At work today

[Mark Bolam]

I know starlings are prone to laying eggs in flight.

 

Gary, what you have found is from a hybrid, called a phartridge.

GM game bird that flies faster but produces more meat.

[sime42]

Interesting. That doesn't seem like a good evolutionary strategy by starlings.

The egg from the ski turned out to be an almost whole but empty shell. Small chicken egg sized. So probably was stolen or maybe even just scavenged from rubbish. Not so interesting.

Continuing the egg theme; at work the other day I came across a duck nest. A few weeks ago I was clearing an area of scrub and brambles when a duck suddenly flew up and away in front of me. There was a nest hidden down on the ground complete with about a dozen eggs. I immediately stopped work there and moved away to cut some trees in another part of the wood. The following week the nest was empty when I checked. The next week, so two weeks after the first encounter the duck was back on the nest with a similar number of eggs.
I'm mystified by what had happened. I can't believe that she'd managed to move the eggs away to safety temporarily, but I'm also surprised if she'd layed a whole new clutch in that time.

[difflock]

26 minutes ago, sime42 said:

Interesting. That doesn't seem like a good evolutionary strategy by starlings.

The egg from the ski turned out to be an almost whole but empty shell. Small chicken egg sized. So probably was stolen or maybe even just scavenged from rubbish. Not so interesting.

Continuing the egg theme; at work the other day I came across a duck nest. A few weeks ago I was clearing an area of scrub and brambles when a duck suddenly flew up and away in front of me. There was a nest hidden down on the ground complete with about a dozen eggs. I immediately stopped work there and moved away to cut some trees in another part of the wood. The following week the nest was empty when I checked. The next week, so two weeks after the first encounter the duck was back on the nest with a similar number of eggs.
I'm mystified by what had happened. I can't believe that she'd managed to move the eggs away to safety temporarily, but I'm also surprised if she'd layed a whole new clutch in that time.

Is possible more than 1 duck was laying eggs in the same nest?

Equally well, an egg a day over 2 weeks allows for a dozen, and still taking Sunday as a day of rest!

Edited April 29, 2022 by difflock

[sime42]

Good call. I don't know, I'm not good with duck faces. Do they share nests as well? The site is beside a largish reservoir so plenty of them and other fowl around.

[Doug Tait]

 

Found the second cowpy of this year today, hadn't been down for long.

 

As a youngster I stayed with my hill shepherd Uncle at any opportunity. The first stock related task I remember doing was spotting cowped ewes, 40yrs later and I just keep seeing them. Found 14 last year and 13 of them were ok.

[gary112]

Bit of oak post and rail the last couple days 

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, gary112 said:

Bit of oak post and rail the last couple days 

Why are the rails and mesh on the outside, won't the animals lean against it and push the rails off?

[gary112]

8 hours ago, openspaceman said:

Why are the rails and mesh on the outside, won't the animals lean against it and push the rails off?

No be fine,there’ll be 3 strands of barbed wire on the backside aswell 

[Sutton]

3 hours ago, gary112 said:

Bit of oak post and rail the last couple days 

The hayrack means sheep/goats. The barbwire means defo not horsey despite its pony paddock size. Barbwire normally means cattle yet it's too small for them. The oak means you have discerning clientel. Tell us a bit more of thinking behind the design?

It can't be just because it looks nice.

For instance, the verges are mown but there's a gate that goes across the road or is that a private tarmaced drive? Are the owners going to use livestock to keep the verges down?

[gary112]

31 minutes ago, Sutton said:

The hayrack means sheep/goats. The barbwire means defo not horsey despite its pony paddock size. Barbwire normally means cattle yet it's too small for them. The oak means you have discerning clientel. Tell us a bit more of thinking behind the design?

It can't be just because it looks nice.

For instance, the verges are mown but there's a gate that goes across the road or is that a private tarmaced drive? Are the owners going to use livestock to keep the verges down?

Private concrete drive,the gate is there for crossing stock from one side to the other,the old fence i took down was the same style and customer chose to have it put back the same,only sheep on the farm and the customer will only have oak when it comes to post and rail.I,ve done 300 mtrs of it so far all round there garden.