NPR

A thread for Good News, happiness, love and peace.

It is really difficult to actually think of things to be glad about these days, in the midst of a pandemic and going full tilt into a recession, and of course the looming no deal Brexit, in a nation of people who seem completely retarded by mean spiritedness, resentment and anger, who will actually quite enjoy all the misery that is about to befall others.
But hey,
I'll try.
Playing the guitar (or any musical instrument) at any sort of level of competence is a absolute gift, that is frankly better than any financial reward.
Flight Sim 2020 is out. Looks superb.
Survived whatever I just endured. Not sure Covid. Temperature back to normal, fatigue and muscle pain gone, as has the Diarrhoea. Everyone was very pleased when I showed up today. Hah, I know my Mrs is 100% there for me, but to see her turn white when she was taking my temp, drop the thermometer, and run out of my flat when my temperature hit 38.9 was so fucking comical.

It isn't a bad day and has stopped raining.

Bit windy mind.

Line6 HXFX wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 8:46 am A thread for Good News, happiness, love and peace.

It is really difficult to actually think of things to be glad about these days, in the midst of a pandemic and going full tilt into a recession, and of course the looming no deal Brexit, in a nation of people who seem completely retarded by mean spiritedness, resentment and anger, who will actually quite enjoy all the misery that is about to befall others.
But hey,
I'll try.
Playing the guitar (or any musical instrument) at any sort of level of competence is a absolute gift, that is frankly better than any financial reward.
Flight Sim 2020 is out. Looks superb.
Survived whatever I just endured. Not sure Covid. Temperature back to normal, fatigue and muscle pain gone, as has the Diarrhoea. Everyone was very pleased when I showed up today. Hah, I know my Mrs is 100% there for me, but to see her turn white when she was taking my temp, drop the thermometer, and run out of my flat when my temperature hit 38.9 was so fucking comical.

It isn't a bad day and has stopped raining.

If you thought it might be COVID why did you not get a test, you twat?

Sun is shining in Edinburgh and two little birds are flirting in the garden, lovely to watch.

Yep. Hugely irresponsible to fail to have a test, and I say that kindly. Hope your Mrs is OK having been exposed so closely - comical you say? Maybe I missed something.

49 Greenfinches!! (we're used to a high count but that's ridiculous) on the feeders this morning along with a few chaffinches, goldfinches and other assorted small birds including one we haven't seen before, will look it up when I can be @rsed, think some young kind of wagtail. Young GS Woodpecker making his 2nd visit of the day to the peanuts.

Bin hasn't been blown across the road overnight.

As the weather is sh!te, as indicated by the cat acting like he's on speed, I should be able to get in a good Bass practice session.

For once in my life the paperwork is pretty much up to date

Fire is laid and the log box filled if I decide to light it.

Missus has ordered me a new Glasgow Warriors beanie and a Scotland one for herself, after 10 years living up here I guess she qualifies on residency.

Missus passed her AAT course with Distinction.

dkm57 wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 9:21 am 49 Greenfinches!! (we're used to a high count but that's ridiculous) on the feeders this morning along with a few chaffinches, goldfinches and other assorted small birds including one we haven't seen before, will look it up when I can be @rsed, think some young kind of wagtail. Young GS Woodpecker making his 2nd visit of the day to the peanuts.

Bin hasn't been blown across the road overnight.

As the weather is sh!te, as indicated by the cat acting like he's on speed, I should be able to get in a good Bass practice session.

For once in my life the paperwork is pretty much up to date

Fire is laid and the log box filled if I decide to light it.

Missus has ordered me a new Glasgow Warriors beanie and a Scotland one for herself, after 10 years living up here I guess she qualifies on residency.

Missus passed her AAT course with Distinction.

That’s a lot of greenfinches They have suffered badly from a parasitic disease this past couple of decades and it’s good to see signs of recovery. The parasite is still active though so disinfecting your feeders occasionally is important. I just mentioned that in case anyone reading wasn’t aware.

We regularly clean the feeders. any casualties are breaking their necks flying into windows. We have a 'recovery' box handy for the concussion cases a sort of A&E for small birds and mammals
One of this winter's projects will be making a load of nesting boxes. We moved here in May and had one solitary female Chaffinch now there are times when it's like a scene from 'The Birds' and are building a Library of reference books so we can identify what the hell we've been looking at. The Fields around us have been left to more or less revert to nature so the diversity bugs and plants is amazing, there is a river about 70 yards to one side and a couple of streams which meet about 100yds away from the front door. nearest neighbours are about 1/4 of a mile away across couple of fields. Our idea of Nirvana.

