could use that. We haven't got any food out at the moment, so have been deserted by all but the robins for pastures where feeding is done rather than having to pick seeds etc. off plants. I did my duty by the robin in clearing the rest of the patio of leaves yesterday, so some pickings for him no doubt. I may continue down the path today, which should provide even richer pickings. I think two robins are setting up territory in different parts of the garden, as I have heard two having a song contest.

Slim



Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6533
Location: New England (In the US of A)
PostPosted: Thu Dec 31, 20 10:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Penguins must not be that much of an oddity. We can have fairly long spells without thawed water and our native overwintering birds don't perish.

gz



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8577
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
PostPosted: Thu Dec 31, 20 10:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

We had a walk around Dumfries House gardens, and their pools have fountains to keep an ice free space.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 21 10:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Although the frost didn't thaw yesterday, the ice on the puddle in the front garden didn't extend to the side, and the water in the garden pond was still liquid.

Went up to the woods yesterday, and as well as seeing some friends who were working there, also saw a deer going through the wood parallel to the track we were taking. Also saw 3 robins together in the garden in the afternoon. I had been clearing leaves off the path, so hope they got some pickings from there or the compost heap where I put the leaves. Trouble is, we have put some food out for them, but they don't seem to go there for it. Perhaps I might try hand feeding if I see them again.

gz



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8577
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 21 6:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

https://gzandco.blogspot.com/2021/01/reading-marks-birds-and-icy-walk.html
Pictures from this afternoon's walk, trying to identify all the footprints!

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Sat Jan 02, 21 9:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

stoat probably
but the size of prints in snow can be deceptive as the print gets bigger if there is a slight melt

weasel paws are tiny

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Sat Jan 02, 21 10:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Lovely Gz. We just went for a walk round the roads yesterday, so nothing particular. Later on I was working in the garden and one of the robins came to join me. I am glad to say I had done my duty by it and it found some odd creepy crawlies where I had been working.

gz



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8577
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
PostPosted: Sat Jan 02, 21 10:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I think weasel, dpack..I enlarged that image a bit

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Sun Jan 03, 21 10:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

i compared the paw print to the diameter of the grass strands, but it could be weasel

somewhere i have a book of foot size, patterns and trail shapes for uk mammals, i will try and find it

the wide to long ratio of the critter's trail is a good indication for some similar ones

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Sun Jan 03, 21 11:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

the "wet pot tray"/birdbath is about 2C, tweed jumped in, jumped out and then took a leisurely spa and bath for 5 mins

she may be slender with thin red legs, but she showed remarkable cold water immersion skills
if that had been me i would want my chums to drag me out horizontally and to follow normal re warming procedures

she is a sparrow, the others think she is a sparrow, i am reminded of darwin's finches as she is a "different "sparrow who has exploited a niche(she has me trained etc)the others have not

if young tweed is her offspring or even a similar very close relly/phenotype am i seeing how species evolve?
it does seem plausible

i spose can they breed? and do the offspring thrive? is a relevant set of data to look for.

as an individual she has a rather different phenotype to the colony but she is successful, socially with them, in terms of having food and especially in avoiding predators, with that stuff she out performs them on every metric

12 months ago i did not expect her to thrive, now i am wondering if i am watching a Galápagos Islands moment

after we both hid from grin in the same bit of bramble we have had a very close bond
maybe "interfering" with wildlife is of dubious ethics but a bird feeder is just an available niche to them and an amusement to me.

gz



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8577
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
PostPosted: Sun Jan 03, 21 4:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

dpack wrote:
i compared the paw print to the diameter of the grass strands, but it could be weasel

somewhere i have a book of foot size, patterns and trail shapes for uk mammals, i will try and find it

the wide to long ratio of the critter's trail is a good indication for some similar ones

Difficult to see tail marks where it was, just at the road edge on a small patch of otherwise untouched snow.
I will have to keep an eye out for that

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Sun Jan 03, 21 5:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

shape of critter, gait and tail mark (or not see squizzer vs rat) can all be found in the trail it left as well as foot shape and size.

that said size and shape are the primary criteria as to what it was and can often describe what age, gender or condition a beast is in.

gait and trail are useful for deciding what it was doing

sometimes just for fun i track strangers on pavements, once you "get your eye in" tiny clues lead to the shoes, it is easier than most would think, or i follow an old trail to see how long i can keep it

they never know
off road no comment re any species

re the id stuff for critters i spose learning the shapes and "styles"is the thing
your id seems pretty good but where did that weasel go, what was it doing etc? are also fun

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