What is the most unusual visitor to your garden?

Impy
Impy Forum Participant Posts: 257

I think the most unusual birds to visit our garden were a red legged partridge and a little egret, we have had the odd visit from sparrowhawks (both male and female) and the grey heron.Smile

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  • SteveL
    SteveL Club Member Posts: 12,299 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #2

    We've had a couple of mallards on the garden pond, and a heron on the shed roof from where he could view the fish in the pond

  • Impy
    Impy Forum Participant Posts: 257
    edited November 2016 #3

    Oh yes, you have just jogged my memory we also found 3 mallards on our large garden pond at our previous home, fed them until they mugged us everytime we opened the kitchen back door!
    Laughing  also had a visit from a kingfisher and a redstart at that pond as well as the herons.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #4

    We get foxes and badgers but we rarely see them. We can see where the badgers have had a rootle in the lawns around certain shrubs and trees. They also like to eat plums! Smile

  • huskydog
    huskydog Club Member Posts: 5,460 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #5

    Most nights we get two fox's ,we watch them on our cctv cameras ,they rend to spend about an hour playing amongst the shrubs Happy

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,134 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #6

    We get grey squirrels by the dozen and several rabbits but the more unusual include Mallards, Redwings, Jays and a Green Woodpecker.

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #7

    Muntjac deer, Curlew, Little Owl not to bad for middle of a small town

  • HelenandTrevor
    HelenandTrevor Forum Participant Posts: 3,221
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    edited November 2016 #8

    Red Kites, although they don't actually land in the garden, just swoop down. OH saw a badger in the front garden one morning on his way out to work at 3.30 am. 

  • Outdoor Lady
    Outdoor Lady Forum Participant Posts: 127
    edited November 2016 #9

    We have two firecrests, used to be three but one flew into the window despite stick on birds etc. now I know this next bit is going to sound oddWorried..... it now lives in a little box in the freezer for anyone to look at if they haven't seen one before! We also have a visit everynight from a badger who gets a peanut butter s/w, if I don't see him he rattles the door with his nose much to the dogs disgust, he has been coming for 5 yrs now and we know it's the same one as he only has one ear.

  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101
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    edited November 2016 #10

    Firecrest here too-just the one, only onceSad. It was the shrill & piercing call that alerted me to it. It was in one of my Larch Trees. Considering
    its name-Firecrest, the outstanding feature was a smudge on its neck like a thumb print. Nice looking bird mindHappy

  • Outdoor Lady
    Outdoor Lady Forum Participant Posts: 127
    edited November 2016 #11

    Yes Rocky the call is amazing isn't it I was lucky enough to be listening to one this morning, apparently they also like fir trees and I often see them in these after it has rained looking for food in the front garden.

  • jamiej
    jamiej Forum Participant Posts: 79
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    edited November 2016 #12

    We had a grey squirrel living in the log store not sure if its still there An owl quite often sits on the satellite dish, we have a field behind the garden so often see different birds,foxes and deer

     

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,586 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #13

    We too have had a badger visit us but only to overturn the bird cage that we put up to allow small birds such as Robins etc.a safe haven whilst they eat near the ground. It came for about a week and ate the fat balls. Should have put peanut butter s/w out
    for him. Crunchy or Smooth I wonder?

    Had hedgehogs, grass snakes wen we had a compost heap, Ravens and a couple of Firecrests

  • DEBSC
    DEBSC Forum Participant Posts: 1,362
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    edited November 2016 #14

    Regular badger visitor.  He made very short work of the left over curry we left out for him on Friday night. He will expect a beer to go with it next week. Back to the peanuts though. Lots of different deer but one young male often sleeps over, he lays in
    late, half asleep and looking around, slowly waking up until about 9am.

  • Swifty 123
    Swifty 123 Forum Participant Posts: 100
    edited November 2016 #15

    We had a hedgehog visiting regularly around June/July but sadly not seen him/her since, it'll be hibernating now of course but we hope to see it again next year. We also have a real good colony of Gold Finches coming to the feeding station, plus the usual
    suspects of house sparrows etc etc. Love to watch them. 

  • Mr Sambambles
    Mr Sambambles Forum Participant Posts: 194
    edited November 2016 #16

    We once had an otter eating a fish sitting on our box hedge.. Must be one of the most unusual !!!!

