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Post by felonious on Apr 8, 2017 6:45:35 GMT
I like jackdaws, like monkeys with wings how they operate. Had to eradicate an old nest from out of the chimney, like a bale of straw. How they flew down the pot onto the ledge astounded me. Is that why they're black. I saw one drop something by my back door once. A torn weathered part of a playing card. Half a joker. True. Slightly off topic but I caught sight of a notice in a shop in York this week which went something like.
Marriage is like a game of cards.
At the start you need hearts and diamonds, at the end you need a club and a spade
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Post by felonious on Apr 8, 2017 6:56:25 GMT
Aren't jackdaws supposed to be attracted to bright, sparkly things, Cheesey? (Yes, yes, 'just like women are.......' - shut up, you lot, before you start....... ) Quite possibly though I thought bling was more the theiving magpie thing. Mmm, thanks for reminding me we haven't had any Marillion for a while
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Post by felonious on Apr 8, 2017 6:57:16 GMT
There were two collared doves sharing the covered bird table this morning with a jackdaw. Normally it's one or the other but perhaps peace has broken out. When the jackdaws land here on one of the tables there's normally about 20 of them! It's amazing. They have to take their feeding in turns! Same here and the odd rook as well.
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Post by felonious on Apr 8, 2017 18:25:37 GMT
Well well the early forward reconnaissance squadron has arrived. Three swallows make a summer. By next weekend the bloody gnats will start to reduce and the sparrow hawk will be moved on under escort
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Post by Northy on Apr 10, 2017 16:02:29 GMT
Saw 2 housemartins on Sunday morning whilst we visited a new local honey manufacturer, they were fornicating on the power cables to the site Bought myself some cocao honey and apple cider honey (non alcoholic and good for the gut) baxbees.com/
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Post by Northy on Apr 10, 2017 16:04:14 GMT
Saw a bank full of bluebells out in full bloom when running along the river weaver yesterday morning, southerly facing with not much tree cover, won't be long before they are out in the wooded areas?
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Post by cheeesfreeex on Apr 10, 2017 18:16:00 GMT
Saw a bank full of bluebells out in full bloom when running along the river weaver yesterday morning, southerly facing with not much tree cover, won't be long before they are out in the wooded areas? Usually very May for the bluebells around here. Keeping me eye on em. All leaves yet.
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Post by cheeesfreeex on Apr 10, 2017 18:22:42 GMT
Yellow wagtails are noticably flicking about again. Convinced I saw a small tribe of goldcrests on the far bank of the cut yesterday. Owls have calmed down, paired up and found their neutral space and such. Buzzards are active but not seen owt too out of the ordinary on me recent saunters.
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Post by potterinleeds on Apr 10, 2017 21:04:06 GMT
Superb day out walking around Alton yesterday. Got teenage daughter and friend into Alton Towers, then set off down bank with smug look on face as passed queue of cars with harassed parents and small children ascending bank. Into Alton, then followed Churnet (via sarnie at Rambler's Retreat) to Oakamoor, doubled back along river to Stoney Dale, up Stoney Dale, down into Old Furnace, through Threap Wood, down Dimmingsdale, quick pint of cider outside Bridge Hotel, up to Alton Castle, lost footpath in fields going east and ended up trespassing a bit, found way back down to Churnet near Prestwood, then back around east end of Towers to pick up teenage daughter and friend.
Only about 11 miles in total, but Staffordshire on a warm Spring day, beginning to dress herself in green - f**ck me, it was paradisical.
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Post by felonious on Apr 11, 2017 6:27:36 GMT
Superb day out walking around Alton yesterday. Got teenage daughter and friend into Alton Towers, then set off down bank with smug look on face as passed queue of cars with harassed parents and small children ascending bank. Into Alton, then followed Churnet (via sarnie at Rambler's Retreat) to Oakamoor, doubled back along river to Stoney Dale, up Stoney Dale, down into Old Furnace, through Threap Wood, down Dimmingsdale, quick pint of cider outside Bridge Hotel, up to Alton Castle, lost footpath in fields going east and ended up trespassing a bit, found way back down to Churnet near Prestwood, then back around east end of Towers to pick up teenage daughter and friend. Only about 11 miles in total, but Staffordshire on a warm Spring day, beginning to dress herself in green - f**ck me, it was paradisical. Fond memories of evenings in Threapwood
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Post by murphthesurf on Apr 11, 2017 11:42:18 GMT
Fond memories of evenings in Threapwood At the Highwayman ????????????
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Post by Northy on Apr 11, 2017 17:11:19 GMT
this weeks digs, never realised it was old when i booked it, no a/c lovely gardens and lots of wildlife about, about 3 miles north of evesham, where im heading to for beer and footy the room im in is the middle one on the left, it has stained glass family crests in the windows
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Post by rogerjonesisgod on Apr 11, 2017 19:23:49 GMT
I got within 20 feet of a fox tonight on Cow Lane. Trying to get at something in the brambles presumably a rabbit. Talking about a fox. One strolled into the back garden this afternoon. Middle of the day! I was standing looking out of the patio windows at the time so slowly hid round the corner. He was massive! He had a look around, squatted and had a wee Looked around a bit more then wandered off through the back hedge. Keep walking sunshine, I said to myself from behind the curtain size of a Labrador!
