Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => General Forum => Topic started by: TheOnionMan on November 04, 2010, 02:23:29 PM
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Following up on my mis-ID of large (huge) flocks of migrating birds as starlings, and the ensuing discussion as to the ID, I have a few more photos. Typically these massive flocks make appearances in my yard when I'm in the yard, and not wearing glasses (I use glasses for distance, but do not use them when working outdoors), so not getting a good up-close look. The slightest movement to get a closer view results in mass-exodus and return to frenzied flight.
Today, more seemingly endless flocks arrived, thousands upon thousands, the chatter audible inside the house even though closed up on this cold rainy day. My wife came running into our basement office to tell me about thousands of birds totally surrounding our house and neighbor's yards, and every tree blackened by the masses. Once again my slow-shuttered camera is almost useless to capture impressive clouds of birds, so what I post will have to do.
Taking a few pictures yesterday and today, when zoomed in, I can see iridescent blue head feathers. This suggests they are not Rusty Blackbird. So maybe these are either Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus) or Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula), however they don't strike me as being as large as Grackles. I'm still not sure. A quick trip to the garden after the invasion showed that their frenetic rooting around in the garden beds is not something to be pleased with.
By the way, I have been viewing lots of smaller flocks (50-100 birds) of European Starling as well, with their stumpy tails, now discrening the difference even without my glasses on.
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wow Mark! You live at the edge of the woods?
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Anthony I thought of you today while watching Deadly 60. I watch it every day. Today they were on Madagascar and featured chameolens. The largest and smallest were shown
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00tttgr/Deadly_60_Series_Two_Madagascar/ (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00tttgr/Deadly_60_Series_Two_Madagascar/)
That TV programme should be an hour long and shown at prime time
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That's amazing 8)
Angie :)
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Graham you are not the only one who has never seen a waxwing. Watching Autumn Watch tonight Nick Baker hasnt seen one and Martin Hughs-Games has only just seen his first - on Mull!
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do I watch too much TV? Dont answer ;D
On River Cottage tonight they made dandelion jam. The guy told us there are 230 ssp / micro species of dandelion
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Mark,
I agree with your assessment of Deadly 60. Brilliant programme. 8)
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do I watch too much TV? Dont answer ;D
Yes, I think you do Mark but given your age now this brings you nearer to the status of a Radio 4 listener. You should give it a try ;D
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I'm a Radio 3 listener when % live is diriving me nuts, but I only listen in the car.
I still have my two Madagascan chameleons (Sundance and Etta), which form the basis of my school reptile club.
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do I watch too much TV? Dont answer ;D
Yes, I think you do Mark but given your age now this brings you nearer to the status of a Radio 4 listener. You should give it a try ;D
I'm a radio 1 listener and have been up very early all week to watch the Chris Moyle Show on the red button as they tour around the country. Today they are in Perth
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Three new wildlife programmes start tonight on BBC4 which is on channel 116. Life, Birds Britannia and Johnny Kingdoms Year With Birds
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Birds Britannia looks at a history of the British love of birds
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00vnf8d/Birds_Britannia_Garden_Birds/ (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00vnf8d/Birds_Britannia_Garden_Birds/)
Johnny Kingdom showed 18 wrens roosting in one nest box
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00vnf8g/Johnny_Kingdoms_Year_with_the_Birds_Episode_1/ (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00vnf8g/Johnny_Kingdoms_Year_with_the_Birds_Episode_1/)
UK only
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On River Cottage tonight they made dandelion jam. The guy told us there are 230 ssp / micro species of dandelion
Cruelty to Dandelions, I say, and I'll be contacting the RSPCD forthwith :) Dandelions are one of the most healthy vegetables out there and I'm shocked anyone would add masses of sugar to them...
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Talking of jam, there was almost a Redpoll Jam in my garden today, so many were there on the birch trees they could hardly move ( I estimated about 300). One poor picture below. There was a heavy snowfall here today which forced many late stayers down to the coast where I am - Blackbirds, Redwings, Fieldfares, Woodpigeons, Waxwings... The garden was heaving with birds, making it perilous to go about my last minute business putting the garden to "bed" for the winter...
