Bird watching v mammal watching (2 Viewers)

[Gill Osborne]

Hi Peter,
I would definitely tick the Chillingham White Cattle....always wanted to go and see them and as I now live about, what, five miles away it would be sacrilage not to! Ok, they may just be 'cows' but they're a heck of a lot wilder than any of my landlords heifers LOL
I'd also LOVE to get close to the Cheviot Wild Goats....sure they can't be far from where I now live. I know they can be rather secretive and hard to find but is there anywhere that I can concentrate on looking which would give me a better than average chance of a sighting?

GILL

 

[Richard W]

I got into Dragonflies after restoring a pond at work approx 10 yrs ago, spend a lot of time watching them in the summer,once the migrants have come back is nice to have something else to look out for.

 

[Okie]

I live in the Deep Fork River Basin of the Cimmeron Valley of Oklahoma here in the USA. So we have an abundance of all types of wildlife. We are blessed to live in what is called a bottom land hardwood forrest and spend much of our free time watching all types of animals and birds. We have both deer and bird feeders out our back door and get excited about every thing except skunks, and then we get really excited, LOL.

 

[snowyowl]

hi people does anyone know if you can put budgies and love birds in the same aviary together or will they fight.Or am I in the wrong conversation I am new to the chat room.

You're in the wrong place. This is a wildbird forum.

 

[snowyowl]

I think that some of the UK people are selling their mammals short. I would love to see a badger or hedgehog. I can only remember seeing a single hedgehog when I was a kid in London. It was a thrill that I still remember. It was in the cemetery on Harrow Road near Kensal Rise. That was about the wildest place I had seen. Ah! Memories!

 

[Richard D]

Whilst I don't specifically go out mammal watching, I'll stop and watch them when I come across them, be they deer seals or just rabbits. similarly I'll stop and watch butterflies or dragonflies (although I've not as yet attempted to identify insects other than butterflies). I like to know what trees I'm looking at and look at wildflowers when I'm out and about, and am getting better at identifying them.

Richard

 

[cuddy]

Im primarily a birder but over the years i have developed an interest in plants and mammals, butterflies and insects. Its hard not to find the natural world of interest, when you spend a lot of time in the field.

There are two species of mammal in Northumberland that are high on my to see list, Doormouse and Pine Martin, both are very hard to come by but i live in hope.

Brian Robson.

 

[Stu-Silver]

I love watching all wildlife, and birds do get the majority of the attention. I just love being outside in the fresh air. If I go for a walk I am looking for anything that catches my attention, and this is usually birds. I have seen 3 weasels recently which were fantastic, saw a woodmouse today which was nice. I also saw a kookaburra today which was really bizarre! It scared me with its weird and loud call (I hadn't a clue as to what made the call), and then landed in a tree just above the roadside I was on. Haven't a clue where it has come from, but it was seen last May so is obviously holding its own over here. Feel sorry for it though, cold, unnatural habitat and no mate!

 

[Stevie babe]

I like to think I enjoy watching all aspects of the natural world, and that includes non-living things too: an interesting rock formation, a shooting star or frosty morning for example. Every now and then you still come across something that is new to you but somehow were unaware of before. It just requires looking at things in a different way.

As others have said, the thing about birds is they are obvious, accessible and dynamic so frequently have the capacity to entertain and provide surprises. So, yes I guess birds do occupy more of my time than any other group of animals. But most times I would probably get more of a buzz out of seeing a sea mammal for example, simply because it is something I encounter relatively rarely and is from a habitat totally alien to me.

For me it is about learning about the world around you. I am constantly finding out about creatures new to me even as locally as the back garden. Having a child helps as well. He was thrilled to see birds up close, especially Nuthatches, as they came to a woodland feeding station near here recently and that added a lot to the experience.

The question was how do you rate birds in relation to other wildlife. I would rate birds alongside other wildlife, but, although the birds provide fewer surprises as time goes by, I expect they will always come first.

I think you have more than summed up my interests here Brian, and just about anything is of interest thats part of nature including geology and weather. The mix of colours on a wooded hillside - in all seasons.

As so many have already said in this thread birds are the obvious animals so they take first place for me but any animals I come across are of immense interest to me. I too would have stopped to watch weasels at play. I'd stop for butterflies, plants, to watch ants going about their business and to watch whales and dolphins.

