If he's still there when I get home I might let him in for a while so he can see there's nothing for him, and then kick him out again.
We're *all* secretly working for the mice.
Except the dolphins.
This sheep avoided shearing for 6 years by hiding in a cave. It had enough fleece for 20 suits when finally sheared.I don't think I ought to show Mrs. Wow that photo; she might get overexcited.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BP39ZofCAAEralW.jpg)
A wasp just flew in through the open window, flew around the room, and then - get this - flew straight back out through the open window. It must be some new kind of superwasp.
18 floors. 20 apartments per floor. And they are setting off the fire alarm in EVERY SINGLE APARTMENT.
Poor Milo hasn't come out from under the bed all day.
The pregnant panda at Edinburgh zoo has miscarried, and the new tiger cub at London zoo has drownded. :'(
This morning, whilst returning from the park, we were forced to stop for quite a long time while Morphy gazed at the carved pumpkins with smiley faces outside someone's door and wagged at them incessantly. I think he just though "happy face" and had to respond. I don't think he's ever seen a pumpkin before.Tilley wagged her tail outside the local pumpkin-adorned house, too, and did her I-want-to-play gesture, throwing her forelegs in the air. I think she liked the smell.
He was back today, for the first time in months. I let him in. He's remarkably nosey - he even jumped up on the tv table, and stood on his hind legs to peer behind the tv. He's had a good prowl round, and rubbed himself over every surface, including the bath ??? and now he's looking out of the window. Now I have to persuade him to leave. ;DIf he's still there when I get home I might let him in for a while so he can see there's nothing for him, and then kick him out again.
Are you *sure* that's good cat psychology? ;)
Letting him in at all is *progress*. Although there'll be nothing this time, there might be next time. Or the time after that. Or the time after that. Prrrrrrrrr.
I belive the Americans have an animal called a bob(b)cat? Think it's a lynx, though. I'm trying to work de-oderant into this but I'll just leave it there!
I have a dilemma. I came home for lunch, Harry was in the stair, he shot into my flat when I opened the door, and now I have to decide whether to leave him here all afternoon, hoping he will destroy the mice, or whether I should put him out. NB putting him out will require waking him up as the cheeky bugger is fast asleep on a folder.
This sheep avoided shearing for 6 years by hiding in a cave. It had enough fleece for 20 suits when finally sheared.Just spotted this: That is Shrek the Sheep, very famous in New Zealand. At random places, cafe's and bars etc., you will find a bit framed and behind glass fleece proclaiming to be a bit of his. He was/is seen as hero and has entered the Kiwi folklore big time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrek_(sheep)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BP39ZofCAAEralW.jpg)
A flock of Canada geese flying past my 12th floor bedroom window honking like mad in the driving snow. Wow.
Apparently, teachers are no longer allowed to use the suffix "Tit" on the end of bird names, e.g. Bearded Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, but must use the suffix "Reedling". This is because "Tit" is a naughty offensive word, won't someone think of the children etc...
At least that's what one teacher thought who phoned up a local nature reserve yesterday.... ::-)
The cocker spaniel can tell the difference between a red and a grey squirrel
Soddit. We have a wedding to go to in 3 weeks and I seem to have left it late to find someone to look after Morphy. My usual dog accommodator is fully booked.For the first time in his 10 years, Morphy is going into kennels tomorrow. I feel quite guilty about this.
Oh, no! Poor Morphy. I hope it's a nice one and that they remember his his 4 o'clock chew.
I have discovered a benefit of slugs.
Morphy crapped on what passes for a lawn the other day. When I was pottering down the garden I thought "Blimey! What's wrong with that dog's bowels?" but when I looked a little closer it was a couple of dozen slugs all tucking in. The following morning all the dogshit had gone.
You have a touchingly loyal dog. Jan doesn't. ;D
You have a touchingly loyal dog. Jan doesn't. ;D
Oh, he's just the same if ever we get split up on a walk. He always wants to wait for the one whom he perceives is lagging behind. Quite often we drop in our local shop for milk on the way back from the park. It's that close to home that there's no point in the one with the dog waiting, and I normally hold his lead because he's a really strong, big dog and he has never learned not to pull, so Jan usually goes in for the milk. He won't let me get far along the road before he's hanging back and looking over his shoulder for the missing pack member!
We're waiting for Cats Protection to come and assess us.
We're waiting for Cats Protection to come and assess us.
I hope there won't be any maths questions in this assessment, I'm crap at those.
Which one?
We are passed fit to kitteh parent.
*waits*
Just had to play it, Peli was not amused.
I was trying to sleep at the time. ;) Woolly cracked up when I involuntarily started singing it as I was about to drop off...Just had to play it, Peli was not amused.
How no??? It's one of the most smile inducing songs :)
I was trying to sleep at the time. ;) Woolly cracked up when I involuntarily started singing it as I was about to drop off...Just had to play it, Peli was not amused.
How no??? It's one of the most smile inducing songs :)
This chap's a little bit lost.
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/watch-i-woke-up-found-8330927 (http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/watch-i-woke-up-found-8330927)
Now in captivity & needing some treatment http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/seal-found-newton-le-willows-field-transferred-8336343 (http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/seal-found-newton-le-willows-field-transferred-8336343)
Ok I need to go back to school, I was sure that goats didn't grow on trees ... :)
I spotted a wren in the back garden at the weekend, the first I've seen for many years. This prompted Mrs O to buy a bird feeder.
