Another Visitor

[CHJ]

This time of the Fur variety, early to mid morning every day just on the off chance that there were some kitchen scraps left over from the day before, think the evening Badger bun fight is a bit too traumatic for this one.

 

[monkeybiter]

You're very lucky to have these visitors, the badgers were lovely too, great photo's.
We make do with a couple of squirrels, hedgehogs and frogs. We did have a ring necked parakeet visit on Christmas day a couple of years ago.

It's great to have a little bit of untamed nature sharing it's world.

 

[NazNomad]

As someone that keeps poulty ... BOOM! Job done.

 

[sunnybob]

If you have any farmers or equestrian stables around you, dont tell them youre feeding badgers. Thats a hanging offence.

 

[dickm]

Daily RED squirrels up here - record is six in the garden at any one time.

 

[Grahamshed]

We did have a ring necked parakeet visit on Christmas day a couple of years ago.

Ahh yes, I remember the Christmas before last. We had a Turkey visit us. Didn't hang around for long though.

 

[CHJ]

I live in a farming community, the badgers and foxes have their sets and dens on local properties, rarely are the animals a problem, indeed they help keep the vermin under control, far better than having to keep putting poison down.

I have lived on farms a large percentage of my life and have been in a position to have to cull foxes being a nuisance, usually one with a problem preventing normal hunting.
I've also experienced a fox with a den under one of a dozen or so chick rearing coupes that never attempted to touch them or get into the deep litter housings with hundreds of hens in them, although the same group worked the buildings at night after the mice and rats and the vixen was often seen stalking poultry not suitably protected on a small holding over a mile away and helping herself to eggs from the open air nests. (TV personality who's wife wanted to play at farming) even been known to bring an egg or hen back to the set leaving a trail of feathers across the fields.
I've never had experience of foxes worrying sheep, only pet dogs (which had to be shot), although the foxes regularly cleaned up the afterbirth from lambs dropped in the open field. A Ewe or Goat for that matter can be a very fearsome defender of their young and anyone who has experienced being bunted by either can appreciate why a fox respects them.
Just once in 14 years whilst I lived at Stone Farm, Lineholt, in Worcestershire did we have a Fox take any chickens and that was because someone failed to close a roosting hut access ramp on a free-range pen.

The local Badgers are immunised against TB, the only nuisance they cause is destruction of flower borders if you don't take precautions to prevent them setting up new runs through them and local drystone walls suffer where newcomers rebuild without applying the common sense of leaving passage tunnels through them where they intersect their long standing runs.

Tolerant co-habiting works both ways, watching the Deer, Badgers, Fox and local Cats all working the field behind us of an evening is a lesson to all in respect and common sense.

 

[Woodchips2]

Daily RED squirrels up here - record is six in the garden at any one time.

Proof with photos please Dick :lol:

Hadn't seen red squirrels since my youth until we went to a protected woodland near Southport. Used to have lots of grey squirrels when we lived in Bedford who could be very clever but also very destructive. I read about giving them their own feeder which I made with a perspex front so they could see the nuts but they destroyed it the first time they used it.

Regards Keith

 

[sunnybob]

I lived for 30 years in Somerset, and knew a few estate game wardens. I even went out with one at three am to try find a fox that was killing the hens. We didnt.
He told me the lady of the manor (no names no pack drill) was constantly "badgering" (hah) him to shoot all badgers on sight. he knew he was not allowed to do that, but didnt dare tell her as she had lost 2 horses with broken legs through falling down badger holes and didnt give a damn about the law.
I had another friend who lived in cow country and used to feed the badgers in her garden at dusk most days. When the neighbours found out she was almost run out of town.

Personally, i have no problem with either, but then I dont keep livestock or horses.

 

[sunnybob]

Last time I saw a red squirrel in the wild I was still at primary school, and Buddy Holley was still making records, so you can do the math on that one.
But I did live in south London, and that was the onset of the grey invasion.

 

[CHJ]

I lived for 30 years in Somerset, and knew a few estate game wardens. I even went out with one at three am to try find a fox that was killing the hens. We didnt.
He told me the lady of the manor (no names no pack drill) was constantly "badgering" (hah) him to shoot all badgers on sight. he knew he was not allowed to do that, but didnt dare tell her as she had lost 2 horses with broken legs through falling down badger holes and didnt give a damn about the law.
I had another friend who lived in cow country and used to feed the badgers in her garden at dusk most days. When the neighbours found out she was almost run out of town.

Personally, i have no problem with either, but then I dont keep livestock or horses.

Anyone who runs horses or cattle in fields that have fox dens or badger sets within their boundaries without taking the precaution of putting a small fence around them, walking the field to check for hazards or any open area before riding out is being very irresponsible, just like the idiot opposite me who put her horse out in a rented field in the village without walking it and checking the fences, had to have the horse destroyed within 24hrs. because there was a roll of barbed wire left over from a previous user in a corner of the field which the horse got tangled with and broke a leg in the resultant panic.
Mind you there is a paddock currently grazing two horses and a pony with several clumps of Ragwort in it 500mtrs. down the road from me, so I guess my Fathers constant ranting about such precautions must have been over the top.

