Wildlife around the yard.

[Sealine]

All sorts here in Herts. Lots of buzzards and red kites as well as barn owls. This morning I saw my first swallow and I saw a lapwing which is a bird I don't see very often. I see a lot of hares at this time of year and we also have muntjac and fallow deer. The local deer herd includes a white stag so they are easy to spot. I found this antler on a hack last year.

 

[TPO]

Quite a few buzzards and a kestrel.

Then olds put out nest boxes and feeders so as well as some fat pigeons and crows there's also blue tits and wood oeckers plus a whole host of wee birds that I have no clue what they are! There were some green/yellow wee things thst looked like budgies (but werent). The olds get very excited everything something new shows up but I can't remember all thr breed names.

The swallows arrived in the barn this week. Dad's adjusted the big barn doors so thst they can securely stay open wide enough to let the swallows come and go as they please.

Not seen any rabbits at all sadly but a couple of hares. Lots of deer, duck and geese.

Touch wood no rats this winter. When we were overrun a wee stoat went through all the burrows massacring the nests then trotted on home.

Lots of frogs and toads when it rains. The chickens have savaged a few too ??

Oh there's a heron on the burn too so it flies over quite often

The olds have spotted a fox once in 3.5yrs. They must be about but thankfully they've left the chickens alone

 

[ycbm]

I had a lapwing keeping me company while I was poo picking the other day. I’m generally terrible at identifying birds but I ended up looking this one up as I was a bit thrown by the weird electronic sounding bird call!

Also known as a peewit because of the peee-wit call .

 

[Lamehorses]

I'm putting in more trees & a new hedge to divide my field.
Love wildlife watching, buzzards owls bats rabbits foxes deer etc
I laid down in the field onwards day watching a deer with her baby, the baby was very inquisitive & kept edging closer with mum keeping a watchful eye. Got a few feet away before mum rushed over & chased it away. ?

 

[Sprogladite01]

What a great post! We have all sorts here (I'm in Cambs) - Muntjac and Roe deer, barn owls, short eared owls, pheasants and partridges, green and black woodpeckers, a cormorant who lives next door, kites, kestrels, buzzards, stoats, hares galore and a complete plethora of small birds too. One of my favourite things about living here!

 

[dorsetladette]

All sorts here in Herts. Lots of buzzards and red kites as well as barn owls. This morning I saw my first swallow and I saw a lapwing which is a bird I don't see very often. I see a lot of hares at this time of year and we also have muntjac and fallow deer. The local deer herd includes a white stag so they are easy to spot. I found this antler on a hack last year.

we have a white stag in the forest where we hack and quite often see him. Gorgeous and a lot bigger than you expect once your up close.

 

[Peglo]

We have a wee bird imitating Tali’s neigh successfully. Several times I’ve been tricked thinking it’s her. ? love the hares and pheasants running through the garden. Our resident wild ducks are pattling about in the fields wet part. And the whaps are here. (curlews) last year I got to see the chicks grow as they nested in the winter field after the horses moved out

 

[SEL]

Chilterns so red kites are as common as pigeons but I've got one that wanders amongst the horses pecking for worms - looks like a giant chicken. The buzzard is huge and has the big tree in the other paddock away from the kite.

The pheasants are hilarious. They know the treat balls have pony nuts in them and peck away furiously but haven't yet learnt how to roll them.

There's a regular muntjac who lives in the woody bit behind and I regularly saw 2 large foxes on winter mornings. We had a heron pair last Autumn so I hope they come back. Red woodpeckers were around the other weekend and the swallows have taken over the stables

There has been many a morning where I'd prefer to be wildlife watching than heading to an office!!

 

[j1ffy]

We usually have buzzards and red kites flying over our arena, occasionally in battles with corvids which is always interesting to watch. We have a muntjac that likes to trot through the school, usually right in front of you just as you trot around a corner ? and a couple of roe deer like to hang out in the woods by the school. It makes for some 'fun' sessions and hacks! The activity in the woods is also quite scary when you're schooling under floodlights in the winter, the horses aren't bothered but us humans think a bogeyman is about to come and eat us...

