Wild life

[Rivercarper]

A lot of us watch the wild life when were are fishing but what is the most exciting thing you have seen this year.I have been privaliged enough to see a Marsh Harrier and a Hobby down in Kent and a Sparrow Hawk chasing a KingFisher along the Hampshire Avon.Red Kites along the M4 corridor and again in Kent Stonechats and Wheatears.

[scorpio]

I had a badger pass right by me and a shrew inside my sweetcorn pot. I also saw a hobby chasing house martin's and a single Bewicks swan land on a lake. That's about all I can remember this year.

[rhornegold]

I had a Stoat run underneath my chair at Eairth whilst pike fishing and did that smell.

Bob Hornegold

[CarponlineEditor]

I saw Rivercarper taking photos today that was pretty awinspiring heh heh

Most amusing Andy unlike the bill for the new battery on the car to get home.

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Rivercarper on 03/12/00 05:52 PM.</FONT></P>

[Neil]

Nothing amazing really apart from the usual pesky rats and chigborough's big terrapins!

[Rivercarper]

Bet there not as big as the one landed by Carponline's editor Andy landed.A 17lb Snapping Turtle.Don't know whats uglier him or the Turtle it's a close run thing.

[CarponlineEditor]

Oy cheeky. At least I dont hide my mushty behind a gorse bush.

[CarponlineEditor]

Going back to Neils bit though. There do seem to be a lot of Terrapins around nowadays. The last three lakes Ive fished have all got quite large populations of them. But that Snapper maybe their grandad.

[PaulG]

Not quite sure if this was exactly exciting, but it certainly made the heart rate increase.......fishing a night session early this season, I had a large roe deer crash through the bushes behind me, and jump into the lake in my swim. It proceeded to then swim across the lake, about 50 yds, and disappeared into the night.....took me about 4 hours to calm down !

[Rivercarper]

The scariest thing i've heard (apart from the wife getting the credit card fromher purse) is half a dozen badgers having a punch up behing my bivvi on the darkest lake I have ever fished.It took me hours to untangle my self from the brolly spokes.

[Billyo]

I also had a deer jump in my swim... on the kennet one afternoon, I heard a big splash ! Stood up to take a look and there was this head, with two pointed ears swimming at me. It didn't see me at first and must have been trying to cross the river to where there was a small opening on my bank (which was my swim !). I leaned forwards, so it would notice me and as soon as it did, it shot straight back to where it had entered the river.

A mate told me that as he approached the river one evening, he heard a loud racket and looked down to find a couple of mink/otters (I can't remember which) rolling about fighting in a hollow tree stump on the waters edge !

Bill.

[scorpio]

As the subject of scary encounters has cropped up, I was fishing an estate complex of lakes called Pippingford a few years back and saw an adder swimming towards me, I have not got a phobia of snakes at all but this thing dissapered into the bank and reappeared slithering over my boot. I must admit I totally lost it and some of my tackle trying to escape.

Tony

[Stoney]

I knew of a guy fishing over at wraysbury, who woke up to find a Fox sniffing his face, well they told me, that the blood curdling screams must have been heard for miles.!!!!!

[fatboy]

Your mention of snakes reminded me of when I was told the bow waves going across Wraysbury 1 at dusk were snakes. Whether they were adders or not I still made sure all extremities remained on the bed chair.

Also fishing overnight at a club water in Staines resting on a groundsheet having forgotten the bedchair, I awoke to find a pair of beady eyes a matter of inches from my face belonging to a rather large rat. Needless to say, I remained awake for the rest of the night.

[Neil]

Yeah, rats have that effect on us! I can never resist chucking a handfull of gravel at them.

[CarponlineEditor]

The Yuckiest thing I heard was when someone I know woke in the morning feeling thirsty. He reached down under his bedchair, picked up his milk carton and took a couple of large swigs. As he swallowed he thought... blimey this is a bit lumpy. He then looked into the milk and saw to his disbelief that there were a number of drowned slugs floating around in it and he had swallowed some of them. They did slide down nicely though apparently.

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by CarponlineEditor on 05/12/00 04:33 PM.</FONT></P>

[rhornegold]

Just thought I would bring this thread back up, Red Kites and Falcons seen over Fisher Green recently.

Bob

[victory]

I have a good year on the wildlife front as I saw a snake this year and have seen read Kites up on the river at Henley. Also had a mink come on my unhooking mat just after I had put a fish back and was starting to pack the camera and tripod away. Got three pictures of it which was great. This was on a lake in Berkshire. That one mink has got rid of all the rats as well so result.

[Paul_the_Bailiff]

Hi Bob,

The Falcons at FG are Hobbies and I see them every spring over and around the 70 Acre, last year I counted 23 in one group hawking for insects. 3 Little Egrets and a Grass Snake on the Channel on Saturday and a shrew in my bait bag in June whilst on the Channel. I see the Badgers &amp; Muntjac regularly, and Fallow Deer down at Walton's Walk.

On the odd occasion I have also seen a large unidentifiable creature similar in stature to a Bear with copious black and grey whiskers around its muzzle and sporting a fleshy coloured bald pate on the crown of its head, it also seems to have a taste for Barbel and Port and can often be seen stlaking it intended quarry along the banks of the Lea &amp; Kennet. http://www.cemexangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[willstephens]

When fishin a local farm pond the muntjac's would come and drink from the lake at first light most mornings through out the winter. http://www.cemexangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Hate the ducks though. Sick of seeing them diving down for my baits. (Greedy Ba***ds) http://www.cemexangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Also saw a fox nail a baby duck one morning. The duckling let out a horrible noise and the mum attacked the fox before flying away! (Didn't work though, her baby was still its brekkie!) http://www.cemexangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

[Claus]

Red kites, Buzzards, Barn Owls, Kestrels, all sort of foriegn geese and ducks. This year kingfishers have almost become common place compared to what i've seen. Love it! http://www.cemexangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[John_H]

A raptor of some sort - could have been a marsh or hen harrier - chasing swallows above the water meadows adjoining the River Piddle in Dorset.

