Wildlife you don't see anymore.

[765489]

If I go back 30 years where I am in NCD we had Concrakes and Grey Patridges. All gone.

20 years ago or there abouts we used to have water hens in our ditches. Gone now completely.

The barn owls are just about hanging on. A few hundred acres used to be old meadows beside me but once that was ploughed the barn owls are no longer about beside me but have seen them if I go up the fields a bit.

Haven't seen a hedgehog for 3 or 4 years now.

Rooks are scarce the last few years, used to love seeing them flocking together coming into autumn.

[CelticRambler]

Growing up in suburban Dublin, there wasn't that much wildlife to be seen unless you went looking for it down by the Dodder or up in the mountains. I used to see a heron - one single heron - in the river on my way to university; never saw a fox. Now there are a least half a dozen foxes that walk the streets around the (same) family home all the time, and I've seen two, three, even four herons sitting on top of the local community/commercial buildings in the course of a short visit. The last time I went for a walk in one of the nearby parks, there was no shortage of rats, mice and squirrels. Back in primary school, when we went on a nature walk in the same parks, we'd come home with a stack of leaves, a few pine cones and pocket-loads of conkers - but rarely saw any animals!

[Scotty]

The one I've noticed most is the Kestrel. There was a time when you'd see several per day in North Co Dublin/East Meath area. Now, you'd be doing well spot them twice a year.

On the other hand, Buzzards are now two a penny and I've now seen three pine martin, albeit two of them were road kill, but they're in the area. An animal I never thought I'd get to see in the wild.

[Uncle Frank]

Not seen but heard, the grasshopper. I haven't heard any this year at all.

[JONJO THE MISER]

Haven't seen a hedgehog for 3 or 4 years.

Tell me about it! Tasty little buggers, espically nice with a side of skinny fries.

[765489]

Tell me about it! Tasty little buggers, espically nice with a side of skinny fries.

I've an image in my head JJ of you going around the back roads scouting for road kill.

[765489]

Plenty of grasshoppers hear this year. Haven't seen one but but hear them often.

[765489]

I've long suspected a link between increased Buzzard numbers and a decline in Kestrels. We always had Kestrels here but have had none in the last 12 years; which matches the first if the breeding pairs of Buzzards. Much of their prey is the same.

There was a pair of kestrels here earlier in the year. First time in years I seen them. But they have disappeared, haven't seen them all summer.

[Uncle Frank]

Greenfinch. Plenty of them used to come and feed at the birdtable. I had only one all last year and none at all this year.
They say rabbits are in decline too, it's some new disease wiping them out.

[765489]

RHD ( sorry Frank ) - https://www.msd-animal-health.ie/species/rabbits/rhd/

The rabbit population is fairly healthy here at the moment but every couple of years when the population reaches a certain level myxomatosis seems to kick in. Nearly like a cycle.

[silverbirch]

15 years ago there were lots of whimbrels and curlews here on the Cork coast. Far fewer of them around in the last couple of years. Choughs on the other hand used to be a rare sight but now appear to be plentiful on the cliffsides around here.

[Scotty]

Greenfinch. Plenty of them used to come and feed at the birdtable. I had only one all last year and none at all this year.
They say rabbits are in decline too, it's some new disease wiping them out.

We haven't had any greenfinch in the garden in a couple of years but over the weekend we went to view a house in the countryside we're thinking of buying and watched a flock of GF feeding on some Rose Hips in the front garden while we were there. Also had a family of long tailed tits make plenty of noise too while we walked round, noisy buggers for the size of them!

[Uncle Frank]

We haven't had any greenfinch in the garden in a couple of years but over the weekend we went to view a house in the countryside we're thinking of buying and watched a flock of GF feeding on some Rose Hips in the front garden while we were there. Also had a family of long tailed tits make plenty of noise too while we walked round, noisy buggers for the size of them!

I used to get a mob of long tailed tits feeding here as well, they always came in a group of about 8 roughly the same time every day. They are hard to spot though as they stuff their faces for just a couple of minutes and disappear. Lovely little birds.
I forgot to say, I remember hearing that thet aren't really part of the tit family at all.