Wildlife

[Steve Burke]

Doing nearly all my fishing these days at Wingham I'm totally spoilt when it comes to wildlife. I won't therefore make many of you envious with what I've seen. However I will relate a very interesting sight that I came across last weekend.

 

Two pairs of mute swans started the nastiest such fight I've ever seen. The females did nothing unusual, but the males went at each other hammer and tongs! They were both fully reared up going for each other's neck, and they appeared literally locked together. The first surprising thing is that this went on without a break for several minutes, perhaps because they were evenly matched. Finally one broke off, and the other set off in pursuit. The first made it into a weedbed and I thought that would be that. But no, the agressor followed and then all went quiet for several minutes. However, neither appeared and so, curious, I drove round.

 

The sight that met my eyes was one I'd never seen before! There was one bird on top of the other, holding on to its rival's neck and trying to drown it!

 

Rather than get my camera I foolishly went closer to get a better look. I was just a few feet away by then and involuntarily cried out in horror. This resulted in the aggressor spotting me, and both birds disentangled themselves from the reeds and flew away - only to continue their chase.

 

My interfering actions could well have saved the life of the weaker bird, and this gave me a warm glow. On the other hand I feel guilty that I broke a cardinal rule of wildlife watching and disturbed the pair of them.

 

What would you have done?

[Russell Fitzpatrick]

kingfishers are great,a falsh of blue and their gone!

 

rats are funny,they just have no fear,and they know i am king rattus

 

robins are cool spend alot of time feeding them in the winter, barn owls in the fens always amaze me.

[Peter Sharpe]

Feeling something hit me on the head, only to find that it was a dead mouse that a squirrel had killed and thrown at me out of a tree.

 

My girlfriend handing me what she thought was some kind of beetle, only to find that it was the smallest pigmy shrew I have ever seen - it was running around in her hands and wasn't much bigger than a bumble bee.

 

Another pigmy shrew leaping into my maggot tin and decimating the maggots. It sounded as if it was chewing celery.

 

Seeing the ground next to me heaving up and down, then seeing a mole shoot out chased by another. They had a scrap in front of me then scarpered when they sensed my presence.

 

Five or six tiny young sand martins sitting on my rod tip and even on my line, without sounding the bite alarm.

 

Seeing a heron being forced to alight on the water when being mobbed by crows - proving that they can sit on the water.

 

Seeing a tawny pipit on the banks of the Trent, running around after maggots and looking like the road runner.

 

Seeing a marsh harrier seemingly hunting over the water on the Welland near Crowland.

 

The kingfisher on the rod of course, but only one at a time.

 

Seeing a kingfisher hovering over the shallows on the Severn, then diving and catching a fish. I didn't know they could do that.

 

A great crested grebe at the Wissey Outfall on Ten Mile Bank, continually diving and coming up with small eels (about 8 - 10 inches). It must have eaten about twelve of them in less than 15 minutes. How?

 

A beige "weasel" that walked over my feet while fishing at Dunham Bridge. Could it have been an escaped ferret - it looked too big for a weasel and too small for a stoat.

 

The mysterious large creatures that seemed to be attacking fish very noisily on the surface at night on the Tidal Trent. Several of them, so possibly very large zander or even catfish. I think I can rule out seals or even dolphins, as has been suggested.

 

A great crested grebe at Bainton Pits emerging with a pike that must have been almost two pounds and then swallowing it. I didn't know they could eat anything that big.

 

An osprey hovering over Bainton Pits.

 

A grey lag goose at Maxey Pits that waddled all the way over to me from at least 100 yards away, then jumped up and sat on my knee!

 

Hearing the shallows on a gravel pit hissing at night with the sound made by vast numbers of daphnia.

 

Stopping to pick up two isotopes that I saw lying in the grass at night, only to find they were glow worms.

 

Opening my bivvy door in the morning at Baston Fen, only to find myself face to face with a peacock.

 

Thinking I was being invaded by rats in the night, only to find my bivvy full of toads.

 

Foolishly sleeping on the banks of the Peterborough Electricity Cut, using a crusty loaf as a pillow, only to wake up with my head resting on a few remaining crumbs.

[Bobj]

Had quite a few gob smacking incidents with wildlife......Almost stepping on a 12 ft croc in the NT while barra fishing.

Catching a big mackerel and having a shark grab it.

Had a pod of about 30 pilot whales under and around the tinny, off Coffs Harbour, NSW.

Watching a red bellied black snake sunning itself while I was trout fishing in NSW.

Had a marvellous occasion when I was fishing off the Shark Rock, Ball Bay and a dolphin came up to within 3 ft of me, showing her baby off to me....Priceless

Watching a school of baitfish suddenly flash as a giant trevally came in on them. Looked like a camera flash bulb going off.

Saw a crow take a young cormorant chick from its nest and gobble the chick down. Was fishing Glen Lyon dam for yellowbelly at the time.

Had a 70 cm wolf herring bitten in two by a 5 ft barracuda and then a 40 lb cod coming up to investigate the commotion.

[Ken L]

I once sat mesmerized watching a swam upend dive under the water by paddling it's feet and then "fly" underwater whilst feeding before poping up and repeating the process a couple of dozed times.

 

I remember fishing with my cousin who didn't get out of the city very much when I heared a commotion in the grass behind me. I told him to stand perfectly still and after a couple of seconds, a mother mink and seven kits ran and gambolled through and over his feet before diving into the river and playing in front of us and slowly heading off downstream. I was smilling but he was totally slack jawed.

 

The absolute number one though has to be fishing a rock mark on India and having a sea eagle take a seasnake off the water 10m in front of me, mover it arround in it's tallons whilst "hovering" on the wing rizing over the rocks and then heading out to sea. A real life pub sign and utterly astonishing to see.

[Leon Roskilly]

Being dive-bombed by a pelican, after the fish I was baiting below my rod tip.

 

I heard a whistling/roaring sound, saw a flash of yellow and white in front of me as I felt the air on my face, then a column of water erupted over me.

 

Seconds before, I'd been lazily trying to catch tiddlers amongst the wharf pilings on a hot and sunny day, and then all hell broke loose, or so it seemed.

 

It wasn't until the pelican bobbed to the surface that I realised what was going on.

[Sportsman]

Having 5 Osprey in the air above us, at the same time, on Loch Alvey

[The Flying Tench]

What a brilliant thread. Thanks ken and everyone.

[ayjay]

I once saw a group of cows (with young) take a dislike to a swan and give it a severe trampling, when it began to show signs of life about a half hour later they went back and finished the job. Certainly surprised me.

 

Was fishing a bit later than I ought to have been one winter night and there began a tremendous rustling in the reeds on the opposite bank, a few minutes later and the biggest dog you ever saw was swimming across the river towards me (all sorts of things go through your mind when the fishing is not 100% legal) on arrival at my bank about ten yards upstream - a large deer stag climbed out and walked off.

[DaveG]

A weasle stalking a moorhen, pounced. missed fell in, climbed out gave me a look of discust shook himself & vanished.

A male swan giving one of his nearly grown young a real pasting, i thought he'd killed it, it didn't come out of the reeds for a full half hour.

A large mink jumping onto a stump a few feet from me, completely ignored me sat there cleaning its self.