Waiting for a date for a scan for a potential hernia. May not seem like good news, but it's been plaguing me since December (September really, but I made it worse when I thought it was healing), so to finally get a referral is good. Even if it's not a hernia, at least I'll know for sure, and my physio exercises seem to be helping too recently.

Raggs wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 10:19 am Waiting for a date for a scan for a potential hernia. May not seem like good news, but it's been plaguing me since December (September really, but I made it worse when I thought it was healing), so to finally get a referral is good. Even if it's not a hernia, at least I'll know for sure, and my physio exercises seem to be helping too recently.

Hernia or not, I hope it gets resolved

Raggs wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 10:19 am Waiting for a date for a scan for a potential hernia. May not seem like good news, but it's been plaguing me since December (September really, but I made it worse when I thought it was healing), so to finally get a referral is good. Even if it's not a hernia, at least I'll know for sure, and my physio exercises seem to be helping too recently.

I told you going back to rugby would bring no good

Slick wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 11:06 am

Raggs wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 10:19 am Waiting for a date for a scan for a potential hernia. May not seem like good news, but it's been plaguing me since December (September really, but I made it worse when I thought it was healing), so to finally get a referral is good. Even if it's not a hernia, at least I'll know for sure, and my physio exercises seem to be helping too recently.

I told you going back to rugby would bring no good

Once it's better I'm back in. Broken ribs, trapped nerve in my neck, and whatever this is, isn't going to stop me.

I walk an elderly ladies dog when I can (ie when I am not seriously unwell)she has some leg problem and, being a lovely bloke offered to take her, as she was struggling one day. It is the cutest fucking mutt in existence. A chalky, a cross between a Yorky and a Chihuahua. It is tiny but goes like a fucking train boy as soon as you put a lead on it. no dog has ever loved being walked more, Watching people fawn over it and the sheer genuine joy she gives people when I take it into the local shop is a real tonic. Friendliest thing ever, and it actually does a handstand when it pees.

Makes me laugh every time.

Thats a lot of Greenfinches.

Hear the odd one around here, get a couple of Goldfinches every now and then in the willow tree next door.

Damn sparrows have pretty much moved in locally and all the other birds that used to hang around the bird feeders have been driven off.

Sunshine and chopping back my blight hit tomato plants.
An hour chopping green toms for chutney/relish.
Managed to slice my good thumb . A few choice words but it is almost amusing.







BTW whose version of Refry is now in action?

Discovered a new Doug Stanhope comedy routine I haven't seen before.
Thought he gave up standup years ago to concentrate on his pissed up podcast.
It is pretty decent too.

Top thread!

I'm getting married next weekend: time and circumstance may have conspired against me in terms of making it the ideal occasion but - as long as the bloody mozzies don't ruin it - it should still be a wonderful event. Managed to find 4 family members - whom I have never met - who can make it, so it won't be entirely one-sided...

Line6 HXFX wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 1:35 pm I walk an elderly ladies dog when I can (ie when I am not seriously unwell)she has some leg problem and, being a lovely bloke offered to take her, as she was struggling one day. It is the cutest fucking mutt in existence. A chalky, a cross between a Yorky and a Chihuahua. It is tiny but goes like a fucking train boy as soon as you put a lead on it. no dog has ever loved being walked more, Watching people fawn over it and the sheer genuine joy she gives people when I take it into the local shop is a real tonic. Friendliest thing ever, and it actually does a handstand when it pees.

Makes me laugh every time.

Hope the old lady survives the covid.

My son aced his GCSEs

Clock off in 5 mins. Got tomorrow off, first of 3 Four day weeks

Braai & a nice bottle or 2 of wine on Sat

dkm57 wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 10:14 am We regularly clean the feeders. any casualties are breaking their necks flying into windows. We have a 'recovery' box handy for the concussion cases a sort of A&E for small birds and mammals
One of this winter's projects will be making a load of nesting boxes. We moved here in May and had one solitary female Chaffinch now there are times when it's like a scene from 'The Birds' and are building a Library of reference books so we can identify what the hell we've been looking at. The Fields around us have been left to more or less revert to nature so the diversity bugs and plants is amazing, there is a river about 70 yards to one side and a couple of streams which meet about 100yds away from the front door. nearest neighbours are about 1/4 of a mile away across couple of fields. Our idea of Nirvana.