Almost any patch of land will hold something worh watching

 

[Steve Babbs]

Another way of gauging how obsessed you are with birds: how do you rate birds compared to mammals, insects, plants or any other kinds of living things?

In Britain, I spend most of my wildlife watching time looking at birds. They seem an obvious focus here: lots of them, all the year round, with constant changes from month to month and habitat to habitat.

But for me it would be different if I lived somewhere with a bigger, more exciting and more visible range of mammals, for instance. The one time I visited Africa, the birds were just a sideshow (a wonderful sideshow, true) to the elephants etc.

Maybe I'm not a bird obsessive at all...

James

I think you've summed it up. When I'm abroad mammal 'ticks' probably get me more excited than bird ones, although of course it depends on the bird and the mammal of course. Seeing a tiger, lion etc was far more thrilling than any bird. However being an island the UK does not have as varied a fauna as many other places but is a good place for birds so they are an obvious group to focus on although badgers and even foxes still give me a thrill when I seen them.

Steve

 

[Gill Osborne]

A kookaburra!!! Get that record sent into your local Bird Recorder...honestly, not joking!...my local club has a section each month for 'escapes & feral'....today's escape is tomorrow's breeding bird! Though somehow I think that Kookaburra may have a bit of a wait! LOL

GILL

 

[jurek]

Sure mammals are more exciting than birds... Just returned from India and can attest... Trouble is, that for most people in urban areas, there are unfortunately too few mammals to see (apart from one obvious species).

 

[Ichthy]

Platypus, Bandicoots, kangaroos and Pygmy Possums v's Glossy Black's, Rainbow Bee-eaters, Cassowarys and emu's.... I donno....

I'm torn!

 

[timmyjones]

What Mamals exist in the U.K anyone like to contribute.

1. Rabbit
2. Squirrel
3. Hare
4. Fallow Deer
5. Red Deer
6. Roe Deer
7. Brown Rat
8. Field Mouse
9. House Mouse
9. Bank Vole
10. Dormouse
11. Wild Cat
12. Red-Necked Wallaby
13. Fox
14. Badger
15. Hedghog
16. ??????

 

[Steve Babbs]

What Mamals exist in the U.K anyone like to contribute.

1. Rabbit
2. Squirrel
3. Hare
4. Fallow Deer
5. Red Deer
6. Roe Deer
7. Brown Rat
8. Field Mouse
9. House Mouse
9. Bank Vole
10. Dormouse
11. Wild Cat
12. Red-Necked Wallaby
13. Fox
14. Badger
15. Hedghog
16. ??????

and lots more the mammal society's web site may have a list, but a lot less than birds and less chance of vagrants although there are some.

 

[Adey Baker]

What Mamals exist in the U.K anyone like to contribute.

1. Rabbit
2. Squirrel
3. Hare
4. Fallow Deer
5. Red Deer
6. Roe Deer
7. Brown Rat
8. Field Mouse
9. House Mouse
9. Bank Vole
10. Dormouse
11. Wild Cat
12. Red-Necked Wallaby
13. Fox
14. Badger
15. Hedghog
16. ??????

Stoat, Weasel, quite a few Bats...

 

[samuel walker]

You can hardly avoid combining the two.While out with a mate observing wood ducks.My friend was interested in filming a mink he suspected was in the area.Several hen woodies were swimming about their productive nests.The distinctive woodie eeeeeeeeeeek finally came.We looked accross the slew to see the mink run by the nest on the bank.
Sam

 

[Richard W]

What Mamals exist in the U.K anyone like to contribute.

according the news today we're one step closer to getting Beaver back on the list, plans to reintroduce them in Scotland though some landowners not too keen on the idea.

what about the various "Beast of (insert town/moor of choice)", do they count?

 

[James Blake]

Hi Timmy et al

You can find a list of British mammals at
www.teaching-biomed.man.ac.uk/uploads/public/bio/BS369/website/british_mammals.htm

It's a bit inaccurate - eg wallabies are listed as native! One of the shrews is (I think) only known from the Channel Islands (Greater White-toothed), where Millet's Shrew is also found. Don't know why Harp Seal is not listed among the vagrant seals. Unfortunately cetaceans not included - surely the most exciting part of our mammal fauna.

best wishes to all fans of fur and feather (and blubber)
James

 

[Richard W]

there's also a "Scilly Shrew" which I saw a few times on Tresco, is a subspecies? unique to the Islands.