h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Biggish flakes here too for the hour or so

Websailor

"I am wary of garden centre stuff unless it has the RSPB logo on it or any of the other well known names."

That's what I hoped you'd say, thus proving me right!!!

In time I shall forgive you for enticing my birds away! We spent far too much on additional feeders, and really set out the stall for them in plenty of time, so they could be reassured that there were.'t any monsters lurking within! But perhaps they'll come back when we're not looking, and bring the joy of the 'chase' once more. They'll be around at apple time for certain!


Dig

Not a dicky bird on my nyjer seed yet which isnt a surprise but feeder is not in way and fairly protected so shall leave it be. I am surprised clear plastic window feeder hasnt been used yet, however the weather had been a little warmer so the Tits hadnt been hawking the window frame so much.

Mon. 8th Feb. 2010
Weather: Bitterly cold with snow flurries.

Last night was very cold and a bit of a disappointment video wise, and also a shock. There were no signs of any badgers or foxes (wouldn’t you know it?) but at 11.57pm a furry varmint was going round and round the stone table. I can’t imagine what he was eating as I had cleaned it off as best I could, but it was wet so some must have stuck

He munched away for about five minutes then disappeared Needless to say a fox did not show his face until 3.51am by which time the rat was long gone. I think Bushy is a coward

At least I thought the rat was long gone but he must have been watching as he came back at 4.09am going round and round the table like a clockwork for about five minutes!

Through all the night the brick remained on the dish, but this morning at 7.30am I found the brick and lid off and the food gone!! Certainly the magpies had helped clear it away, but there was no sign of a badger visit on the video, si now I am fretting as to whether the furry varmint has managed to open it

The bitter cold wind and the snow flurries sent all the birds in to feed: magpies, wood pigeons, robins, blackbirds, blackcaps, coal tit, nuthatch, long tailed, great and blue s, starlings, bullfinches, chaffinches and dunnocks. A male GS woodpecker spent several minutes on the remains of the peanut cake before a starling chased him off! I must put a new peanut cake out tomorrow as the long tailed tits nearly fell in the hollow cake this morning

I was thrilled to see goldfinches arrive on the nyjer feeder, six in all, but they flew off suddenly before I could count properly so there may have been more.

The squirrels were racing round burying peanuts everywhere, and yesterday one came and sat next to the camera peering in and then gave it a shove!

Keep warm everyone.


Websailor

I'm keeping warm, all right...

Having signed in it seems I am still here

Back later for an update.

Websailor

Do I hear Ivan , or is it just too hot

Websailor

Tue.9th Feb. 2010
Weather: Bitterly cold, sunny with the odd snow flurry.

There was a fleeting glimpse of a fox at 9.54pm and he came closer at 10.pm to inspect the unopened dish before trotting off in a huff

It was 11.23pm before a badger showed his face. It took him seconds to get the lid and brick off the dish and he soon tucked in. He kept stopping to listen and look down the garden, then at the camera. He continued munching till 11.15 when he had a drink and left

12.42am and another badger had his head in the dish before having a scavenge around at 12.45 and disappearing! 1.09am and one of them was back again, foraging around for scraps before ambling off and digging holes all over the lawn.

2.30am and another did a quick run around and was back at 4.52am sniffing and nudging the table in passing!

All was quiet then until 6.32am when the usual tried to exit over the fence before trotting down the garden and exiting left No sign of the furry varmints thankfully.

7.35am this morning and the magpies were down in force, followed by the wood pigeons and squirrels. Robins, blackbirds, blackcaps, dunnocks, great and blue s followed, with a coal tit. The birds were in and out all day as it was so cold and most of the food went. The male woodpecker came at 4.15pm and ate in peace, without the starlings. I cleared up shortly after sunset and got a right telling off from the long tailed tits who were late arriving They had to make do with the feeders, and they were not amused

It was a joy to have sunshine for most of the day even though it was so .


Websailor

Can I be cheeky and ask for a from all of you who have successfully completed the BBCiD sign in.

