Hi all. Off to read last week's latest posts.
History PS . . . One historian writing about distances in Australia wrote that Darwin in NT was, by normal sea route, further from Adelaide than any other Australian capital city. "It was almost like Quebec governing New Orleans, or Massachusetts annexing Colorado". Sorry, he didn't given anything comparable for UK. I read once that Perth to Sydney is about same as London to Moscow.
Annette, how can you bear to throw out any books. A good thing I'm not nearby. LOL. PS on the camels - I don't know if we still do but a few years ago we exported racing camels to the Middle East countries!!!!!
AQ: Not "throwing them out" but "donating" to library. Keeping my favorites, plus California history books, gardening books, various foreign language dictionaries, but have culled some cook books and old fiction paperbacks. Oh yes - didn't get my ironing done; was reading about gravel vs. decomposed granite walkways....
Unknown said: Evening/morning all: Well, what a lacklustre show that was.
Evening/morning all: Well, what a lacklustre show that was.
Annette: I agree, but I didn't have high expectations. I only watch the Oscars to see who wins the Best Documentary category, anyway. I'm pleased that The Cove won and has garnered so much attention, but I so wish that Food, Inc. could have won an award, too.
Hey Diane: Yes - the documentaries looked interesting - I'd heard about both The Cove and Food, Inc. but haven't seen them. Now I'm sorting through old magazines for recipes before I dump them in the recycling bin.
Hi, all.
OG/Brenda: Our squirrels tend to eat -- and bury -- walnuts. When the walnuts are ripe, the squirrels are unbelievably cute, because they have black walnut stains all over their little faces. The stains look like very creative tattoos.
OG: I love those barnacle geese. Just superb birds. Very intersting faces. Also loved the pochard ducks. I'm so glad that you enjoyed your trip out. Sounds like a full afternoon, and you bought some equipment! I need to look into the benefits of wind farms vs. risk to birds debate. I don't know enough about it. Can wind farms be made safe for birds? Have to study.
AQ: The Melbourne super storm and giant hailstones made my local news tonight. Hailstones 4 inches wide! Crikey! They said it was a once-in-a-century storm. Thanks for more wonderful history. Glad you're getting cooler weather. We are warming up. It was actually 50 F/10 C here today. Warm temps will stay, but we are going to have rain, possibly storms all week.
Annette: I envy you that you got to see great blue herons. We don't have many here; I think the water is too polluted with agricultural runoff. Indianapolis has a big population, though, and I soooo miss them. There is a big established heronry on the edge of Indianapolis. (For those who don't know, a rookery or heronry is a nesting colony. The colony may have a 100+ nests.)
One of my very best bird nerd days was the time I visited that heronry. I only saw the birds from a far distance (with binocs) because it's illegal to enter a heronry. Also: (1) Great blue herons are easily disturbed, so no one should go near the nest trees and upset nesting or brooding cycles. Reproductive rates drop terribly when herons are distressed by human contact of all kinds, and they may move the colony. (2) Heronries stink!!! Herons are not the most sanitary birds, and decaying fish remains are everywhere in a big heronry -- even dead fish hanging from trees. And the smell from their acidic poop is ... well ... not a nice perfume. (3) Great blue herons are skittish and fiercely protective. They can be very aggressive at the nest site. Herons have been know to throw things at human intruders as well as peck at their skulls with saber-like long bills. Young herons vomit a terribly acidic fish meal on anyone or anything approaching the nest! (That's to give scavengers something to eat until mom or dad can show up to protect the heron young. Ingenious but disgusting. LOL)
Here is a HERON WEBCAM located in the state of Washington. I haven't checked it yet this year to see whether the birds are active. I watched it last year. http://www.wdfw.wa.gov/wildwatch/heroncam/index.html
Sorry that was long. I get carried away about herons. Good Monday everyone!!!
GOOD MORNING ALL just found this " A tidy house is the sign of a broken computer " do we all agree with this?
dibnlib said: GOOD MORNING ALL just found this " A tidy house is the sign of a broken computer " do we all agree with this?
Amen to that. LOL LOL LOL
Hi all!
Diana: `bout birds and windfarms, this is a shortend article (and translated by Google) about an ongoing study here
16/9/2009
WWF in the following autumn and winter during the four young sea eagle, which is installed on the satellite transmitters. Monitoring provides new information about how close to existing and planned wind power plants the birds move. Results can be used when assessing the environmental impact of new wind farms.
WWF will monitor particularly closely during the winter sea eagles in the movement. WWF's sea eagle working group experts have installed during the summer of satellite transmitters on four eagle chick . Satellite monitoring provides information on how close to existing and planned wind power plants and the birds move in their home area later migratory travels.
Finnish coasts and islands are planned in dozens of new wind power parks. So far, no data on how well the sea eagles survive their territory in the future the windmill. Data are necessary for the investigation after the sea off the coast of new wind farms on the environment. White-tailed Eagle, among other things, the experience in Norway that particularly vulnerable to the abuse of power invested in the wind.
Quark Raippaluoto is planned for a large offshore wind park, located in the traditional breeding area of sea eagles and a UNESCO World Heritage area near. "WWF believes that wind power is very important for the future of alternative energy, but its construction does not jeopardize the significant natural values and pose risks to endangered species,"
my photos in flickr
Absolutely agree with the above.
AQ : Thanks for the history lesson. Especially about the whaling industry as they used to send out whaling ships from Dundee at one time.
Annette : Not really into the oscars or any sort of awards shows really. The documentary awards sound interesting however.
OG : Nice shots of the barnacle geese and the pochard.
This morning we took Hamish to be groomed as he is getting incredibly hairy and looks twice his normal size at the moment. I have been putting it off partly because of his operation the other week and partly because it is so cold. It was -5c again this morning and 0c when we took him to the grooming parlour.
Off to catch up with the webcams now.
Alan - are we going to see a photo of the Thunderdog after his trip to the hairdresser?
Margobird - where are you today? Usually on here by now - I hope you are alright.
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!