Weekly Chat, Sunday August 29, 2010

margobird:   If you look in on this before going shopping! --   I find 'Edinburgh Woollen Mill' very useful for warm clothing (&  T shirts) - modern enough clothes to be trendy, without looking like mutton dressed etc.... and very nice staff in our local branches, too. Oh! - and you can take things back if you don't suit when you get them home:  always a good thing.

ps:     OG - just love those sheep - want to hug them (even the ram!)

Dibnlib -I am so sorry, I missed you from the site, but didn't realise that you had a fractured shoulder. Probably you posted and told us,but sometimes I don't get on the site for a couple of days and then read posts too fast, not picking everything up.

How did you fracture your shoulder?

Glad to hear that OH and family are in contact again, obviously I don't know the problems but anything that keeps a family apart is a difficult issue to address.

Orange - AAHHHH!!!! I don't know if you picked up any of my posts recently about my broadband connection. I must have spent a fortune phoning Orange to no avail. Their technical support line is worse than useless and they keep denying a problem, say it is my router etc. I know it is not, because I have contacts in Inverness who are also on Orange, and we know that we are losing connection at the same time. Anyway, have been connected for just over a week now, fingers crossed. I kicked up such a fuss that they eventually said they would give me three months free. Wait and see, my subscription is due early next week---

BTW, SueC - I love the names Aspen and Willow. Maybe LG will use them next year, if ringing/ tagging takes place. I have always had mixed feelings about tagging, but, not being an expert, have  assumed that any organisation that truly cares about these birds would never do anything which might compromise their wellbeing.

Unknown said:

Hi All,

As I didn't post this on the last Daily Update, can I say a special thank you to all those who kept the Updates running through the season, and captured and posted so many great screen shots, especially the "out of hours" crew.

A little postscript to the season - I reckon I've discovered what Chicks 1 & 2 were due to be called, before the ringing and tagging were called off. I was answering a query on the main forum about the Lake District tracking, and happened to do a Search on "osprey satellite tracking".

In the list of results, the link to the LG Tracking page has a one-line summary under it which says:       "Follow Aspen and Willow, two osprey chicks from Loch Garten in Scotland, on their first migration". If you click on the link, the Tracking page is still headed "Mallachie & Rothes" - obviously one was changed (or changed back) but not the other. So the theme was trees - I wonder what Titch was due to be called.   

Thanks Sue, that's really interesting - well done for sussing it out. I suppose they might save the names for next year, at which point we'll know what name Titch would have had.

Hi everyone.  It will take time for me to read through all the last postings on the daily update since I went up to Aviemore on Friday but just wanted to say that I had a fabulous visit to LG yesterday.  Met Richard and Izzy and even saw an osprey flying close to the nest at about 5.20pm which was presumed to be one passing through on its journey south.

Yes Annette I was wearing my leathers as Steed and I had been on the Harley-Davidson ride-out (over 1000 Harleys) from Aviemore to a lovely little town called Grantown-on-Spey earlier in the afternoon.  Had a brilliant time with mostly dry weather and the sun came out when we were there although by the time I went to LG, rain was beginning to threaten.  Richard’s post about my visit was very kind and it was great to meet him and Izzy and talk about ospreys.  Like SueC, I would also like to add my thanks to all who kept the Updates running through the season and posted so many superb pics and links to keep everyone up-to-date with events as they unfolded.  I too will always think of this year’s brood as Eldest, Middle and Titch and am pleased that they are all on their migrations as the temperature in Aviemore seemed noticeably cooler than here in Tayside and the days are definitely shortening.  Like the sound of those names though Sue and love the way you detected them.

My elder daughter flies off to Africa on Wednesday morning (close to where Rothes is currently based) for a month-long work-experience/volunteering project. She and I have much to do before then but I will be looking in here sporadically and to keep up with everyone’s news.

Thought you might like this nice green view from our journey home yesterday.  A few miles our side of Newcastleton, looking across meandering wooded valley of Liddesdale – next small valley over is the Border, and trees beyond that are in Borders Forest – not far from Kielder.