Last evening my considerably better half and I were discussing the fact that it will soon be the start of the “Killing Season”… the season when our pack of moggies kill anything with wings or four legs they can get their paws on. It’s mostly fledgling they take out of nests to play with….. not nice but they get bored after four or five months of mayhem.
Anyway, it seems that Pootle the mega tom was listening as he left me a present this morning…. A dead, fully grown pigeon! It’s the largest thing he has ever killed…poor thing is now buried in the garden as we do with all their kills… Let’s hope he isn’t starting large and getting larger as he couldn’t get the ex-pigeon through the cat flap but looking at the blood on it, he did try!
Oh… and there is currently a pigeon calling away on our roof. I wonder if it’s looking for its mate? Do they mate for life? Its quite sad really.
Pootle is now sleeping on the back of the sofa. To punish him...we have turned off his electric blanket.....
Oh… and there is currently a pigeon calling away on our roof. I wonder if it’s looking for its mate? Do they mate for life? Its quite sad really.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/wildlife/11537864/Giant-badger-the-size-of-a-pig-terrorises-pensioner.html
The Schweindachs is looking for cyclists to hit - not even recumbent trikes are safe!
Mrs P has obv. been inspired by Wobbly John:
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7630/16596393143_5b337e6ab8_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/rhyRtn)
IMG_4979 (https://flic.kr/p/rhyRtn) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/people/36539950@N00/), on Flickr
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7692/16594413614_2cdfdfc02e_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/rhoH2y)
IMG_4980 (https://flic.kr/p/rhoH2y) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/people/36539950@N00/), on Flickr
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8766/17216290821_f2c695e995_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/sekZsn)
IMG_4981 (https://flic.kr/p/sekZsn) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/people/36539950@N00/), on Flickr
In use (https://flic.kr/p/sct5N5)
Mrs P has obv. been inspired by Wobbly John:
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7630/16596393143_5b337e6ab8_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/rhyRtn)
IMG_4979 (https://flic.kr/p/rhyRtn) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/people/36539950@N00/), on Flickr
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7692/16594413614_2cdfdfc02e_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/rhoH2y)
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8766/17216290821_f2c695e995_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/sekZsn)
IMG_4981 (https://flic.kr/p/sekZsn) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/people/36539950@N00/), on Flickr
In use (https://flic.kr/p/sct5N5)
'Ere cat! - chewing through the cardboard bits between the holes is cheating! Have you any idea how long that took me to make?
A bird hit the kitchen window today, with enough force to shake the clock on the wall beside it off. (House made of ticky tacky, so not that hard, but still a hefty thud for a bird.) No bird on the floor below, so I hope it's still flapping about.
Endothermy (the metabolic production and retention of heat to warm body temperature above ambient) enhances physiological function, and whole-body endothermy generally sets mammals and birds apart from other animals. Here, we describe a whole-body form of endothermy in a fish, the opah (Lampris guttatus), that produces heat through the constant “flapping” of wing-like pectoral fins and minimizes heat loss through a series of counter-current heat exchangers within its gills. Unlike other fish, opah distribute warmed blood throughout the body, including to the heart, enhancing physiological performance and buffering internal organ function while foraging in the cold, nutrient-rich waters below the ocean thermocline.
With intensive & lengthy teaching, a few have learned to use a few hundred signs - but none of them have learned to use them as humans do, & they learn them very slowly indeed by human standards.
The evidence is that they learn to understand speech (with immersive exposure) faster than they learn to use anything, & learn to understand speech orders of magnitude slower than humans. There's a hell of a lot of controversy about how much they do learn, especially in their use of language, but even those making the greatest (& highly disputed) claims aren't claiming anything anywhere near what humans learn in similar circumstances.With intensive & lengthy teaching, a few have learned to use a few hundred signs - but none of them have learned to use them as humans do, & they learn them very slowly indeed by human standards.
Have any of those studies been done with immersive exposure to *native* signers, though? Without that, you'd expect them to have the same problems as signing children of hearing families (who are typically learning sign one step ahead from limited resources, which isn't fast enough for a developing child, and only use it to communicate directly with the child, so the child isn't exposed to natural adult use of language). That apes tend to learn more slowly would surely compound that effect.
Still with the chimps, I read the other day that chimpanzees have learned to appreciate cooked food, prefer cooked to raw vegetables and would hoard raw veg until they had enough to hand over to their tame humans for cooking. Delayed gratification – obviously middle-class chimps! ::-) I think I read this in the Graun – or maybe it was the Telegraph. Either way, I can't find it now.
chimps being unable to control fire was just one of the reasons they do not currently cook. The other, according to the study, is their lack of "social skills"
It's a bird.
Apropos of this https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2177.msg1882068#msg1882068
There is a recent visitor to the gardens around Ham Hall, can anyone identify the bugger? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y2rwtEodi4 carries on and on and on and on and on like that
Apropos of this https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2177.msg1882068#msg1882068
There is a recent visitor to the gardens around Ham Hall, can anyone identify the bugger? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y2rwtEodi4 carries on and on and on and on and on like that
I think it might be a great tit. They have quite a wide variety of very monotonous calls.
Here's another. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nDLF2fxoWQ
And here are lots more! http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Parus-major
Nice. What does the readout on the BD tell you? We've got a Magenta but it's only got a twiddly knob with the Hz marked on it.
What bird makes a noise like someone tutting repeatedly?
