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Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15514

PostPosted: Wed Jan 15, 20 8:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I noticed that you go from town to rural in far shorter distance in the north than down here Dpack. Here we tend to get sprawl for miles. We do have a natural barrier with the Downs, but the people tend to be mainly townees even so. The wildlife tends to go where it likes, but we do get too many pigeons because of peoples taste in garden trees and hedging.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45324
Location: yes
PostPosted: Wed Jan 15, 20 12:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

it depends where in the north. leeds and manchester are pretty sprawling, york is a compact target of urban, suburban in concentric rings and then rural with villages/small towns for 20 or so miles in any direction

huddersfield is both, from where i grew up one direction nowt but high fields and moor until oldham or rochdale and industrial/urban sprawl along the river towards leeds the other way.

there are plenty of ex industrial urban patches set in rural land with no suburban border and patches of dormitory suburbia as well.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15514

PostPosted: Thu Jan 16, 20 7:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Thanks Dpack. I have only been to York. I don't know the north of England at all as I have always lived down south. I have been to the Lake District a few times; once on holiday and other times on business. Otherwise I haven't been to the north much. We have visited Newcastle a few times, but only York last year other than that.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15514

PostPosted: Fri Jan 17, 20 8:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Managed to get round the wood on Wednesday, even through it was more of a slippery slide rather than a walk over most of it, and the bluebell leaves are starting to come up in the south of the wood. A bit late if anything, but probably kept their heads down as it was so wet.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45324
Location: yes
PostPosted: Sat Jan 18, 20 12:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

i have decided to trawl the scholarly papers re sparrows, it will help prevent reinventing the wheel and might help focus this towards new data.

at the mo the ratio of 7M to 4F is understandable as the boys are the nest holders and the girls often breed out of the village afaik.

there are some papers about social stuff, i will have to see what aspects of interest are already covered.

the total number of the local colony has dropped by about 50% over the last week or so but more girls than boys have gone so it seems it is partly social as well as tragedy and murder.

there were roughly twice as many girls as boys and now it is about 7 boys to 4 girls

the boys have become more aggressive to each other and show offs to the ladies so it looks like an early start to the season at the mo.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15514

PostPosted: Sun Jan 19, 20 9:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

That seems the most likely reason. Setting up territory and then the ladies decide who they fancy. We once had two blackbirds with territories that met in our garden, and we had to put out two lots of food within a few feet of each other or they argued when one came into the others territory.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45324
Location: yes
PostPosted: Sun Jan 19, 20 1:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

with blackbirds it is the female who owns territory and the nest, she then chooses a chap from the suitors.

sparrows, the chaps are the householders

re an early start to the season this am dik has got very vocal and is quite fierce , there is a long tailed tit claiming the maple, mr black visits ms brown but i am not sure if she likes him.

yungi is resident somewhere, the journeys from food source to home larder are quite quick

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45324
Location: yes
PostPosted: Sun Jan 19, 20 1:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

ps i forgot yungi has a lady friend called miiki( for ear related reasons that might embarrass her if mentioned )

i await the patter of many tiny feet.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15514

PostPosted: Mon Jan 20, 20 7:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Nice you have got a wood mouse back again. So Yungi may be the new patriarch then.

Apart from pigeons and the odd rook, haven't seen too much of interest in the garden. We went into town yesterday ( to get away from the mud) and there was a young seagull seeing off other young seagulls. It seemed to be aiming for top place, but didn't see if it was aggressive to adults.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45324
Location: yes
PostPosted: Mon Jan 20, 20 12:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

mice paired and harvesting
blackbirds paired
dik angry ( he should be a bit cautious considering the last two were eaten while shouty)
sparrows competitive
a lone long tailed tit held the maple next door for a while but has left again
the parliament of crows is yet to assemble but the jackdaws seem to have started acting as though they expect spring

the flora seems to be getting an early start as well

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15514

PostPosted: Tue Jan 21, 20 8:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Ours seems to be a bit variable. The bluebell leaves are a bit late coming up, but I saw some wild arum leaves fully opened and some other unidentified leaves starting to come through the ground in the south of the wood. We have had frost 3 out of the last 4 nights, although it has been warm in the sun, so may put things back. So far, no smell of wild garlic; we usually smell it before we see it as we tread on the emerging leaves. Little sound of birds staking our territory.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45324
Location: yes
PostPosted: Thu Jan 23, 20 1:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

boy sparrows eating a lot, squabbling a bit and outnumbering girls 2.5 to 1 at the mo in the feeding group ratio.

it might be that the girls are yet to arrive from somewhere to replace siblings etc but if mine left others should have arrived.
it might be some are sitting already? but i have not seen nest materials bought and building work undertaken so far?

where are the ladies?

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15514

PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 20 8:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Rather odd. We haven't seen or heard very much evidence of birds even setting up territories yet. The pigeons at home are courting, but they always do regardless of the time of year, and heard the occasional woodpecker drumming in the woods, otherwise very little.

sgt.colon



Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.
PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 20 9:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

How do you tell the difference between the boy and girls DPack?

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45324
Location: yes
PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 20 10:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

boys have a black bibs is the most obvious feature, but other feather patterns and overall shape can give it away if the angles are wrong to see a bib.

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