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Post by felonious on Apr 11, 2017 19:26:13 GMT
this weeks digs, never realised it was old when i booked it, no a/c lovely gardens and lots of wildlife about, about 3 miles north of evesham, where im heading to for beer and footy the room im in is the middle one on the left, it has stained glass family crests in the windows Is that Whore Cross Hall?
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Post by Northy on Apr 12, 2017 5:36:51 GMT
this weeks digs, never realised it was old when i booked it, no a/c lovely gardens and lots of wildlife about, about 3 miles north of evesham, where im heading to for beer and footy the room im in is the middle one on the left, it has stained glass family crests in the windows Is that Whore Cross Hall? salford hall near evesham
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Post by Northy on Apr 12, 2017 5:43:19 GMT
I didnt get visited in the night by the ghosts that have been seen.
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Post by Northy on Apr 13, 2017 13:00:44 GMT
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Post by felonious on Apr 17, 2017 18:22:10 GMT
The wild garlic on the field is starting to smell with the onset of a little bit of rain. I was running yesterday in Crewe through the wildlife park near to the University/ business park and there was a pungent smell when the rain came down.
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Post by murphthesurf on Apr 19, 2017 10:03:54 GMT
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Post by Northy on Apr 19, 2017 11:13:16 GMT
they stand and walk with the head lower, back parrallel to the ground, sparrows are more upright
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Post by felonious on Apr 19, 2017 14:35:18 GMT
It used to be the hedge sparrow back in the day.
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Post by Northy on Apr 19, 2017 15:13:10 GMT
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Post by cheeesfreeex on Apr 19, 2017 17:12:10 GMT
Dunnock sounds like a Scottish colloquialism. "Don't forget to flush the dunnock laddie." Tree Sparrow is too confusing a name, it's from a different family. It's also known as the Hedge Warbler, but that's overblowing the job imo. It's an Accentor, a Hedge Accentor. A noticeable grey cowl, different habit to the sparrow. Not to be confused with a Linnet or a chiff chaff. The Campaign for the renaming of the under rated Dunnock. The Hedge Accentor.
It's the time of rapid change. The walk that had a patch of Wood Anemones along the route is now subsumed by Butterbur. Blackthorn and Wild Cherry blossom gone. Bluebell time. Came across a copse with seven trees colonised by sitting jackdaws, about forty nests. Mild cacophony. The lads in the adjacent field doing laps foraging. Stood and learned a few bits of jackdaw: "I'm starving, where's he gone?" "He's here. Where've you been?" "Er, er, getting you this." Won't be able see owt much next week for the leaves on the trees.
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Post by felonious on Apr 19, 2017 18:36:07 GMT
That means there'll be cloud cover here tonight
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Post by Northy on Apr 19, 2017 18:38:34 GMT
couple of greenfinches fighting in the garden earlier. 8 house sparrows busy collecting anything they can find for nesting material
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Post by potterinleeds on Apr 21, 2017 9:32:27 GMT
Good day for birds so far today. Saw a red kite being mobbed by three lapwings when out running first thing, and a pair of bullfinches in back garden just now.
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Post by Northy on Apr 21, 2017 15:33:22 GMT
had a boat trip down the Danube today, Vienna to Bratislava, thousands and thousands of house martins were heading up river swooping down for a bit of food, they must use it as a migration corridor. About a 1/3 of the trees on the riverbanks had mistletoe all over them
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Post by felonious on Apr 21, 2017 19:15:00 GMT
I went off the beaten track today whilst exercising Gnasher. I've been on the public footpath through Milldale (between Audley and Barthomley) before but today stumbled upon part of the valley not accessed by the public footpath. The deep wooded valley had bluebells at the top and the most amazing deep covering of wild garlic by the stream. Milldale is accessed from Deans Lane and Audley Road, Barthomley. I found this interesting snippet on the location.
To the south-west of Barthomley, on the eastern side of Dean’s Lane, before you travel downhill toward the bridge over Dean Brook and into the township of Balterley, and the county of Staffordshire, there were three fields here that include interesting names, just before the Limes Farm’s driveway.
Using the Barthomley 1838 Tithe Map (Cheshire Record Office Ref: EDT 38/2) and Apportionment, we find that the fields marked as plots 122, 123, and 125; are known as ‘Near Hob Dane’, ‘Far Hob Dane’, and ‘Hob Dale’, respectively.
What makes these interesting, firstly, is that they are near to fields including the placename element ‘Dane’ and ‘Dean’ on both sides of Dean Brook. The placenames Dane and Dean come from the Old English word ‘denu’, which means a ‘deep wooded valley’. Even today, Dean Brook and Dean Rough, to the east and west, respectively, is situated in a deep wooded valley, which is also the boundary between the counties of Cheshire and Staffordshire, and has been the boundary since late Anglo-Saxon times. However, the ancient parish of Barthomley straddles this topographical boundary, because it contained Balterley in Staffordshire under its ecclesiastical rule.
sites.google.com/site/charlesfaireyhistorian/publications/the-devils-of-audley-barthomley-and-betley
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Post by Northy on Apr 24, 2017 12:23:45 GMT
tonight I will be listening to Handle and Vivalde in this wonderful Baroque Church
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Post by cheeesfreeex on Apr 24, 2017 15:24:38 GMT
Ooooh heck possible trouble at the mill.
Next door neighbour had two dwarf rabbits for her birthday, the old man has constructed an executive rabbit hutch, run, shelter etc, they've come in for plenty of fuss and attention.
Think I've just found one sans head by me back door, courtesy of the cat.
Just considering the correct approach, or whether to say nowt?
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