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Post by Juliet on Aug 11, 2007 12:54:21 GMT
Birds can take a while to get used to things, CC - I'd leave the feeders where they are for a couple of weeks before you start wondering why they haven't shown interest. If the birds still aren't eating, try moving the feeders/fat balls somewhere else. Do you have water for birds in your garden? I found that was the thing which really attracted them, more than the food - once they were here for the water they started eating too. I also found that the birds in my garden aren't really that keen on peanuts, bird food mixes, or even fat balls - they like straight sunflower seeds! But my mum puts out fat balls & her birds are very keen on them, so it might depend on what birds you've got, or on which food you buy.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2007 12:59:34 GMT
Thanks Juliet ... we'll wait and see what happens ... and yes, we do have water. The problem may be that it's a commercial bird food mix - the sunflower seeds sound a good bet ... cheers ...
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Post by Chuckles on Aug 11, 2007 16:09:58 GMT
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Post by oldmoleskins on Aug 11, 2007 16:49:26 GMT
Now, I could probably be disemboweled on the altar of DEFRA for handling one of these without a licence, but on the grounds I saved it from one of the drinking troughs and placed it in a known roost, I though I'd take a pic while the going was good... your actual Long-Eared Bat (or at least I guess so, haven't checked, but can't see it being called anything else, really): and look at its litle face in repose: OM.
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Post by Chuckles on Aug 11, 2007 17:36:51 GMT
Wow OM what a cutey, never seen one before. Did you know their ears are three quarters the length of the head and body. The maximum recorded age is 30 years Thanks sooooo much for showing him/her
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Post by Plocket on Aug 12, 2007 8:57:22 GMT
Oh Wow OM he's GORGEOUS! How amazing to actually get to see one close up. I love watching bats - I think they are wonderful creatures.
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Post by purplejulia on Aug 12, 2007 9:56:08 GMT
Oldmoleskins - what a great photo. The bat looks really sweet. I have never seen one in a photo before. Congratulations on a terrific shot! I was at my father in law's house in Ireland a few years ago and a bat got into his house through the gap in the sash windows. It got into the living room and was flying about the room, round and round for about an hour. We tried to coax it out in various ways but it was too frightened. We turned the lights off and it eventually got away some how. We were never sure how it got in or out. PJ
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Post by nightowl on Aug 12, 2007 11:04:16 GMT
OM, what a lovely little creature! Fantastic! And so lucky you found him, I'm sure DEFRA will forgive you. (got their hands a bit full with more important things at the moment, anyway. btw, I am in the quarantine zone, and can be a bit of a cow!) ;D Chuckles, amazing pics but, that was mean!
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Post by Shrubrose on Aug 12, 2007 21:41:02 GMT
Watch out then NO. If you get the snuffles you know who to call?
OM amazing photo's. You did a very good thing in sharing them with us. We have bats here but never get to see them that close of course.
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Post by nightowl on Aug 13, 2007 8:21:27 GMT
The disease I suffer from the most is " Foot In Mouth", Shrub! ;D ;D
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Post by Shrubrose on Aug 13, 2007 17:03:46 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2007 19:24:31 GMT
Whilst watching meteors last night, this little chap (or chapess !) wandered by. Unfortunately, he or she was a little camera shy. FA x
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Post by nightowl on Aug 13, 2007 21:22:35 GMT
Oooh FA, look at the giant "slog" just slithering into shot from under a leaf!!! I hope Tiggywinkle made short work of it when it unrolled! ;D
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Post by jean on Aug 13, 2007 22:04:54 GMT
Do hedgehogs eat slow worms? just wondering because I have both on the lottie and have no problem with either slugs or snails. Found a beautiful slow worm and lots of its babies under some plastic sheeting ;D
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Post by Plocket on Aug 14, 2007 7:39:45 GMT
I'd love to have a hedgehog
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Post by Juliet on Aug 14, 2007 12:40:26 GMT
All you ever needed to know about the hedgehog diet, jlottie: www.thehedgehog.co.uk/diet.htmNo mention of slow worms, but they might be included under "other". I think the slow worms will be eating your slugs & snails (so will frogs if you have any); the hedgehogs will be eating mostly your beetles & caterpillars. Between them they should do a pretty good job of keeping the pest numbers down! We have hedgehogs, but I've never seen one up close - I hear them often at night in the summer, & they leave little messages all over the lawn
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Post by nightowl on Aug 14, 2007 23:50:36 GMT
Do hedgehogs eat slow worms? just wondering because I have both on the lottie and have no problem with either slugs or snails. Found a beautiful slow worm and lots of its babies under some plastic sheeting ;D Lucky you JL, you'll have loads of slowworms to scoff the slugs. And they are such beautiful creatures, that lovely irridescent bronzy colour! I'm fairly sure that hedgehogs don't eat slowworms, I really hope not! I'm sure they are both invertibrate eaters.
