Author Topic: Seen today  (Read 999964 times)

Re: Seen today
« Reply #1625 on: 23 January, 2011, 07:43:27 pm »
There were catkins this morning in the park.
A week later than my first sighting here. Is Southend colder than Reading?
"A woman on a bicycle has all the world before her where to choose; she can go where she will, no man hindering." The Type-Writer Girl, 1897

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Seen today
« Reply #1626 on: 25 January, 2011, 02:23:49 pm »
There were catkins this morning in the park.
A week later than my first sighting here. Is Southend colder than Reading?

Probably not. They appear to have been there a while. I just haven't noticed.



27lb common carp caught this morning. We just happened to be strolling past when the angler was landing it. High 20s are quite often caught but I've never heard of anyone landing a 30lb fish.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Seen today
« Reply #1627 on: 25 January, 2011, 03:09:59 pm »
That'll keep his tummy full for a while!
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Seen today
« Reply #1628 on: 25 January, 2011, 05:24:38 pm »
That'll keep his tummy full for a while!

Except he will have put it back in the water straight after the photo was taken.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Seen today
« Reply #1629 on: 25 January, 2011, 05:26:41 pm »
Is that because of rules or for some other reason? And if it's rules, are they national or local, year-round or seasonal?
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Seen today
« Reply #1630 on: 25 January, 2011, 06:55:55 pm »
I saw a muntjac. Nothing unusual in that, I see them every day, so often that in this house we refer to them as rat deer.
This one however, didn't see me, despite the fact that I was in a car with headlights on. It ran into the side of the car.

Re: Seen today
« Reply #1631 on: 25 January, 2011, 06:59:08 pm »
[on sunday] a peacock, sitting watching the world go by from the top of a six foot gate about 5 miles south east of cambridge.  Took me quite by surprise.

Re: Seen today
« Reply #1632 on: 25 January, 2011, 07:20:40 pm »
Is that because of rules or for some other reason? And if it's rules, are they national or local, year-round or seasonal?

In general in the UK fishing for carp is for sport not eating. Most lakes with anything that size have been specially stocked to attract the fishermen and the owners complain if you do not follow the catch and release principle.

So it tends to be the rules. If however you are fly fishing for trout or salmon then the lake/river owners tend to let you keep up to a set limit per person. EDIT - but you have paid to fish in either location, its just that carp is not considered food in the UK. This all led to a number of angry fishermen a few years back when the influx of Eastern Europeans came in as they not only didn't pay to fish but then caught the prize carp and took them home for dinner.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Seen today
« Reply #1633 on: 25 January, 2011, 10:09:27 pm »
Interesting. In Poland you see many artificial lakes deliberately stocked with a variety of species including carp, where you can pay to fish - usually by the hour - but AFAIK you can keep and eat what you catch. In fact these places usually provide a grill and picnic tables too.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Seen today
« Reply #1634 on: 26 January, 2011, 12:55:17 am »
I've eaten eels, pike and perch that I've caught but I'd never consider eating a carp.

When we were in Ireland a few years ago we saw a chap catch a decent-sized bream from Lough Gill and he took that big snotty thing home to eat. A few days later we saw another guy catch a very decent sea trout (from where I stood it looked to be about 7lb) from the river as it flowed through Sligo town centre. He was fishing off one of the bridges but the fish took him ages to land (we were watching for at least half an hour and he had hooked it quite some time before we got there), and he had to walk among the tourists, rod held above his head, and make his way down to the river bank. Eventually when he landed the fish he threw it up into the crowd that had gathered to watch him. There must have been at least 200 people by that time and we all burst int a big round of applause for the guy. It really was some very skilful angling we saw that day.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: Seen today
« Reply #1635 on: 27 January, 2011, 06:46:05 pm »
A Little Egret, we also saw a Eurofighter Typhoon on a shakedown flight and some kind of attack helicopter. Yesterday we saw a whole load of Pinkfoot Geese, a Kestrel, a Bae Hawk, a Toucano and two Typhoons doing some sort of close formation flying.

Re: Seen today
« Reply #1636 on: 27 January, 2011, 07:10:50 pm »
Interesting. In Poland you see many artificial lakes deliberately stocked with a variety of species including carp, where you can pay to fish - usually by the hour - but AFAIK you can keep and eat what you catch. In fact these places usually provide a grill and picnic tables too.

Carp are bottom feeders and would taste of mud when freshly caught, that's why they are kept in tanks of fresh water next to the road prior to sale in Poland.

Quote
If you plan on eating Carp, they should never be cooked when first taken out of a pond, but be placed in a container in running water. This will help in getting rid of their somewhat muddy flavour. Here is a traditional carp recipe from Poland:


Carp


Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Seen today
« Reply #1637 on: 27 January, 2011, 09:00:14 pm »
Traditionally you keep live carp in the bath for a few hours. I hadn't realised it was to 'demuddify' them.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

TheLurker

  • Goes well with magnolia.
Re: Seen today
« Reply #1638 on: 28 January, 2011, 08:46:14 am »
Last night.  Little owl, snowdrops, snowflakes.
This morning. Barn owl.
Τα πιο όμορφα ταξίδια γίνονται με τις δικές μας δυνάμεις - Φίλοι του Ποδήλατου

Re: Seen today
« Reply #1639 on: 28 January, 2011, 07:20:20 pm »
Barn Owl and a group of five Bewick Swans this morning.

Re: Seen today
« Reply #1640 on: 28 January, 2011, 10:16:15 pm »
Meteorite.  I think.

itsbruce

  • Lavender Bike Menace
Re: Seen today
« Reply #1641 on: 30 January, 2011, 11:25:39 am »
A couple of goats cavorting in the open road, as we navigated through the farmland south of Long Eaton on the EM Fixedwheel ride
I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked: Allen Ginsberg
The best minds of my generation are thinking about how to make people click ads: Jeff Hammerbacher

Re: Seen today
« Reply #1642 on: 30 January, 2011, 12:07:00 pm »

Buzzard by Cottenham cambs

Rig of Jarkness

  • An Englishman abroad
Re: Seen today
« Reply #1643 on: 30 January, 2011, 04:58:33 pm »
3 dippers
Aero but not dynamic

Re: Seen today
« Reply #1644 on: 30 January, 2011, 05:48:30 pm »
Four long-tailed tits cavorting in a tree (a cherry, I think) & eating the new buds.

Anna kite over Cemetery Junction.
"A woman on a bicycle has all the world before her where to choose; she can go where she will, no man hindering." The Type-Writer Girl, 1897

Re: Seen today
« Reply #1645 on: 30 January, 2011, 11:56:44 pm »
A stoat in his winter plumage dashed across the road between me and on-coming car, then once the car had gone he was sat up in the verge watching me grind up the hill.

Rig of Jarkness

  • An Englishman abroad
Re: Seen today
« Reply #1646 on: 31 January, 2011, 07:39:23 pm »
Redpolls and goldfinches briefly cheered up my walk around the prison exercise yard* today. 

*as I think of the industrial estate in which I have the misfortune to work.
Aero but not dynamic

Re: Seen today
« Reply #1647 on: 02 February, 2011, 06:26:11 pm »
A coot building a nest.
"A woman on a bicycle has all the world before her where to choose; she can go where she will, no man hindering." The Type-Writer Girl, 1897

Re: Seen today
« Reply #1648 on: 02 February, 2011, 09:14:51 pm »
Barn Owls.

4 separate sightings on the way to work.
How big are their territories?

Re: Seen today
« Reply #1649 on: 02 February, 2011, 11:00:03 pm »
Barn owl, this evening.