+snaik Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 As i only live 2 miles from Work I either Walk or Cycle, down the River Tay and see plenty Wildlife- and I tonight nearly fell of bike trying to get Camera out of bag on move as right above the river was an Osprey hovering only 200 metres from 2.54cm or is it an Inch! Cache which isnt that far from Perth Town Centre! Used Fuji S5000 full zoom. Quote Link to comment
+Naefearjustbeer Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 WOW I never have my camera handy when things like that happen. I have on my travels seen otters(almost stepped on it, I dont know who got the biggest fright me or it), golden eagles and ospreys, Buzzards are so common these days I see several every day. It is nice to see these natural hunters at work. Donnie Quote Link to comment
+Pharisee Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 WOW I never have my camera handy when things like that happen..... You and me, both I did have an 'up close and personal' encounter with a badger not so long back. I was walking along a footpath beside a wood quite late one night after walking across country to my sisters (15 mile round trip). I could see a grey shape coming towards me in the gloom. I stopped and stood very still, the badger continued walking and came right up to my feet, sniffed then walked round me and on up the path. Absolutely magic Quote Link to comment
+Mad H@ter Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 One of the great things about Geocaching is the amount of wildlife we see. We have seen many deer, a fox almost walked into us as we were turning a corner in the woods, not sure who was the most surprised, good job Chester didn't see it. I have disturbed field mice whilst looking for a cache in a pile of rotting logs, seen fishes jumping in the river and so many Red Kites that they are almost becoming routine. And this evening had a very close encounter with a herd of bullocks, not sure we enjoyed that though. BC (before caching) I hardly ever noticed or saw these natural wonders, if for no other reason it was worth taking up Geocaching just for this. Quote Link to comment
+Cave Troll and Eeyore Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 Returning from Spectrum Seires White we spotted a baby owl sat in the middle of a country lane. Quote Link to comment
+The Forester Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 What an absolutely magical photograph! I'd no idea that Ospreys had spread so far South. In Aberdeenshire they are becoming ubiquitous and almost routine. I can remember when they were as rare as rocking horse poop. It's wonderful to see them back in such numbers. I also remember a job I did on a tiny desert island in the Gulf called Arzanah. There was just one road around the island and the oil company had decided to install British style road signs throughout the island. Other than radio antennae, they were the only things which had any vertical extent and every one of them had an Osprey nest on the top of it! Quote Link to comment
+wildlifewriter Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 I'd no idea that Ospreys had spread so far South. They've spread a good way further south than that... ... with a bit of help from some friends of mine. Osprey relocation project Quote Link to comment
+The Forester Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 They've spread a good way further south than that... Bird navigation has always fascinated me. I'd love to know how they do it. How on earth do they find a tiny little speck like Rutland?! Are they cheating by taking a cheeky peek at their GPSr? Has an Osprey ever been shown to have found Rutland without GPS? Quote Link to comment
+Alibags Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 red kites! LOTS of red kites!! Quote Link to comment
+Stuey Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 I'd no idea that Ospreys had spread so far South. Every year for several years we've had a single Osprey on the River Axe at Axmouth at a certain time of the year. It stays for a few days then moves on again. Quote Link to comment
+milvus-milvus Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 red kites! LOTS of red kites!! Bet you live in the Chilterns! Quote Link to comment
+Team Ullium Posted August 23, 2004 Share Posted August 23, 2004 While in the Perth area yesterday (and only a few miles from the town center) my wife and I were climbing a wooded hill when an Osprey whizzed across our path, only about twenty feet in front of us ... up that close it looked spectacular ... and very big indeed So there must be at least one nesting pair nearby!? I remember the first nesting pair being spotted in Scotland many years ago! Now there are many nesting pairs all over Scotland...I'm glad to say. I spotted one earlier on this year in the Campsie Hills region and it was flying along the road in front of my travelling car and it had a large trout in it's talons....no chance of a photo of course in that situation Ullium. Quote Link to comment
+Alibags Posted August 23, 2004 Share Posted August 23, 2004 red kites! LOTS of red kites!! Bet you live in the Chilterns! Possibly Although an osprey WAS seen at College lake recently (last year) which is v near the Startops Stash. Not by me though Quote Link to comment
+Pharisee Posted August 23, 2004 Share Posted August 23, 2004 I'd no idea that Ospreys had spread so far South. Every year for several years we've had a single Osprey on the River Axe at Axmouth at a certain time of the year. It stays for a few days then moves on again. Some (a lot of) years ago I used to sail a centreboard dinghy. The class was, coincidentally, 'National Osprey'. Our home club was on an old flooded brick clay pit at Stewartby, Bedfordshire. Every year an osprey would stop over for a day or two on it's migration south for the winter. For the duration of it's stay, all water activities were voluntarily suspended. We had 'twitchers' from miles around descend on the place. For the last few years I've spent some time during May, fishing on and around Loch Awe on the Scottish West coast. During my stay I always tried, and usually succeeded, to get a days fishing on a small private loch on the Ederline Estate. This was also home to a pair of mating Ospreys and one end of the loch was given over to them. I never ceased to be amazed and enthralled at their fishing skill. It far surpassed mine !!!! Quote Link to comment
+Team Maddie UK Posted August 23, 2004 Share Posted August 23, 2004 (edited) We ecnounteredthis somewhat shy heron on the way back from a cache recently. When he showed up only a few feet from us we didn't have the camera ready but went back to try and catch him on film. A comedy followed as he persisted in trying to hide. Martin Edited August 23, 2004 by Mady Quote Link to comment
+Naefearjustbeer Posted August 23, 2004 Share Posted August 23, 2004 Just a shame that the heron I disturbed in the pond that is about 30 foot from my house ate all the gold fish!! Nothing left but a scattering of golden scales on the grass Quite a site in the morning watching the heron take off and fly over my head though. Quote Link to comment
+Team Ullium Posted August 23, 2004 Share Posted August 23, 2004 Pharisee: I remember the National Osprey class....I used to be the trapeze man on a fireball....remember them?...very fast! I loved it when it started to plane....that hissing noise....I can still hear it Naefearjustbeer: I have a fish pond in my back garden....it has Golden and Blue Orfe, Ghost Carp, Shebunkins and various fancy Gold fish...just recently a very big heron has started to take an interest in my pond....fortunately for me the local cats (who are also very interested in my pond) have taken an interest in it Ullium. Quote Link to comment
+Naefearjustbeer Posted August 23, 2004 Share Posted August 23, 2004 Naefearjustbeer: I have a fish pond in my back garden....it has Golden and Blue Orfe, Ghost Carp, Shebunkins and various fancy Gold fish...just recently a very big heron has started to take an interest in my pond....fortunately for me the local cats (who are also very interested in my pond) have taken an interest in it Ullium. So the cat fights the heron and the fish escape I am sure the cat would make a meal of the fish too if it got the chance. I think a net over the pond might be an idea as those herons can fairly eat once they get a taste for your fish. The brute kept coming back until the fish were all gone Quote Link to comment
Leoness Posted August 24, 2004 Share Posted August 24, 2004 My father-in-law used to have a problem with herons stealing his Koi Carp and found that a plastic decoy heron near the pond (resited every now and then) did the trick as apparently, a heron won't land where there's another heron already! Quote Link to comment
+klaus23 Posted August 24, 2004 Share Posted August 24, 2004 I was caching at the weekend and writing my log when a mink swam out of the stream beside me, took a sniff and a look, and then went back to his swim. T'was great! Quote Link to comment
+Pharisee Posted August 24, 2004 Share Posted August 24, 2004 Pharisee: I remember the National Osprey class....I used to be the trapeze man on a fireball....remember them?...very fast! I loved it when it started to plane....that hissing noise....I can still hear it Indeed I do, Ullium. My uncle owned a Fireball (bl**dy unstable thing it was too...) Hanging on the wire, trying desperately to control the Osprey's spinnaker on a broad reach whilst lying third in one of the races for the British National Championships was an experience that will stay with me forever. At the time, we were about 5 miles out in the North Sea, sailing from the Royal Tay Yacht Club at Carnoustie. We ended up 10th out of a fleet of over 200 boats.... Happy days, I was young and fit then Sorry... this is way off topic Quote Link to comment
+BooBooBee Posted August 24, 2004 Share Posted August 24, 2004 Here in California, mountain lions are a bit of a scare. But in my lifetime of hiking and biking and camping here, I've only ever seen one: a kitten who fled so quickly when she spotted me on the same trail she was meandering along that I didn't even have time to process what I was seeing until she was gone. Then, while caching in the greater Los Angeles area, I had my first BIG Mountain Lion siting. I was walking up a creekbed in a fairly well-populated (I would say overdeveloped/overcrowded/urban) neighborhood, so I felt safe going with only my 4-year-old and then 20-month-old in tow. The trail was clear, we couldn't get lost and it wasn't a long hike to the cache. The mountain lion playing with its wild bunny, however, was much closer to the trailhead than was the cache. I picked up BOTH girls, stood stock still and awaited its departure. Not sure what we could have done had the cat decided to trade its bunny morsel for a baby morsel! EEEEK! Quote Link to comment
+Team Ullium Posted August 24, 2004 Share Posted August 24, 2004 Naefearjustbeer: yes I have a couple of nets I use when the heron pays me a visit....I think it may have gobbled a couple of fish...but I have so many that it wasn't noticed The cats of course would have a go at the fish if they didn't like their paws getting wet ... and in any case the fish are just too fast....one of the cats made the mistake of letting it's tail wander too close to the pond surface and one of the Orfe or big carp took a bite at it...gee you should have seen that cat jump Leoness: I like that idea of a plastic heron....and I've heard that they won't land where they think another heron is fishing! Thanks for the tip....I will pass it on to some of my mates who are really plagued by these birds Pharisee: 10th out of 200 !!! Well done...like yourself I wouldn't like to buckle on my harness now to hang off a Fireball .... nor would I be quick enough to duck booms or agile enough to rig Spinnakers nowadays Ullium. Quote Link to comment
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