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

Just testing

.

Nigel, Glad you haven't morphed in to someone else

Calling all Brock watchers - Friday 15th February BBC2 8pm there is a wonderful programme about badgers, with I think some unique footage. Do watch it if you can. I will probably watch it afterwards on the computer via iPlayer, as it clashes with something else we watch.

Sun. 10th Feb. 08

Weather: Dry, breezy and sunny.

I had a lie in this morning and got up to find it was frosty and the birdbath had frozen up At least there was plenty of food out which seemed to be keeping them busy.

The blackbirds were everywhere again, but no doubt they will eventually pair up and most of them will disappear to their own territories. Whilst we have two robins and two nuthatches we are not yet sure if they are paired up.

A siskin turned up this morning, and the jay came at least twice. The female woodpecker had a really good feed at 10.10am and 11.57am and no doubt came at other times unnoticed. A coal tit in full regalia landed on the peanut cake. he looked very smart and the blue and great s are getting their ‘courting’ plumage. I love the great tits with their waistcoats but wonder how they cope with all the buttons missing?

In the sunshine there were swarms of midges dancing so some birds will have had a feast, buds are appearing too, so the bullfinches will be making themselves popular and eating them.

One of the collared doves seems to be missing again. Surely they aren’t sitting on eggs again . Still, that’s how they have been so successful colonising the British Isles so why change the habit of a lifetime

the crows were very noisy this morning, though Capt. Claw didn’t appear in the top of the oak tree and they didn’t stay long. Magpies, wood pigeons and starlings were too many to count so I will just say there were ‘a lot’.

Ginger paid just one visit. I think it was too cold for any of the others

Back tomorrow - make a date in your diary for Friday and the badgers, if you are in the UK, and you will see some of the delights we experience.



Websailor

err! I'm not head gardenerI'm not even me

Hi Prof. Hope you are keeping well but if you are not yourself well.....I don't know what to suggest except a or a of another



Websailor

my psychiatrist says I'm getting betterbut I have reason to doubt him, as he is seeing a psychiatrist now

It has been a really weekend. Saturday and today, we have had two bees in the garden - yesterday and this morning a large black bumble bee and this morning, what looked like a hive bee. Then this afternoon I was listening to this wonderful song and suddenly realised that I was actually listening to a blackbird (10th February?)

Nigel would agree with that. His recent experience would have been hilarious if it had not been so serious You hit the nail on the head there Prof.

Websailor

apparently, all birds(including my cockateil) are breeding early, due to change in climate, it's also throwing plants out as well, blooming months to early

I know Scorp, things seem to be happening far too early. In some ways it is nice but if we get a spell of real Winter it could mean a disaster for all sorts of insects and birds, not to mention animals. My bulbs are far too advanced and they didn't like the thick frost we had last night.

Websailor

Hubby went out to look at the fence repairs that need doing after the horrendous winds we've had
We have frog spawn !!!
He thinks it won't produce any frogs,this happened last year too....it's far too early compared with previous years!!

Hello *Waves*,

Here I am, youngsuper_Nigel .

There are some folk which still seem to believe I am Head-Gardener .

Well, I am not . I am youngsuper_Nigel and nothing in-between .

I do not know the mysterious Head-Gardener and recommends he comes forward and reveals himself once and for all .

I am starting to go in the face because of telling people I am not, repeat not and don't want to be the Head-Gardener .

Off for a double now .

Take care my friends .

Nigel .

I was only joking

We shall just have to wait and see if the person reveals themselves. Curiosity is in danger of killing this , if Nigel doesn't get there first

Websailor

and nothing in-between(ear's) ? are you still copying me Nigel eh! stop it

Just dropping in on your thread again, Websailor, to say hello; also to say I have heard a brambling and what I think is a blackcap. This morning I heard a lovely warbling song. Of course, when I stopped to listen, it sang no more. Could it have been a blackcap I wonder? The bird I am almost certain was a brambling sang twice and it sounded like it does on the RSPB website. That was about 10 days ago. Yesterday on my regular early Sunday morning walk, I heard several chaffinches and I think that is a bit early for them isn't it?

I still have a long way to go to learn to navigate hootoo, but it certainly feels a lot easier!

Apologies Prof .

Its the training you have given me .

Nigel

glad it works NigelI'll have to think about charging

SusanDoris,

Glad you found us again. It isn't difficult to find your way around once you have got used to it. Bookmark a few pages and you will find it easier, or put page references that interest you in your Personal Space. Add to Friends anyone you want to keep in touch with too.

According to BTO there are a lot of bramblings this year owing to the failure of beechmast in Europe. I am not sure about chaffinches, they have been in our garden for weeks now, and are starting to get their breeding plumage, but I don't know when they start singing. Some birds are calling, but I wouldn't all it singing yet

We haven't had any blackcaps yet but i think it will depend on bad weather as to whether they venture in to gardens.

Websailor

Mon. 11th Feb. 08

Weather: Frost and ice overnight. Sunny but cold all day.

The water was frozen this morning and it was crunchy underfoot, but the birds were down early clearing up the leftovers. Blackbirds waited patiently for the raisins, and the robins were twittering in the trees, confident that today they were going to get cheese at last and they weren’t disappointed. I de-frosted the water, but it froze up again immediately.

At 8.05am the woodpecker took charge of the peanut cake and had a good scrap with some early starlings. The jay and the mapgies were scrapping over the peanuts on the lawn till the squirrels turned up and chased them all off . We have some bramblings among the chaffinches, and it will be interesting to see how long they stay.

The coal tit and nuthatch scurried around sampling all the feeders before settling for the peanut cake (coal tit) and the patio table <nuthatch). A number of bullfinches dropped in and the blue s and long tailed tits cleared the tiny biscuit crumb feeder. The great tits are looking very perky and smart but we don’t seem to have as many as usual.

The wood pigeons came in quite large numbers but something (or someone!) kept frightening them off. There is still only one collared dove. I do hope the sparrowhawk hasn’t taken one of them. The pesky ginger has been round a couple of times but isn’t having any luck with the birds thankfully, as the magpies and blackbirds sound the alarms in plenty of time.

*See* you tomorrow



Websailor

Hellon SD,
I heard a chaffinch the other day and it was the first time I had heard one make a sound exactly like on my DVDs. I have looked for Bramblings but yet to see one!