 

[Paul200]

Red squirrel checking out the bird feeders about 10 feet from our living room window.

More by luck than judgement we live in a small, thriving red squirrel pocket. This picture was taken last year. We regularly see 4 individuals in the wood to the back of our house, along with Roe and Fallow deer, badgers and foxes. We didn't expect the amount or variety of wildlife when we moved here. They can all be a nuisance if you regard them as such but rather than fence ourselves in we try to live in harmony with these critters and consider it a blessing. I try to explain it to our townie friends as 'we feel like we've fallen into a Disney film' and we love every minute

 

[CHJ]

They can all be a nuisance if you regard them as such but rather than fence ourselves in we try to live in harmony with these critters and consider it a blessing. I try to explain it to our townie friends as 'we feel like we've fallen into a Disney film' and we love every minute

Wish we had some Reds around here, afraid the Greys are too numerous for that though.
Although the Greys are culled around here we don't shoot the one or two who visit the seed trays, we overcome the nut feeder nuisance problem by all feeders having a cage around them, mind you that's as much to deter the jackdaws-crows-magpies-rooks etc. that cause just as much havoc, even the ground trays have to have a cage over them when the jackdaw, magpie & pheasant youngsters are about if the small ground feeder birds are to get a look in.

A couple of years ago some new blood in the village thought it was a good idea to clean up the village allotment edges back to the stone walls and cleared all the brambles and blackthorn, first evening the local Deer population said "thanks very much" and cleared all the nice tasty brassicas and some well formed grapes in lieu of the chewy blackberry shoots.

 

[owsnap]

Did you threw him some bread there?

 

[Graham Orm]

Some great pictures and tales. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Paul200]

Wish we had some Reds around here, afraid the Greys are too numerous for that though.

We do get an occasional Grey visiting but they are despatched quickly. One of our neighbours is a conservationist and something big in the area's Red Squirrel group so our Reds are well looked after. We've put feeders up for them in the wood but when these are busy they come down to the house to complain and have a go at the bird feeders :lol: We're having an extension built at the moment - the builders spend a lot of their time wildlife watching :roll:

A couple of years ago some new blood in the village thought it was a good idea to clean up the village allotment edges back to the stone walls and cleared all the brambles and blackthorn, first evening the local Deer population said "thanks very much" and cleared all the nice tasty brassicas and some well formed grapes in lieu of the chewy blackberry shoots.

:lol: Why do some people always know best?! We are 'incomers' - moved here 18 months ago - and both relatively new to rural life. I wouldn't do anything so drastic without consulting my mate Bill up the road. He's 83, fit as a fiddle, still maintains his cottage and garden, cuts his own firewood etc but, more importantly, is a genuine country boy and is a mine of information and wisdom. Costs nothing to ask - and usually involves a beer or two and a laugh. Thinking about it, we're doing our best to live in harmony with all our neighbours, animal and human - nothing wrong with that 8)

 

[Woodchips2]

Red squirrel checking out the bird feeders about 10 feet from our living room window.



More by luck than judgement we live in a small, thriving red squirrel pocket. This picture was taken last year. We regularly see 4 individuals in the wood to the back of our house, along with Roe and Fallow deer, badgers and foxes. We didn't expect the amount or variety of wildlife when we moved here. They can all be a nuisance if you regard them as such but rather than fence ourselves in we try to live in harmony with these critters and consider it a blessing. I try to explain it to our townie friends as 'we feel like we've fallen into a Disney film' and we love every minute

Lovely photo =D> =D> =D>
Regards Keith

 

[Paul200]

Thanks Keith. I feel a bit of a cheat though - you don't make the photographs here, the wildlife and scenery does it for you.

I'm also aware that I've hijacked this post (a bit) and I apologise Chas. I'm not very good with forum etiquette - I get carried away with a subject and end up in 'pub banter' mode - sorry :-(

 

[CHJ]

I'm also aware that I've hijacked this post (a bit) and I apologise Chas. I'm not very good with forum etiquette - I get carried away with a subject and end up in 'pub banter' mode - sorry :-(

No hijack at all Paul, there are more things in life's experience that are worth a share than just sawdust scattering, a couple of times today a break from the (old) back breaking job of sorting the weed life out of the borders has been enhanced by the vision of the multitude of birds species checking on the leatherjacket harvest and sorting the see tray over for the nestlings preferred seeds.
The late afternoon cappuccino break was further enhanced with the sound of the local swallow and martin returns chittering away as they stocked up on food after their journey.

 

[CHJ]

Just had another visitor raiding the Bird Seed tray, might know by the time I'd grabbed the camera it was moving off and this shot through two lots of glass and flash reflections only just managed to catch a poor view.

One wet Muntjac that's currently under one of the shrubs, don't know if it's just holed up for shelter or stuck for knowing which way to leave the garden.

Can only have jumped the fencing to get in, the Badger/Fox access tunnels are only 300mm at max, may have to leave appropriate gates open to aid its leaving, certainly not going to be those to the Veg. patch.