Nature Watch, Your Flora and Fauna Photos and Stories

Hetcins1 · Aug 24, 2022

A grey slug in dodd wood in the lake district this afternoon

Hetcins1 · Aug 24, 2022

A veiw from dodd wood to derwent water in keswick in the lake district.

Omegafanman · Aug 24, 2022

Hetcins1
A grey slug in dodd wood in the lake district this afternoon

Nice pneumostome shot :0)

gaarddog · Aug 24, 2022

A tiny eurasian wren with dinner.

Fretworker · Aug 24, 2022

I found an unexpected visitor in the garage today. Just managed a rubbish photo of the sparrowhawk before it flew away.

MRC · Aug 24, 2022

Fretworker
I found an unexpected visitor in the garage today. Just managed a rubbish photo of the sparrowhawk before it flew away.

My sister hates them. She lives in a very steep-sided tree-lined valley and has a feeding table for the passerines. The Sparrowhawks will dive in almost vertically, grab their lunch and be out of there like a Hawker Harrier. Flying skill at its best 👍 "Fat Cat" (now long RIP) could do nothing about them 😜

TimeODanaos · Aug 24, 2022

MRC
My sister... lives in a very steep-sided tree-lined valley and has a feeding table for the passerines. The Sparrowhawks will dive in almost vertically, grab their lunch and be out of there

The passerines are probably blessing their luck they weren't around at the time, and they love your sister for blunting those hawks' appetites! 👍

gaarddog · Aug 24, 2022

Nature is tough, and the sparrowhawks has to eat too.
In my experience (i have them here as well) they generally get those who are weakened or sick, and that way ensuring a healthy population among the smaller birds.
The less people interfere with nature the better.

Waltesefalcon · Aug 24, 2022

Snapped on my way to work yesterday morning.

Archer · Aug 25, 2022

gaarddog
The less people interfere with nature the better.

Well, yes and no. Sometimes because of past human actions, we need to interfere to help restore nature.

Case in point - a Monarch butterfly caterpillar on the milkweed we have planted around the back of our home:

Monarchs were the most prolific butterflies here when I was growing up - they were everywhere all summer. People took them for granted.

Now they are at risk, and the populations are in major decline. We are along their migration route to Mexico, and since we planted the milkweed we have had several years where eggs were laid, and butterflies were produced. We have also seen a marked increase in the number in our yard since planting the milkweed. We had some stop to rest overnight in our yard on their migration South one year...

We have already interfered with nature to such a degree, that we need to work to correct those mistakes.

Cheers, Al

Modest_Proposal · Aug 25, 2022

(taken with an iPhone)

I took this during the Great Cicada plague roughly a year ago. It's been my screensaver ever since.

Hetcins1 · Aug 25, 2022

Cat bells veiw from keswick in the lake district

Omegafanman · Aug 26, 2022

gaarddog
Nature is tough, and the sparrowhawks has to eat too.
In my experience (i have them here as well) they generally get those who are weakened or sick, and that way ensuring a healthy population among the smaller birds.
The less people interfere with nature the better.

Years ago I was in a car park at work, chatting with a colleague and eating a sandwich. A little bird appeared close to us and behaving a bit oddly. We were confused and threw is a bit of bread. Whoosh in another second it was gone. A sparrow hawk swooped in and took it from under our feet. We realised afterwards it must have already been hit and was dazed and confused when it hopped near us. Nature is so fast at times there is no time to interfere. We are lucky to have Sparrow Hawks in the area. I have seen one at full speed pull up over a garden fence and then turn 90 degrees to fly between two houses. Amazing creatures, make even the red arrows look like amateurs :0)