Oh Bother!

[Kerry L]

I seem to have the kiss of death on anything wildlife related! Just had news that the wildlife rescue centre is closing up pronto. Unfortunately the new custom made one on the new site is still in the planning process with the council (you know, can't do this and that has to be so many centimetres apart etc). Sadly the lady who runs it has had to make the decision to look after her elderly mother, so the rescue centre has to go. Can't say I blame her - she has put so much into it and family should come first. I was enjoying all the baby birds (got too attached to a baby crow), even touched my first baby tawny owls.
On a brighter note, our bluetits have hatched and I spotted them peeking out of the hole. I made He-Man take photos which I have told him that he MUST put on here.
Also been potting up more oaks for Jenny - I am sure I did not plant one in with my leeks!
The cuckoo has been and probably gone and for those who forgot the rhyme (my mum had to repeat it a few times for me):

He (?) comes to stay in April
He (!) lays his eggs in May
He sings his tune in the middle of June
And then he flies away.

So "he" is early again this year, but not as early as 2007.

Other notes - the egret has disappeared. There are two kamikaze grey wagtails there instead - "ooh car coming, lets frighten the driver" - driver jams on brakes 3 times this week - I am not amused. Two squabbling male pheasants who persist in chest thumping in the middle of the lane whenever I go down there so that I have to clap my hands and they slowly move over to the side, calm as you like "what's wrong with her then?". I have lost count of the times I have stopped for these birdies - good job nobody is behind me at the time.
Sausage is still, well, hungry for raisins and Tatty bird came back - easy spot, his back is still curly and still very tame - came up when I called him, although he has moved off again. I think Sausage had something to do with that. At least I know now that the two birds are not the same. I think two robins are nesting by the front door in the pyracantha. They have been competing with Saus for mealworms - I didn't realise how close their nest was - only spotted one going in the bush with a mouthful from the lounge window. Saus and BB are still together and appear to be going back to their old nesting spot - seen their babes and now they are probably going for the second session. Another robin is nesting at the bottom of the garden near the bluetits.
Number one and his girlfriend have been on walks and seen loads of deer. They are certainly on the increase. He-Man and Mim go Geo cacheing (sad lot) and often come across large herds of deer in the most unlikely places.
Had a queen hornet in the greenhouse. I have come to the conclusion that hornets are a little needy in the grey matter - no matter how hard I tried to show her how to get out, she wouldn't go. Wasps are so much more intelligent - I just point my finger and say "out" and they go. Bees need a help with a seed packet and a pot (not a flowerpot as they squeeze through the tiniest of holes) or a cup. I decided to leave the hornet to sort herself out - she did eventually.
Well sorry for the long ramble - I got carried away again.
Regards, Kerry:o :o :o

[Jenny]

Oaks always welcome, Kerry!

Something very strange happening in my garden - only birds I get during day are siskins (suddenly vast quantities of them - very unusual); goldfinches (with babies - yippee!) and the sparrows. But the song thrushes are feeding young - so glad coz thought I'd lost them after last year. No starlings, but that's not too unusual at this time of year. The blackbirds have definitely got young but they're in early and late - and one enterprising male has figured out to hang around to see if put the hedgehog food out early. Mind you, as it's light till nearly 11pm on good days (and had a lot of them of late), the hogs are out early too - three wandering around at 10 last night!

Other news is that a hoopoe has arrived on Mull and an osprey's been hanging around for several days. But the biggie was that a bearded seal appeared in one of our sea lochs the other day - missed it through working or would have been over like a shot! Still can't complain - spend my half hour lunch hour the other day not 20 feet from a big dog otter - he caught two sandeels, one large fish and three huge shore crabs and consumed them in that short space of time. He knew perfectly well I was there - looked at me every time he brought his catch to the feeding patch and then ignored me! Obviously a no-account human!

[PiratesAhoy!]

Sorry to hear the wildlife centre is closing down, Kerry. Hopefully the new one won't be too long away.

[Kerry L]

Hi Pirate's, there's a meeting next week for comittee members, so perhaps contingency plans being hatched. They are still running the charity shop in Alton to get funds for the new building but it's a long way off yet.
Trust Jenny to trump my little things with a blooming otter:p!
Regards, Kerry

[Jandy]

Am curious to know about Jenny's bearded seal - I thought we only had Common or Grey Seals - is it one of these? I'm thrilled to hear about the hoopoe. Many years ago I came across one in West Cornwall, just walking around in a country lane - of course I had no camera with me! Have never seen one since.

