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

The tripod idea is probably what I need as I get blurry pictures, I tried taking some of a pair of robins but they were flying about too quickly.

I am thinking of setting up a Flickr account, but haven't got round to it yet.

Nice to chat to you. I ought to go to sleep now, but it is hard to log off.

Nice video,When I kept Discus I used to collect mossy larvae and feed to the Discus , I have also watched them(side view) emerge from water into adult mossy in a fish tank through the glass , it takes about a minute for the change over,very interesting.
The trouble with second hand cameras is you don't get the booklet with them I know I can come here (puter) to read all about it but don't want to spend that much time sitting here just doing that .I did buy a tripod last year but haven't used it m,uch, yesterday I did see my friend had set his video camera up on a small tripod and was recording some of my bbq. I will check my pic's from yesterday later when my body feels better (hangover shaky feeling)

Just went into the garden and saw a load of swallows flitting around high overhead. Pretty early for them to get here...all the way from Africa...and then they headed off further north...obviously not London types. But hey I must have seen them just as they had got here from their amazing migration up from south and central Africa. Oh God I love them.

I've been watching the swallows for a couple of weeks now in fact I went to check and saw at least two nests in the usual places(back of car ports) but no sign of anyone sitting.

I may have mentioned it elsewhere but I have three different colour/ kinds of Iris's in full flower now too.

It was Pond Day yesterday in France

(Pond Day = 'Fete des mares' takes place one week after Mothers' Day = 'Fete des meres')

http://www.fetedesmares.com/
(Doubly about the link - it is in French and rather flashy.)

The idea is that ponds are getting scarce (in France at least), so people are encouraged to make a pond wherever they can in order to 'create a complete independent biotope, an ecosystem mixing fauna and flora' etc.

Anyway this reminds me of effers's pond every time I hear it mentioned (I'm a fan of a weekly radio show whose host masterminded the event, so I hear it often).

Send your pictures and get international recognition!

Whoo Hoo. Pond day, in La France; I love it. Yes I recently saw a tv programme here where they were encouraging as many people as possible to make a pond, and it could be as small as mine ie an aquarium or an old sink etc to help insects to reproduce which often use water for larval stages, because they are an important part of the ecosystem such as providing food for certain birds. They said that more and more traditional ponds on farms have disappeared because of less agricultural land, and changes in farming practice which now often means a trough that cattle quickly drink dry. And of course in London garden ponds are vital. I hope for frogs and tadpoles next year.

I have spent ages watching the pond...I'm sure the neighbours think I'm mad now seeing more and more tiny insects which skim and jump across the meniscus. I've now obtained more weed for it...(once again nicked surreptitiously from the local park pond). The reeds are also coming on well. Hopefully with time more creatures will use it. I've already seen numerous birds drinking from it, and even sparrows using it as a bird bath.

If it cracks in the winter through changes in temperature, I'll get some rubber pond liner and build a proper pond next year.

Actually I had no idea before that ponds were really useful in any way. And then, with just a bit of knowledge they become all of a sudden fascinating places.

Yeah as a child I used to go fishing in both rivers and small lakes; the degree of wildlife you'd see around was incredible. Birds, so many insects. Dragonflies were my favourite.

I'm not expecting to go fishing in my big aquarium though...mainly cos there's no fish in it Actually I've decided not even to put any stickle backs in it cos they eat the insect larvae...but I now have loads of water snails. Spiral ones and helical ones.

Spiral and helical? Does this have anything to do with the orientation of the twist on their shells? I think one orientation is much, much more frequent than the other one (for land snails at least; see below).

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2FDCdjVwzDM/RqpfNsUoCYI/AAAAAAAAAFk/zRrNRZMzoQE/s400/x_senestre.jpg