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Redpolls make a lovely sound.
A waxwing/s have reached Cornwall. Do they know there is no land further west until they reach America?
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I was at New Mills (by Canty's Brig, Northumberland) on the Whiteadder (pronounced whit adder). At the weir I watch salmon leaping which was amazing. At times there would be three in the air at once! None made it up the weir, but there is a narrow fish ladder in the weir so they must eventually find that?
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Stephen,
You must hold the record for the world's most northern cabbage tree (and the record for the highest latitude on as well)
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No photos Anthony?
Twitchers - a very British Obsession
hi all
Tonight at 7.30pm on BBC4 there is a programme about twitchers.
It was on last week originally. You can get it here
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00vnflv/Twitchers_A_Very_British_Obsession/
(https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00vnflv/Twitchers_A_Very_British_Obsession/)
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I have met several twitchers in my time and came to the conclusion that they needed psychiatric help. I met Lee Evans half way up a mountain in Israel many years ago. Enough said.
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Tom,
I'm sure that many twitchers would say the same thing about plantaholics that they meet halfway up a mountain, too!! ;D
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I met Lee Evans half way up a mountain in Israel many years ago. Enough said.
Good 'evans! :o
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Anthony,
Leeve it alone!! ;)
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Just watched the twitching programme on tv and it really does bring back memories. Absolutely brilliant when the pager went off. A quick phone call to my late friend and we were off to see the latest rare bird. I do my birding more local now but still do the occasional twitch. It is difficult to convey to people exactly what makes us birders do it just as it is difficult to explain why we collect plants. But all i can say is two fantastic hobbies that i could not live without.
Gary
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Well one could add to the nonsense that Twitter participants indulge in. To my mind, while the Twitter posts may be tweets, the people who post them are twits.
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OK, that one needs to be carved in stone: "While the Twitter posts may be tweets, the people who post them are twits."
Certainly a candidate for "Great Statements of the SRGC Forum".
Good one, Lesley.
Paddy
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I second that nomination, Paddy! ;D
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A new book arrived today Birds of New Zealand. I'm amazed at how many European, and other, birds have been introduced. My history is rubbish ::) so can I ask what was happening in the 1860s?
mute swan Cygnus olor 1860s
cape barren goose coreopsis novaehollandiae 1914
canada goose branta canadensis 20th cent.
mallard Anas platyrhynchos
californian quail callipepla californica 1860s
french partridge Alectoris chukar 1920s
pheasant mid 1800s
spotted/necklace dove Streptopelia chinensis
skylark Alauda arvensis 1860s
blackbird Turdus merula 1860s
song thrush Turdus philomelos 1860s
dunnock Prunella modularis 1860s
yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella 1860s
cirl bunting Emberiza cirlus 1870s
chaffinch Fringella coelebs 1860s
goldfinch Carduelis carduelis 1860s
greenfinch Carduelis chloris 1860s
redpoll Carduelis flammea 1860s
house sparrow Passer domesticus 1860s
starling Sturnus vulgaris 1860s
Myna Acridotheres tristis 1870s
rook Corvus frugilegus 1860s
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I new book arrived today Birds of New Zealand. I'm amazed at how many European, and other, birds have been introduced. My history is rubbish ::) so can I ask what was happening in the 1860s?
New government; people started moving to NZ in large numbers. They brought home, including birds they missed from the UK, with them.
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That had to be a very difficult job to keep all the birds alive and in good condition for the journey. Would it take a couple of months by boat to get there?
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OK, that one needs to be carved in stone: "While the Twitter posts may be tweets, the people who post them are twits."
Certainly a candidate for "Great Statements of the SRGC Forum".
Good one, Lesley.
Paddy
or "While the Twitter posts may be tweets, the people who post them are twites" ;)
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/t/twite/index.aspx (http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/t/twite/index.aspx)
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I prefer twit as a twite is an innocent wee birdie, whereas a twit is an innocent wee daftie. ;D
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I prefer twit as a twite is an innocent wee birdie, whereas a twit is an innocent wee daftie. ;D
OK, then:
"While the Twitter posts may be twites, the people who post them are twits"
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The rare fen raft-spider has been bred in captivity. 1500 spiders are kept in test tubes. They are fed several times per week and it takes one person a week to feed them all.