We also have fallow deer locally, I had a couple of close shaves with a beautiful stag on the road to the stables last Spring. The village I live in has a visiting Great Bustard - I spotted him in the paddock next to Indio last week but kept it quiet as otherwise the village is overrun with twitchers!

 

[milliepops]

deer and boar everywhere the birds are deafening down at the nursery field which is surrounded by woodland on 3 sides plus a vast number of pheasants at the yard but i think they are pretty good for spook-proofing the horses.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I have a pair of crows (Jon and Ygritte) nesting in the Scots pine for the the third year. Housemartins are beginning to come through, lots of wagtails and we have families of sparrows and dunnocks. We dont get buzzards over here (we do across the valley) as we have ravens nesting a short distance away. first cuckoo heard yesterday plus alot of curlew and oystercatchers about as well as skylarks, wheatears and warblers that I can't tell apart. Herons often fly over. We have goldfinches (lots of dandelions and then thistles). Hares, rabbits, deer, lots of badgers-often get them in the garden. In the ponies field across the way there's evidence of otters but I've not seen one yet-just prints in the sand and some scat. Not nature but am surounded by lambs and calves at the moment.

 

[Sprogladite01]

I have a pair of crows (Jon and Ygritte)

Glad i'm not the only one who names them lol, our partridges are Pedro and Pauline and the Mallard ducks are Patty and Melvin! The barn owl is affectionately referred to as "Hoot hoot" as she likes to hoot deafeningly loudly right as she sweeps silently past you, swear she has a sense of humour! We used to have a white pheasant called Snowy but we think the hunters got him

 

[cindars]

We have buzzards, kites,deer,badgers that have big sets in the banks,ducks and a family of pheasants that we feed,and all the usual birds.

 

[Identityincrisis]

We have so much, it's one of my favourite things about where I keep my horse.

A few buzzards
Herons
Deer
Owls
Kestrels
Stoats
Lapwings
Hares
Swallows
Bats
Too many pheasants (shooting estate)

........and plenty of rats!

 

[Dave's Mam]

My yard is literally on the edge of city suburbs, but we still have rabbits, kestrels, & ducks. Lots of pheasants causing havoc too.

 

[Indy]

We've got loads of buzzards and loads of crows. I spend ages watching them engage in warfare in the sky and it's always the crows who win. I think we've got nesting kestrels in the roof of the farmhouse because they seem to be coming and going all the time. If I'm up early enough and it's just turning light there's normally a barn owl flying between the barns and there's a tawny owl nesting in one of the big conifers. Loads of songbirds knocking around too and we get herons too.

Don't see many rabbits about but I have seen a fox so maybe that's why and we also have deer. In winter they come onto the yard and eat hay off the stack - you can see their prints in the snow.

The best thing though is I've occasionally seen a kingfisher in the dyke between the fields - beautiful. And something I always love, the swallows are starting to put in an appearance.

 

[MyBoyChe]

WE have foxes, badgers, buzzards, loads of ducks, swallows, herons and best of all, I have my own little robin. He watches me arrive, then follows me tomy tack room and perches on my bench and waits for his breakfast. If I dare to make him wait whilst I get the ponies feeds sorted he gets quite agitated and hops about, tweeting very crossly. Once hes been fed he sings beautifully to me. Hes there, regular as clockwork every single time I go to the barn

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

As per my starting post it isn't until it's posted when you remember more animals/birds you've nor mentioned. Wood Pigeons, ringed doves, pheasants galore, moles, hares, swallows, blue tits, great tits, red starts, ducks, geese. Sometimes when I've finished my chores at the yard & wife & daughter are out hacking I like to sit outside overlooking the paddocks and having a relaxing cup of tea & just take in the sights of the countryside, the birds, the animals and the relaxing sound of horses in the stables munching contently on their hay/haylage. Nice to enjoy the stables & paddocks without the horses in them just the peace of nature. I'm 68 years of age now & find sorting out the horses heavier work than it used to be There will be a time when I won't be in a position to do my chores anymore. This will be a sad time because I cannot remember a time when I wasn't heavily involved with the horses at the stables & taking them away to shows.