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Predation - is it possible?: |
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Robert V Senior Member Joined: 06 Aug 2004 No. of posts: 717  View other posts by Robert V |
Posted: 05 Sep 2004
One day last week while in Epping Forest, a Green Woodpecker landed quite near to me then hopped up onto a sawn log with what looked like a common lizard in its beak. Has anyone ever heard of this before and could it be possible? RobV |
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Mick Member Joined: 10 Jun 2005 No. of posts: 184 View other posts by Mick |
Posted: 15 Jun 2005 I'd expect so, yeh, although my bird knowledge is limited & so i usually ask a couple of my ornithological friends for guidance on birds. I know though that Magpies, probably Crow family birds & i think most birds of prey, like Buzzard's & Merlin's can all be threats to reptiles. |
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Vicar Senior Member Joined: 02 Sep 2004 No. of posts: 1181 View other posts by Vicar |
Posted: 15 Jun 2005 I've not personally known Greens to predate anything other than insects, but the Greater Spotted will definitely have the chicks of other birds given a chance, so I can't see why not....plausible in my opinion. Steve Langham - Chairman 
Surrey Amphibian & Reptile Group (SARG). |
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-LAF Senior Member Joined: 03 Apr 2003 No. of posts: 317 View other posts by -LAF |
Posted: 15 Jun 2005 On a side note, my brother has spent some time observing Goshawks in the north of england (Yorkshire) and reports that they have brought grass snake to the nest when feeding young. Lee. Lee Fairclough |
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Caleb Forum Coordinator Joined: 17 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 448 View other posts by Caleb |
Posted: 16 Jun 2005 Did Tony not publish a note in the BHS Bulletin about green woodpeckers taking sand lizards? I think he suggested that it was incidental to their feeding on ants, rather than specific targeting of lizards, though. |
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herpetologic2 Senior Member Joined: 15 Jun 2004 No. of posts: 1369  View other posts by herpetologic2 |
Posted: 17 Jun 2005
A word of warning for all you felt tilers out there - Carrion Crows have been observed on a site ont he the Isle of Wight where felt and tin were being used for slowworm surveys - the bird surveyor watched a crow lift a felt tile corner and captured a slowworm and then flew off with it - I have also seen a fox systematically check tins, felts and carpet tiles on an airfield - We had removed them all during the day while we were looking for newts at night the fox was spotted moving between the places where the groups of tiles were placed. Some of the tiles were found flipped - we thought that it may have been strong winds - very strong winds as the tiles were quite large - it may just be mammals that the fox was after but if any lizards were under there in the early evening then they would have gone down the same hungry mouth - though if a crestie was found it would have taught the fox a lesson eh? JC Vice Chair of ARG UK - self employed consultant - visit ARG UK & Alresford Wildlife |
- Predation - is it possible? |