Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption
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Mistress Rose
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Sounds good Dpack. I had a robin visit me in the log store yesterday. It didn't stay long, but at least long enough to say hello and didn't fly away at once when it saw me. The wood robins can get quite tame as well as the garden ones, particularly if we are disturbing the leaves on the ground to uncover food for them. One built a nest where we were working one year, and mother robin watched our goings on with great interest while incubating the eggs. Gave her something to look at during what must have been a pretty boring time. 
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gregotyn
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I get a robin in the warehouse I work in in the morning. I am not able to get near enough to say he is a close friend, but he takes the crumbs I put out for him. I guess if I was there every day-I'm assuming they don't do calendars-he may be a bit more adventurous towards me, but if he keeps coming, I will give progress reports.
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dpack
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snacks are a good basis for birds to tame humans, we get snacks you think you are clever. love dik 
my chum likes woodlice and is getting quite tame, love dpack
it works for both of us
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Mistress Rose
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dpack
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breaking news from the sammison sagas
i have a house guest, there was a recycling incident, a bit of a search and scamper and afaik he is now resting up somewhere in rather a lot of clutter in the sitting room within a few feet of me
it is only 2 doors to return him to his family with gifts and good wishes but the great trek continues
i almost had a clean hand catch after moving everything but him and a roll of carpet in the hall but he jumped between my fingers at the very last mo and then did a t5000 series melt under a door 
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Mistress Rose
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Try a live trap; it is the only way. They are greasy little blighters. I don't mind mice, in fact our wood mice are rather lovely, but not in the house.
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dpack
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no sign of him so far, it is possible he got under the floor and has exited via a rather large hole air brick.
the cashew is untouched and i have heard no rummaging
no dought we will find out.
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dpack
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one or no doors to go.
the vac under the units flushed him into sight in the kitchen, opportunity to leave quietly has been provided. at the mo that opportunity will be on offer a few more times. it is a one way trip as popping in for supplies will not happen unless his exploration becomes lucrative trade for me. ( bits of bark are not a fair price for spices and silks )
chompy thinks something crossed the threshold and ran across some apple rootstocks in pots outside. there was quite a bit of rummaging in mouse town.
the saga of farulfa sammison continues, at least there has been no tragedy so far
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dpack
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no doors to go , probably
avian news is dik has reduced his personal space distance to very close
human news is i got brave cos it is cold and then he got the food
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Mistress Rose
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Nice.
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Mistress Rose
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When we went out yesterday we saw a red kite soaring above the road. Seemed just to be stemming the wind. Lovely sight.
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dpack
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since the breeding and feeding program started kites have made something of a comeback from extinct due to being shot and poisoned as vermin.
they are not vermin they are refuse collectors and afaik dont bother with live prey, farm stock or game birds and only dine on dead things.
nice to have them back .
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Mistress Rose
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We have a lot of buzzards in the woods and the occasional kite, but we hear more often than see them, as even in winter it is hard to see things through a wood full of deciduous trees.
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dpack
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although there is a major breeding centre fairly close and a good number in west yorkshire i have not seen many in york or east yorks.
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dpack
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the birds are avoiding the wind at the mo but while it has been chilly i have added a pair of blackbirds to the domestic fowl.
they saw the buffet that dik gets and decided i must be ok, from keep a distance/fly away/beady eye they went to a couple of feet and eating
i think they have a juvenile one with them, if not they have a juvenile one that follows em about
the local avians did have some late clutches last year.
there are at least 3 sparrows.
the fat woodies have a slimmer "back door man" on the case and a jackdaw that likes to push mr fat woodie's face into lunch
thinking of jackdaws they seem to have increased from a few to quite a few
saw a pair of bluetits, the wren has mostly been snoozing but pops round to check for invertebrates when it warms up a bit.
pies, we have a few but they prefer kebabs on the main road
dik has reduced his personal space to inches if a cashew is involved or the first worm after the thaw is waved.
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dpack
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bunny update , i just saw a big lean one and two youngish juveniles.
even if they do seem much reduced in numbers there are still bunnies in da hood.