I would hate to lose anyone, though I gather Digiboxers might not be able to join us any more

Websailor

No smugness, Webbie. It's just hot.

On the bright side, we've also had some rain.

On the not-so-bright side, it's now horribly humid and hot.

And yes, I got through the new sign-in with no problems, apart from a brief bit of annoyance about having to shorten my tag and not use punctuation in it. Clearly I got around that.

Hello Websailor and everyone else! Yes, I made it through the sign-in as well, and you can see my moniker is now shortened a bit. Well I think everybody will recognise me!

Can I be cheeky and ask for a lurk from all of you who have successfully completed the BBCiD sign in.

That's not cheeky!!
I'm a bit as I haven't (yet?)had a problem. All has (so far?) gone according to our masters' plan. Where did I go wrong?

This bloomin' hedgepig is still wandering round the greenhouse, even in the frozzy of the last couple of nights. I'm so tempted to leave the door open. And wreck the Master's burgeoning bulbs? I don't think so, but they might prefer it to Bristle's wellies trampling about.

Dig

Thanks Ivan, I have a feeling I will be a few followers short now so it is good to know I am not talking to myself

I wouldn't let your hedgie out yet LadyDig, it is far too cold for him to be exposed to the elements. You could lose him which would be a shame after all your efforts.

It is nice for things to go smoothly, for some of us at least

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wed.10th Feb. 2010
Weather: Bitterly cold, sunny with more snow flurries

Last night the first visitor was a badger at 11.09pm. It was definitely the nervous cub from last year’s litter, as it circled the dish and seemed uncertain how to get in to it After a bit of pushing and shoving he got the lid half off enough to get his snout in the trough There were a number of prolonged listening sessions and he seemed a little nervous of something ing in the cotoneaster or perhaps next door He looked at the camera several times as if for reassurance that he was safe! He munched happily till 11.32pm when he appeared to have been ‘called’ and he dutifully trotted off home

12.18am and a fox made a brief appearance, scent marking before looking at the camera and leaving! I think it was Kinky

12.27am Another badger arrived and had to use his front paws to get the remaining foot out. He was determined to get every last scrap but was really struggling He moved to the table then mooched around the patio and back to the dish before ambling off with a Boss Man type gait at 12.31am.

2.01am A badger paid the briefest of visits. Likewise at 3.04am when he appeared to be trying to dug up the lawn in front of the patio Fortunately the ground was pretty frozen and he made a quick exit

There was no further nocturnal activity as it was bitterly cold, but the magpies were up and feeding at 7.30am. After I had put the food out, topped a feeder up and put a new peanut cake out the little birds were down in seconds followed by more magpies, wood pigeons and squirrels.

Robins, blackbirds, blackcaps, bullfinches, dunnocks, long tailed, great and blue s were accompanied by a coal tit, a nuthatch and a starling. The starlings haven’t discovered the new peanut cake yet …. give them time

11.50am a female GS woodpecker arrived on the peanut cake, and at 4.10pm a male GS woodpecker came at almost the same time as yesterday, also feeding on the peanut cake. So it looks like we might have a pair of those too

Off for a and to thaw out, it has been a bit raw today


Websailor

Willem, I think I am suffering from lack of food today I missed your post. Glad to have you with us.

Websailor

Thu.11th Feb. 2010
Weather: Bitterly cold, sunny but not so windy.

The remains of the flurries froze solid last night but still the wildlife came Am I tempting them to come out in the cold to their detriment do you think

8.03pm Kinky visited and finding the dish untouched, expressed his displeasure and left

9.39pm and a badger arrived who had no difficulty shunting the lid off before eating. He looked at the camera a couple of times to say ‘thank you’ and carried on munching, occasionally stopping to listen.

His listening was justified as he was rapidly joined by another badger at 9.42pm, the first time we have seen two together for quite a while. Now there was a third pair of *eyes* in the distance but not close enough to ID. As the second one circled round the first one left the dish, jumped the birdbath and left in a hurry leaving #2 to hog the dish.

