Hens don't like to share - part 2

Here are a couple more pictures. You can see how big the frog is. So big in fact that my hen could not eat it.... What a waste!

Hens don't like to share - Part 1

Another of my hens caught a rather large frog last summer. It was funny to see the other hens run after her around the garden trying to steal the frog from her but they failed... She certainly did not want to share the frog!

Hens love frogs

One of my hens caught a small frog last summer. Her instinct was to peck the head for a quick kill. She then spent a long time pecking the rest of the frog's body. I guess she was trying to break the bones into smaller pieces? As soon she saw the other hens coming towards her, she ran away as she did not intend to share her catch with anybody else. Then, she finally gobbled it up. You can see in the clip below what she does at the end. Funny, obviously, they don't have napkins like we do.

Myxomatosis in young wild rabbits

We saw a litter of 5 very cute wild rabbits being decimated by myxomatosis. Within one month of them being old enough to leave the nest, their eyes started to swell and the rabbits eventually lost their sight. All we could do was watch... We found a couple of dead bodies in the garden the other three just disappeared. None of the five reached adulthood. The video clip below shows how the illness progressed. Don't look if you think you might not like it.

"Dinosaur" attack - Optical illusion

This pheasant looks like it is running after a small bird (a Dunnock). In fact, this is just an optical illusion. They are both minding their own business looking for seeds.

Wild rabbit family life

The events below were filmed last April. Mum, Dad and the five baby rabbits are in the garden. 

You see mum running back and forth from the warren. She is expecting a new brood and has to collect long grass to make a fresh new nest. You see the small rabbits playing and being ignored by their mum. Dad is in charge and reprimands the small rabbits when venturing too far from the den. If you like cute rabbits, you will like this video.

Dad

Five small rabbits

Mum

Buzzard attack

Last Sunday morning, we were having breakfast in the kitchen when I heard the most unusual scream-like noise. I quickly got up, walked to the dining room and saw a buzzard right by the patio door, standing underneath a white garden chair. As it kept moving its wings, I thought it was injured and could not fly. Thinking it was a great picture opportunity, I called out for Hubby to come and bring the camera. For the 30 seconds or so I was waiting, I also noticed a group of highly agitated crows flying close by in a circle. Then I realised that the screaming noise was coming from underneath the buzzard and thought the buzzard might have caught a crow. The victim certainly sounded like a distressed crow! However, the body I could just about see under the buzzard was not black like a crow but brown. So, it could not have been a crow. As I was given the camera and opened the sliding door, the buzzard flew away leaving its noisy prey behind. That’s when I realised that it was a Holly!!! Yes Holly, one of our hens. She had a very lucky escape. By the time I gave the camera back to Hubby, our chicken had run to hide under the nearest bush. She stayed there for a good half an hour eventually accepting to eat just a few seeds off my hand. Then, I managed to lure her out of her hide using tinned corn and bits of banana. I was then able to have a better look at her. Nothing major, a few missing feathers but no missing bits or obvious wound gushing blood!

For the next couple of days, she was too sore to take her daily mud bath or preen herself. Her wings looked uneven and sore. But after nearly a week, I can now say that she has made a near-full recovery. Her body still looks a bit lopsided and she is still missing a few feathers but it will take a few weeks for them to grow back.

The chair under which I found Holly and the buzzard

Wing slightly facing outwards (compare with the hen above whose
wing is nicely tucked against her body)

 A few feathers missing below the wing and around the back