-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
John's mammals 2007 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Farnboro John
- Start date
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Not much action this weekend, did a bit of casual migration watching from the back garden. In the course of this at five o' clock on Saturday late afternoon, I spotted a Noctule Bat feeding fairly high over the housing estate. It nipped behind the house but reappeared once or twice over the next hour. It was quite a warm afternoon, a bit humid and plenty of insects around to tempt the bat out well before the light began to fade.
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Watched "our" Red Fox snoozing in the sun in the reeds on the far side of the brook Saturday lunchtime, then went for a walk up the lane at Greywell.
Both Bank and Field Voles, plus Wood Mouse, six Brown Hares and a fistful of Grey Squirrels and Rabbits made for a pretty good mammal day and reminded me I haven't done much out that way lately.
So Sunday I spent the afternoon up on a hill nearby, notching up 16 Golden Plover, a Merlin which to my surprise was a year-tick, a flyover Richard's Pipit, eight Buzzards, two Kestrels and two Sparrowhawks. There were also loads of Red-legged Partridges put down for shooting - no sign of any Greys in what used to be a great area for them, though.
John
Both Bank and Field Voles, plus Wood Mouse, six Brown Hares and a fistful of Grey Squirrels and Rabbits made for a pretty good mammal day and reminded me I haven't done much out that way lately.
So Sunday I spent the afternoon up on a hill nearby, notching up 16 Golden Plover, a Merlin which to my surprise was a year-tick, a flyover Richard's Pipit, eight Buzzards, two Kestrels and two Sparrowhawks. There were also loads of Red-legged Partridges put down for shooting - no sign of any Greys in what used to be a great area for them, though.
John
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Aaaaargh! Check out Surfbirds Mammals Gallery. How many hours have I spent looking for those pesky little beggars? Under someone's feet at a Rustic Bunting twitch - and sits still for a portrait!!!!
John
John
Colin
Axeman (Retired)
Hi John,
I have noticed a number of rats, dead in the road in the last few weeks here in Gloucestershire. Rarely seen them like this until recently.
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Yes, I saw one in Farnborough (dead on the road again) about thirty yards from my Mother's place. Never seen one there before, though that doesn't mean they were absent! I do think they are on the up just now and I reckon you can relate frequency of roadkill to abundance fairly directly.
John
Farnboro John
Well-known member
After a longish gap with nothing happening I spent two evenings over the weekend at Moor Green Lakes, watching rodents from the hide. The last working group of the year had found 3 Harvest Mouse nests in brambles they were cutting back so I figured a stakeout with the trusty night scope was in order.
After a Grey Squirrel on the walk in I watched 4 Wood Mice, (and got pix of them), a couple of voles I was pretty sure were Field (but which didn't pose), a big fat Brown Rat and something about half the size of a Wood Mouse that just wouldn't do the business properly but certainly aroused suspicions. A good rodent list.
More effort needed though....
John
After a Grey Squirrel on the walk in I watched 4 Wood Mice, (and got pix of them), a couple of voles I was pretty sure were Field (but which didn't pose), a big fat Brown Rat and something about half the size of a Wood Mouse that just wouldn't do the business properly but certainly aroused suspicions. A good rodent list.
More effort needed though....
John
Isurus
Well-known member
have you had harvest mouse yet this year John. Also in relation to the topic of feral mammals I wondered if you knew anything of the history of this colony of himalayan porcupines that has supposedly died out facilitating its suggested removal from schedule 9 if the WCA? I've tried some heavy duty googling to no effect.
Farnboro John
Well-known member
I can now answer yes to the first question, as on Monday evening I returned to Moor Green for the third evening on the trot and had 4 Wood Mice and 2 Brown Rats rambling in front of the hide and eventually found a Harvest Mouse clambering in the intermingled reeds/brambles/willows to its right. Viewing of all these was with the trusty night scope (at less than £200 a great investment this year that has unquestionably facilitated a good deal of listing, photography and sheer watching enjoyment).
I had not heard of the porcupine colony (some suggestion it was in Devon?) but its impossible to keep up with or follow up on all the claims and rural myths, e.g. breeding Raccoons in Somerset! If its gone it perhaps wasn't self-supporting?