A buzzard lazily taking off from the bank by the River Test, having just breakfasted off a moorhen. Tom Stone and I saw the fresh "remnants"

"Nature red in tooth and claw" both times - but nonetheless breathtaking.

[DelBoy]

I sometimes fish a small secluded lake on the Sussex/Kent border and apart from the usual (Knig fishers/herons/mink etc) if you are real quiet Deer come out from the adjoining woods to drink from the lake...quality http://www.cemexangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[singy]

Seen plenty of Wallabies and Wild boar, I kid you not. http://www.cemexangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[rhornegold]

A few years ago I was fishing the Hollyfield Weir Pool for Carp with Gary Newland.

He was fishing the weir side I was fishing the Tail of the Pool.

So there were two set of rods on pods, when a family of swans decided to to go under the rods.

One minute there was a Hen Swan, followed by 3 cygnets and behind the Hob.

The next moment, and without hardly a swirl the middle cyget had dissapeard.

The whold family of swan's seemed completely unaware of what had just occured and carried on in their sweat way down the weirpool.

It's the only time I have ever seen a Pike take any small bird and to this day it lives in my memory.

Bob

[MikeLyddon053698]

[ QUOTE ]
On the odd occasion I have also seen a large unidentifiable creature similar in stature to a Bear with copious black and grey whiskers around its muzzle and sporting a fleshy coloured bald pate on the crown of its head, it also seems to have a taste for Barbel and Port and can often be seen stlaking it intended quarry along the banks of the Lea &amp; Kennet.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hmmmm strange, I also saw a creature fitting this description around Yateley a couple of weeks ago.
I hope they are not dangerous to the indigenous species http://www.cemexangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Paul_the_Bailiff]

It would seem that they have a migratory dendency.

[MarginMan]

Not an unusual bird by any stretch of the imagine, but early one morning whilst having a walk around lake, a jackdaw decided to fly out of the bush next to me and land on my shoulder ! No one would believe me except i've got pics to prove it http://www.cemexangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Danlux]

Had a kingfisher have a quick rest on the end of one of my rods while i was sitting next to em.

[terrywhite]

this winter came across a lot of barn owls hunting during the day on the kennet, one morning one landed about 10 feet from me rod,
caught a terripin this year fair and square hooked in the bottom lip,
also red kites on the kennet

[Redtail]

2 stoats played straight thru my rod-bag few nights ago at Fishers, lots of mayhem; masses of Water Voles; moles; shrews; harvest mice; grass snakes regularly cross the river/relief; Dorbenton's bats &amp; others unidentified; badgers; all the usual suspects.
Not convinced on Paul's conviction that all the falcon's we see up high at the Green are Merlins, more research and a denouement at the 70-acre next Spring methinks. Monoculars at 10 paces? http://www.cemexangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/laugh.gif I've watched them fold their wings and "stoop-dive", dropping like stones in classic Peregrine style, but Paul assures me Merlins do this too. I shall investigate. http://www.cemexangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/cool.gif
Kingfisher landed on my rod last season in front of Bob, Daz, Wyncode and myself. Magic. Gary Newland saw a Pike take a duckling on the 70 this Spring.

[John_Boy]

The falcons are probably Sparrowhawk http://www.cemexangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif they are around the same size as a Merlin, whereas Peregrines are big.

This year i've seen plenty of different Birds, probably the best being a Hobby at one water. Plenty of woodpecker(green and greater spotted), various finches(siskin, redpoll, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Bullfinch and chaffinch) and [censored](great, blue and coal). Mammal wise, Water vole, a few different mice species http://www.cemexangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

You see loads when you look http://www.cemexangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif i always take the Bins, mainly these days to watch the wildlife.

[Paul_the_Bailiff]

Simon,

Hobbys not Merlins. Merlins are generally found on moorland so tend to inhabit the north of England, Dartmoor, Exemoor and some southern heathland including Norfolk/Suffolk brekland. The are also our rarest Falcon.

I'm not sying that Peregrines do not inhabit the Lea valley, but all of the Falcons i have seen there have been Hobbys. They and Merlins are the only one that hawk for insects but the will also stoop dive particlarly at martins and swallows.

[rhornegold]

There you go Si, I told you they were Hobby's=Ho ho

[Redtail]

Ah, I typed Hobby, had a brainstorm/memory loss kind-a-moment and re-typed Merlin.

Anyway, glad you corrected me Paul cos..............the ones I've been seeing are Peregrines. They were after Pigeons/Ducks on the islands; big birds, I've seen Sparrowhawks over there (they fly low over the reed beds) and I've never seen them (Peregrines) in groups of more than 4. Usually 2 females (Bigger) and a male or two.
I forsee some interesting Tench sessions next year.......with many missed runs and much facial bruising. http://www.cemexangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/blush.gif http://www.cemexangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/laugh.gif http://www.cemexangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif

And you stay out of this Hornygold, this is between us Bald Eagles. http://www.cemexangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[rhornegold]

Ummmmmm ! !! ! !

Who do you believe ?

hobby or peregrines.

Is it the Birdy section of FG Bailiffs- http://www.cemexangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[DelBoy]

[ QUOTE ]
Seen plenty of Wallabies and Wild boar, I kid you not. http://www.cemexangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]


Yes, but the Liverpool front line does not count...... http://www.cemexangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Paul_the_Bailiff]

Twitch, twitch twitch!! http://www.cemexangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif http://www.cemexangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif