Rural versus urban wildlife

[Greyman 28,441]

Let’s have something non political or racist for a change, it’s almost a month since leaving my urban environment and the difference in wildlife is very dramatic, I,m seeing much less large mammals but a much better array of bird life and the large mammals I do see are behaving in a more natural way, I struggle to not encounter deer on a daily basis around the city they are quite clearly loosing there natural fear of man and are a real pain in the arse, fox,s walk round like stray dogs and even badgers eating out of bowls in peoples gardens, have found lots of deer sign so they are there but discreet, have found two proper fox setts were as round here they cub under sheds and in old buildings, but the bird life is even more different, many of the species that have not been seen in my garden on the feeders for years are in real abundance out in the sticks, I go out most afternoons around 2.30/3 pm as it’s the warmest time of day and around 30% of the time I encounter an owl quartering over the marshes usually a barn but did see a short eared last week, woodpeckers green and spotted almost every day and some of the finch’s I have not seen in years are an everyday occurrence, it’s been quite an eye opener, just how different everything is and how everything behaves,

[Born Hunter 17,763]

The rural ecosystem varies quite a bit. I've been on farms that were almost sterile due to unforgiving management and then I've been on farms/estates that in January were literally loud with song birds.

The one thing I feel the countryside is really missing at the moment is the rabbit. That's mostly sentimentality though.

Have you seen any kingfishers yet? I'd often see those little fellas when I was younger.

[South hams hunter 8,922]

I know exactly what you mean GM, we often take the girls for a drive with the lamp around an industrial estate here because you can gaurentee to see fallow and the odd time an old fox or badger but they'll sit 20 yards away without a care. 

Go to the marks I fish or dig and everything is on its toes, go to some marks and the foxes are almost domestic. There's a spot where in a night you'll get the fox eating bait out your hand be ause he's atleast 5/6 and everyone gives him bait to eat and has for years. 

[South hams hunter 8,922]

13 minutes ago, Born Hunter said:

 

Have you seen any kingfishers yet? I'd often see those little fellas when I was younger.

See them regular on the rivers and estuaries 

[Born Hunter 17,763]

2 minutes ago, South hams hunter said:

See them regular on the rivers and estuaries 

I don't think I could be further away from an estuary  and the nearest river is more of a large trickle as it starts about a mile away. The river over where I was raised used to be a cracking wild stretch but the village grew and imo big parts of it have deteriorated as a result of that sprawl. The kingfishers that I saw tended to prefer the quieter places.

[South hams hunter 8,922]

5 minutes ago, Born Hunter said:

I don't think I could be further away from an estuary  and the nearest river is more of a large trickle as it starts about a mile away. The river over where I was raised used to be a cracking wild stretch but the village grew and imo big parts of it have deteriorated as a result of that sprawl. The kingfishers that I saw tended to prefer the quieter places.

Theres a spot here you can see them next to the biggest road in the area between two retail parks, like anything they adapt mate 

[Greyman 28,441]

1 hour ago, Born Hunter said:

The rural ecosystem varies quite a bit. I've been on farms that were almost sterile due to unforgiving management and then I've been on farms/estates that in January were literally loud with song birds.

The one thing I feel the countryside is really missing at the moment is the rabbit. That's mostly sentimentality though.

Have you seen any kingfishers yet? I'd often see those little fellas when I was younger.

Have seen two so far, one on a small stream I walk along and one on the back of my boat, I assume it’s easier going in the marina when the water levels are high and carrying a lot of coloured flood water so they come in, have a heron sat on the jetty most mornings as well, I have actually even caught a couple of bunny’s sadly mixied up but took the light out the other evening for a little shine and was quite surprised by the number of healthy ones I saw as well, have noticed in the past things go in 7 year cycles for some reason in nature, so hopefully rabbits will be making a comeback soon like kestrels are after a few very lean years

[South hams hunter 8,922]

3 minutes ago, Greyman said:

Have seen two so far, one on a small stream I walk along and one on the back of my boat, I assume it’s easier going in the marina when the water levels are high and carrying a lot of coloured flood water so they come in, have a heron sat on the jetty most mornings as well, I have actually even caught a couple of bunny’s sadly mixied up but took the light out the other evening for a little shine and was quite surprised by the number of healthy ones I saw as well, have noticed in the past things go in 7 year cycles for some reason in nature, so hopefully rabbits will be making a comeback soon like kestrels are after a few very lean years

Fishing tends to go by similar cycles with the migratory fish when you look back at records 

[South hams hunter 8,922]

This spot almost guarantees a sighting of a kingfisher and good mullet mark. 

[Greyman 28,441]

1 hour ago, Born Hunter said:

I don't think I could be further away from an estuary  and the nearest river is more of a large trickle as it starts about a mile away. The river over where I was raised used to be a cracking wild stretch but the village grew and imo big parts of it have deteriorated as a result of that sprawl. The kingfishers that I saw tended to prefer the quieter places.

Despite there bright colours I think they are invisible to many people, I used to have a fishing lake back in the 90s in Somerset, and sat there one day chatting to a fisherman, out of the corner of my eye I was watching a kingfisher buzzing back and forth and told matey to which he replied I,ve never seen a kingfisher, I said your pulling my pisser I,ve seen one go by half a dozen times while I’ve been chatting, but he was deadly serious not the greatest shot but the one everyone wants a kingfisher fishing off the end of your fishing rod

[Greyman 28,441]

12 minutes ago, South hams hunter said:

Fishing tends to go by similar cycles with the migratory fish when you look back at records 

Every seventh wave is bigger than the rest

[Neal 1,869]

Of all the kingfishers I've ever seen, only one sighting (a pair zooming past like spitfire pilots) was in a rural location: near Simonsbath on Exmoor. All the others have been near towns and cities. The most sightings I've had are along the waterways between Portsmouth and the mainland.

[Born Hunter 17,763]

Can't say I've spent much time looking for wildlife in towns or cities so can't really comment. Though peregrine falcons seem to do better in such places than in the countryside these days? The countryside tends to be full of spars, kestrels, buzzards and kites.

[South hams hunter 8,922]

4 minutes ago, Born Hunter said:

Can't say I've spent much time looking for wildlife in towns or cities so can't really comment. Though peregrine falcons seem to do better in such places than in the countryside these days? The countryside tends to be full of spars, kestrels, buzzards and kites.

Personally feel they're running out of room in the countryside ; every quarry down here has atleast a pair and so do most cliff faces on the coast

[Greyman 28,441]

Light pollution makes for round the clock hunting, it’s a very easy environment for peregrines and why they are moving into towns more, plus the wastefulness of us makes it a magnet for shitty pigeons