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

Animal, cages are expensive but pay for themselves by cutting down food

Scorpio the Cliff photo was a bit of a dizzy one but looked so cool. Will check out the others shortly.

Thurs.8th June 06
Weather: Humid. Misty

I got quite a good before the Sensor alerted me that I had a visitor at 1.04am. It was a but at 1.23am Missie arrived doing her usual slow, slow, quick, quick, slow up the peanut trail. A big orange moon was heading west when she finally reached the table. Legs straddled, paws on the table, she worked her way round it until it finally tipped. She lay down to eat, then mooched, found the wet patch where the hose had lain, and had little dig . Her ears pricked and she looked down the garden but could see no-one. The humans around had obviously been drinking a lot in the heat as bathroom lights were going on and off all around.

Having eaten most of the table food she set off to demolish all traces of the peanut trail before exiting centre at 1.52am just as another Badger appeared stage left. It was Mrs. B coming straight up the path to the new dish. She lay down to eat. The disappeared behind the clouds and the trees and visibility was poor, but I spied yet another Badger at 1.58am coming up the centre of the garden and giving Mrs. B a wide berth.

Boss Man headed straight for the patio dish and expertly pushed the lid off. Both Badgers were eating happily, both facing me, when Mrs. B's ears pricked up. Not another Badger, surely? Mrs. B went for a drink and started trotting down the garden. Boss Man turned and watched her for a minute before returning to his food. Mrs. B hurried off, exiting stage left at 2.05am. By now both dishes were at least half empty and at 1.07am Boss Man also rushed off stage left. At 2.21am a ghostly white went through from centre to left, having previously set off the Sensor.

You see, I have this problem. I am addicted. I can't bring myself to switch the Sensor off even when I know I should, in case I miss something!. I always need another Fix.

And my Fix came at 2.26am when the new Badger CUB came barrelling up the garden, so perhaps I should call him Speedy? He went straight to the new dish and started to eat. After a couple of minutes his ears pricked and he ran down the garden to the Silver Birch tree - stopped - listened, nodded and ran back up to the new dish.

I think Mum was saying "Come on, it's time you were in bed young'un" and Speedy said "Maaam!, I've only just got here and there isn't much food - can I just finish it, I won't be a minute?" Permission granted apparently, unless he was being a naughty little Cub, in which case I suspect he would have been fetched, pronto! He cleared the new dish, then the patio dish, then had a drink and jumped the wall, tearing down the garden in a real hurry. On the way he passed Fluff, and exited centre at 2.36am. Once again Fluff was very interested in the bottom of the Lilac Tree, staring hard in to the undergrowth for about 4 minutes!! It is really driving me nuts wondering what is residing in my tree!!

Phew! Now, I hope you will excuse me because it had been a hectic night and I was badly in need of some shuteye, so I forced myself to switch off the Sensor. I didn't relish being woken at 5.30am by an inquisitive Squirrel!!!

TODAY(Frid)
Hot, hot, humid. The Squirrel went up the greasy pole twice but abandoned his efforts.The cage put him off. The Starlings were feeding through the bars, not having noticed that one side had been left open.

Whirlybird the Wood Pigeon did his flapping, whirling, clumsy landing on the patio table, sending seed and Starlings flying in all directions. The Robins and Tits demolished the Mealworms in record time, which pleased me as I am not sure they would enjoy baked Mealworms. It was so hot it seemed an even more cruel way to go. More juvenile Starlings are appearing, and even Whirlybird gave in under the onslaught. The adults' plumage shone a glorious purple and green in the sunlight. Magpies, Jays, Collared Doves, Wood Pigeons and the two Blackbirds, Hopalong and mate, came later, the Blackbirds staying in the shade. Their close encounter with a Tabby sunning itself gave me a fright but they got away.

Yippee!! I'm free!! The is on and PHM is oblivious to me, so I have a cool drink and some Irish music on the computer and can finally start trawling through about 200 emails sitting in one of my inboxes(probably 300 by now) and catch up on messages and posts.