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dpack
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this afternoon a perigrine did a death vortex to a blackbird above and into the garden over the alley
three times round each tighter and lower than the last and a squeak on the lawn.
awesome
if a bit upsetting as the blackbird might have been one i know well.
i have not seen or heard dik for a few days but he might be busy looking for lurve as it is getting warmer.
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Mistress Rose
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Have never actually seen a peregrine strike, but I know they hit the prey at some speed. We tend to get the ones that it knocks out of the sky and can't retrieve in our garden. Luckily mainly pigeons, and there are too many of them.
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dpack
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i have seen a few, something that did surprise me was the cornish pair i watched for a few weeks raising a nestling were catching voles if no avian was convenient
a lowish hover and scan then a near vertical drop to grab one, first time i saw it i thought it was a different species but watching at the nest site they were fetching voles and mice as well as birds.
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Mistress Rose
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Expect like most raptors, they will go for anything if it means food, particularly if they are raising young.
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dpack
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that go for anything issue, yesterday afternoon i was between shed and wall in the yard. something came down from above and behind so fast i did not "see " it , the noise was ace.
it might have been an aborted an attack on my hair or it might have just been passing by.
having shared that , bird news, old dik is now new dik.
same tree, different bird in shape and more importantly has no idea when i offered up a very nice worm
mr and jnr blackbird have seperated and both are singing of their need for lurve so i guess it was mrs b that copped it over the dale.
full on spring stuff in bird town.
the sammisons rummage a bit now and again but might still be eating the winter feast stores
the overdue compost rummage might be a bit of a surprise for them but it is a small price for food and shelter and no puss cats
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Mistress Rose
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My 'down the garden' robin came and visited me yesterday while I was doing some digging. Came within a couple of feet of me, so rather nice. Looked at me quite fearlessly, so think it has decided I am useful and no threat.
The lane up to the woods has celandines in flower, but none in the woods yet. Found a couple of odd primrose flowers and some barren strawberry flowers in a warm corner.
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Mistress Rose
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Heard woodpecker and tawny owl in the woods yesterday.
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gregotyn
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We are only sporting snowdrops up to now, I have seen nothing else yet. It seemed as though it was still autumn about 3 weeks ago as there were leaves blowing all over the road and gathering in 3 foot high piles which we have to drive over/through. It seemed quite strange at this time of the year, they have disappeared now!
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Mistress Rose
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I think the leaves are because it has been quite dry. We still have quite a lot in odd places in the wood, but things are starting to come up now; seen a few more primroses and some barren strawberry in the wood. May be doing a flora survey today, so will see what is rousing, although think it will be mainly leaves, not flowers.
Heard what we think was a marsh tit in the woods on Thursday, but couldn't make out what it was as against the sky and it flew off before I could get near enough for an ID.
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dpack
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there are a selection of mini snails in the yard, dog wee is a brutal sample method but it is quite educational as to what random victims show up in the biodiversity record.
on a happier note mini snails are doing well in the bramble bed and assorted tubs n crevices.
i should learn more about mini snails but so far with a little help some have names.
since i introduced the anti slug nematodes and developed a hedge base soil the mini snails have thrived.
a lot of spp for such a small space, 12' by 2 ' 5 spp so far
most with names so far seem to be riverside / flood plain spp which is to be expected, there are quite a few i still need to id
in the immediate area there are rather a lot of varieties of snails, many of which i have not seen elsewhere.
some of the winkle sized stripey jobbers that live on snail wall are either very variable or there are a lot of spp/sub spp.
the geology and architecture are snail friendly and we have had a lot of trade over a couple of millennia.
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dpack
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the sammison sagas continue with some happy news of several new members of the family.
fousands of em.
not quite, maybe half a dozen it is hard to tell until you get to know them by name but they do scuttle about like fousands.
they seem to be darkish like mrs sammison and just as plump
chompy is somewhat taken aback by more than one at a time
bird town is a bit quiet most of the time with the odd "coach party " of visitors and a few of the regulars
there was a conclave of crow parliaments a week or so ago and since then the 120 or so local ones are still having a party .
