We had zero chicks at Loch Garten nest this summer, so there are none to follow this winter. EJ and Odin have migrated south and with neither tagged we cannot follow them. Sadly, we have lost Breagha, the last tagged LG offspring. Once again a healthy Loch Garten chick is “lost contact, presumed dead”. Even the camera is away for the winter. Thus we have lost all contact with the Loch Garten nest. For the first time since I found EJ and the Loch Garten nest, there is NOTHING LEFT. Nothing left, that is, except HOPE for a better season in 1916.
On this note of hope I will maintain The Gabfest in a semi-retired state. Thus we will be open for any osprey news which comes through, whether it be from UK or USA or Africa. Also any bird or wildlife photos or news are always appreciated here.
Over Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve some may wish to share photos of their cakes, Christmas Trees and/or some music videos. Winter gardening, trains, anything goes here on the Gabfest that anyone wants to talk about.
So if anyone cares to come in for a wee chat, the Gabfest may be sleeping, but it is open.
Further to the discussion about reintroductions of lynx, wolf, etc, I thought you might be interested in this BBC article.
Birdie's DU Summaries 2018 https://www.imagicat.com/
Keith, I agree with June and hope that you find White 14 on Bioko this winter. And thanks for the Pine Martin article link. I would love to see one of those in the wild, though I expect I will only ever see them on night-time webcams like the one at LG!
Kind regards, Ann
Good afternoon, Gardenbirder & everyone.
Willow your pictures are great. Keep them coming whenever you have anything to share. The white flower looks like crepe paper and sunflowers are always so sunny and cheerful.
I still have mandevilla blooming and just a few scattered star flowers. The vines are now ugly, but are loaded with seed pods. They should produce a plentiful supply of new vines next year. Late in the summer pink and white stars started blooming in addition to the red ones.
Mandevilla, front porch, taken this afternoon.
Mandevilla, patio, also taken this PM
Star flower (Cyprus vines) taken a few weeks ago. Never did get a decent shot of the white ones. Some were just too high to capture.
But this is my prize shot of the day. As Lowry who hated insects is no longer with us, I feel free to post this praying mantis.
My blackberry died during the winter, but left a strong curved cane, which I decided to use as a trellis for cypress vines. This experiment was successful and the vines intermingled with the raspberry canes growing in an adjacent pot. This afternoon, looking for some Cyprus seed pods to photograph, I found the mantis. He is on a cluster of long since dried up raspberries.
So my raspberry bush did have handful size clusters of fruit at various times throughout the summer. However, they were rather tasteless, sour and mostly seeds. Even the birds didn't eat them. This was OK since the whole berry thing was an experiment. It started as a Gabfest Berry Grow-off, remember? But only Willow & I followed through.
I have enjoyed seeing what happened with berries in containers and comparing notes with you, Willow.
Good evening all. June your star flowers are wonderful and have never seen them for sale here! Love the pink Mandevilla too. June my raspberries are flourishing a little too well.I found theyd self seeded themselves in my vegetable bath! I have some fruit forming on the autumn ones but not that many!
Good news that White 14 is near his island home of Bioko. I really hope you will get to see him, Keith! He is an extraordinary osprey!
I love my star flowers. I think they are beautiful with their lacy, feathery leaves, their bright colors and perfect star shape. If they only came in bright blue I would have red white and blue stars. These stary flowers covered my bedroom window when I was a child, so there is nostalgia involved also.
I would love to send you some seed, Willow, but I know they would never pass customs inspection.
Shiela thanks for the link.Very interesting about the possible reintroduction of wolves.I can imagine it would not be too popular amongst farmers but I would love to see it happen. It would naturally keep the deer population down! I would love to see the lynx return too