As far as wildlife is concerned, Brighton is probably best known for its Starling murmuration. Usually seen around the Palace Pier, they do also perform further inland. I've even seen them flying low over my Dog Park. An amazing sight.
I don't suppose we're that much different to other towns and cities. Our wildlife is quite 'bog standard'.
Other than the Starlings we have huge amounts of both Seagulls and Pigeons; who doesn't!
Of course we also now have a large obligatory Fox population who seem to have little fear of humans (or of Billy). I recently saw a family of five adults. We also have plenty of Grey Squirrels who run around from branch to branch in all wooded areas.
As far as small birds are concerned, I regularly see Blackbirds, Magpies, Rooks/Crows (?), Robins, Great Tits, Wrens, and Wagtails.
I did also recently see a small Mouse heading home through a tiny crack in a mausoleum, but it was the only one I've ever seen here. I've not seen Rats, Snakes, Lizards, or Badgers; they must all live in Eastbourne.
We are also remarkably free from insects. We have no Cockroaches, very few Wasps, no Ants, and as far as I know, no Ticks. Nothing stings us, bites us, or tries to eat/kill us.
In fact I would say that our wildlife is generally well behaved, attractive, and very welcome to live amongst us.
Your murmuration is very impressive. I have one here but thirty starlings pissing about prior to nesting in the indoor arena then crapping all over everything is not quite as impressive.
ReplyDeleteI would hate to estimate how many there are, but it must be in the thousands. Even tens of thousands maybe?
DeleteI never know the difference between rooks and crows ? 🤔
ReplyDeleteNor do I. It's probably very easy too!
DeleteOn it's own - a crow , two or more - they are rooks.
DeleteOr it may be the other way around.
DeleteI always think of Rooks in numbers, as in a 'Rookery'.
DeleteCrows are all black, Rooks have a whitish base to their beak. Easy enough when you see them close up. I live in the country...we see very little wildlife here and we're out and about every day - I think they've all been shot. Seems cities have a lot more wildlife than we do!
ReplyDeleteOn a completely different topic...did you listen to the latest Ukrainecast? They had an excellent guest, General Sir Richard Shireff...he's got my vote for Prime Minister!
ReplyDeleteI must look at some photos of Rooks and Crows. I'm sure I'll get the hang of them. I'm the same with Coots and Moorhens.
DeleteI shall make a point of listening to Shireff. Any wise words are always welcome.
Yes, depressing but truthful. Things don't bode well.
DeleteMuch the same here except that, outside of the Winter months we are plagued by midges. Horrible little biters.
ReplyDeleteNo midges here, but we are warned of an invasion of Asian Hornets. We have them in France, and they can be very nasty.
DeleteHere in Sheffield we have all the creatures you mentioned but we also have wolves, mountain lions, meerkats and wild donkeys. The other day, I even spotted a herd of unicorns in Endcliffe Park. Dangerous buggers they are.
ReplyDeleteOur Unicorns have all been rounded up by 10 year old girls. They are now kept in bedrooms across the city.
Delete😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
DeleteWe don’t have the expanse of sky to see such a wonderful sight
ReplyDeleteWe have a mini-murmuration in France, but nothing like here.
DeleteInsect free is wonderful for a start, nothing that stings or bites . I remember living in a flat in Athens and how fly and mosquito free it was. We had cockroaches instead.
ReplyDeleteFoxes and squirrels. I would watch them with delight . Our wild birds, pheasants and quails have almost disappeared. The wild cat population has quadrupiled.
It's marvellous to live in a city and still have birds and wild animals around you. Well, besides seagulls and rats.
Where we live in France is perfect for wildlife, but the hunters have slaughtered most of it. However, there are still plenty of Deer and Wild Boar, so it's not all bad.
DeleteAll of those birds would keep the bug population down.
ReplyDeleteMaybe that's why we have so few.
DeleteI don't believe Crows and Rooks are the same. We feed the Crows on our front lawn. They are smart birds and if we aren't out there in the morning, will call us (caw-caw) and are down on the lawn before we get back inside.
ReplyDeleteAs for bugs, it must be wonderful to NOT have roaches!
I've seen small roaches in a bar in France, and HUGE ones in the Cayman Islands. Horrible things.
DeleteWe live on the Somerset levels so thought about your post when I saw a murmuration driving to collect our Lhasa from day care this evening. It's quite a sight when they 'dive' down into the reed beds. We live not far from the coast so have the odd seagull and plenty of pigeons and doves. It was a slight surprise when visiting our son in Hertfordshire to see a flock of green parakeets, they have not travelled this far yet.
ReplyDeleteNo we don't have Parakeets yet either, but I bet we soon will.
DeleteWildlife needs their space too. I like the fact that natural predators seem to keep everything in check. We have hawks, coyotes and foxes, and they are active hunters.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, we have ticks, and a tick bite requires antibiotic treatment.
We have plenty of ticks in France, and Billy has the best protection. I had one on my stomach last year. Horrible.
DeletePlenty of seagulls and pigeons here t but not sure about Rooks or Crows! Late one evening during a cold spell recently I was delighted to see a Hedgehog eating the cat food that I'd put out for the two or three strays that seem to live nearby. For a while afterwards I put out a plate of dog food, but have no idea if it ate it!
ReplyDelete