Yesterday as I walked up the path between the outer gate and the door into the building where we are staying, a friendly grey squirrel ran along the handrail just a head before peeling off into some shrubs with a deliberately noisy rustle.
In the evening we saw couple of foxes sleeping nose to tail in the shrubbery below the balcony here.
At 3 or 4 am, an unholy stricken screaming arose from the shrubbery below, a fox we figured finding a sleeping squirrel and doing the obvious. Same thing has happened before when we've stayed here, within sight of Sadlers Wells theatre.
Nature here is far more obviously red in tooth and claw than it is in the pleasant rural wilderness we live in usually. More concentrated somehow.
Been examining paving stones and am about to spout a disquisition on them. I know a small amount from hands-on experience with Portland stone, but it's dauntingly heavy for a person of my age.
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At 3 or 4 am, an unholy stricken screaming arose from the shrubbery below, a fox we figured finding a sleeping squirrel and doing the obvious
More likely mating. A barbed penis hurts ---- so I am informed..
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Yes, foxes can be very shrill. It could have been just them having it off.
Herself was fast asleep and didn't hear anything. Pity because she has a good ear for that stuff.
Perhaps there was a bit of both... 'Unh unh unh, gasp, here darling have a gnaw on this charmingly squirming and squealing furry little squirrel, unh unh unh...'
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Nah - it's Juncker screwing Cameron!
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In my greenhouse this afternoon and a fledgling robin flew into the window and lay stunned on the lawn. Within seconds a magpie had flown down from a neighbouring tree and despatched the thing with a a dozen or so stabs of its beak and flew off with the corpse. Smart opportunists are magpies.
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The Cocker belied his 9 years the other day and caught a Squirrel. Much the same result. Luckily it was a grey...not one of the fine looking reds we have around here..
Last edited by: R.P. on Tue 26 May 15 at 19:49
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Taliking of teeth, anyone who likes live wildlife video cams might like this. Walruses in Alaska.
www.ustream.tv/exploreWalrusMainBeachCam
Last edited by: CGNorwich on Tue 26 May 15 at 20:02
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>>Smart opportunists are magpies.>>
One of the most beautiful - and nasty - birds around. Same for seagulls. Seen them dive and pluck baby ducklings out of the water whilst swimming behind their parents on the local park lake.
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>> Same for seagulls.
I witnessed a large seagull attempt to swallow/eat a live pigeon in Newcastle a few years ago! Pigeon mortally wounded but we chased the seagull off.
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Seagull tried to steal the cod out of my Fish and Chips on Llandudno pier once. A vicious backhand knocked it to the floor and the dog pounced on it and bit it. It was last seen falling off the pier into the sea.
The Zero mistress laughed so much the ice cream fell off her cone and the dog ate that as well.
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>> Smart opportunists are magpies.
Birds of omen, sometimes ill omen. My only superstition, for good reasons. I always greet a solitary one with a certain weary formality.
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We're battling the local heron at the moment who thinks our pond is a gourmet breakfast each morning.
Managed to capture him on the wildlife cam and have now made an obstacle course for him to wade through, knowing where he's getting into the pond.
Pat
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WE are getting through bird food at a rate of knots. Wilko's Mealworms at £7 a packet and seeds at £10 for 6 kilos. Still - it's cheaper than keeping a dog or cat!
"No mess" seeds + dried mealworms + currants + niger seeds are on offer.
Mostly starling fledglings who are a comedy act in themselves, with up to nine in the bird bath at one time!
WE refill the bath about three times a day!
A few visits from a pair of bullfinches and there is also a blackbird family making use of the facilities.
What is noticeable is the large increase in sparrows - or are they dunnocks? Many more than last year.
One magpie visits occasionally, but seems not to stay long - unlike the collared doves, including youngsters, and the ever present randy wood pigeons.
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I've stopped feeding the byrds since the last gale blew down my feeding station, breaking the expensive perspex anti-squirrel dome.
I miss seeing the collared doves, and the tits bobbing about. I don't miss the magpies on the roof above my bedroom, waking me up at the crack of dawn though.
Although my 10 week old puppy managed to wake me up at 4.15am this morning so, there really isn't any peace for the semi-wicked.
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>> We're battling the local heron at the moment who thinks our pond is a gourmet
>> breakfast each morning.
>> Pat
>>
The neighbours behind us have had to put a chicken wire cover a couple of feet above their pond having lost their fish to a heron twice. He now occaisionally stands on the roof ridge contemplating his lost food source.
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The man I bought my very expensive pond liner from (cheap) used a motion detector linked up to a pressure switch applied to a swivelling water jet (like a lawn waterer).
He claimed it kept herons away after losing two koi to them.
It certainly soaked me when he showed it to me:-)
Next door neighbour has a Larsen trap for magpies.. Shoots them with his twin bore when caught. 18 to date..
Last edited by: madf on Wed 27 May 15 at 08:45
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One for sorrow
Two for joy
Three for a girl
Four for a boy
Five for silver
Six for gold
Seven for a secret
Never to be told
:o)
This was a reply to Birds of omen, sometimes ill omen. My only superstition, for good reasons. I always greet a solitary one with a certain weary formality. in a post by Armel Coussine but the software didn't think so. Doesn't make a great deal of sense at the end of the thread.
Last edited by: Slidingpillar on Wed 27 May 15 at 14:14
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Can't help but think of Susan Stranks.
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Can't help but think of Susan Stranks.
Just an itsy bitsy bit.
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A couple of things, actually.
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Susan Stranks? No way Jose
Now Jenny Handley, there was a wet dream.
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Tooth and claw - madf