In another success for this week, yesterday I had to go to a meeting at Catterick so stopped off for the seventh time this year at Fishpond Woods near Barnsley. I got there at daybreak and was in contact with a Water Shrew by 0745. I finally got a good record shot of the hyperactive insectivore at about 0850, my 42nd photographed mammal this year and 52nd overall in Britain. After so many hours trying I found afterwards my hands were shaking as I tried to text Maz and friends to give them the news.
I recommend the site to anyone anxious to see and be able to watch Water Shrew. I have only dipped once this year - in seven visits mark you - and although they are hard to photograph you can get quite good views on-and-off for long periods.
Still weather is useful as the best method of locating and tracking the shrews is by ripples in the water (so you don't want rain either).
John
MarkHows
Mostly Mammals
I know a little of the eradicated species, indeed Himalayan porcupine in Devon and Mongolian Gerbil - Isle of Wight, there have been raccoon, Coati and golden hamster.
There are others as well which I know even less about at least one still extant.
If anyone has any info on any of these I would appreciate a PM
Thanks
Mark
PS John can you PM me the details of you water shrew site, only seen one water shrew ever.
There are others as well which I know even less about at least one still extant.
If anyone has any info on any of these I would appreciate a PM
Thanks
Mark
PS John can you PM me the details of you water shrew site, only seen one water shrew ever.
Farnboro John
Well-known member
There is no need for a PM, its public access and the regular watcher is happy for it to be publicised as it suffers from occasional illegal pigeon shooting (and seems also to be a gay pick up zone, I've not been propositioned but I'm happier when Marion is with me). There is a small layby suitable for 2 or perhaps 3 cars.
Just going to check directions will then return with OS reference etc.
John
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Right.
From the A1M take the A635 towards Barnsley. At the beginning of Hickleton turn right onto minor road, then after about a mile left onto another, just short of a Big water tower. There is often a dead Brown Rat by the corner, must be a regular rat run.
After right and left sharp bends, park in tarmac layby on left. Follow path into wood, there is a circular walk (but currently a bridge is out so you can only get to target area by going left.)
The further of the two bridges (all right the first one you reach going left) is over the best channel for views of Water Shrews.
I forgot to check the grid reef but using Ordnance Survey get-a-map and putting in Hickleton or Hooton Pagnell will land you in the right area, its in between the two.
I doubt there is a better place in the UK for seeing Water Shrew, but equally expect that on here someone will contradict me.
Good hunting,
John
From the A1M take the A635 towards Barnsley. At the beginning of Hickleton turn right onto minor road, then after about a mile left onto another, just short of a Big water tower. There is often a dead Brown Rat by the corner, must be a regular rat run.
After right and left sharp bends, park in tarmac layby on left. Follow path into wood, there is a circular walk (but currently a bridge is out so you can only get to target area by going left.)
The further of the two bridges (all right the first one you reach going left) is over the best channel for views of Water Shrews.
I forgot to check the grid reef but using Ordnance Survey get-a-map and putting in Hickleton or Hooton Pagnell will land you in the right area, its in between the two.
I doubt there is a better place in the UK for seeing Water Shrew, but equally expect that on here someone will contradict me.
Good hunting,
John
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Friday evening I went back to the Moor Green hide and sat for about two hours in the dark with my camera and night scope. I got my best pictures of Brown Rat (up to four present) and a couple of good frames of Wood Mouse (also four present). I also got a fairly rubbish but identifiable Field Vole picture, which sorts out the inconclusive views from the previous weekend.
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Wednesday and the first sight of the sun for days, Grey Squirrels dashing about the parkland at work after the last of the fallen nuts. Sun still showing well mid afternoon so I left work early, legged it home and picked up kit including grapes Marion had bought on her way home for me to use as bait. Then I put them down again (unintentionally) and left.
I reached the Moor Green hide at about 1615 to find my mistake. Luckily I also found some fairly old shortbread biscuits in the car and a satsuma in my fleece pocket to mix with a bit of Trill. I had enough light to easily get set up with the camera focused in on the bait. The Brown Rats (3 to 4 tonight) were keen and dominated the baited area for nearly an hour, allowing me to improve still further on the pictures I had previously taken.
Early on I got a brief view of the Field Vole but that was the only visit it made during my stay.
Once the rats had got bored and become intermittent in their attendance, a couple of Wood Mice moved in. They were very nervous and kept rocketing off in huge bounds. Then another mouse arrived, twice the size and a lot more confident. It moved much more deliberately and when it startled at something, ran and took short bounds rather than the huge leaps of the Wood Mice. Adequate but not great photos confirmed my suspicion that this was a Yellow-necked Mouse.