Check out The One Show on BBC iplayer
Almighty gasp when you see the adult female on the presenters finger
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I hope there's a more long-term goal of keeping the spiders other than in test tubes. I don't love spiders but wouldn't condemn even the rarest to that life. (Don't hate 'em either, just choose to avoid where possible.)
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Lesley, they were bred to be released in a nature reserve
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00w124t/The_One_Show_11_11_2010/ (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00w124t/The_One_Show_11_11_2010/)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1322755/Spiders-bred-kitchen-released-wild.html (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1322755/Spiders-bred-kitchen-released-wild.html)
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That's a relief Mark. :D
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From the list of European birds in NZ that you posted Mark, I've seen many though not all. We have several in our garden, the skylark, the blackbird, thrush, dunnock, chaffinch, goldfinch, greenfinch, redpoll, yellowhammer, sparrow and starling. A North Island friend has a little colony of Californian quail in his garden along with mynahs, and we all know the swans, Canada geese, mallards and pheasants and rooks but the others I've not seen. Canada geese are a pest and so are the rooks in mid Canterbury grain crops.
I like that the Cape Barren geese are Coreopsis and the dunnock is Prunella, because I have those growing in my garden.
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The boat trip to New Zealand took anything from 6 to 12 weeks depending on the ship itself, the weather and the season, also the route. It amazes me too, that birds could have arrived safely, probably kept in cages I suppose but many wild birds can't stand that and would normally die.
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Check out The One Show on BBC iplayer
... thats one programme to avoid like the plague :D
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I'm not surprised that she is excited about having her kitchen back. :o
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Check out The One Show on BBC iplayer
... thats one programme to avoid like the plague :D
Why is that David? It's not available here anyway.
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OMG did you see the waxwings on Autumn Watch?
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I am soooooooooo jealous
http://fair-isle.blogspot.com/2010/11/waxwings-oct-25th-2010-day-well-always.html (http://fair-isle.blogspot.com/2010/11/waxwings-oct-25th-2010-day-well-always.html)
The birds were so hungry they had to feed
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The rare fen raft-spider has been bred in captivity. 1500 spiders are kept in test tubes. They are fed several times per week and it takes one person a week to feed them all.
Check out The One Show on BBC iplayer
Almighty gasp when you see the adult female on the presenters finger
Curiously, this spider (Dolomedes plantarius) is of the same genus as the New Zealand Nurseryweb spider.
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Roger saw a programme this morning on BBC I think, about killer whales herding grey whales and their calfs, as they migrated, and described to me - over lunch - the tactics used to capture the babies and the damage done internally and externally, in order to catch them. I wish he hadn't.
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Particularly not over lunch. ::)
I've seen a programme with this in it as well...... they wait for them to pass a certain bay where they have to go into deep water, then work as a pack and repeat attack. It really is amazing, although definitely not in a nice way. Nature really is amazing.
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I am soooooooooo jealous
http://fair-isle.blogspot.com/2010/11/waxwings-oct-25th-2010-day-well-always.html (http://fair-isle.blogspot.com/2010/11/waxwings-oct-25th-2010-day-well-always.html)
The birds were so hungry they had to feed
Fantastic pictures, Mark!!! Never experienced them that tame over here, although you can get very close to them when they're concentrating on feeding. Must have been hungry after the crossing, or just drunk...
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Lesley and Paul is that the programme that said only the tongues were eaten?
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Check out The One Show on BBC iplayer
... thats one programme to avoid like the plague :D
Why is that David? It's not available here anyway.
The TV equivalent of tabloid journalism at its worst-it's dire.
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Yes Mark those Waxwings were fantastic. Been close to them before but nothing like that. Am sure that lad will never forget that experience.
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David what do you watch on TV?