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Mistress Rose
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Our rooks have been silent since the peregrine took over their pylon tower, but we have some pigeons, and a robin. Sadly the front door robin seems to have gone, and the new owner of the territory isn't so keen on coming to be fed.
In the woods we have heard blackbirds, and possibly a marsh tit. Great and bluetits around in both garden and woods, and long tailed tits visit us in the woods fairly frequently. I think they may nest there. Tawny owls are in evidence in the afternoons too, and have seen several deer over the last few days.
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Mistress Rose
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Think we heard a turtle dove and a black cap in the woods yesterday. The odd bluebell coming up in bud, but not too many yet, so hope they will hold off until at least early April.
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Jam Lady
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First sighting of the season, out enjoying the sunshine.
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dpack
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charming
as i have no idea what it is beyond it is probably a snake, do they bite and how nasty is that? and are they delicious? are they rare and therefore delicious is an ethical issue?
 sorry i do have a problem of seeing wildlife and thinking recipes and so far the snakes i have eaten have been delicious. to balance that i have looked after a few who if not pals were not dinner and ethics outbid delicious with our two uk species.
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Jam Lady
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Look at the leaves. The snake is about the diameter of my index finger. I didn't bother this one but when I have handled them in the past the worst they do is void some stinky crap from their cloaca. Doubt they could open their mouth sufficiently to really bite me.
Biggest native snake I have ever caught, myself, was a 6 foot long black racer. Again, not aggressive.
Milk snakes, even young ones, are.
There are copperheads (poisonous) in New Jersey but I have never seen them.
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dpack
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thanks, .
of our two the grass snakes are a few feet long , they can nip a finger but are only very mildly toxic to mammals with most not reacting , however their dental hygiene is a little lax so the puncture wounds often need good irrigation and nursing.
adders are about 18" to 2 ft long and finger thick and not only can bite but have a moderately toxic venom.
dog or human under 50 lb (25 kg )will be at risk of death from a full bite and envenomation
adult humans usually survive but it hurts like hell and can cause serious long term damage.
i have had a couple of near misses when climbing as they like to sun themselves on the ledge one is aiming for so after putting a hand next to them you can get nose to nose
i know of a few lost dogs and avoid addery places with mutts.
decent boots will prevent bites if you accidentally step on or too close to one you have not seen.
never poke about bare handed in places they live as a decent glove and/ or stick beats fangs.
they are not aggressive like some but they do get a bit bitey if touched or scared, for the most part if you see them you are safe if you say hello and keep a few feet away.
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derbyshiredowser
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few feet away. |
or when you stop running
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dpack
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running does not help with some of the forrin ones, they can be a bit quick and chase as well as ambush. some jump.
i met some very naughty ones in london zoo, at a safe distance with their still living handler while i was a science tech but the cobra i met in a pet shop was supervised by a brick on the dustbin lid and barry with a broom
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dpack
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ps it was the sort that squirt as well as bite.
a class 4 critter
since the dangeroos wild animal act of iirc 1979 folk with beasts usually know how to look after them and keep the public safe
i met a few unusual pets in the past even after that legislation i can think of a 7 ft croc that acted like a spaniel around a london flat and a pair of very house cat lions in a surrey garden.
shhh i have had a couple of things were were more wolf than dog so pot kettle etc .
i decided i was not responsible enough to become part of the rare variety poison frog breeding program which was probably wise.
the habitat control and critter wrangling seemed ok but frog skin to soft entry point or a reduced rollcall can be a bit extreme and it needs a very long term commitment so i declined the offer
it was nice to be asked but there are limits to helping the endangered,
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dpack
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the three bird feeders arrived, a tube n hole thing for seeds and a nut basket and a lumps basket.
£10, bargain.
i have put them closer to the window than previous feeding spots and they will still get other stuff elsewhere but i thought sparrows and other seed eaters might like a "private members club "
once they get used to them they can do payback with entertainment and education
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Shane
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Just make him feel all loved again, I'm going to champion the smooth snake - very rare in the UK, but a native species nonetheless!
