Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 19 March 2017

HAPPY NEW WEEK and HAPPY SPRING EQUINOX!

The Spring Equinox is on Monday. Happy Autumn Equinox to AQ!

I hope everyone has a great week and a wonderful new season! It's finally SPRING!!!




Florida Panther, Everglades National Park, Florida
Florida Panthers are highly endangered.
U.S. National Park Service photo
Labelled Public Domain (Copyright Free)

  • Wow.  Stunning, Lindy!

    Our herring gulls are red listed birds.  Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.

  • DjoanS said:
    Hello everyone ... I think I am about ready to stop lurking and rejoin the world! I have found the last few weeks incredibly hard ... but I think I am over the worst. I have to say a big "thank you" to Heather ... the things you wrote about your feelings were a huge help to me ... I am now through the 'fog'! Obviously I still have bad days but not so many ... I had a total meltdown last week brought about by geese!! I was standing at the conservatory door and I heard, and then saw, a huge high-flying skein of pinkfoot heading north ... one of OH's favourites ... cue floods of tears!

    Yay!  Great to see you back, Joan.

    DjoanS said:
    Enough about me.

    Not necessarily.  If you need to talk, then please do so without worrying.  You've got better reasons to need to talk than most.

    DjoanS said:
    Clare ... I am loving your photographs and captions ... they have cheered many a dark moment.

    Thank you, and I'm really pleased to read this.  I'll keep up the posting if nobody minds!

    Our herring gulls are red listed birds.  Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.

  • Clare – Please keep posting pics, they are great & the captions too. If someone doesn’t like, they needn’t look, right?

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    Poor OG must be ready to climb the walls. A pity we can’t all drop in to visit her one after the other!

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    Joan – So pleased you are having some brighter moments. {{{HUGS}}}

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    Heather – {{{HUGS}}} for you too and thank you for news of OG.

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    Annette – I like the convenience of living in the suburbs of a city. Facilities in country are few and far between. Pack your bag, I have another trip for you! Details soon.

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    Weather has been low 30s but with high humidity. Very unpleasant. A few days ago city had an inch of rain in an hour with consequent flooding; about 7 km away we received a few drops, not enough to wet the path. Nanny duty again this arvo. I shall deliver latest knitting - Miss5’s vest and 2 scarves for MissJ’s dolly.

  • I did the BBC test and also get that Craven is best for me, only 3% better than where I am anyway which is not that much further West! I would not leave S Lakes and having been brought up here was lucky to have a good, and suitable for me, job in the area, there are not many not tourist related. Also my worst was Newham! A strange test altogether.

    Poor OG, time will surely drag in hospital for so long and with no Wifi, torture!

  • Good Evening all.  I thought you might all like to see these smews - if you click on this photo you will see the rest:

    "Birds are, quite simply, little miracles - and as such they require care and consideration."

    Magnus Ullman

    My Flickr account is here


  • I'm pretty sure an osprey overflew my home this morning around 0630.  It was flying south-west-ish, in the direction of Weirwood Reservoir, where I know osprey have been seen in the past.  I can't be positive - just wonder if anyone else in my area saw it?  This probably isn't the place to post this, but I'm sure someone will put me right if not!

  • I also snapped a white wagtail:

    "Birds are, quite simply, little miracles - and as such they require care and consideration."

    Magnus Ullman

    My Flickr account is here


  • Hello again DJoanS, lovely to hear your with us again.   It is never easy to know what to say when one loses a loved one but it is the time old cliché - over time the pain will lessen and only the good memories to the forefront.

    I was the same, worst area Newham. It seems to be stock in trade so to speak.

    Lindy - hope what's ailing will soon disappear.  Enjoy the visit by your eldest.

    Hello George - heard there was quite a bit of snow up north and lots of accidents with it.   Wow, whales in the Forth, I bet people will be flocking to see them!!

  • sunset is stunning, particularly the first pic - quite atmospheric with the clouds etc.

    Lovely pussy , too.

    Hi AQ, hope alls well with you.

    Hope OG's getting on OK and that her health issues are beginning to right themselves.  Thinking of you OG.

  • Evening all:  Nice cool rainy day here; garden is so happy!

    George: Just Googled your whales and they're humpbacks; the BBC has photos of them breaching. We had a group of them in the channel yesterday; they tend to be a distraction from the subject of our study (Gray Whales) because they go back and forth across our field of vision while the Grays are traveling north.  Good luck with the car.

    Lindybird: Love that first shot of the sunset. Cat is nice, but they always look so snooty!

    Djoan: Clare said what I was thinking re your "Enough about me."  Feel free to gnash your teeth on here anytime.  :-)

    AQ: There are suburbs and suburbs. I like small towns close to open country but within an hour or so of a large city (code for Target!).  Which, now I think of it, is where I live now. Hmm.  Maybe I mean I don't like crowds.   My toothbrush is at the ready and Google Earth is primed for the trip.  :-)

    ChrisyB: You were fortunate to be able to find interesting work in the area where you grew up. I wonder if that was more true in the - ahem - old days than now.

    Limpy: I see Clare has competition. Smews, eh? Lovely markings.

    PatO: There's an Osprey Sightings 2017 thread where you might get more info about your possible osprey sighting.

    Am watching a Nature program on the River Shannon and sorting through old catalogs, magazines, various flyers in an attempt to clear some space.  Have a good Wednesday everyone.