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Had a flock of about 30 waxwings on my birch tree today. This is the first time they have knowingly turned up in the garden in 40 years, though I have seen them locally. I would like to think this flock was the (now replete) bunch featured on Autumnwatch which have moved on from Fair Isle! One or two tried the Sorbus vilmorinii berries, but were not impressed. They only get eaten by the other birds as a last resort. The birch tree is a measured 76' in height, and is listed on the Aberdeen Heritage Tree register. Maureen
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Hi Maureen
That would have been so lovely. The birch tree is a wonderful sight on it's own but seeing thirty waxwings in it would be wonderful. I have see them here but they just seem disappear as quick as they come.
See you soon.
Angie :)
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David what do you watch on TV?
The News :P
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That's very daring of you David, you old adventurer you.
Mark I think it probably was, because Roger said afterwards that the killer whales went for the tongues first as they were soft. Whether they ONLY eat the tongues, he didn't say. Apparently if the greys keep to shallow waters the killers can't get under them to access them easily but they can't always do that.
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waxwings reported in my town but I couldnt find them
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The waxwing invasion of Dunblane has hit "The Allanwater News" (one of the free weekly newspapers that drop though our letter box onto the mat).
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The Australian long-tailed bush rabbit (Varmita veranda). They make a very good stir-fry and taste of roses, cabbage, strawberries or what ever. I found this one when I was putting the cat out. The cat did not want to get involved and ducked back inside. Sorry about the quality of the photo-it is difficult to manually focus in the dark!
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stupid me just Googled Varmita veranda ::) ;D Is it a possum?
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Yep, one of 70 million in New Zealand I'm afraid.
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We have a possum which is overdaying in a shed roof and inaccessible to poor Teddy who knows it's there and can just reach the tip of its tail which hangs down in the doorway. He barks and carries on as if he were a berserker! At night it inhabits the gum trees. Roger (plastered and on crutches) tried to get it out by pulling on the tail but it was hanging on to the rafters too tightly and he couldn't move it. I took off for the safety of the house because I figured if he got it out and it turned on him, he'd crash and probably wreck his plaster and perhaps the ankle altogether, and I didn't want to have to retrieve the body. This was three days ago. It's still there this morning and Teddy is just about demented with frustration.
Anthony, when you move, you'll have to get used to the letter box being at the end of the front path, at the garden gate. No onto the mat here. Or even at the end of the road (as ours is) if you choose somewhere in the country.
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Mark,
A brush tailed possum to be more precise. They've become a massive pest in NZ (and quite a reasonable one in the suburbs here as well at times! ::)).
Lesley,
When I read that Roger was plastered and on crutches, all that went through my head was that being drunk must really mess with the co-ordination. Then I clicked that plaster was actually plaster. ::) I have a disturbed mind I think. :o
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I didn't want to have to retrieve the body. This was three days ago. It's still there this morning and Teddy is just about demented with frustration.
Have you checked on Roger recently or just left him to his fate ;D ;D
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I think he'll give me a shout or a text message when he's had enough. ::)
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Two adult White-tailed Eagles circling over the house this morning (-10C). Unfortunately, I don't have a powerful enough zoom on my camera - in the second shot I captured them at speed passing each other - cross eagles should be taken seriously (I retreated inside).....
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Congratulations Stephen, these shots are so difficult to get!
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Nice one Stephen. Do you get many White-tailed Eagles where you live? The only place i have seen them is on Mull in Scotland where a few pairs breed.
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Thanks to Norway there are now sea eagles in Ireland. They are in the south west but a bird came up to N Ireland last year
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I found this brown frog in the pond last Sunday. Very surprising to see them in mid November. It was quite fat, probably eaten a lot of slugs. It'll probably pop up in spring again after the winter rest has been done.
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Anthony, when you move, you'll have to get used to the letter box being at the end of the front path, at the garden gate. No onto the mat here. Or even at the end of the road (as ours is) if you choose somewhere in the country.
Did I miss something, or is Lesley just joking? Is Anthony moving?
Paddy
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yep for a new life down under
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I can't remember which thread it was in Paddy, but yes, Anthony and his family and I assume his dog, are all moving to New Zealand, probably in the new year.
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Nice one Stephen. Do you get many White-tailed Eagles where you live? The only place i have seen them is on Mull in Scotland where a few pairs breed.