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Mistress Rose
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Very rare. It likes sandy heathland and is often found in the same places as the equally rare sand lizard. I just checked it and thought I had heard the two mentioned together. We once went on a forestry meeting to a place they lived. There had been a film shoot near it once, and that area had to be roped off so nobody went in it, but they remained unfazed with a full scale battle scene occurring quite close to them apparently.
We have slow worms in both woods and garden, but although we have adders nearby, I have never seen one in the woods. Think they too prefer more heathy areas, and we don't have that.
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dpack
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2 species of "native" ladybird lurking in the brambles waiting for the first bloom of aphids
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derbyshiredowser
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running does not help with some of the forrin onesl: |
That'll be the Fourteen Spot Ladybird (Propylea quattuordecimpunctata), I think. Quite variable as to the squareness and connectedness of the spots.
Henry
thanks, i have seen spotty ones but not the chess board variation until now
dpack
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the sparrows have worked out there is a seed feeder and two know how to use the nut one.
i watched a peregrine doing "flying " rather well.
it took a while to find the updraft to climb from 50 to 250 ft and then set off into town doing immelman turns every hundred yards or so to regain hight while only losing a little speed and getting a 360 eyeball as well.
clever even if pigeons dont shoot back.
there is a bit of tension between those aspects but i really like having both about.
first time i got to watch peregrines properly for a bit was while i was staying on a beach top for a month or so, they had a ledge about 50ft up the cliff i had a nice spot above all but spring tides or a storm surge.
they ignored me unless i went for a walk on the top and disturbed mice etc , they will take ground prey if feeding a chick which surprised me a bit , never saw them take a sea bird but there were very few pigeons around when i left.
stunning bird to watch in flight and quite amusing in it's domestic setting , the chicks are proper comedy critters when they are little . a bit more velocoraptor than baby chooks and the face is awesome .
not my snap but a very similar location
to see young uns looking like they do over a few weeks a peregrine chick image search will throw up a few typical poses
once they fledge and start to learn to hunt they can be pretty funny as well, the one 2 yrs back that hedge hopped over the ornamental flower beds and came to rest upside down in the pansies at my feet was most embarrassed
same one made the mistake of picking on a young crow and only it's speed and agility saved it from being a victim of the parliament
the ones that live on the minster have their own media profile but i think the local one is the 2 yr ago chick of those ones.
it works alone and they were still teaching the latest youngster when i last saw them ( 3 as a team is shocking efficient ) over the centre
and they brought 2 yr ago chick here to train it
is it plausible that they are raising a chick and finding it an unoccupied territory?
they are quite long term critters so it makes sense to settle the kid next door if next door is empty.
oh dear , a saluki and a liking for falcons, this could go badly as a camel is a beast too far .
afaik york has one breeding pair and a few of their children who might establish new territories and breed . assuming they are a bit shy of inbreeding it might take meeting up with another population to create more breeding pairs.
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Mistress Rose
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The one we sometimes have in the pylon near us has evicted the rooks; they have moved to the next one. Don't see it very often, but when it is about, the pigeons fly low.
I once saw roods teaching a youngster to fly. It landed legs and wings spread in the hedge, and looked rather funny. Mum and Dad were cawing encouragement to it, so it gathered itself together and hopped around in the hedge a bit to pretend it meant to land like that.
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dpack
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sparrow numbers increasing, at least 7 at the mo which is a good sign there will be lots fairly soon.
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Mistress Rose
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Are they house or tree sparrows do you know Dpack? We get quite a lot of tree sparrows. Sometimes I pass a bush that is 'twittering' and is full of sparrows.
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dpack
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feeding in the bramble or off the birdfood house sparrows are at least 70 % but we have both types about.
half a mile further out of town and the ratio swaps
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gz
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Interesting going for a bike ride round the lanes and seeing whats there...and what we've missed.
Coltsfoot flowers gone over, celandine blooms just arriving, wild garlic well out.