That secretary bird did in an office I once worked in.
Blackbird?
What is it with all the wapsies today? I've hardly seen any all year and now there's loads of them. Kitchen, living room, shed, garden and they're really in bothering mood.
I've been stacking wood all afternoon and twice I've had to rip my shirt off cos one of the buggers has gone exploring. >:(
What is it with all the wapsies today? I've hardly seen any all year and now there's loads of them. Kitchen, living room, shed, garden and they're really in bothering mood.
I've been stacking wood all afternoon and twice I've had to rip my shirt off cos one of the buggers has gone exploring. >:(
We saw a number of foxes during last night's ride, the most memorable being one swimming in one of the docks. It seemed to sense how vulnerable it was when it was in the water and made for a concrete ledge in shallower water so that it could get out. I had never seen a fox swimming before.
Sad news yesterday. Clarissa, my Madagascan Hissing Cockroach hissed her last and is no more. She'd been with me for four or more years and always gave me a welcome hiss when I came into my office. When I picked her up, she affectionately used to grip my finger and she loved to be stroked. Like all her ancient kind, she was not loved by everyone, but she had a friend in me.
R.I.P. Clarissa
Goats balancing on a flexible steel ribbon (https://youtu.be/58-atNakMWw) :D
Aren't they a bit like cats in that they can have two babies by different fathers at once? (or have I got that totally and utterly wrong?)
Must be tricky for such slippery animules to go about shagging anyway, definitely "slippery when wet".
I have developed a minor obsession with pangolins, where can I see one, apart from Sierra Leone? I am actually going to SL, but not to the pangolin-likely area, and I only realised they had pangolins there when I was reading out a list of all their wildlife, and most of it was horrible and bitey (or in the case of the leopard, lovely and bitey) and then it said about pangolins, one variety of which apparently falls out of trees from time to time. I just can't get that vision out of my head...
First picture on the Wikinaccurate page is a pangolin climbing a tree.
First picture on the Wikinaccurate page is a pangolin climbing a tree.
Looks like a slow araf[1] to me...
[1] A distant relative of the drop-bear, native to Wales.
First picture on the Wikinaccurate page is a pangolin climbing a tree.
Looks like a slow araf[1] to me...
[1] A distant relative of the drop-bear, native to Wales.
Those slow arafs suffer a terrible road mortality rate, judging from the number of them you see splattered about Welsh roads.
Quick poll - who would know what this safety sign means?
(http://images.mysafetysign.com/img/md/I/do-not-freeze-iso-sign-is-1232.png)
(spoiler in the URL!)
Quick poll - who would know what this safety sign means?
(http://images.mysafetysign.com/img/md/I/do-not-freeze-iso-sign-is-1232.png)
(spoiler in the URL!)
Quick poll - who would know what this safety sign means?
(http://images.mysafetysign.com/img/md/I/do-not-freeze-iso-sign-is-1232.png)
(spoiler in the URL!)
Quick poll - who would know what this safety sign means?
(http://images.mysafetysign.com/img/md/I/do-not-freeze-iso-sign-is-1232.png)
(spoiler in the URL!)
Having looked at URL. I would never have got that!Glad to be of service. :)
*checks freezer contents*
Quick poll - who would know what this safety sign means?
(http://images.mysafetysign.com/img/md/I/do-not-freeze-iso-sign-is-1232.png)
(spoiler in the URL!)
I've applied to adopt a rescue dog. Got my eye on an adorable 3-year old greyhound called Blu. Now I'm just waiting to hear back from the shelter, fingers crossed!
(edit: home visit booked for Monday, yay!)
Next door but one have a dummy long-eared owl on a stake stuck in their veg patch. Makes a great perch for real birds.
Got up this morning to find Ninkasi nibbling on a mouse under our bed.
Which was nice.
There are bits of a magpie on the front lawn, presumably left there by a cat which ate the meaty parts*. When I got up this morning another magpie was tucking into the remains.
*my former cats Sassy and Josh once killed a pigeon in the back garden, dragged it through the catflap and ate the whole lot (save a few feathers and a large bloodstain) on the living room carpet while I was upstairs. They didn't even take their scolding properly as they were both too stuffed to move - just sprawled there in their own crapulence like a lion does after it's eaten a whole antelope.
It is understood the deer has also recovered.
This is a public service announcement
http://www.iizcat.com/post/3795/Naked-man-bends-over-to-fix-sink-and-playful-kitten-decides-to-ruin-his-life
Cat webcam http://nutiminn.is/kattarshians/
Carrots, onions, simmer on a low heat for 90 mins. Hmm, rabbit stew. :P
We have a shrew that visits our lounge periodically. We've named it Franz Shrewburt.
We have a shrew that visits our lounge periodically. We've named it Franz Shrewburt.
Does he turn up on the hour every hour and announce "I'm prompt Shrew!" ?
We have a shrew that visits our lounge periodically. We've named it Franz Shrewburt.
Does he turn up on the hour every hour and announce "I'm prompt Shrew!" ?
In G Flat?
Yes, they may have a trap/neuter/release program.
Having said that if mother has a collar she doesn't sound very feral.
A type of aquatic worm also known as the Korean penis fish. Edible, apparently. They look even better on a video.I thought you meant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candiru
https://www.facebook.com/Food4inspiration/videos/535890453202075/
We're going to try to find out where Pumpkin has been finding extracurricular noms.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4544/38408204142_d0f1893d49_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/21w15Yf)
IMG_0061_01 (https://flic.kr/p/21w15Yf) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
<Gazes in crystal ball>
The mists are clearing...