Excellent Sounds like a great spot.

On the bird ID thing, the RSPB site is quite a useful resource - it’s easy to search by family, there are distribution maps and the birdsong recordings can be quite helpful. There are some species where call is critical to distinguish between one species and another.

Un Pilier wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 3:54 pm

dkm57 wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 10:14 am We regularly clean the feeders. any casualties are breaking their necks flying into windows. We have a 'recovery' box handy for the concussion cases a sort of A&E for small birds and mammals
One of this winter's projects will be making a load of nesting boxes. We moved here in May and had one solitary female Chaffinch now there are times when it's like a scene from 'The Birds' and are building a Library of reference books so we can identify what the hell we've been looking at. The Fields around us have been left to more or less revert to nature so the diversity bugs and plants is amazing, there is a river about 70 yards to one side and a couple of streams which meet about 100yds away from the front door. nearest neighbours are about 1/4 of a mile away across couple of fields. Our idea of Nirvana.

Excellent Sounds like a great spot.

On the bird ID thing, the RSPB site is quite a useful resource - it’s easy to search by family, there are distribution maps and the birdsong recordings can be quite helpful. There are some species where call is critical to distinguish between one species and another.

I've started doing a weekly garden return for the BTO so the sun lounge is set up with a camera with a long telephoto lens and a pair of binoculars a desk and recording sheets I think we're in the high twenties in terms of different species, that's not counting all the species in the surrounding fields and water courses which I think would double that number. We had a reed warbler turn up in the yard yesterday.

I'm hoping to buy the field in front of us and start planting and managing it to provide more shelter and food for everything. We do have some Roe deer passing through regularly and expect to see more of them through the winter so I'll try to create a sheltered glade for them to rest and feel safe in.

Glaston wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 1:54 pm Thats a lot of Greenfinches.

Hear the odd one around here, get a couple of Goldfinches every now and then in the willow tree next door.

Damn sparrows have pretty much moved in locally and all the other birds that used to hang around the bird feeders have been driven off.

We've got a lot of gold finches, you can constantly hear them throughout the day. A few bull- and chaffinches around too, plus plenty of tits of the blue and coal/great varieties (not good at differentiating between those two to be honest). A couple of robins, blackbirds and dunnocks round out our little avian menagerie. Don't count the wood pigeons.

I'm hoping in not too long, the hazel nuts will start to ripen, and I'll have some red squirrels visiting during the day, fun watching them climb and eat just a few meters away.

I fucking love squirrels. We have a couple knocking around, but they're infrequent visitors.

One of the few things I miss about work is the plethora of squirrels on the grounds who'd usually brighten up my morning.

sockwithaticket wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 6:35 pm I fucking love squirrels. We have a couple knocking around, but they're infrequent visitors.

One of the few things I miss about work is the plethora of squirrels on the grounds who'd usually brighten up my morning.

Maybe build them a ninja course?

Niegs wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 6:43 pm

sockwithaticket wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 6:35 pm I fucking love squirrels. We have a couple knocking around, but they're infrequent visitors.

One of the few things I miss about work is the plethora of squirrels on the grounds who'd usually brighten up my morning.

Maybe build them a ninja course?

That was brilliant, Niegs. Properly lost it the first time one of them got catapulted.

You guys and gals are all great.

This thread reminds me of Valentines Day - a day decreed by retailers to be for spoiling (mainly) the female in your life.

And then what - treat them like poo for the other 364 days?

Had a lovely day today - took my daughter in law and 2 grandkids on a picnic in the sunshine at our local country park - and took them on the brilliant little 10.25 inch gauge railway. It's only about 1.5 miles but the kids love it.

Had a good evening with my Guitar Club doing some covers 'al fresco' down at a local park - Nothing quite like a good strum with some friends to lighten your mood.

And, tomorrow, we pick up our new VW T6 Campervan - looking forward to doing some touring and also using it for days out. Test match also starts tomorrow.

All in all - feeling quite chipper.

Errugbi wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 8:11 pm

Ali Cadoo wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 3:01 pm Top thread!

I'm getting married next weekend: time and circumstance may have conspired against me in terms of making it the ideal occasion but - as long as the bloody mozzies don't ruin it - it should still be a wonderful event. Managed to find 4 family members - whom I have never met - who can make it, so it won't be entirely one-sided...

Congrats

Thanks!

I had an operation in Feb to drain a blocked sinus. It was causing all kinds of cranial maladies.