All the daffodils are brown tinged...but these are not native daffs.
Larks and blackbirds, crows and rooks...and lambs.
A few hedgerow LBJs, sparrows and dunnocks, some I don't recognize the calls..but no chaffinches.
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dpack
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wren a mo ago, looked in good condition as it bounced about in the twiggery.
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Ty Gwyn
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Interesting going for a bike ride round the lanes and seeing whats there...and what we've missed.
Coltsfoot flowers gone over, celandine blooms just arriving, wild garlic well out.
All the daffodils are brown tinged...but these are not native daffs.
Larks and blackbirds, crows and rooks...and lambs.
A few hedgerow LBJs, sparrows and dunnocks, some I don't recognize the calls..but no chaffinches. |
I know nothing about flowers,but the daffs around the house ,different types,but I was told the small ones were Welsh daffs,they were out first and still look good were some of the others are brownish as you say.
Mistress Rose
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Quite a lot of the daffodils round here have gone over, but some of the later ones still in flower. Our bluebells are starting, and passing another bluebell wood yesterday, they are quite obviously starting. Dark royal blue at the moment, but they go lighter as time passes. More and more wood anemones, wild garlic leaves up, but not seen any flowers; they tend to come a bit later with us, usually after or towards the end of the bluebells.
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Ty Gwyn
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What causes a few wild bluebells to be white,i have often found a clump over the years?
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Jam Lady
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Ty Gwyn, most likely a recessive gene so must come from both parents. If one provides white and the other blue the offspring have blue flowers.
In the Rocky Mountain lupines bees prefer the blue flowers so it is selected for.
The odd bit I remember from a genetics course is that chickens have a dominant white (only one parent needs to provide the gene) and a recessive white (both parents must provide the gene.) So if there is a cross between a dominant white and recessive white there will be some color feathered chicks. Cool!
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Mistress Rose
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We get a few white flowers every year, but not noticeably the same ones. They don't seem to spread, so just the odd on here and there. A professional gardener told me that his pink ones seemed to spread, but in our garden the white ones stay white and the blue ones blue, although the blue ones there do contain some Spanish stock. We do our best to keep the ones in the wood pure British.
Saw a weasel or stoat run across the track up to the woods yesterday, and found a large patch of violets in flower, several feet across by about a foot deep. Some early purple orchids are starting to come up to flower, but some are in the same state as 3 weeks ago. Found some wood sorrel in flower, and some twayblade just coming into leaf.
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dpack
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our EPO s are just starting to colour up, im not sure if they were planted or are wildings but several of the flood defences have quite extensive patches.
re bluebells, english native type.
the ones i know best are in west yorkshire, the standard colour is " bluebell blue " but some are darker and slightly more purple. there are both white and pink variations.
from what i recall of long term changes both pink and white are less vigorous than blue and get squeezed rather than expanding their patch.
back in the olden days when collecting was not seen as a problem the pink and white were favoured as garden plants which added to the pressure on them.
iirc as garden plants pink and blue keep true colour but spread more slowly than the blue variation.
the big southern european type are quite invasive once they get loose in a bluebell wood as they both squeeze by vigour and iirc hybridise with the locals.
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Mistress Rose
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Yes, Spanish bluebell are a constant threat. If we see any that look Spanish or cross, we destroy them to stop them hybridising. You may find the colour of the bluebells depends on the time you see them; when they first open they are darker with a hint of purple. If you paint a picture of them it always includes some pink, and if you look closely at the flowers there is pink and purple in there. As they open fully and weather a bit, the colour lightens and becomes more 'bluebell blue'.
Saw the first EPOs just coming into flower yesterday, so within the next week of so must get to the best place for them and see how they are doing. The twayblade is also coming into leaf; a rather unremarkable but interesting orchid. The toothwort is also in flower in most of its usual haunts.
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dpack
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it is rather strange to think you are nearly 300 miles south of here and a bit further west but our flora and fauna seem to be a couple of weeks ahead in timings.
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Ty Gwyn
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What plant is an EPO?
Googling did`nt answer the question.