I see the cat re-appearing in a few days, belly full, minus the expensive GPS tracker...
A massive swarm of shitehawks was sighted over Silly Oak earlier. I'm not entirely sure why. *nervous*
A massive swarm of shitehawks was sighted over Silly Oak earlier. I'm not entirely sure why. *nervous*
Are your bin men still on strike?
Bloody pre-recorded junk call awoke kitten sleeping peacefully on warm patch on my kitchen floor.
Shouldn't be allowed!
(Unavailable number. Am registered with TPS and have 1572 enabled.)
Our kitchen door is made of clear glass.
Sometimes there is cat food on the mat by the door.
Hungry cats knock at door...
'Big Tom' could be father to all, some or none of the kittens.
Also, are you sure it's a male? Could also be a half sibling from a previous litter. I'm not aware that males usually hang around for kitten rearing duties.
You don't wanna mess with an angry badger, right enough.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-43808574
From the Monroe County sheriff's facebook pageHave any Mid-Essex Audaxers been visiting Monroe County? ;D
(https://st.hzcdn.com/simgs/3872bff20b7e943f_8-2143/home-design.jpg)
Croydon cat killers unmasked!
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/croydon-cat-killer-unmasked-police-reveal-culprits-after-three-year-investigation-and-500-deaths-a3940956.html (https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/croydon-cat-killer-unmasked-police-reveal-culprits-after-three-year-investigation-and-500-deaths-a3940956.html)
Yesterday, whislt crossing Walthamstow Marshes on my way home, I spotted someone exercising his two dogs.
Both dogs had harnesses - as opposed to collars - attached to one of the dogs harnesses were a couple of (small) panniers.
I thought that was rather cool.
Next you can teach her to open her own bottles!Yesterday, whislt crossing Walthamstow Marshes on my way home, I spotted someone exercising his two dogs.
Both dogs had harnesses - as opposed to collars - attached to one of the dogs harnesses were a couple of (small) panniers.
I thought that was rather cool.
I keep considering getting our Tilly some panniers. She already has the harness that you can fix them to. Then she can carry her own water and snacks when we go walking.
Raccoons are riding wild hogs into battle against the possums. I guarantee you the media will be completely silent about it.https://twitter.com/michaelkeyes/status/1060701578473152512
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DrheBBvU4AAEfk7.jpg
I don't think they're allowed to release greys back into the wild once captive...
If you're not feeding them the rest of the year that's probably why you're not seeing them - they're in someome else's garden that feeds them.
You might be better having a couple of feeders with single seed varieties rather than mixed feed. Less will be discarded and wasted.
https://www.offerscheck.co.uk/auriol-spotting-scope/lidl/2014/kw-49/221738
It is a review site; they have had them before. The scopes are stacked up in the Horley branch today, but no advertising I can see.https://www.offerscheck.co.uk/auriol-spotting-scope/lidl/2014/kw-49/221738
That says the offer was in 2014 ???
We lost one of our three Embden geese just before Christmas, so we're hoping to bring up some goslings this year. We're left with a gander (Clarence) and a goose (Geri), who I think are father and daughter. With hopes of diversifying the gene pool, I've been given three (hopefully fertilised) Brecon Buff eggs by a neighbour, which I slipped into Geri's nest this morning. In order to get her to go broody, I've left her own eggs in there, but I don't want them to hatch. Should I
a) get some of these (https://www.theincubatorshop.co.uk/products/details/ceramic-goose-egg.html),
b) buy some eggs from the butcher, which should be unfertilised, or
c) hard-boil her own eggs and pop them back into the nest?
I'm thinking that, since we'd rather keep a female rather than male gosling, I'd take a punt on which one to keep at 16 weeks based on the colour of the down and the pitch of the call (I don't feel qualified to try vent-sexing!). I've got a friend who'll happily accept juveniles to his flock. (Of course, there's a 1-in-8 chance of them all being male, and it's not a foregone conclusion that they'll hatch out. I'm wary of premature poultry enumeration ;D)
Any thoughts or words of wisdom/experience?
It's no wonder insect populations are declining; I wiped out a couple of hundred on yesterday evening's ride. With my eyelids. Time to wear glasses whenever out of the house.
Another bird in my bedroom this morning. Last one was a very noisy juvenile jackdaw which was quite easy to encourage back out of the window. This morning's was very small and unidentified, but still very noisy. Possibly a very young sparrow or perhaps a wren. I couldn't get close enough to see as it panicked and squashed itself into a corner under the back of a chest of drawers. Hopefully it will find its own way out.
I'll probably get in trouble for suggesting this but don't you have a cat? In which case it is not doing it's job.No. No cat here. I did think one would be useful in this situation though. It could flush the little bugger out of its many hiding places so I could throw a towel over it. (Which is what I've been trying to do)
Turner used his Amazon.ca Rewards Visa to buy electronics and supplies for his six dogs.
Wow!
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/aug/04/sea-eagles-to-take-flight-on-isle-of-wight-for-first-time-since-1780?fbclid=IwAR0rZG1D0OI5K9EVhgsZebfekinhj63AVWpVOtCaRGDSXxHcrjvRxSHw_T4
Wow!
