How can I find my old pictures?

[Luvachicken]

I read about the rise of raccoon sightings in the UK last Saturday in the Daily Mail, but being the day after April Fool's Day I wondered if it was true or not.

 

Anyone ever seen one here ?

I think they might not be the friendliest animal especially towards chickens.

[Valkyrie]

Who knows? Lots of wallabies on the loose in places. And lets not forget the Beast of Basingstoke - which probably is up on the North Yorkshire moors by now! Beavers, according to Countryfile, are in 2 places in Scotland - one controlled and another on the other side seems to be some escapees or let loose a long time ago. Pity that the red squirrels don't seem to have the same population explosion!

[sjp]

there probably are raccoons in the UK and there's every chance they'd get established in the UK as their opportunist feeders. but they'll have to compete with foxes in urban areas so they will take a bit longer to become as common in UK towns as they are in US towns

We've had sightings of Munkjak (sp) deer and mink in the West Midlands for a few years there's a small colony of Green Parrots in the Sandwell Valley that's been there at least 10 years yet I only saw my first one in early December last year

[Cat tails]

The green parrots! We have a gazillion of the hem here! Flocks of thousands of these birds live in towns in the Netherlands. I've had a few raiding my pear tree.

 

I don't think you need to be worried about your chickens regarding the raccoons. They are oppertunist feeders, but not so much true hunting carnivores. They might go for your chicken feed if there is easy access.

[Lewis]

We have lots of Muntjac deer in Sutton Park and noone believed my mom when she saw one in the garden a few years back.

 

Not heard about Raccoons in the UK but we do have lots of wild Raccoon Dogs here in Slovakia.

[Cinnamon]

We have a flock of green parrots in a village down the road, wallabies in the woods & a Capybara loose on the banks of the Thames. He crops up in the local paper from time to time - he is like a giant Guinea Pig & is gorgeous

 

http://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/news.php?id=1333086

Edited April 9, 2016 by Guest

[sjp]

I'd forgotten about Wallabies, there used to be some on Cannock Chase going back when I was a kid in the 60's

the green parrots in the London area have always been alleged to be escapees from one of the big 3 film studios

[Cinnamon]

I'd forgotten about Wallabies, there used to be some on Cannock Chase going back when I was a kid in the 60's

the green parrots in the London area have always been alleged to be escapees from one of the big 3 film studios

 

Pinewood, local legend has it

[sjp]

I'd forgotten about Wallabies, there used to be some on Cannock Chase going back when I was a kid in the 60's

the green parrots in the London area have always been alleged to be escapees from one of the big 3 film studios

 

Pinewood, local legend has it

I put that then changed my mind

[Luvachicken]

Never seen a raccoon

 

Have seen the green parrots but they don't come as far as Fleet - yet, and I've seen the little deer on the way to panto in Woking.

[Valkyrie]

I've seen a raccoon. Actually a couple. One in Canada when hubby went in hot pursuit for a photo. Um, yes it looks a nice fluffy one dear, but she has babies somewhere - do not go near! The other one in Florida - riddled with mange or something like. Probably had rabies and DS does what daddy dearest had done before - rushes over to take a photo - NOOOOO! Luckily we stopped him!

 

Here we have muntjacs but nothing else more exotic, although the carnage on the way to Alton today had muntjac (from the other day, almost flattened), a young fox - also quite squashed, a badger on the opposite side of the road and further along a dead mink - which is/was probably exotic before they were released into the wild and happily breeding along the Whitewater river.

[The Dogmother]

Loads of Muntjac here they cause massive devastation, and can be quite grumpy too.

 

OH lives on the River Cherwell, and has Roe and Fallow Deer going through his land, they nest there overnight in the winter. There are otters in the river, kingfishers nesting, and far too many American Signal Crayfish, which I am busy trapping and eating

 

My folks in Herts used to have loads of pesky parakeets swirling around, set loose by a breeder nearby. Eventually they were designated as vermin by the local council, who culled loads

 

... never seen a raccoon though

[Valkyrie]

There are ponds near DD's boyfriend that we have been to walk around - lots of warnings for dogs and children not to go near the water - some pond algae which is poisonous has contaminated it (blue algae? sort of turquoise). Lots of water birds including cormorants/shags there so a bit worrying for them. Then around the water's edge the crayfish. Very pretty but very dead but then they shouldn't be there in the first place. We saw the rangers collecting the dead fish.

[The Dogmother]

Well, the signal crayfish seem to be off season, only small ones recently, which we despatch and lob back in as a sort of retribution for killing all our native river species.

 

We gained some venison last weekend though when the dogs brought down a roe buck in OH's paddock. Killed it instantly, so we hung it in an outhouse, i bled and paunched it, then butchered after a couple of days hanging... guess what we're having for christmas lunch

[Luvachicken]

Sounds like you are going to have something tasty for Christmas

 

As for the signal crayfish, it seems they got what they deserved