I wouldn't say many, but I see them maybe 5-10 times a year. There's probably one pair in this area (30 km stretch of coast along the fjord). They are much more common on the outer coast from where they have been taken for the introduction programs in Scotland and Ireland (they're are flown out from the airport at Trondheim which I see from my house). They were also persecuted here in the past and didn't breed within the fjord 20-years ago. On the other hand Eagle Owls have become less common in the same time frame :'(
Incidentally, I went on an RSPB trip from Edinburgh to the island Rum in the late 1970s soon after the first birds had been released there. I remember the excitement of maybe seeing on (we didn't), but it was more than compensated for by the amazing Manx Shearwaters on the top of the mountain (we camped out all night to witness this!)
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I can't remember which thread it was in Paddy, but yes, Anthony and his family and I assume his dog, are all moving to New Zealand, probably in the new year.
Wow, what a big move. Best of luck, every happiness etc. Paddy
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So can Anthony bring ANY of his plants with him to NZ? I know that you can bring bulbs in under certain restrictions, but I am guessing that most "green" material hasn't a hope? It also depends on course where in NZ he's moving to, and therefore what he can actually grow there?
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So can Anthony bring ANY of his plants with him to NZ? I know that you can bring bulbs in under certain restrictions, but I am guessing that most "green" material hasn't a hope? It also depends on course where in NZ he's moving to, and therefore what he can actually grow there?
I think the short answer in no Paul.
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Bother!! :o
There is always seed I guess, and at least in NZ there are a few nurseries that you can get alpines and unusuals from..... and Lesley etc. ;D And all those wonderful Trilliums that I'd like to be able to get my hands on here. ::) So things aren't all bad. 8)
Do you know for sure where in NZ you're going to be living?
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Do you know for sure where in NZ you're going to be living?
No = another short answer. :)
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Yep, both definitely fall under the category of "short answer", that is for sure. ;D ;D
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Scots in Germany
While looking for some interesting coloured canary birds to my surpise I came along a strange type which was called Scotch. There were also some Norwich, Gloster and Border Canaries.
I add some pics
1. the Scotch (fancy) canary
2. description of (another) Scotch (yellow)
3. a red canary
4. a canary called black and red
5. a Gouldian Finch
Gerd
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Ups, Pics didn't arrive
- here is another try
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Gerd if you have $225 you can have hand carved Gouldian finches
http://www.birdhug.com/gouldianpair1.html (http://www.birdhug.com/gouldianpair1.html)
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Not really my kind of thing, but they are very very nice. :)
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Gerd if you have $225 you can have hand carved Gouldian finches
http://www.birdhug.com/gouldianpair1.html (http://www.birdhug.com/gouldianpair1.html)
- much better than birds in a tiny cage! ;)
Gerd
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Interesting pictures Gerd. I've not seen the Scotch canary but it seems a very odd posture, doesn't look healthy. There is an old illustration of them here - http://www.avianweb.com/scottishcanaries.html
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Interesting pictures Gerd. I've not seen the Scotch canary but it seems a very odd posture, doesn't look healthy.
We only have Norwegian Blue Canaries over here - they don't look too healthy either...
(no, not parrot, google it)
http://www.holisticpage.com/oktoberfest/1999/images/bird.jpg (http://www.holisticpage.com/oktoberfest/1999/images/bird.jpg)
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Interesting pictures Gerd. I've not seen the Scotch canary but it seems a very odd posture, doesn't look healthy. There is an old illustration of them here - http://www.avianweb.com/scottishcanaries.html
Gail, These kind of birds doesn't look healthy to me alltogether, a strange
breeding!
Interesting pictures Gerd. I've not seen the Scotch canary but it seems a very odd posture, doesn't look healthy.
We only have Norwegian Blue Canaries over here - they don't look too healthy either...
(no, not parrot, google it)
http://www.holisticpage.com/oktoberfest/1999/images/bird.jpg (http://www.holisticpage.com/oktoberfest/1999/images/bird.jpg)
Stephen, Interesting colour - the position seems a little bit wrong -
maybe this bird is in winter dormancy? ;)
Gerd
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Mark:
The bird carver is not so far from where I live.