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/aug/04/sea-eagles-to-take-flight-on-isle-of-wight-for-first-time-since-1780?fbclid=IwAR0rZG1D0OI5K9EVhgsZebfekinhj63AVWpVOtCaRGDSXxHcrjvRxSHw_T4
They were released last week.
:)
A pair of herons. It struck me that, although herons are fairly common, I've only seen solitary individuals, never a pair before.
Also, I reported upthread that our swifts disappeared suddenly in the last week of July. They've not been seen since, but this morning there were four flying about. Are these Pingu's swifts taking a break mid migration?
Oh excellent. It's been years since I saw one. Get a wildlife camera up!
I've got hedgehogs in my urban back garden! :thumbsup:
Russian scientists tracking migrating eagles ran out of money after some of the birds flew to Iran and Pakistan and their SMS transmitters drew huge data roaming charges.
Migrating Russian eagles run up huge data roaming charges (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-50180781)QuoteRussian scientists tracking migrating eagles ran out of money after some of the birds flew to Iran and Pakistan and their SMS transmitters drew huge data roaming charges.
WHAT THE FF?>:(
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/17/falconers-to-be-allowed-to-take-wild-peregrine-chicks-from-nests?utm_term=RWRpdG9yaWFsX0d1YXJkaWFuVG9kYXlVS19XZWVrZW5kLTIwMDQxOQ%3D%3D&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=GTUK_email&utm_campaign=GuardianTodayUK
Bloody hell! How did that get approved?Haven't seen any local foxes since lockdown.
Back to what I came here for: urban foxes. I'm wondering how they're doing, with some of their major food sources closed down. I know that foxes round here scavenge behind fast food places & restaurants, & there've been no discarded scraps in those places for them for weeks. Has anyone noticed hungry foxes?
WHAT THE FF?
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/17/falconers-to-be-allowed-to-take-wild-peregrine-chicks-from-nests?utm_term=RWRpdG9yaWFsX0d1YXJkaWFuVG9kYXlVS19XZWVrZW5kLTIwMDQxOQ%3D%3D&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=GTUK_email&utm_campaign=GuardianTodayUK
You know those pigeon deterrent spikes?Most excellent photo. As for the spikes, those are soft southern woossy spikes, no match for an Aberdonian pigeon.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49977003693_264e8ab827_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2j9id2t)
IMG_6146_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2j9id2t) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
A bird said to have the aerodynamic build of a “jet fighter” has been tracked flying more than 12,000km (7,500 miles) from Alaska to New Zealand, setting a new world record for avian non-stop flight.
The bar-tailed godwit set off from south-west Alaska on 16 September and arrived in a bay near Auckland 11 days later, having flown at speeds of up to 55mph.
They just need time to work out what their equivalent of the Summoning Of The Staff Bell is.
Side note, the German for Eagle Owl is ‘Uhu’, pronounced oo-hoo.I did know this but what puzzles me is the glue. Owl glue???
UHU COMPANY HISTORY
In 1905, pharmacist August Fischer acquired the small Ludwig Hoerth chemicals plant (founded 1884) in Bühl. At the time he did not yet know that he would soon make a discovery that would result in his company becoming one of the most famous adhesive manufacturers in the world.
In 1932 came the crucial innovation, when August Fischer developed the world's first ready-to-use, transparent artificial resin adhesive. It reliably bonded all materials known at the time, even the first plastics such as Bakelit®. As was common in the paper, office supplies and stationery industry, he chose the name of a bird for his new product: "UHU The All Purpose Adhesive".
Not a fan of urban foxes, or foxes in general. This little fox has been sleeping/napping on a law in the cold weather. Now I don't like the idea of an animal suffering.
Now I think that these foxes should be controlled by humans being culled as we are a great food source.
Now why does seeing this fox napping upset me so?
Bison online in Bialowieza national park: https://youtu.be/ZTZ9iyw-z1Q
Foxes are cool, we have a couple under the summer house. At least some wildlife benefits in urban environments. They're not vermin, the population size is regulated by food availability and vehicular predation. They mostly don't bother cats, they're not competing for territory or food, so unless either party feels threatened or the foxes are really, really hungry, there's not much point in fighting, they both risk serious injury. Foxes would rather eat smaller stuff with fewer claws and teeth. Cats would rather eat stuff from the supermarket.
They don't need extra food or shelter, they're wild animals. I wouldn't worry about them. Foxes and squirrels in other parts of the world have to put up with far colder temperatures.
That’s a lot better than I managed Pingu, please tell me you used a very expensive camera and a huge lens. There was a second pair in the holly bush later this afternoon as well.
Bison ranger would be a very cool job title, and it's great to have this reintroduction.
We associate red kites with the Chilterns and Wales,
"Les grues ont passé" This afternoon I saw two big groups (flights?) pass over Limoges heading up north. That is usually the sign that the wintry weather is finished. (For us commoners grue is a generic term for any group of birds flying at altitude in V formation - the actual bird type might not be a grue!.
"Les grues ont passé" This afternoon I saw two big groups (flights?) pass over Limoges heading up north. That is usually the sign that the wintry weather is finished. (For us commoners grue is a generic term for any group of birds flying at altitude in V formation - the actual bird type might not be a grue!.
Over here in Nevers, it's rather "Les oies". Both groups of birds probably belong to the same specie, although no one really knows whether they are geese or cranes!
RIP Freddie the seal (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-56489147) :'(
Does anyone know what these tubular items are, attached to the branches?