A proper nasty operation under 'general' it was. The sinus was blocked swollen so much that when it was breached, a stream of anearobic pus shot across the room. Said pus was so foul smelling that it surprised and shocked the attendant surgeon and nurses.

Anyway, upshot of it all is I feel 10 years younger, don't suffer from crippling headaches, can drink beer without getting a hangover mid-session and best of all my sense of smell and taste has come back. I am experiencing food like I were a kid as I have no idea if I'll like it, since the blocked sinus had removed all ability to taste and so made everything taste of styrofoam.

Oh and also, since it was anearobic pus, it is highliy likely that it would've killed me had it ruptured. So I've got a few more years in the bank out of it too.

sockwithaticket wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 6:09 pm

Glaston wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 1:54 pm Thats a lot of Greenfinches.

Hear the odd one around here, get a couple of Goldfinches every now and then in the willow tree next door.

Damn sparrows have pretty much moved in locally and all the other birds that used to hang around the bird feeders have been driven off.

We've got a lot of gold finches, you can constantly hear them throughout the day. A few bull- and chaffinches around too, plus plenty of tits of the blue and coal/great varieties (not good at differentiating between those two to be honest). A couple of robins, blackbirds and dunnocks round out our little avian menagerie. Don't count the wood pigeons.

We have a small garden and we're in a suburban area - but we try to encourage the wildlfe. Lots of birds come to our garden to get a drink from our pond - we've had Magpies and pigeons nesting in ou garden this year - not my favourites but heh, they've all got lives to lead. Robins, Blackbirds and Great Tits are our most regular visitors to the bird feeders - plus a lot of a smalll birds we've yet to identify - they tend to visit in numbers of 10-20. Squirrels are regular visitors - also had a hedgehog around the other night. We try to plant stuff that attracts bees and butterflies - the Buddleias are a big hit with the insects, especially the butterflies. The pond is also home to some frogs, despite the presence of our Koi which must eat most of the frogspawn.

Munch wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 8:36 pm I had an operation in Feb to drain a blocked sinus. It was causing all kinds of cranial maladies.

A proper nasty operation under 'general' it was. The sinus was blocked swollen so much that when it was breached, a stream of anearobic pus shot across the room. Said pus was so foul smelling that it surprised and shocked the attendant surgeon and nurses.

Anyway, upshot of it all is I feel 10 years younger, don't suffer from crippling headaches, can drink beer without getting a hangover mid-session and best of all my sense of smell and taste has come back. I am experiencing food like I were a kid as I have no idea if I'll like it, since the blocked sinus had removed all ability to taste and so made everything taste of styrofoam.

Oh and also, since it was anearobic pus, it is highliy likely that it would've killed me had it ruptured. So I've got a few more years in the bank out of it too.

Sounds like a great result - enjoy your new world of taste and smell.

dkm57 wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 5:10 pm

Un Pilier wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 3:54 pm

dkm57 wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 10:14 am We regularly clean the feeders. any casualties are breaking their necks flying into windows. We have a 'recovery' box handy for the concussion cases a sort of A&E for small birds and mammals
One of this winter's projects will be making a load of nesting boxes. We moved here in May and had one solitary female Chaffinch now there are times when it's like a scene from 'The Birds' and are building a Library of reference books so we can identify what the hell we've been looking at. The Fields around us have been left to more or less revert to nature so the diversity bugs and plants is amazing, there is a river about 70 yards to one side and a couple of streams which meet about 100yds away from the front door. nearest neighbours are about 1/4 of a mile away across couple of fields. Our idea of Nirvana.

Excellent Sounds like a great spot.

On the bird ID thing, the RSPB site is quite a useful resource - it’s easy to search by family, there are distribution maps and the birdsong recordings can be quite helpful. There are some species where call is critical to distinguish between one species and another.

I've started doing a weekly garden return for the BTO so the sun lounge is set up with a camera with a long telephoto lens and a pair of binoculars a desk and recording sheets I think we're in the high twenties in terms of different species, that's not counting all the species in the surrounding fields and water courses which I think would double that number. We had a reed warbler turn up in the yard yesterday.

I'm hoping to buy the field in front of us and start planting and managing it to provide more shelter and food for everything. We do have some Roe deer passing through regularly and expect to see more of them through the winter so I'll try to create a sheltered glade for them to rest and feel safe in.

Sounds great. Good man. I have been doing BTO Birdtrack for several years now. A great way to contribute to citizen science whilst learning stuff. I had some fairly detailed plans to see a number of new species (for me) this year. Covid has messed that up, clearly, but on the plus side I have got to know my local patch better than before.