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Post by Juliet on Aug 15, 2007 12:09:29 GMT
Um ... check the link, Night Owl - I'm afraid hedgehogs do eat baby birds & small mammals sometimes - but only if they can't find their usual foods. I suspect if they were hungry enough they'd also eat slow worms. They are pretty omniverous! - which is the main reason slug pellets are such a danger to them - not so much because they might eat poisoned slugs, but because they are likely to eat the pellets.
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Post by snowowl on Aug 15, 2007 12:28:22 GMT
Wonderfull photos OM of the bats.I have 2 circle the house every night but like shrubrose says you never get the chance to see them close up. Lovely hedgehog to FA i had one visit last year but never seen him since. We live in the counrty so you would think we see more but sadly not.
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Post by Shrubrose on Aug 15, 2007 14:56:00 GMT
Same here snowowl, only ever seen one hedgehog in the garden and that was in the compost heap - hibernating. Nearly stood on him/her. Saw a fox once, crossing the field behind the house. I think there are richer pickings in town these days.
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Post by JennyWrenn on Aug 15, 2007 21:03:22 GMT
I dont think I have looked at this Thread before - some stunning pictures
I saw, this morning, a tiny tiny frog must have been about 1/2" long - will it survive - I was going to take a photo but I thought it may scare it
Also SOMETHING visits my garden at night - there is a large hole in my fence with a dug out underneath it and every morning large scratch marks on the lawn - there is nothing for anyone to eat other than some bird seed - any ideas anyone?
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Post by Juliet on Aug 15, 2007 21:30:37 GMT
Badgers? They eat worms, mostly. I'd think you'd get more than scratchmarks from badgers though. But hedgehogs wouldn't need a large hole, & foxes would be able to jump over the fence. Hmm
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Post by Juliet on Aug 15, 2007 21:50:43 GMT
We found a small bright green grasshopper (I think, having checked Andy's link ) in the bedroom this evening. No idea how it got there! It didn't hitch a ride on someone's shoe, because we take our shoes off in the porch. Wouldn't have thought it could jump all the way to an upstairs window . And we have no grass up there for it! I caught it in a cup & put it on the front lawn - hope it can find somewhere to hide out of the rain. Didn't take a photo - didn't want it to flash & blind the poor thing. Am really wondering where it came from & how it got upstairs though
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2007 22:28:09 GMT
Big big holes in the fence like on the Tom & Jerry cartoons?......marks and scooped out holes in grass? A hundred or so newly planted leeks wantonly dug up and general destruction in the veg borders?
You've been badgered!
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Post by nightowl on Aug 16, 2007 10:01:35 GMT
We found a small bright green grasshopper (I think, having checked Andy's link ) in the bedroom this evening. No idea how it got there! It didn't hitch a ride on someone's shoe, because we take our shoes off in the porch. Wouldn't have thought it could jump all the way to an upstairs window . And we have no grass up there for it! I caught it in a cup & put it on the front lawn - hope it can find somewhere to hide out of the rain. Didn't take a photo - didn't want it to flash & blind the poor thing. Am really wondering where it came from & how it got upstairs though I think, Juliet, if it was a really bright green, that it's probly a cricket. Grasshoppers tend to be more a browny or olive colour. I've got a big Cricket in my bathroom at the mo, they can easily walk up walls and get in upstairs windows. Though they have long back legs I've never seen one jump, but I think they can fly as well!
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Post by Juliet on Aug 16, 2007 12:55:20 GMT
Hi NightOwl, I thought cricket too, until I looked at the link Andy posted the other day: www.britishnature.co.uk/GrasshoppersCrickets/Index.html - it was a lot more svelte than the bright green cricket on there - grasshopper shape, cricket colour! Didn't think of wings - am so used to seeing them jump & I've never seen one fly But I forgot to mention that the window had been shut all day as it was pelting down with rain, so whether it flew or climbed I still don't know how it got in!!
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Post by Shrubrose on Aug 16, 2007 14:02:22 GMT
Hi Juliet, long time no speak He might have been there a while do you think? And he'd just become 'visible'? Cant think of another possibility right now. Hope he's hopped off to have a good munch somewhere ;D
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Post by Juliet on Aug 16, 2007 15:55:27 GMT
Hi Shrubrose, you're probably right - though I don't know where it'd been hiding as it was kind of hard to miss! I felt a bit mean putting it out in the pouring rain, but I expect it found somewhere to shelter.
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Post by Shrubrose on Aug 16, 2007 16:50:29 GMT
I'm sure he is ok Juliet. Would have been meaner to keep him inside though ;D
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Post by Deleted on Aug 16, 2007 17:01:11 GMT
Juliet
My the site I put the link on to is by no means an exhaustive list, it was just the first one I saw that showed that my picture was of a grasshopper. There are far more comprehensive ones out there which might be better for finding out what you encountered.
FA x
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