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Mistress Rose
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I assume Early Purple Orchid. Dpack always writes in code!
We are on a hill, and I noticed when my parents lived only a couple of miles down the road from us, their garden was up to 2 weeks ahead of ours. The woods are a little higher than our house and slightly north, and although generally south facing, the wind can be very cold.
Did some flora surveying yesterday and found a good collection including twayblade, some of which I nearly stood on. Only one early purple orchid with a flower spike just coming up, although no sign of the buds yet.
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dpack
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yep we have quite a few extensive patches on the flood defence banks
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dpack
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15 sparrows on the seed feeder, they work the livestock in the hedge until they get a go.
no new dik which is a bit odd, prime spot .
dik was gone , dik 2 was gone , perhaps something is removing dik, falcon or puss could be both.
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Mistress Rose
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We did our first charcoal burn of the season yesterday, so were rather later in the woods than usual. I was sitting in the van reading when an adult hare went lolloping past. Husband was sitting by the kiln when a young one, probably last years leveret, came right up to him. When he turned to look at it, it shot off, but he said he saw it several times yesterday.
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dpack
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hares are ace, i managed to teach a saluki to notice but not give chase which made watching them much easier
bunnies got fetched , untouched but bothered, so did small or large dogs etc etc
i won't hunt them but if you can find an " unfortunate " stretch of road and check it like a trap line they are delicious
it is tragic collecting wreckage but waste not and don't kill something else for a week's dinners etc seems a dignified end for the casualty.
team pointy get a few " forcibly retired " coursing/poaching dogs, the folk who used them do not usually look after them well, i don't like that or hunting the hare, it makes me cross
i recon bunnies are fair game if taken kindly by hound or other means, that might seem odd to most folk but i know why i feel like that.
tribbles sah , fousands of em . eating everything in sight.
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Ty Gwyn
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Talking about rabbits,this last week or so I have noticed 3 black young rabbits around the back of the barn,i often see one in the field but never seen 3 so close to the buildings.
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Mistress Rose
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They are probably offspring of an escaped domestic rabbit, although sometimes melanistic (?) animals do occur, but not heard of it in rabbits. Not sure if I have mentioned it before, but one place I worked, we had multicoloured rabbits as they were a mix between wild and escaped domestic rabbits from the surrounding estate.
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buzzy
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Black Rabbits have been around in wild populations for ages. When Rabbits had to be kept in warrens for them to survive, and fur was just as important a product as meat, black ones were prized, because black fur went at a premium. Presumably black ones were given special attention and selected, and their genes entered the wild gene pool when Rabbits expanded from the warrens.
I wonder if 'they' will be able to tell us what colour this 'new' Roman rabbit was?
Henry
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dpack
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a long time ago , somewhere i cant quite put a name to, i came across wild x big dutch bunnies from an escape.
huge and a variety of coat patterns.
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buzzy
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What must have been about forty years ago I spent a week on the Welsh island of Skokholm. The Rabbits there were very variable and some were clearly descended from domestic bunnies. One I recall was half sandy, half white.
These were probably derived from the pets kept by Ronald Lockley and his family.
Incidentally, Skokholm was an early (late 1930s) testing site for the use of myxomatosis to control Rabbits. It failed - apparently the resident Rabbits had no fleas, so nothing to spread the disease from Rabbit to Rabbit!
Henry
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dpack
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iirc several welsh coastal islands were used as warrens.
flatholm in the bristol channel definitely was, in not sure about steepholm but i am fairly sure others around the uk have been mentioned as well.
it does make sense to have the bunnies contained and safe from most predators n thieves
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dpack
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insect watch
a rather nice painted lady ( or ladyboy ) was sunning it's new shape on a brick on the shed roof
so far all very nice
the way the rather chunky hoverfly was looking at it made me and more importantly it rather nervous.
watching the less than stealthy approach and rather random escape was quite a privilege and funny, neither knew quite what they were supposed to do being fresh changelings to adult.
they did a rather awkward wedding dad and bridesmaid dance routine for a second or two then both lost control and squirrelled around the sky regardless of each other.
the " lady " prevailed, repelled the confused and was back in the sun in a minute or so
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gz
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He has been here for about three days. A group have been at the farmyard where our neighbour works, for a good week now.