Munch wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 8:36 pm I had an operation in Feb to drain a blocked sinus. It was causing all kinds of cranial maladies.

A proper nasty operation under 'general' it was. The sinus was blocked swollen so much that when it was breached, a stream of anearobic pus shot across the room. Said pus was so foul smelling that it surprised and shocked the attendant surgeon and nurses.

Anyway, upshot of it all is I feel 10 years younger, don't suffer from crippling headaches, can drink beer without getting a hangover mid-session and best of all my sense of smell and taste has come back. I am experiencing food like I were a kid as I have no idea if I'll like it, since the blocked sinus had removed all ability to taste and so made everything taste of styrofoam.

Oh and also, since it was anearobic pus, it is highliy likely that it would've killed me had it ruptured. So I've got a few more years in the bank out of it too.

Jeez, better out than in, as they say

Ovals wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 8:44 pm

sockwithaticket wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 6:09 pm

Glaston wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 1:54 pm Thats a lot of Greenfinches.

Hear the odd one around here, get a couple of Goldfinches every now and then in the willow tree next door.

Damn sparrows have pretty much moved in locally and all the other birds that used to hang around the bird feeders have been driven off.

We've got a lot of gold finches, you can constantly hear them throughout the day. A few bull- and chaffinches around too, plus plenty of tits of the blue and coal/great varieties (not good at differentiating between those two to be honest). A couple of robins, blackbirds and dunnocks round out our little avian menagerie. Don't count the wood pigeons.

We have a small garden and we're in a suburban area - but we try to encourage the wildlfe. Lots of birds come to our garden to get a drink from our pond - we've had Magpies and pigeons nesting in ou garden this year - not my favourites but heh, they've all got lives to lead. Robins, Blackbirds and Great Tits are our most regular visitors to the bird feeders - plus a lot of a smalll birds we've yet to identify - they tend to visit in numbers of 10-20. Squirrels are regular visitors - also had a hedgehog around the other night. We try to plant stuff that attracts bees and butterflies - the Buddleias are a big hit with the insects, especially the butterflies. The pond is also home to some frogs, despite the presence of our Koi which must eat most of the frogspawn.

I'm on the very sub end of suburban, woods very close by indeed and we've also got a regular hedgehog plus a pair of rather inrepid mice who climb pretty high to gain access to the birds' fat ball feeder. Couldn't believe it when one day I wandered out and saw one of the little things sat inside the feeder astride a fat ball tucking in as if he'd been fasting for weeks.

Cataloguing bees in the garden has been a lot of fun when taking breaks from work, observing their various preferences and such. I make it 12 different species this year! Though I might have double counted the carders. The buddleia is incredible. When it bloomed all of a sudden we had what seemed like scores of honey bees come in from somewhere and a bunch of large white butterflies accompanied them along with a few peacocks and red admirals. They've more or less disappeared now that it's on the wane, but there're still plenty of bumble, carder and leafcutter bees around. Not for much longer, though, so I'll enjoy them while I can.

dkm57 wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 9:26 pm

Munch wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 8:36 pm I had an operation in Feb to drain a blocked sinus. It was causing all kinds of cranial maladies.

A proper nasty operation under 'general' it was. The sinus was blocked swollen so much that when it was breached, a stream of anearobic pus shot across the room. Said pus was so foul smelling that it surprised and shocked the attendant surgeon and nurses.

Anyway, upshot of it all is I feel 10 years younger, don't suffer from crippling headaches, can drink beer without getting a hangover mid-session and best of all my sense of smell and taste has come back. I am experiencing food like I were a kid as I have no idea if I'll like it, since the blocked sinus had removed all ability to taste and so made everything taste of styrofoam.

Oh and also, since it was anearobic pus, it is highliy likely that it would've killed me had it ruptured. So I've got a few more years in the bank out of it too.

Jeez, better out than in, as they say

Aye. It hasn't been a quick recovery, since the surgeon essentially drilled into my head and then drilled out a bigger hole for the sinus but it has been steady and, in no small way, a life changer.

sockwithaticket wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 9:53 pm

Ovals wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 8:44 pm

sockwithaticket wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 6:09 pm

We've got a lot of gold finches, you can constantly hear them throughout the day. A few bull- and chaffinches around too, plus plenty of tits of the blue and coal/great varieties (not good at differentiating between those two to be honest). A couple of robins, blackbirds and dunnocks round out our little avian menagerie. Don't count the wood pigeons.