[Jenny]

Jandy,

Had a bit of a problem trying to reply to your query on bearded seal. Apparently he shouldn't have been here at all - they live in sub-arctic waters! The reason they're called bearded seals is that, when dry, they have these huge whiskers. Otherwise, we have both of the others - there's one colony on the island in Tobermory Bay and most days there's a traffic jam near Salen as the seals there are really close in!

Am most fed up didn't get to see the hoopoe but things at work have been livened up over the last few weeks with an otter hanging around - watching him trying to get on the fishing boat moored outside the other day was hilarious - he managed to climb part way up the vertical ladder and into the inside of the tyre serving as a fender - he was then stuck! One of the fishermen leaned over to look just as he stuck his head round the edge of the tyre - think that put the otter off - but he got a nice fish as a reward for trying. Taking fotos of him with my el-cheapo ancient camera was problematic but will try and figure out how to post one!

Did a serious double take this morning about 8.30am - large black hump with fin and then tail at entrance to the Bay - decided I'd had one too many last night - only to find out it was a basking shark that had breached! Three more were seen later in the morning, but missed them! J

[Jandy]

Jenny,

I envy you seeing all that wonderful wildlife up there - sounds as if you hardly have to look for it.

I also at first had trouble posting my pics, but got some very easy-to-follow advice from Jimbo, which you can find under Members' Photos > Welcome to the CJ Forum Photo Gallery, dated 24 June 08. I found that I needed to transfer the pics I wanted to use first of all from i-Photo to my Pictures file. I hope this helps.

[Jenny]

Hi, Jandy

Thanks for the tips - I'm struggling with Adobe photoshop 2 - seriously out of date but can't afford upgrade!! If you lot saw the rest of the fotos, you'd laugh your socks off at my incompetence but, will try and get some up when have next day off!

Don't kid yourself, Jandy, first year for a long while that I've not had to work to see otters - missed out on really good views the last three years after a couple of years with really good sightings. Seals I do see regularly, but normally you have to be out on a boat or at one or two really good headland viewing spots to see the whales. Dolphins and porpoises more common - but that doesn't help whilst stuck in the office!! :rolleyes: It's still a case of looking in the right spot at the right time! OK, eagles are different, as I'm a volunteer nestwatcher - don't get too enthusiastic, though! You can have shifts where you see zilch and get soaked to skin, terrified by young stags using the hide or your car as a rubbing post (latter NOT to be recommended!!) and all the time you're watching and can't see a thing, worrying that some eejit who's brain dead will have sneaked in to nick the eggs! But there's nothing quite so aweinspiring as being utterly alone in the middle of nowhere on a long shift alone and having both Goldies and Sea Eagles displaying right over your head - puts things in perspective. Heavens, I'm sounding dead boring - didn't mean to - but you really do feel unbelieveably privileged and not a little put in your place!!

Actually our friend the otter has not endeared him/herself to at least one boat owner - having seen the evidence yesterday, can't say I blame the guy! We're trying to console him that mink's excrement is far smellier than otter's, but he's not that convinced!!

J

[Jandy]

Hi, Jenny - I think your photos are terriff, & obviously wildlife, from your account, is teeming up there! I so envy people living in the country or by the sea, tho' I know one can see sights nearly as spectacular in towns if one knows where to look - even sometimes in back gardens! However, I struggle not only with a somewhat outdated Kodak digital camera not as 'pixellated' as most, but also with back garden windows that need replacing, as condensation has penetrated the double glazing and they're a bit fogged up - the reason why some of my pics look as if they've been shot on a misty day!

[Jenny]

Hi, Jandy - thanks for complimentary remarks on photos but honestly - you should see the rejects!!!!! :eek:

In some respects, we're really lucky with wildlife, but remember we have no foxes, badgers or squirrels and whales, dolphins and basking sharks aren't here all year round. Birdlife is varied though - lot of migrants, so that gets exciting! But we do miss out on a lot of the garden birds that I used to have further south - a treecreeper is a real rarity! Remember being in Leeds with badgers and foxes and the odd grey squirrel or two and I miss the variety!

You have sincere sympathies with foggy double-glazing. I suffered from this in another house with upvc (is that the term??) frames and was worried about it here but I've hardwood frames and far less prone. (Also a lot cheaper to replace the glass - am getting quote for triple glazing on my floor to ceiling picture windows (form two "walls" in two rooms or the equivalent of four full width patio doors) and the whole lot is coming out at under £400 - okay, labour adds another £300 but less lecky and can keep the view! Not sure how triple glazing will affect my antiquated camera though!

Keep shooting - in the film days used to run off heaven knows how many films for a few good shots - when you really get a goodie it's such so rewarding, isn't it?

Off to bed now - hoping otter comes into the steps again - I can send all the visitors out to see it so I might get a wee breather - on my own working 8.30 6.45 tomorrow and dreading it!! J