Mammal Shortage Here

[Billhook]

We have changed nothing much here on the farm since I started in about 1970.  Never did any game shooting, only ever shot rabbits and pigeon  and I have not done that for years now.

In the last few years when I drove around I would often see foxes who were not bothered by my presence 

I have set up a trail camera since 2014 and the wildlife that is captured on it has been consistent, Foxes, Otters, Stoats, Badgers, Roe deer and Muntjac

But all this year there has been nothing

Hardly any rabbits and one or two hares.

Plenty of Buzzards, Carrions, Jackdaws, Jays and the occasional Red Kite

No Rooks. The air is full of the sound of Song Thrushes and Blackcaps , just heard a Chiffchaff, several Swallows no Swifts or House Martin’s or Cuckoos.

Just wondering if the Rabbits have had a really bad Winter, maybe with the haemo virus, the knock on effect for all these mammals which rely a lot on young rabbits to see them through the Winter, has done for a lot of them

Just wondering if anyone has a similar tale.

[Khriss]

Also, done a huge drive this weekend, saw one dead badger ( thankfully) whereas several would have been more expected. Bees down, definately with oilseed in full bloom, but weather shite for them. K

[Stubby]

13 hours ago, Billhook said:

We have changed nothing much here on the farm since I started in about 1970.  Never did any game shooting, only ever shot rabbits and pigeon  and I have not done that for years now.

In the last few years when I drove around I would often see foxes who were not bothered by my presence 

I have set up a trail camera since 2014 and the wildlife that is captured on it has been consistent, Foxes, Otters, Stoats, Badgers, Roe deer and Muntjac

But all this year there has been nothing

Hardly any rabbits and one or two hares.

Plenty of Buzzards, Carrions, Jackdaws, Jays and the occasional Red Kite

No Rooks. The air is full of the sound of Song Thrushes and Blackcaps , just heard a Chiffchaff, several Swallows no Swifts or House Martin’s or Cuckoos.

Just wondering if the Rabbits have had a really bad Winter, maybe with the haemo virus, the knock on effect for all these mammals which rely a lot on young rabbits to see them through the Winter, has done for a lot of them

Just wondering if anyone has a similar tale.

I see a brown hare quite often and presume its the same one as he is always in the same area . Buzzards and now kites are like confetti round here . Rooks all over . Crows and a few ravens as well . Magpies and jays also . Wood peckers a plenty , greate spotted and green . No lesser spotted .  .  Black cap warbler in my ear this morning . Mistle thrush up in the woods  but not down near the house .  Munti , roe and fallow in the woods . Saw 5 or 6 fallow  together and one was a white one . As you say not many rabbits and not heard a cuckoo  round here for about 10 years .  Finches of all kinds and out in the fields yellow hammer but can't get them to come to the feeders .

Edited May 24, 2021 by Stubby

[Billhook]

12 minutes ago, Stubby said:

I see a brown hare quite often and presume its the same one as he is always in the same area . Buzzards and now kites are like confetti round here . Rooks all over . Crows and a few ravens as well . Magpies and jays also . Wood peckers a plenty , greater spotted and green . No lesser spotted .  .  Black cap warbler in my ear this morning . Mistle thrush up in the woods  but not down near the house .  Munti , roe and fallow in the woods . Saw 5 or 6 fallow  together and one was a white one . As you say not many rabbits and not heard a cuckoo  round here for about 10 years .  Finches of all kinds and out in the fields yellow hammer but can't get them to come to the feeders .

Foxes?

[Stubby]

Just now, Billhook said:

Foxes?

Yes foxes . Hear em calling in Feb for a mate and see cubs in the spring . No more and no less than over the years I would say .

[Peasgood]

Overrun with pheasants and rabbits and the b*****d fox still decided to kill another of my geese last night.

[topchippyles]

1 hour ago, Stubby said:

I see a brown hare quite often and presume its the same one as he is always in the same area . Buzzards and now kites are like confetti round here . Rooks all over . Crows and a few ravens as well . Magpies and jays also . Wood peckers a plenty , greater spotted and green . No lesser spotted .  .  Black cap warbler in my ear this morning . Mistle thrush up in the woods  but not down near the house .  Munti , roe and fallow in the woods . Saw 5 or 6 fallow  together and one was a white one . As you say not many rabbits and not heard a cuckoo  round here for about 10 years .  Finches of all kinds and out in the fields yellow hammer but can't get them to come to the feeders .

Finches of all kinds and out in the fields yellow hammer but can't get them to come to the feeders . Try em on sirloin steak 😁

[Khriss]

Our goldfinches are thick as shit. Proper niger feeders up and they just ignore them 🙁 K

[nepia]

They prefer sunflower hearts to niger it seems; 5 at a time on the heart feeder, the niger ignored

The only bird I've ever had consistently taking niger was siskin

[openspaceman]

3 hours ago, Khriss said:

Our goldfinches are thick as shit. Proper niger feeders up and they just ignore them 🙁 K

Like @nepia siskin were the only birds to use the niger feeder, not had any taken for a few years now, never had siskin and goldfinch together. Now goldfinch don't come down into the garden but occasionally one will sing to himself on the TV aerial. Both our neighbours have cats.