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #17

    We too have had a badger visit us but only to overturn the bird cage that we put up to allow small birds such as Robins etc.a safe haven whilst they eat near the ground. It came for about a week and ate the fat balls. Should have put peanut butter s/w out
    for him. Crunchy or Smooth I wonder?

    Had hedgehogs, grass snakes wen we had a compost heap, Ravens and a couple of Firecrests

    WN we smear crunchy peanut butter on the top of fence panels, the finches and robins seem to enjoy but not seen any of the other birds take it.

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
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    edited November 2016 #18

    Too tempting for rats, i would have thought.

  • Richard12
    Richard12 Forum Participant Posts: 112
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    edited November 2016 #19

    A Kingfisher, unfortunately he got caught in the netting over our pond it was apleasure to untangle and release him.

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,636
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    edited November 2016 #20

    A Kingfisher, unfortunately he got caught in the netting over our pond it was apleasure to untangle and release him.

    Good for you!! Fortunate for the Kingfisher that you were about before he starved to death, or did himself any major harm by trying to escape.

  • Impy
    Impy Forum Participant Posts: 257
    edited November 2016 #21

    What a lovely variety of birds and animals to have visit you Smile

    We get squirrels and foxes but no badgers Sad 

    Several years ago we were staying on a lovely CL in Lincolnshire where the owners had a beautiful landscaped garden which was overlooked by the caravans, we looked out of the caravan window early one morning to see the very well kept and manicured lawn torn
    up....the badgers had been in overnight and we didn't even know Surprised  They did make a mess of part of the lawn but I will have loved
    to have seen the badgers.

  • Natasha2
    Natasha2 Forum Participant Posts: 306
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    edited November 2016 #22

    We had a hedgehog visiting regularly around June/July but sadly not seen him/her since, it'll be hibernating now of course but we hope to see it again next year. We also have a real good colony of Gold Finches coming to the feeding station, plus the usual
    suspects of house sparrows etc etc. Love to watch them. 

    Our hedgehog hasn't hibernated yet, watched him have his supper last night ??

  • mickysf
    mickysf Forum Participant Posts: 6,474 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #23

    The most unusual and fascinating visitor to our garden were several dragon fly larvae which emerged from our pond and pupated on the reeds growing from it and then fly off.  This has only happened once. Strange thing was I had watched with interest the 'parents' performing the egg laying  several years earlier. 

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,031 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #24

    We have resident Tawny Owl, foxes and squirrels. Rare hedgehog visitor, bird wise most unusual included Goldcrests, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Sparrowhawk. We also see Pipistrelle bats in Summer. Happy

  • InaD
    InaD Club Member Posts: 1,701 ✭✭
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    edited November 2016 #25

    We get a sparrowhawk on a regular basis; and also a male pheasant.  Have seen about 3 male and 3 female pheasants in the field at the back of the house at any one time.

    Also get occasional foxes.

  • Fisherman
    Fisherman Forum Participant Posts: 2,367
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    edited November 2016 #26

    Not exactly in the garden but 50 yds in the adjoining field.Almost every morning a Buzzard is scampering about I presume catching worms.

  • Bluemalaga
    Bluemalaga Forum Participant Posts: 936
    edited November 2016 #27

    We enjoy the bats that dart around our pond during summer evenings, incredible speed. Have no idea what type as they move so fast and can only be seen as the pass through the light from our lamp post.

  • Metheven
    Metheven Club Member Posts: 3,987 ✭✭✭
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    edited December 2016 #28

    This one on the bird feeder, obviously all the smaller birds took flight laughing

  • Impy
    Impy Forum Participant Posts: 257
    edited December 2016 #29

    Well captured photo of Mr Sparrowhawk, obviously hoping for lunch!

  • SteveL
    SteveL Club Member Posts: 12,299 ✭✭✭
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    edited December 2016 #30

    I can finally see the 'snow' on Dave's avatar - must have taken about a day to appear!

  • SteveL
    SteveL Club Member Posts: 12,299 ✭✭✭
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    edited December 2016 #31

    I can finally see the 'snow' on Dave's avatar - must have taken about a day to appear!