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NOVEMBER – Winter is setting in. With return to Standard Time the dark evenings are even longer. It will soon be dark by 6:00 p.m. here in southern Ohio. Many of our November days are just all-over grey, from grey skies to gray hills with leafless grey trees and grey atmosphere – just cold, damp and gloomy. Still too early to expect much, if any, snow. But on an occasional sunny day we might enjoy a heavy frost on lingering green leaves. And inside all is warm, colorful and cheery. All month (in my family, anyway) we are planning the Thanksgiving feast. Thanksgiving Day, a day set aside for giving thanks to God for all the blessings in our lives, is a national holiday and a major one for most of us.
Here at the Gabfest, we have the gloom of empty nests. But we also have the cheer of knowing that Millicent is settled in her warm winter home, while Breagha is enjoying his second winter not too far away. Our chat-room fires are kept burning brightly and our new TV/telly screen is always at the ready., so hopefully we can all keep our computers in working order and enjoy a little chit-chat, some music and maybe a bit of streetwalking. Special Events include the possibility of another Music Night with suggested Movie theme and a group streetwalk to some as yet mystery location.
So where is our Gabfest chat-room.? Have you ever wondered? Well of course, it is at some undisclosed cyberspace location in the beautiful Scottish Highlands, not too far from the Loch Garten nest, home of EJ and Odin.
Hi everyone
I always catch up on your lovely interesting activities,(June they are never a "gloom") and your "chat room fires "led me to think of the History off Willows, picture of the Pub at Postbridge on Dartmoor.
The Warren House Inn:Re Built 1845 on that side of the road, folklore has it that the then landlord of the old pub on the opposite side of the road transferred smouldering peat (vags)to the new building, and tradition has it that fire has been kept burning continuously ever since.(Today they burn localWood) .You will always have a fire to greet you even in Summer.
Hi June, Kate and whoever follows. It is still very mild here for the time of year but no doubt that will soon change. It will soon be getting dark in NI from 3.30ish! I hate the "dull, dark, days before Christmas". The family say it is my grumpy season! I just long for Spring.
Hello June. Scamp and I are going to snuggle up to the fire.
FISH - No need to - Yesterday was the warmest Haloween on record. I understand you had temperatures reaching 20 celcius (Summer in Scotland).
ValC - Hi - Yes the dark evenings are with us and can not do much outside after 4:00 PM. As Tiger posted on Chat in six weeks or so we will be looking forward to the daytime lengthening but fear a cold snap before we see the ospreys again.
JUNE - Our leaves are dropping more so with the wind - we had a frost last week one morning but some dawn temperatures are expected this week around zero so should see the leaves as in your picture - I still have all my Fuscias and Lavanders flowering in the garden.
Off to Cork tomorrow in SW Ireland.The last place The Titanic left from on her fatal journey.
There has been some news on all the ospreys since I last posted my table.
With the start of the month I will post my chart Where are the Ospreys.
MILLICENT-BLUE AN0
LOCH GATRTEN
Remains North of Richard Toll Mauritania/Senegal Border.
BREAGHA
LOCH GARTEN 2013
Remains settled in the wetlands/estuary of Casamache River in Senegal.
BLUE UV
KIELDER NEST 1
Still present on west coastal area of Portugal.
BLUE VV
No news since 11 Sept last heard crossing the Morrocan Atlas mountain range heading SW approx. 85 km east of Marrakech. May have been weakened in some way (Food or Conditions) and may not have made this crossing.
BLUE 7H
KIELDER NEST 2
Still present in Morocco not showing much movement or intention of moving on at present.
BLUE 8A
LAKE DISTRICT
Leaving Guinea Bissau moved NE Inland tyo Mali-Mauritania border towards the head of the Niger River – Not heard of since.
WHITE 14
LAKE DISTRICT 2013
On the South coast of Bioko Island after a short spell on the west coast near Luba. He is in the exact area where I saw him in March 2014.
LONAIG
ABERFOYLE
Last report – At Stop Over – Wetland area Mid Portugal
BLUE FK8
TWEED VALLEY
14 September – made it to the Algarve in SW Portugal – No news since so assuming maybe still settled here.
30(05)
RUTLAND
ADULT
At Winter Home – Coastal area of Senegal. Very little movements.
BEATRICE
HFW
At Winter Home – After some time on the reservoir De La Concepcion she moved to her usual haunts of the R Guadiaro. Still restless and has been back and forward between both areas the last weeks.
GREEN J
Does not wander very far from the Embalse Gabriel Y Galan in Extremadura region a favourite reservoir of hers for years thus being known as Gabriel the Osprey locally.
ROTHIEMURCHUS
At Winter Home on the backwater of the River Gambia.
Has been flying 8 km east to Koutango and back on days of 20th to 22nd October
BLUE XD
Southern Senegal at his Winter Home where he spent last season.
Good afternoon/evening Keith,Fish, Valc & SunnyKate.
We have been following Rothiemurchus for several years. He is what 4 or 5 ?? years old by now and has returned several springs. But I don't recall ever hearing that he has settled down and taken up housekeeping with a mate. Have I missed anything or is he still a bachelor?
Keith it is good to have a chart here at the beginning of a new month where it is easily accessible for quick reference. Thanks!
Willow - I caught your posts on October Issue regarding your trip to Dartmoor. I had a similar experience when chosing a head stone for my wifes parent(s) from Highland Granite - it is a fitting tribute.
In the sixties my father and mother took me holidaying to a favourite spot year after year where the east and west tributaries of the River Dart met. We knew it as Badgers Holt as there was an inn at this point I think by the same name. later in the 80s and 90s I took my own children to the same spot.
The Dart Valley Railway as it was known then also was a favourite running through Buckfastleigh and a visit to the monks at the Abbey - not sure if the two we always saw in the winery were drunken monks:).
JUNE - Rothiemurchus was five years last Summer.
He has found an area not too far north from where I now live in the upper Tay area. He does visit Loch of the Lowes and Butterstone Loch and landed on Lady's nest.
He has not yet found a mate but that is not unusual for a five year old male - I am sure he is looking at an opportunity of a vacant nest with a female as part of the furnishings. Trouble is he is a very late returner in Spring and maybe the opportunitees surpass him.
He did evade me Summer 2013 when he spent much time on Loch Ordie and Benachally Loch probably looking at Osprey land between Dunkeld and Bridge of Cally.
Being the first modern tracked ospreys to be tracked back to Scotland and still remains the only one as we do not know what happened to Blue YD or whether he made it back to Scotland as last heard of East Yorkshire days after reaching UK. For this reason would like to see him gain a nest before we loose his transmissions.
Fish, what a cosy scene and so appropriate for our conditions here. 40F, damp and grey! Val, it never gets dark here as early as 3:30. Your more northern location is telling.
Would Scamp tolerate a cat? I don't have one now, but in cyberspace anything is possible. Nothing more relaxing than a cat curled up near the hearth or on one's lap and purring away to his heart's content.
Kate, it is good to have you drop in for a while. Your tale of the Inn fire is a charming one. I'm not sure - is this the Inn which willow pictured or did Willow's inn remind you of yours.?
I do hope you will stop by more often. I am always glad to have "watchers" or "readers" but it has come to the place that we seriously need more "Gabbers." If we do not get more participants it may soon happen that there will be nothing to watch.