About thirty seconds later either the first badger, or a third appeared at the dish and they shared. #2 then left and the remaining badger munched away merrily till almost 10pm before leaving in a hurry.

12.24am A badger climbed on the brick to get in the dish rapidly cleaning it out while another pair of *eyes* hovered in the background He left at 12.33am

Kinky showed up at 3.09am and still managed to find food in the dish to my surprise.

4.07am a late badger popped in, dashed round and left but at 4.19am was back again to do the same again, unless of course it was a different one

Do you think I could persuade them to wear coloured tags so I can figure out which one is which? ? It is a bit embarrassing when I can only ID females by ‘mummy bumps’ and cubs by size.

I have worried that I have been tempting the badgers out when they should be asleep but but checking on the BBC Snowwatch Flickr page I find that quite a lot of badgers have been out and about in the snow this year

Perhaps they are like children and not having seen any before are just enjoying the experience

The continuing bitter cold weather has brought all the birds in again today, and even more seem to be pairing up. Robins, blackbirds, blackcaps, chaffinches, bullfinches, woodpeckers, nuthatches and dunnocks. It is difficult to tell with starlings, great, long tailed and blue s, magpies and wood pigeons but they are certainly coming in greater numbers. The squirrel numbers are staying at about five, and Tufty is still lively and healthy.

The frozen didn't clear till well after lunchtime and it is freezing again tonight but less breezy.



Websailor

Fri.12th Feb. 2010
Weather: Bitterly cold, sunny, hail storms.

7.42pm and a badger arrived It was a cub It sniffed round the dish seeming unsure what to do, but was clearly called as he listened, and trotted off obediently

9.26pm and he was back again, still uncertain but determined to get in to the dish this time, which he did after about thirty seconds. he looked at the camera as if for help or instructions He still listened but carried on munching and munching …… till 9.52 when he ran off, having listened and been called once again

A minute or so later he came back, or perhaps it was another one but a pair of watchful *eyes* could be seem in the distance. He was still munching and listening at 10.02am when he shot off but returned hurriedly in a few seconds still being followed by a pair of *eyes* after which he disappeared at 10.06.

At 10.07pm Boss Man arrived, did a quick dash around and finding no food he left in a hurry. 12.21am and another inquisitive brock turned up, did a circuit and left I think they are trying to tell me there is not enough food

12.24am and Kinky the fox did likewise

This morning seemed milder, and we had the odd hail storm, but that didn’t stop a squirrel from sitting right beside the camera with his tail waving in front of the lens while he munched!

8am and a male woodpecker visited the peanut cake, a bullfinch was on the lawn and several long tailed tits flitted back and forth, amongst great and blue s, a couple of blackcaps and two robins. The blackbirds feasted on raisins, the squirrels swiped almost as many peanuts as the magpies and the starlings just squabbled.

The crows and magpies were very vocal tonight when I put the badger food out (a full dish this time!) and it had gone bitterly cold again.

Have a good weekend - *see* you all tomorrow.



Websailor

Sat. 13th Feb. 2010
Weather: Bitterly cold, occasion hail showers

Last night was very quiet for some reason, but we viewed a badger live from about 8.50 till 9.05p happily scoffing from the dish. After listening for a while he ran off and there was no further sign of life all night. They either went for a night on the tiles or stayed in bed in the warm

This morning the woodpecker was here early and again at mid morning, pecking away at the concrete line post as if searching for insects He couldn’t figure out why there was no peanut feeder there but soon found the peanut cake instead

I was out most of the morning but did manage to see blackcaps, robins, blackbirds, dunnocks, magpies, wood pigeons and squirrels. Long tailed, great and blue s were here most of the day. I cleared away the remaining bird food after sunset, but still got chivvied by some late long tailed tits

We have been sifting through the many videos of last year’s badger cubs about which I had told you much, but as soon as I get time I will put some of the best clips on Flickr so you can see how they have grown. Wouldn’t it be lovely if they all stayed with us this year and brought some new cubs Fingers crossed


Websailor

Hiya Websailor! Right now we're having very welcome rains after a couple of swelteringly hot days. My sister, her husband, and Christiaan, have been visiting this weekend. I'm going to try and visit our local bird sanctuary on Thursday this week ... hope to be able to have a nice report for y'all!