I might well see you later,
Websailor

I can promise you a World Cup free zone on this thread in the coming weeks, though I might manage a if England gets anywhere. I have clear memories of the 1966 win, but hasn't been the same since. Anyone mentioning it will get a and be off.. Ta-Ra!!

WS! you really are asking for trouble promising a free thread. Some fool is bound to drop by with comments now However, you can rest assured it will not be me.

Scorp.

A free zone? I'll come back here again

Okay folks... 503 new posts since I was here: I ain't got time in my life to catch up on that lot. Anyone up for a 10-line synopsis of the highlights?


Fb

Oh... btw - catbirds, choughs, cockatoos, ibises, scrub turkeys and a green tree snake today

Scorpio Weeeell, I like to get the wooden spoon out occasionally. Galaxy Babe has a "you know what' Blog running so that should keep the ball boys and girls happy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
French Bean, how lovely to 'see' you again. I quite understand you don't have time to play catch up, so the best I can do is tell you that the Badgers visited nightly from Aug. 4th to mid December 2005, and started coming again mid March 2006 - daily! The McWebbie Bistro obviously stayed in their dreams over the winter!!

Three Badgers were confirmed earlier in the year, when I sighted all three in the garden together. Mum, Dad and Cub from last year (Missie) - female, and now I can 99% confirm we have a new Cub this year (Speedy)- male!!

They are eating us out of house and home - there seems to be nothing offered that they don't like, and drinks are on the house too!!

If anyone has any other 'titbits' please add but I think that is as much as you will be able to cope with for now.

both,

Websailor

Frencbbean, Forgot to say we have Cat zappers installed now which keeps most of the moggies away, and a Sensor which bleeps to tell us when the Brocks appear.

Fri. 9th June 06
Weather: Humid. Breezy. Orange misty

When putting the badger food out I saw and heard a flock of Canada Geese heading for our local pool. Lovely sight. The rest of the night wasn't so good.

It went like this - 11.55pm 12.13am 12.15am 12.30am . Then at last 12.37am a Badger, Boss Man came straight up the garden to the patio dish. Grapes were on the menu and he cleared those quickly, moving on to the new dish to do the same there.

He kept stopping to listen, ears pricked and was clearly uneasy. He had been gathering worms as his face was dirty, but he was still hungry. At 12.42am something spooked him and he shot off stage left. All windows are open in the heat, so was it voices, toilets flushing, snoring or something else

12.50am 12.53am it's Friday night again, time for a night on the tiles for the local moggies!! Fluff was again transfixed at the bottom of the Lilac Tree. Then he sat in the corner of the wall watching the whole of the patio for something to appear. When it didn't he soon disappeared setting off the Sensor yet again. I could hear people shouting and laughing but it was none of my neighbours as all lights were out and doors shut. After so many false alarms I switched the Sensor off to get some shuteye.

The addiction kicked in again though and I switched it back on at 3.20am, and lo and behold, Missie came at 3.23am sending the Sensor crazy with her foraging up the peanut trail. The table and dishes were still as Boss Man left them, so I hadn't missed a visitor, and Missie ate from the table, knocking it over quicker than usual (my fault, it wasn't balanced properly!).

It was getting daylight but she just showed up as a grey oval without the NVS. The birds were already singing! Missie licked the table all over, and then cleared the new dish, not bothering with the patio dish which still had food in it. Ears pricked she looked down the garden several times before running off stage left at 3.45am. I did switch the Sensor off then.

TODAY(Sat.)
Very very hot. A starling was standing on top of the mealworm cage this morning looking down longingly at the worms just out of reach. He poked his head it, wriggled it about and gave up. All the small birds were grabbing and flying off, or nipping in to the tree to eat out of sight.

Two Squirrels at the bottom of the garden were having a stand-up fight like a pair of March Hares. We have never seen them do that before. At a distance they could have been mistaken for Meerkats! The Bullfinches, Robins, Collared Doves, Wood Pigeons etc. were around much of the day, though Whirleybird didn't put in an appearance. Hopalong did come for her raisins though bless her.

A Magpie collected a piece of white bread from my elderly neighbour and brought it round to us so he could dunk it in the water dish to soften it!! I shall have to tell him that we don't allow customers at McWebbie's Diner to bring their own food.