Is it a Gouldian after the artist and print maker John Gould?
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I always thought that a Norwegian Blue was a parrot - at least that was the description in Monty Python "dead parrot" sketch !!
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Mark:
is it a Gouldian after the artist and print maker John Gould?
yes it is. From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gouldian_Finch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gouldian_Finch)
The Gouldian Finch was described by British ornithological artist John Gould in 1844 and named after his wife Elizabeth. It is also known in America as the Rainbow Finch, Gould's Finch, or the Lady Gouldian Finch (although Mrs. Gould did not hold the title Lady). In Australia, it is predominantly called the Gouldian Finch
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I once went to Sotherby's Auction House in Manhattan to see the entire collection of Gould's Birds. The humming birds and toucans were stunning. I think he used real gold leaf in some of the prints.
The prices were equally stunning.
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I always thought that a Norwegian Blue was a parrot - at least that was the description in Monty Python "dead parrot" sketch !!
You shouldn't believe what you see on television, TC! Well, I'm sorry to disillusion you. John Cleese got it wrong; we don't have parrots over here! It was a canary suffering from parrotisis. ;D
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Four photos of Waxwings taken today in East Lothian.
Stan
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Wow what a fantastic sight, brilliantly captured 8)
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Super photos, Stan, of these delightful birds. Who could resist their cheeky little faces and chatty calls?
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How COOL are those birds!!!! ;D I know we have our own share of beauties (parrots, finches, etc), but the waxwings are so very cool. 8)
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That's where they arè! I haven't seen a Waxwing for almost 2 weeks now here. The strange thing is that there's still plenty of berries around. So what is the mystic force that has driven them southwards, I wonder? I was going to ask for them back, but today I saw a flock of 30 Goldfinches which are much rarer here and they have a similar colour scheme, so we're all happy then!
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so we're all happy then!
Not quite Stephen. I still haven't seen one - ever.
Would someone direct them towards Corstorphine in Edinburgh please!
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In the programme I'm a celeb .... trials. What are those spiders that appear almost daily? They are like giant house spiders
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So what is the mystic force that has driven them southwards, I wonder?
Stephen,
maybe Waxwings and other birds can feel bad weather fronts and flee early enough?
Just saw in TV evening news temperatures will drop to -15°C tonight in Norway. Brrrr...cold.
Stan, great shots 8)
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So what is the mystic force that has driven them southwards, I wonder?
Stephen,
maybe Waxwings and other birds can feel bad weather fronts and flee early enough?
Just saw in TV evening news temperatures will drop to -15°C tonight in Norway. Brrrr...cold.
Yes, I'm sure they can sense weather changes to a certain extent, but these are birds that can overwinter in areas with regular winter temperatures lower than -30C given sufficient food. However, these irruption years are well known - Scandinavia can completely empty of Waxwings in such years despite there being masses of rowan berries available. It seems that the birds have this collective genetic impulse to take a holiday in considerably warmer areas (I know another species which also responds collectively to a similar impulse ;)) ...
We're having the coldest November for about 60 years here it seems and it's now about 3 weeks since the snow fell and not a single day above 0C since. The forecast for the next week is maximum temperatures of between -15 and -20C (with almost no sunshine that's also the minimum temperature). There was an article in the newspaper today that it is believed that these last two cold winters could be a permanent change caused by the thinning and disappearance of the sea ice in the Arctic resulting in changes in the atmospheric circulation. It is too early to prove or disprove this theory, but it certainly is worrying... I understand a Polar Low (Arctic Hurricane) is on its way south towards the UK and the North Sea....
A picture below showing the year's first serious sea smoke, a sure sign that it is below -15C
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Waxwings arrived here yesterday, but haven't tempted them into my garden yet.
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Stephen,
thats indeed a very cold November. If there is enough food and you have the joice... probably for the Waxwings and other species it is more convienient to overwinter in a warmer areas rather then to endure -30°C. ;D
The polar low front arrived here too with a smackof snow and with night temperatures of -2°C. But this is actual +10°C above what was predicted by the weather frogs 2 days ago... ::)
To forecast exact weather is a real science of its own! ::)