Jeez, I wonder how the animals are experiencing the cold over there. I very much have a 'comfort zone' ... over thirty (Celsius) and I feel hot ... but I can take temperatures, if I *have* to, up till a bit over forty. Under twenty degrees Celsius, and I feel cold! At under ten, it's tough going out even with lots of clothes on, because my nose and face feels very cold!

It's quite a question to me, how animals covered with fur, like badgers, foxes and so on, regulate their temperature. I mean, we put on or take off clothes ... when it's hot, we sweat over our entire bodies ... animals can't take off their fur, or quickly put on more, and only have comparatively small surfaces to sweat from!

My sister is getting a Birman cat. Now this cat comes from Myanmar (Burma of old) which is a *very* hot country. But it's a long-haired cat! How does this cat keep cool in a hot climate??!!

I mean, I played with Christiaan outside yesterday. It was so hot, that there are laws in this country preventing businesses, industries and private employers from making people work in such heat. But Christiaan and I were running around outside throwing balls and so on. Christiaan took off his shirt and got *very* hot and sweaty. And it made me wonder about animals.

But I think the thing with animals is that they are much smarter than people! They WOULD NOT run around in such heat. They would find a nice densely-foliaged bush or tree and lie down under it until the heat was past!

Hi Willem, glad you are having a nice weekend. It is still cold here but not quite so bad and it is sunny too, though we had a little rain in the night.

Furry animals tend to keep out of the heat of the day - only 'mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun'

Oddly enough we don't have a siesta over here even when it is really, really hot. Dogs pant of course, but I am not sure about other animals - you are the expert

I am more concerned about how they keep warm at the moment!

Websailor

Sun. 14th Feb. 2010
Weather: Sunny and quite pleasant though still cold.

7.37pm Two badgers arrived together, one opening the dish in a hurry and the other one disappeared #1 ate for a couple of minutes then disappeared also! Both returned a couple of minutes later, the second one seeming very wary. There was a bit of a push and shove as the dish is not really big enough for two. One, which I suspect was Boss Man, had a sniff at the table and did a scavenge around, and by 7.48 they had both gone.

9.16pm and a badger was at the dish, before doing exactly the same as the previous badger then disappearing.

10.49pm Back again, or another one who munched for a few minutes then left.

11.05pm and a rat appeared at the dish, yet there was a pair of *eyes* watching from down the garden Neither badger, fox nor turned up to repel boarders and it seems like there are at least three babies <yikes but they move so quickly it is difficult to tell. Steps will have to be taken to put a stop to them They stayed till 11.12pm.

They left of course because at 11.26 a fox turned up - too late as usual!! He sniffed the dish, expressed his disgust came and looked at the camera and left!!!

2.06 One little varmint scurried through and a badger came at 2.19am also too late to grab one He followed the same route as the other badgers then wandered off, unless it is the same one going round in circles Two crafty little horrors made one last foray at 2.39am before all went quiet for the night.

This morning the clean up team arrived very early - shortly after 5am. The magpie team was quickly followed by the wood pigeon team then the squirrels followed up the rear. They did a good job until the s came chasing up the silver birch sending birds and squirrels flying in all directions. Tufty managed to escape both his siblings and the

Bullfinches, chaffinches, blackcaps, robins and blackbirds came later, along with long tailed, great and blue s and one coal tit. A male woodpecker made a fleeting visit too.

When I put the badger food out and cleared the bird food away there was a deafening chorus from at least a dozen crows and a dozen magpies which went on for at least half an hour.

The garden will have to have a manicure tomorrow to remove as many husks and bits as possible to keep the rats out of McWebbie’s Bistro, if it doesn’t rain *fingers crossed*.


Websailor