(https://dl.dropbox.com/s/8ztoy2i9p0zayv7/2021-04-01%2017.11.12.jpg?dl=0)
Think we might be getting visits from badgers. Holes have appeared in the lawn:
Think we might be getting visits from badgers. Holes have appeared in the lawn:
Are you sure it's not your dog? Our lawn has similar holes where our Border Terrier seems to dig and then eat the soil, or insects, or grass roots, or something.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51240667996_8e5c9f926f_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m4XPp3)Are they babies?
IMG_3043_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2m4XPp3) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51240668026_405a82a2b6_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m4XPpy)
IMG_3050_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2m4XPpy) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51241721550_276efdb520_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m54dzL)
IMG_3064_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2m54dzL) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51239957752_780acf4b88_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m4Ubgs)
IMG_3066_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2m4Ubgs) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51241721625_85bf536ffc_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m54dB4)
IMG_3069_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2m54dB4) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51239957692_4e67c634d3_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m4Ubfq)
IMG_3076_01 (https://flic.kr/p/2m4Ubfq) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
a 20l bin full of birdseed
Yes it is but they've ruined it with such a lot of touching up, IMO.
Yes it is but they've ruined it with such a lot of touching up, IMO.I thought the same, but I don't have the photography expertise to be able to put a finger on what has been done.
Built it. But will they come?
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51838236363_7215e2b483.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mYLvDV)2022-01-23_03-35-11 (https://flic.kr/p/2mYLvDV) by The Pingus (https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pingus/), on Flickr
Surprised by some wildlife recently; I think the persistent bad weather is driving them down out of the hills.
Seen since Sun
Young stag, just off the road to our house.
Two red kites
hedgehog
3 species of finch, 1 species of thrush, 2 of sparrow. No partridge in a pear tree though.
Surprised by some wildlife recently; I think the persistent bad weather is driving them down out of the hills.
Seen since Sun
Young stag, just off the road to our house.
Two red kites
hedgehog
3 species of finch, 1 species of thrush, 2 of sparrow. No partridge in a pear tree though.
Surprised by some wildlife recently; I think the persistent bad weather is driving them down out of the hills.
Seen since Sun
Young stag, just off the road to our house.
Two red kites
hedgehog
3 species of finch, 1 species of thrush, 2 of sparrow. No partridge in a pear tree though.
Whaere are you? "Two species of sparrow"---which ones?
Hedge sparrow = dunnock (not a sparrow).
Hedge sparrow = dunnock (not a sparrow).
House and Tree of course. Plus Dunnock which isn’t a Sparrow.
We’ve been enjoying seeing the remains of the snails being consumed by a Song Thrush, a rare visitor to our garden. This morning we went out and found what we think may well be the remains of a bird of prey’s meal (we have seen Sparrowhawks occasionally and we regularly get Kestrels. I don’t think a Kite would be in our small narrow garden, and we don’t think it’s the cat as there are no remains other than feathers. ).The feathers are those of a song thrush, probably one of the adults as thrush 2 is too young to have fully developed tail feathers, as seen in the pile.
Pic my wife just took from the bedroom window:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52427234046_2aa55bebb6.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nSPh9o)
Bird (https://flic.kr/p/2nSPh9o) by citoyen (https://www.flickr.com/photos/103760266@N08/), on Flickr
Kestrel?
Apropos of nothing in particular - I've heard that there are wild boar in some of the woods between Widders and Canterbury.
That's me told ;)
I met a wild boar in Tunbridge Wells once when out walking with my Weimaraner, a dog breed designed to hunt wild boar.And... ?
Yeah, I've heard about the bison as well.
Pub quiz time.......
Konik is pony in Polish.
The dog cornered the boar and it took me 10 minutes to get Lucy back on the lead (she kept skipping just out of reach of me).I met a wild boar in Tunbridge Wells once when out walking with my Weimaraner, a dog breed designed to hunt wild boar.And... ?
Lucy’s problem was once she had cornered it she didn’t know what to do next. Clearly her genes told her to corner it but she wasn’t sure of the next step. And she was on her own rather than in a pack of Weimaraners.Killing the boar was usually the job of the huntsmen. Take a boar spear (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boar_spear) with you next time.
Apropos of nothing in particular - I've heard that there are wild boar in some of the woods between Widders and Canterbury.
I have heard wild boar mentioned before but I'm not sure if there actually are any. However, there are bison...
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/canterbury/news/history-made-as-bison-released-into-kent-woodland-270348/
https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/wilderblean
Also Konik ponies, which I've seen many times, but not lately - presumably they've been moved while the enclosures have been constructed for the bison.That's me told ;)
Well, I've got no idea, so either or neither of you could be right.
But it is a kestrel.
Why are there fewer acorns this year?
The quick answer is that last year was what is known as a ‘mast year’. A mast year occurs roughly once every 5-10 years, and is where a tree species such as oak drastically increase the number of acorns they produce.
Acorns. Thousands of them. On the wane now but 2 or 3 weeks ago I was walking (sliding) over several layers' worth on some lanes. I had a chat with the local small-holder yesterday, and he had lost 3 lambs to acorn poisoning and a calf came close too, but pulled through. He doesn't have enough space to keep them inside, nor fields without oaks. His saddlebacks are as happy as pigs in clover, though.I thought acorns were edible just not that tasty?