We have a small garden and we're in a suburban area - but we try to encourage the wildlfe. Lots of birds come to our garden to get a drink from our pond - we've had Magpies and pigeons nesting in ou garden this year - not my favourites but heh, they've all got lives to lead. Robins, Blackbirds and Great Tits are our most regular visitors to the bird feeders - plus a lot of a smalll birds we've yet to identify - they tend to visit in numbers of 10-20. Squirrels are regular visitors - also had a hedgehog around the other night. We try to plant stuff that attracts bees and butterflies - the Buddleias are a big hit with the insects, especially the butterflies. The pond is also home to some frogs, despite the presence of our Koi which must eat most of the frogspawn.

I'm on the very sub end of suburban, woods very close by indeed and we've also got a regular hedgehog plus a pair of rather inrepid mice who climb pretty high to gain access to the birds' fat ball feeder. Couldn't believe it when one day I wandered out and saw one of the little things sat inside the feeder astride a fat ball tucking in as if he'd been fasting for weeks.

Cataloguing bees in the garden has been a lot of fun when taking breaks from work, observing their various preferences and such. I make it 12 different species this year! Though I might have double counted the carders. The buddleia is incredible. When it bloomed all of a sudden we had what seemed like scores of honey bees come in from somewhere and a bunch of large white butterflies accompanied them along with a few peacocks and red admirals. They've more or less disappeared now that it's on the wane, but there're still plenty of bumble, carder and leafcutter bees around. Not for much longer, though, so I'll enjoy them while I can.

We've got a really huge white Buddleia in our garden (it's about 20 feet tall and is where the Magpies nested) Half of it is in front of our Laurel hedge, the other half has climbed up through the hedge (about 14') and well beyond - it must have well over 100 blooms on it - but it doesn't flower until August, just as our purple one is declining - so it works quite well to keep the insects interested. We've just added another one which is a more reddy purple - very bright colour - it's only small but the bees have been all over it.

sockwithaticket wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 7:11 pm
That was brilliant, Niegs. Properly lost it the first time one of them got catapulted.

Ha, ha ... same here! I didn't expect it to launch so much and also appreciated the wee lesson on how it focuses on its target and adjusts its arms to control its flight!

Second time ... when the fat one was just sprawled out on the picnic table at the end.

Niegs wrote: Fri Aug 21, 2020 1:28 am

sockwithaticket wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 7:11 pm
That was brilliant, Niegs. Properly lost it the first time one of them got catapulted.

Ha, ha ... same here! I didn't expect it to launch so much and also appreciated the wee lesson on how it focuses on its target and adjusts its arms to control its flight!

Second time ... when the fat one was just sprawled out on the picnic table at the end.

Great stuff, Niegs.

Anneka Van Giersbergen performing Wasted Years by Iron Maiden

Same lady a few years younger performing with Devin Townsend.
Wat a knockout..

[media] [/media]

dkm57 wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 5:10 pm

Un Pilier wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 3:54 pm

dkm57 wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 10:14 am We regularly clean the feeders. any casualties are breaking their necks flying into windows. We have a 'recovery' box handy for the concussion cases a sort of A&E for small birds and mammals
One of this winter's projects will be making a load of nesting boxes. We moved here in May and had one solitary female Chaffinch now there are times when it's like a scene from 'The Birds' and are building a Library of reference books so we can identify what the hell we've been looking at. The Fields around us have been left to more or less revert to nature so the diversity bugs and plants is amazing, there is a river about 70 yards to one side and a couple of streams which meet about 100yds away from the front door. nearest neighbours are about 1/4 of a mile away across couple of fields. Our idea of Nirvana.

Excellent Sounds like a great spot.

On the bird ID thing, the RSPB site is quite a useful resource - it’s easy to search by family, there are distribution maps and the birdsong recordings can be quite helpful. There are some species where call is critical to distinguish between one species and another.

I've started doing a weekly garden return for the BTO so the sun lounge is set up with a camera with a long telephoto lens and a pair of binoculars a desk and recording sheets I think we're in the high twenties in terms of different species, that's not counting all the species in the surrounding fields and water courses which I think would double that number. We had a reed warbler turn up in the yard yesterday.

I'm hoping to buy the field in front of us and start planting and managing it to provide more shelter and food for everything. We do have some Roe deer passing through regularly and expect to see more of them through the winter so I'll try to create a sheltered glade for them to rest and feel safe in.