PHM brought some Begonias home, given to him by a friend so I planned to plant those this morning, and re-do the Pansies which are still flowering, and revive the Primulas for a second flowering. I was delighted when the Postman brought a box with the Coleus Canina plants, all 18 of them, so I was able to those as well. Oh, Boy was it hot though. I don't usually do planting in the morning, but the evening. However, I had so much to do tonight I couldn'tspare the time.

Known as 'Scaredy Cat' and 'Pee Off' (no offence intended!!) I sincerely hope they live up to their name. They sure do pong, I can tell you It says they have blue flowers in the summer and aromatic foliage. Aromatic?? That's not what I'd call it!! I have put one tub right where Fluff was sitting last night, so I shall be watching tonight!!

Tonight fireworks are going off and there is much shouting and screaming down the road. I can't think why. .........

See you tomorrow, when I have finished and posted.


Websailor

Brilliant as usual WS! Unfortunately, I have to admit to having imbibed too much of the amber nectar (actually the red wine with the BBQ) so I will not attempt to make any sensible responses tonight.

Will log in tomorrow.

Scorpio

Lovely to be reading your scribbles again Websailor

Thank you for the update Sounds like you're on top of keeping the UK brock populations well-fed and well-watched Good for you.

I'm quite sure that they do remember where to get food from one year to the next. They - like all animals - are creatures of habit: it's the key to survival.

Fb

Sat. 10th June 06
Weather: humid. Misty orange near full

Neighbours halogen light was still lighting up the whole neighbourhood at 11.43pm so I had my doubts we would get any visitors. Of course it didn't deter the who seemed to like performing in the spotlight. Two were cavorting around at 12.39am setting the Sensor bleeping, so I turned the cat zapper on them. In a couple of minutes they had both gone and I turned it off again.

1.29am, with the halogen light still lit up Missie came very slowly up the trail. She ate some food off the table, but was a bit jumpy, ears pricked, looking across the garden and down the garden. After a few minutes she tipped the table and continue eating but didn't lie down which suggested she was uneasy. Windows were open everywhere because of the heat which meant she could hear sounds she wouldn't normally notice. She kept sniffing and after clearing the table finally went for a drink before she went down the peanut trail, clearing up as she went, exiting left at 1.53am. She stood out so clearly in the halogen light I am surprised no-one spotted her.

I slept soundly till 6am when the Sensor woke me. The new dish contents were half eaten but the patio dish was untouched. Someone must have come while I was and I didn't hear. It is so unusual to find the patio dish untouched that I was a bit worried, but on reflection I decided the disturbances probably put them off (PHM told me the H. light was still on at 4.30am) and maybe the heat meant they were not hungry. We certainly weren't.

TODAY (Sun.) Hot and humid and no breeze to start with. PHM having difficult breathing. Hopalong the blackbird came for raisins and seems A solitary Chaffinch dropped in for a few seeds and two starlings, two Jays, three Wood Pigeons, two Magpies, two Bullfinches (a pair) came too. A starling nearly stretched its' neck trying to get in the floor cage after a dropped Mealworm. He frightened a Blue into dropping his catch but the other Blue and Great Tits were wise to him.. The heat was too much for the birds and they disappeared after their early morning breakfast.

The breeze picked up and I had to take the shears and cut back some overhanging vegetation from the path. Fluff was hiding under it ready to ambush anything that came within reach. He looked very cross at seeing two of his hidey holes destroyed. It has been unbearably hot and close all day and then at tea time I had to shut all the back windows as next door neighbour lit a BBQ right outside my kitchen window, filling the house with smelly smoke. Not a party pooper but that was just what PHM didn't need with his lungs already struggling.

I am left wondering if I shall have any nocturnal visitors apart from the moggies tonight Oh, and I found another website giving a list of foods that I can give to badgers, and my list has now increased, so the worry of lack of variety has gone. It does say you can give cat or dog food(not dried) but knowing what goes in to dog food can make many dogs quite ill I am not going to risk my badgers. I am sure if they want meat they will find their own. Whoops, sorry Hedgie!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frenchbean, I forgot to say I can't compete with your exotic wildlife visitors. It is such a shame you have to move. I do hope you get somewhere even better.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scorpio, sounds like you had my share of since I can't drink any. Hope you are feeling brighter now.