The first spots of rain fell at about 1810, but it wasn't much and there was plenty going on so I stuck it out. Was I glad I did?
Scanning around with the night scope, including looking at the edge of the uncut bramble and reed scrub, suddenly I was looking at a very small rodent climbing deliberately up a vertical bramble stem. Reaching the cut top it curled the tip of its tail around the stem and I was looking at a Harvest Mouse from about ten feet. It was far and away the best view I have ever had, and from the comfort of a hide inside ten miles from home. After half a minute of sheer stupefaction mixed with elation I scrambled to try and reset the camera to cover the area but by the time I had done so and flashed off my first picture effort the little mouse had clambered off somewhere else.
Waiting till 1900 by which time it was pouring with rain produced no more sightings so I gave up, adding a Rabbit in torchlight on my way back to the car. Six rodent species and a Rabbit - a good day considering it was an office day!
Moor Green Lakes hides are protected by combination locks. Access is available to members of the Moor Green Lakes Group and costs a mere £3 per year: contacts on the MGLG website. None of the above sightings would have been possible without the aid of a night vision scope: although a red-filtered torch might not have spooked the animals (no guarantee) you would have to be able to use it and bins simultaneously.
In addition to the above the reserve holds Roe Deer, Red Foxes, Weasels, Stoats, occasional Mink, bats including Noctules, all three mainland shrew species, Bank Voles, and Otters are known to be using the River Blackwater that flows along the reserve edge. Tawny, Barn and Little Owls are regular, Goosander and Little Egrets winter. A top spot.
John
I reached the Moor Green hide at about 1615 to find my mistake. Luckily I also found some fairly old shortbread biscuits in the car and a satsuma in my fleece pocket to mix with a bit of Trill. I had enough light to easily get set up with the camera focused in on the bait. The Brown Rats (3 to 4 tonight) were keen and dominated the baited area for nearly an hour, allowing me to improve still further on the pictures I had previously taken.
Early on I got a brief view of the Field Vole but that was the only visit it made during my stay.
Once the rats had got bored and become intermittent in their attendance, a couple of Wood Mice moved in. They were very nervous and kept rocketing off in huge bounds. Then another mouse arrived, twice the size and a lot more confident. It moved much more deliberately and when it startled at something, ran and took short bounds rather than the huge leaps of the Wood Mice. Adequate but not great photos confirmed my suspicion that this was a Yellow-necked Mouse.
The first spots of rain fell at about 1810, but it wasn't much and there was plenty going on so I stuck it out. Was I glad I did?
Scanning around with the night scope, including looking at the edge of the uncut bramble and reed scrub, suddenly I was looking at a very small rodent climbing deliberately up a vertical bramble stem. Reaching the cut top it curled the tip of its tail around the stem and I was looking at a Harvest Mouse from about ten feet. It was far and away the best view I have ever had, and from the comfort of a hide inside ten miles from home. After half a minute of sheer stupefaction mixed with elation I scrambled to try and reset the camera to cover the area but by the time I had done so and flashed off my first picture effort the little mouse had clambered off somewhere else.
Waiting till 1900 by which time it was pouring with rain produced no more sightings so I gave up, adding a Rabbit in torchlight on my way back to the car. Six rodent species and a Rabbit - a good day considering it was an office day!
Moor Green Lakes hides are protected by combination locks. Access is available to members of the Moor Green Lakes Group and costs a mere £3 per year: contacts on the MGLG website. None of the above sightings would have been possible without the aid of a night vision scope: although a red-filtered torch might not have spooked the animals (no guarantee) you would have to be able to use it and bins simultaneously.
In addition to the above the reserve holds Roe Deer, Red Foxes, Weasels, Stoats, occasional Mink, bats including Noctules, all three mainland shrew species, Bank Voles, and Otters are known to be using the River Blackwater that flows along the reserve edge. Tawny, Barn and Little Owls are regular, Goosander and Little Egrets winter. A top spot.
John
Last edited:
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Friday evening and back in the hide for another session. No real goodies this time but cracking views of Brown Rats and Wood Mice. Barn Owl flew right past the hide and Littles and Tawnies shouting their heads off.