Just this corner of SW Wales, or elsewhere?
but apparently livestock are stupid and will eat them even though they taste like over-brewed tea.
https://www.forfarmers.co.uk/sheep/news-knowledge-and-advice/watch-out-for-acorn-poisoning-this-autumn.aspx
It's the tannin which makes them unpleasant. It is possible to get over this by soaking them.Acorns. Thousands of them. On the wane now but 2 or 3 weeks ago I was walking (sliding) over several layers' worth on some lanes. I had a chat with the local small-holder yesterday, and he had lost 3 lambs to acorn poisoning and a calf came close too, but pulled through. He doesn't have enough space to keep them inside, nor fields without oaks. His saddlebacks are as happy as pigs in clover, though.I thought acorns were edible just not that tasty?
Just this corner of SW Wales, or elsewhere?
https://www.webmd.com/diet/are-acorns-safe-to-eat
but apparently livestock are stupid and will eat them even though they taste like over-brewed tea.
https://www.forfarmers.co.uk/sheep/news-knowledge-and-advice/watch-out-for-acorn-poisoning-this-autumn.aspx
https://earthsky.org/earth/longest-nonstop-bird-flight-world-record-bar-tailed-godwit-2022/?fbclid=IwAR0JNIAZa4Rd1TdKRGpLqqMGuOkBrU9kJ8y7W4a-wtUa-tT7qC_zbwCtJoAAudaxers beware!
Now that scientists are putting trackers on godwits, we are beginning to understand how far these incredible creatures fly. Alaska to Tasmania in one hop, or, more exactly, 11 days of non-stop flapping - over 1200 kilometres per day. This is the third consecutive year that the record has been broken. In 2020 and 2021, it was the same bird both times. This new one is one of spring 2022's fledglings.
https://earthsky.org/earth/longest-nonstop-bird-flight-world-record-bar-tailed-godwit-2022/?fbclid=IwAR0JNIAZa4Rd1TdKRGpLqqMGuOkBrU9kJ8y7W4a-wtUa-tT7qC_zbwCtJoA
Now that scientists are putting trackers on godwits, we are beginning to understand how far these incredible creatures fly. Alaska to Tasmania in one hop, or, more exactly, 11 days of non-stop flapping - over 1200 kilometres per day. This is the third consecutive year that the record has been broken. In 2020 and 2021, it was the same bird both times. This new one is one of spring 2022's fledglings.
I never knew that earwigs have wings: https://twitter.com/DrAdrianSmith/status/1598862569531658242
Explains a lot!
I was cycling along the River Soar just north of Leicester a couple of months ago with a friend when she spotted a kingfisher. I was gutted that I missed it.
I was cycling along the River Soar just north of Leicester a couple of months ago with a friend when she spotted a kingfisher. I was gutted that I missed it.
Relax, she was just winding you up. Nobody has ever seen a kingfisher.
Wow, be glad that you have never knowingly seen one: their call goes, "Last Christmas, I....". This is followed by the Wham! that makes them so rare. (Other readers may need to refer to Whamageddon, elsewhere on the forum.)
Æxcellent starling action over the M40 near Otmoor the afternoon.They're pretty impressive in the car park of my Sainos when the rear rim of my Pompino decides to explode as the braking surface has worn so thin.
WTAFF?
https://www.ferberpainting.co.uk/products/hedgehog-killer-500-baits
Company says their website has been hacked.
NOT funny.
WTAFF?
https://www.ferberpainting.co.uk/products/hedgehog-killer-500-baits
Company says their website has been hacked.
NOT funny.
It seems Whiskas cat food pouches have shrunk from 100g to 85g, whilst the price at Sainsbury's remains unaltered.
Seems like too much plastic waste for our very hungry cats.
They won't eat tinned.
I feel guilty about buying Nestlé Felix.
Oh dear!
Let them eat catapillars!It seems Whiskas cat food pouches have shrunk from 100g to 85g, whilst the price at Sainsbury's remains unaltered.
Seems like too much plastic waste for our very hungry cats.
They won't eat tinned.
I feel guilty about buying Nestlé Felix.
Oh dear!
There is no ethical consumption under catipalism...
Tit in our cam box definitely a lone parent. Feeds few caterpillars, but quite a bit of fat ball and suet slab from our feeders. Seems to be keeping them warm in this cold Spring rather than feeding them. So they're starving. Hen just removed a little corpse. 6 out of 9 still alive
Saw an adder and a marmot today.
I then discovered that adder/viper is Kreuzotter in German. I thought a Kreuzotter was a sweet whiskers mammal that eats fish and lives in streams. No, that’s a Fischotter.
Very cool to see a Kreuzotter and a Murmeltier though.
Once a nation of cat-lovers, attacks on other animals and recovery in local fauna is reshaping attitudes toward felineshttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/19/bird-killing-machines-new-zealand-cools-on-cats-to-protect-native-wildlife
Tess McClure
Tess McClure in Auckland
@tessairini
Fri 18 Aug 2023 21.00 BST
Out in the bush beyond his house, John McConnell walks with his gun, looking for the glint of eyes in the darkness.
McConnell, 67, lives outside Auckland and spends much of his time planting native trees on this block of land, trying to restore parts of it to their original state to draw back the chorus of native birds. At night, he heads out to hunt the predators that threaten them: possums, rats, and these days, any un-collared feline unlucky enough to end up in his sights.