Swallow or Martin?
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sgt.colon
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Looking at it I'd say swallow.
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buzzy
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Red patch on throat, and long thin tail feathers = Swallow.
Henry
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gz
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no hope of seeing the red patch! Will see if we can see him from a different angle
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buzzy
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Well, the bird in the photo has a patch on its throat, and since House Martins don't have a throat patch the patch in the picture must be red. And Swallows are slender, like this bird. House Martins are more dumpy.
Henry
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gz
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Thankyou 
We seem to get a loner every year  Possibly due to people removing nests and keeping sheds closed. The house-wrapping disrupted many last year,but at least those that didn't get plastic soffits ( I think thats the correct word...horizontal bit from the wall to the gutter) should still be able to have nests built on them. The localmud doesn't appear to stick on plastic
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dpack
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planks , araldite and grit makes a good substitute for a rough wall top when fastened under the eaves
iirc other sticky and shaped options are available for the wee fly eaters .
insect news is another " native " ladybird in the bramble so up to 4 spp.
avian report , sparrahs , lots of em. getting used to feeding near me, i don't bother with taming any or getting to know their names ( pretty high turnover in the sparrow hoarde) but they do sometimes land on me by the end of the season.
walter two sticks, descendant of fat walter pigeon, is just as round and has a liking for husked sunflower seeds so is unlikely to become slimmer of the year
tis very dry here which affects quite a few things not least the availability of food for a lot of beasts
hughe bunny ( well big for a normal wild one ) was out in the sun , in a bit of scrub between a park and the caravans on the back rugby field so i guess the buns are ok after i worried at their apparent absence.
parakeet report, there was one in hatch end, london village, on tuesday but i have not seen the "locals " again so far.
hoverflies are about with dancing and music as they do hoverfly things.
i just watched a ladybird ( spp previously counted ) share a plant pot rim with an aphid that lapped it, was missed several times and then probably had a laugh as the bird fell off and pretended it meant it
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Mistress Rose
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Mistress Rose
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Digging out the old raised bed the other day we found a lovely little slow worm. Put it in the new compost heap, so hope it will be happy there. Also found the bluetits are nesting in the tubes of the front forks for the tractor in the woods again.
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buzzy
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After a weekend away returned to hear Mr Green (aka Green Woodpecker) laughing away at 'normal' tone but occasionally replied to by a falsetto call, which I assume is still a Green Woodpecker. I must get out with the binoculars and see if I can confirm the high voiced caller, but am still recovering from three days at my mother-in-law's house, where the room temperature is rarely allowed to fall below 80 degrees Fahrenheit!
Henry
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Mistress Rose
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That sounds hot. Problem going to other people's houses. I find places like gym's and some other public places far too hot.
We have a lot of bird song around at the moment, but not too good at identifying it. We sometimes hear green woodpeckers, and often the greater spotted drumming.
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Mistress Rose
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Was using the toilet at the yard yesterday when I noticed the last year's leveret we had seen around grazing on grass outside. It was still there when I went to get husband and son and in the end we all watched it from outside. It seemed completely unafraid of us if we moved slowly and talked in low voices, and only shot off once, and then only a few yards. Lovely to get so close to a hare, perhaps 15 feet. It knew we were there as it looked at us a couple of times. The adult is around somewhere, but is a little lest trusting.
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dpack
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perhaps i am starting to understand the local woodies, maybe not .
there is walter 2 sticks who has ankles, there is fats ankles who has fluffy gaiters almost to his feet and there is a lady who hangs about with them at times but mostly tries to incubate the sensor on top of a led street lamp in the alley.
the chaps bicker and even do macho slap now and again ( ahhh ) but they all seem fairly happy
i think i might have big gay pigeons, iirc penguins have been observed to have similar social arrangements
it will be interesting to see if their lady friend ends up hatching a chick with two dads, biological dads or not .