Saturday back again with Clare Dell. (Borrowed my brother's night scope so we had one each.) We had 3 rats and up to 4 Wood Mice, showing well - and by the way, we tested a red filtered torch and they weren't bothered by it. However there was one mouse less when we left because while we were watching one sitting on its haunches nibbling a seed held in its forepaws, a Brown Rat launched itself from below us straight at the Wood Mouse, grabbed it by the neck, rolled over with it several times and the squeaking stopped. The rat carried its victim off into the cut brush pile presumably to feed.
My books mention frogs, birds' eggs and "young mammals" - I imagine this means nests of voles/mice - as important protein rich parts of rats' diet but that is some way from out and out predatory behaviour. Anyone else seen this sort of thing?
BTW, there are practically no Rabbits left round us, the old myxie must have devastated them late summer cos before that the numbers were unbelievable.
John
Saturday back again with Clare Dell. (Borrowed my brother's night scope so we had one each.) We had 3 rats and up to 4 Wood Mice, showing well - and by the way, we tested a red filtered torch and they weren't bothered by it. However there was one mouse less when we left because while we were watching one sitting on its haunches nibbling a seed held in its forepaws, a Brown Rat launched itself from below us straight at the Wood Mouse, grabbed it by the neck, rolled over with it several times and the squeaking stopped. The rat carried its victim off into the cut brush pile presumably to feed.
My books mention frogs, birds' eggs and "young mammals" - I imagine this means nests of voles/mice - as important protein rich parts of rats' diet but that is some way from out and out predatory behaviour. Anyone else seen this sort of thing?
BTW, there are practically no Rabbits left round us, the old myxie must have devastated them late summer cos before that the numbers were unbelievable.
John
saluki
Well-known member
Hi John,
Have a look here:
http://www.ratbehavior.org/RatsMice.htm
Scroll down to "Mouse-killing behavior in rats".
Jonathan
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Thanks. I did find it in another of my books but not in the detail of your link. I can certainly confirm it was fast!
John
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Another evening at Moor Green. Not so successful because I didn't put bait out. I wanted (a) to benchmark normal rodent patrol activity and (b) to see if I could avoid the Brown Rat domination of the bait area.
I certainly managed the latter because I didn't see a rat there all evening - they were filching grain from the bird feeding station thirty yards away.
I saw one Wood Mouse come past the hide once and that was the lot. No bait, no rodents.
Getting bored with that I went to watch the action on the birds' grain and had Brown Rat plus two Yellow-necked Mice, not a bad result. That area can be watched from the main footpath but a night scope or red torch would still be necessary.
Light occasional spatters of drizzle nonetheless registered enough water droplets on the vegetation to hamper looking for eyeshine.
Barn, Little and Tawny Owls were all calling during the evening, audible above the racket from the Egyptian Geese.
John
I certainly managed the latter because I didn't see a rat there all evening - they were filching grain from the bird feeding station thirty yards away.
I saw one Wood Mouse come past the hide once and that was the lot. No bait, no rodents.
Getting bored with that I went to watch the action on the birds' grain and had Brown Rat plus two Yellow-necked Mice, not a bad result. That area can be watched from the main footpath but a night scope or red torch would still be necessary.
Light occasional spatters of drizzle nonetheless registered enough water droplets on the vegetation to hamper looking for eyeshine.
Barn, Little and Tawny Owls were all calling during the evening, audible above the racket from the Egyptian Geese.
John
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Another day, another session at Moor Green. This time I did put bait out and timed the arrival of the hungry hordes. The first Wood Mouse (had to wait over half an hour without bait for one to come past) arrived in 4 mins 18 secs and the first Brown Rat, 8 mins and 3 secs from the off.
At one point a rat made a dart at a mouse but this time it didn't get anywhere near it. I have discovered that although the camera lens won't lock up on autofocus in the dark, the infra-red illumination from the night scope gives it enough boost to do so at rodent watching range, so my pix should get better.
It began to rain soon after 1800 so I gave up.
John
At one point a rat made a dart at a mouse but this time it didn't get anywhere near it. I have discovered that although the camera lens won't lock up on autofocus in the dark, the infra-red illumination from the night scope gives it enough boost to do so at rodent watching range, so my pix should get better.
It began to rain soon after 1800 so I gave up.
John
Conorbirda2
Well-known member
I work nights fairly often and have seen Badger and loads of Red Fox in St Ives town centre! I have a Brown Rat in my garden at the moment. Not so happy about that though im afraid, john!
Similar threads