“I shoot them,” says McConnell. “Seriously. If it’s a cat and I know whose it is, I’ll leave it. But if it’s a stray cat – it’s a gonner,” he says. “Even if it’s domestic and it’s out at night, I’m getting to the point where I’d shoot those as well, because they shouldn’t be out.”
The sheep, called Fiona and wearing a huge fleece, had been stranded at the foot of cliffs on the Cromarty Firth for at least two years, with an animal welfare charity having deemed rescue attempts “incredibly complex”.
The rescue mission was organised by Cammy Wilson, a sheep shearer from Ayrshire and a presenter on the BBC’s Landward programme, after seeing media coverage of Fiona’s plight.
I have read today that waxwings re visiting the UK in larger numbers than for several years.
It's a long time since I saw any, but (probably) about 15 years ago there was a large flock which spent a few days consuming cotoneaster berries from some bushes near a Morrison's super in the vicinity of Southend airport.
I have read today that waxwings re visiting the UK in larger numbers than for several years.
It's a long time since I saw any, but (probably) about 15 years ago there was a large flock which spent a few days consuming cotoneaster berries from some bushes near a Morrison's super in the vicinity of Southend airport.
bat porn box
I have read today that waxwings re visiting the UK in larger numbers than for several years.
It's a long time since I saw any, but (probably) about 15 years ago there was a large flock which spent a few days consuming cotoneaster berries from some bushes near a Morrison's super in the vicinity of Southend airport.
Fear not, Mrs PinguTa :)
Black Grouse - think smaller capercaille.
Males are called Blackcock, Females are Greyhens.
And they are quite correct - it's just started snowing.
The pictures are enormous so I can’t see them on the iPad. Can they be resized to a more normal size?
I had a successful trip to Wol-I-See Island.That any better?
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHd20fLwng60sXi1Mcr25xUE2d8zMf5_e3ByVfnef7a_hvpyrTOHKBdOGokWAwzhAMUxGNHvlEv7ekweXT4YWFHs2C1HXeDc6Ea1f6NuHAXYa65xKZRN=w1200)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHdD3xK1e6FhLkSJ6cx4GDj-BCd4ejdntZ3QEiHIB60YX0nlZe2-gRlPD68QxC4CseJwDh44YhQFQNho0f5Btn6lkI0EFaQA4Eoo0RBzdn7lqk9_Vnuy=w2400)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHfamkez3Yl3088MoSDbCC5-cMlcuris-DMuF_3K1HVkHZCx656PQE5ON3KmnwpFjUNoc3dgFVFvOqzUa1MrLOyxxoGTEOSYe1svFhVnDV3Cplw16rPP=w2400)
A BloodyCyclist came along and disturbed my quarry.
The pictures are enormous so I can’t see them on the iPad. Can they be resized to a more normal size?
How do you do that?
[img width=600]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHd20fLwng60sXi1Mcr25xUE2d8zMf5_e3ByVfnef7a_hvpyrTOHKBdOGokWAwzhAMUxGNHvlEv7ekweXT4YWFHs2C1HXeDc6Ea1f6NuHAXYa65xKZRN=w1200[/img]
Fear not, Mrs PinguChris Packham likes blackcock in the morning.
Black Grouse - think smaller capercaille.
Males are called Blackcock, Females are Greyhens.
And they are quite correct - it's just started snowing.
The pictures are enormous so I can’t see them on the iPad. Can they be resized to a more normal size?
How do you do that?
SteveC has specified a width in the img tags, like this:Code: [Select][img width=600]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHd20fLwng60sXi1Mcr25xUE2d8zMf5_e3ByVfnef7a_hvpyrTOHKBdOGokWAwzhAMUxGNHvlEv7ekweXT4YWFHs2C1HXeDc6Ea1f6NuHAXYa65xKZRN=w1200[/img]
Chrome on Win10 here and Wow's images are chuffing enormous!
Point of order - pheasants are not wildlife.
I'm just reading Rachel Carson's Silent Spring (yeah, I know it was published 61 years ago, but just for the aged hippie points aka lols) and the effect of pesticides on opportunities for "sportsmen" is one of her big points.QuotePoint of order - pheasants are not wildlife.
So true - captive bred birds released into the countryside for people to shoot for fun.
Lead shot in the game meat sold for human consumption - wash your mouth out.
Bird Flu - who cares?
Displacing native wildlife - yeah, more opportunity for "sport".
Point of order - pheasants are not wildlife.
but around here they breed in the wild
I'm just reading Rachel Carson's Silent SpringIt's depressing how little we have progressed in the last 60 years, amongst other projects.
Point of order - pheasants are not wildlife.
Pheasants are more like livestock.
.
I think the last point is one of the reasons why they're a "game bird".Pheasants are more like livestock.
.
As, in my locale, are red-legged Partridges, which I find hard to distinguish with the native partridge.
Have never been part of the hunting/fishing/shooting communities and, if my lack of darts is a guide to other forms of projectile, that is probably a good thing, I've always been touched by the irony of the male pheasant, when disturbed, flying in a straight line with a noisy wingbeat emitting loud squawks
Under our bird feeders today, a male pheasant, two rooks, two squirrels, a couple of wood pigeons, a rock pigeon, a few robins and chaffinches and a single starling. Not all at the same time obvs. And on them, along with the usual dozen goldfinches and sundry blue- and great-tits, a pair of greenfinches which is quite unusual.
Nice one, this unit approves, etc.