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Mistress Rose
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Rather static wildlife, but went to look at the early purple orchids that were coming out in the coup we cut last year. Thought we had about half a dozen, but found loads. There was the group growing all together with about 6 stems, the huge great purple leaves one, then 4 by the log pile plus 3 or 4 over towards a pit. Didn't go any further as we were carrying some morris sticks we had just cut, but good display.
Someone has also put up some dormouse survey boxes in the uncut coppice. Need to find out who so we can find out where they have been put and how long they will be there as we need to cut some of that next winter possibly.
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Mistress Rose
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Took a couple of friends for a walk in the woods yesterday afternoon. The bluebells are going over, but the early purple orchids are putting on a good display. We also saw a tree creeper, and a roe deer, and several squirrels, so quite a good walk for them. The new green leaves were beautiful too.
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dpack
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bird watch ( i need something jolly )
gable end soffit/fasia/roof corner
jackdaw.
most of today it has kept popping back and digging about in crevices, trying to stand on steep slates , trying to get under the eaves and either eating insects or having a laugh by dismantling bits and dropping them or something
as far as i have seen it has not gained anything by it's efforts but it has been very determined to do whatever it was doing.
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Mistress Rose
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They seem keen on chimneys, so I would be careful if you have one Dpack.
Saw the bluetit going in and out of the front forks for the tractor again today, as well as the leveret from last year. Beech leaves were really lovely in the sunshine, so just sat and listened to the light wind in the trees for a bit.
That was after I had sorted out pretty well the last of last years birch for besom making.
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dpack
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the sammison saga develops.
yesterday two largish males did mobile, very mobile , combat for about an hour while 2 girls ate seeds and a third smaller one grabbed seeds when not chased away .
tonight a sammison ran into my foot and bounced off while changing location rapidly.
an extended family spat over territory, mates and food seems most likely of the poss reasons for Colosseum levels of violence in mouse town
an ecclesiastical schism regarding the cargo cult would be fun but seems less plausible
time to disrupt them by recovering the vintage guinea pig compost for the tomatoes
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Mistress Rose
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Sounds as if there could be too many sammisons for the territory now perhaps? I spent a little while watching bluetits yesterday afternoon. Not quite sure what was happening, as a couple were still popping into the nest hole, but a couple of times the pair of them came together outside and one fed the other. Think they were both adults, so perhaps renewing their pair bond?
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dpack
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the schism might have gained a few % as last night only half the food was taken and there is a heap over the rest that if scaled up to human sice would have several telegraph poles and a 1/2 ton boulder among the lorry load of fly tipping
or it could mean there are less mice.
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dpack
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if it was covering a food supply they wasted the effort as fat ankles the woodie had as rummage and scoffed the lot.
perhaps they will move and cache what they cannot eat today.
rainy here so plenty of invertebrate activity among the damper slithery and scuttley members although very little flying stuff
all the birds look damp and are sticking to the easy food rather than foraging for snacks in wet bushes.
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Mistress Rose
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Even with the ready food supply, it sounds as if some may have gone off to look for pastures new.
A wren has taken up residence under the wheel arch of the charcoal kiln. It seems to be feeding young, so must have been in residence for a few weeks. During that time we have been having a firing a week, so presumably it doesn't mind the noise of the loading. That area doesn't get hot, so it is perfectly safe as far as that is concerned. Of course it had to use the wheel arch on the side the thermocouples are mounted, so a certain amount of scolding when it saw us there, but hasn't abandoned the nest. Bluetits still seem to be in the tractor front forks.
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Mistress Rose
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It seems another wren has taken up residence in the front forks of the tractor; in the other tube to the blue tit.
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dpack
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how long before you can use your kit again?
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Mistress Rose
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We don't use the front forks. They came with the tractor, but make it too long to use in the woods. I think we might try to sell them soon, as I can't see us ever using them, but obviously not until the end of the nesting season. The kiln will probably be fired about once or twice a week, but won't be going anywhere until the wren had finished with the wheel arch.
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