Websailor

How does the zapper work? Sounds fabulous.

The animals here are only exotic by UK standards... here, they're very boring. As I'm hoping to find a place less suburban and more rural, I reckon that my sightings should increase. Mind you, I may not get so many water birds, unless I find a place with a dam. I rarely see any marsupials here in the 'burbs (except possum on the roof now and again), but there are roos and wallabies just out of town, as well as bandicoots and possums. More snakes of course too. And goannas

How's PHM's breathing today? Summer has arrived in UK?

Fb

Hi WS

Did you cut back the lilac bush which seems to be shere someone hides?
Thank you again for a lovely tale of your garden visitors. .
It will be Spring watch again tonight. I still look forward to it. Ever the optomist.

It seems coooler today.

Christiane AR1

Your animals and birds boring? Not to us!! Yes, Frenchbean, Summer has arrived. Scorching temperatures,by our standards, of 88 degrees F. It makes me laugh, we are supposed to be C now, yet when it's hot the media reverts to Fahrenheit.

It is very hot and humid and this morning we were woken with thunder and lightning followed by heavy rain. It is now sunny and steamy with more of the same threatened for later!!

The cat zapper is a heat and movement sensor which sends out an electronic sound which only the cats can here and they don't like it!! I have to switch if off at night though because the red lights click and come on and frighten the badgers. Some cats seem immune but only 2/3 stay around now which is a great improvement on fourteen and even those steer pretty clear of the zapper and therefore the feeders/tables.

PHM's breathing still bad, and coughing. He carries on with life but struggles more and gets very tired. I don't know how he does it because it tires me out too. If only we could have nice 'spring' temperature days with a fresh breeze all the time. I would be happy then!! Dry heat we can both cope with but not this!

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

I have cut the lilac tree shoots back a bit A1, but if it is home or a safe haven for something I don't want to take it away. I was cross at having to cut vegetation back because of the as it gives less cover for blacbirds and wrens, and I haven't seen one of the latter for a long time. I have put Citronella on tea bags and laid them where Fluff sits. If the smell doesn't bother him perhaps the people he owns might not like it!!<rofl. It's strong!

Looking forward to Springwatch too, though I shall no doubt have to watch it in the spare room if the *you know what* is on!!

I can't believe the mentality of some people WS! e-mail on its way.

A couple, not a million miles away from me has discovered a family of Squirrels have nibbled through cement under the eaves and have made their home in the loft. OK! So! you don't want Squirrels nibbling their merry way through everything in your loft do you? No! So! What do you do? You get some Johnny to come along, go up into the loft and shoo them out, then you seal the hole. Yes? No! Actually, what they do is to get in some exterminator people at great expense (like £175 quid or the like) and put down poison - then when all the little fellows have gone to the great beyond, they pay out again for the same bod to come along and clean up.

The local council advised that if they left them alone till August (not long in the great universal scheme of things) they would all go away anyway.

I'm currently steaming as you can imagine.

Will come back later if/when I've calmed down a bit. That's if I don't go around there and give them a piece of my mind (and that's on the cards I can tell you)

Scorp

no words from me, not printable!

Scorpio Hmm! If you catch grey squirrels you cannot release them elsewhere .It is illegal. You MUST 'dispose' of them! i.e. kill them. I think poison is a horrible way to do it.

August isn't far off, but it is enough time for them to chew through joists and wiring just for fun, so I do have a little sympathy. I think I prefer your idea though.

Websailor

Sun. 11th June 06
Weather: Hot, humid, but not visible!

12.06am. Boss man arrived just as I had nodded off. He came directly to the patio dish, but spent some time sniffing the air and looking round the patio. Perhaps he could smell the Scaredy Cat plants. They do smell quite strong even at this stage. He pushed the top off the dish and started eating. The Halogen light is again lighting up some six gardens but the badgers seem to be getting used to it. I'm not! It is such a bright, cold light and I have to be careful not to point the NVScope at it.

Boss Man ate most of the contents of the dish and moved over to the new dish. He tipped the lid off and his stubby tail wiggled - this food was different and he knew it! I kept the food from the previous night and put it out again, but the new dish and table had different fruit etc. on it. He ate the best bits and moved to the table, doing the same there without tipping it.

I turned away for a moment and looked back as the Sensor went off, and he was trotting down the garden heading for the centre opening, then he stopped suddenly - 'Whoops' wrong exit, and turned sharply to leave stage left at 12.18am. !!

12.29am and Missie came slowly up the peanut trail doing her usual hoovering. She even tidied up round the table before eating. On tiptoes she worked her way round the table, with one dainty paw on the table, until eventually she moved to the new dish. She ate some of that, went back to the table, did not tip it but trotted down the garden exiting stage centre at 12.42am.

2.25am and Mrs. B came up to the table knocking it straight over. She ate what was left, almost cleared the new dish and licked the table clean again. She is such a tidy girl! It was getting lighter and she hurried away exiting centre at 2.33am.

TODAY(Mon.) Humid. Thunder, Lightning and heavy rain. House hit in Cannock. Power cut Dudley area this afternoon.

I was woken at 5.45am by three Squirrels finishing Brock's leftovers. They set the Sensor off. No waste here The usual birds made fleeting visits and the Mealworms were soon gone. Citronella seems to have put Fluff off his usual daybed and he is grumpily sitting under the conifers at the bottom of the garden. Even he is too tired to chase squirrels this morning.

Later I heard a terrific screeching, the loud chatter of Magpies' alam calls, 3 of them, and the loud 'pink pink' of the Blackbird's alarm. I rushed to see what was upsetting them and found one cat, Fluff at the bottom of the garden and TC (next door's <cat. at the top. They were looking at each other, very puzzled as they couldn't work out that they were the cause of the ruckus. I saw them all off with a loud blast on a Party Popper.

The male Bullfinches seem very hungry, the Jays and Magpies too, but the other birds don't seem bothered. They must be feeling the same as me. I was so busy today I forgot to have my lunch.

Looking forward to Springwatch. I hope it has improved this week.

See you later maybe,

Websailor

slight rain in Ponte, its Ponte races and it always rains for themonly known it 2/3 times not! rain on race day

We've had two more heavy showers since this morning. Still hot and horrible though.

BTW, I am patiently waiting for all but two back copies of the Digest, just in time for Father's Day!! He has run out of #10 and #11 so will be appealing for second hand copies for me, so PHM has the full set. Hopefully it might cheer him up as this weather is getting him down.

Websailor

for the back issues that is!

this humid heat is no good for any off us, no breeze what so ever

give him my regards please Webbie

Animal, will do. More thunder and lightning is forecast for our area. Have to wait and see!


Websailor

We had thunder and lightening at tea-time. We have been sitting outside all evening and it is sooooo nice and cool now. SS went to bed around 10 minutes ago (11:20) I am still tooooooo hot and am staying outside for a while longer yet.

We have still to see the Pipistrelles (is that the right spelling WS?) they have been around for the last 5 years; but have not seen them yet in 2006.

The adoptee has been round demanding supper; and as I was too hot to eat my meal, he was treated to the remains of a meat salad - corned beef, boiled ham and chicken. As I was cutting it up, I was watching the news; with an article on the children in an area of Africa who had NOTHING compared to us!! Although I have no way of sending this particular 'meal' out there, I felt extremely guilty giving it to someone else's cat. What can I do?

On a totally different vein, I have recently read of a local farmer who was having difficulty in maintaining his herd of dairy cows; and has diversified into - Water Buffallo - Apparently it is low in colesterol, fat etc and high in other things which I cannot remember at this time of night. I shall telephone tomorrow to see what the farm shop has to offer and will inform you as and when.

Getting ready for the 'arms of Morphious' now so will be back tomorrow.

Night night God Bless.

Scorpio