Both very tired this morning, and weather was windy (hardly any wind now) so didn’t go to the shore after lunch as planned, but went shopping at Gretna Gateway to get supplies from Julian Graves (soon to be rebadged as Holland and Barrett after recent merger).  Ended up spending money on cereal bowls which we hope will stack better than previous in dishwasher, pyjamas and 2011 road atlas for him and card blanks and envelopes for me.  He’s now watering garden as forecast is dry for four days!

Margo – I am sure you will enjoy the Minack Theatre, especially being G & S, but pleased to read that you are taking plenty of warm clothing!  I thought you were going this week – hadn’t realised it’s not until next weekend!

Joan – Bewcastle is a really isolated spot!

Brenda – I hope you and OH enjoyed your lunch out.

Paul – I too have been reading and looking up Diane’s sites about Katydids and Cicadas – fascinating stuff.  OH tells me the “City of Adelaide” was built at Sunderland, so is also been claimed by the English northeast!  I have only just realised that this is actually the “Carrick” from Glasgow, as it was renamed in 1920 something!  Loads of stuff if you Google “Carrick clipper”.

Heather – you are not the only one who mentioned the ironing today – but nobody did mine fro me while I was out!!

Sue and Terry – I guess Titch would have been “Birch” – but I think they will remain Eldest, Middle and Titch for all of us since that is how we know them and their individual characters.

Dibnlib – missed you, so good to see you “chatting” again – but sorry the shoulder isn’t right – I had thought it was doing well with all the swimming.  Pleased about family contact being resumed.

Emma – our Son lives in Grantown-on-Spey so went out onto the High Street to watch the HOG on the ride-out from Aviemore – he said there seemed to be a group of Goldwings tagged on behind!  I hope your daughter will enjoy her time in G Bissau – sure she will learn a lot there!

Hi everyone, my first attempt on the Weekly Chat after the closing of Daily Update. Bear with me.

Thanks for the links for wildlife sites.   At present I can't get Pete's Pond up and have emailed to try and find out what's happened.

Been very windy, with sun and showers down here. Like the photo OG.  Going up to Borders Country at the end of next month.  Don't know much about where we are going but am sure we will find out all about it when we get up there.  The area is around Peebles near Innerleithen Water.

Very strange not being able to go over to the Daily Update so don't put laptop on until later in the day. Will have to remedy that and look in at the sites that have been posted.

Hi everyone!  I won't even ATTEMPT to comment on everything which has been said here, but it's lovely to see the weekly chat continuing.  INteresting discussion about cicadas, which are a sure sign to us here that the heat of summer is with us again.  Actually, I feel the cicadas are with me all the time!  The scream of the long-cycle cicadas is exactly the sound I hear in my head from my tinitus!!!!!

I thought you might like a pic of one of the galahs which are visiting our place at the moment.  Our ground is saturated from consistent rain, after a drought of 12 years, so is a lot easier for the galahs to access their favourite food.  This is nut grass, which is actually a bulb.  It has dark green leaves, rather like pine needles sticking up out of the ground, and a tiny maue/pink flower.  The galahs move over a paddock in a large flock searching for this,  I think they enjoy the satisfying 'plop' sound as the bulb is pulled from the soil as much as actually eating the bulbs.

A beautiful sunny spring day with a light breeze, expecting 20 C. What, it’s not spring yet? The weather gods are confused as later this week more rain & 13 C predicted. I’ve taken the opportunity to wash some jumpers.

Margobird - My clothing secret for holiday travels is layers. T-shirt, thin jumper, thick jumper, topped with a waterproof jacket. As you are going by car, it is so easy to toss a few extras in. I usually end up coming home on the plane wearing several layers of jumpers to try & keep the luggage weight down. I do look an idiot in the heat in transit at Singapore. LOL

OG - BOP have lovely eyes. Bungle is saying "Don’t mess with me". Love birds with pantaloons. My father had sheep - merinos, so I slot visits to rare breed sites into my UK holiday to see the "others".

Paul - I would have thought your arm-flapping would have people edging further away. LOL

Paul, HeatherB & OG - The "City of Adelaide " was built at Sunderland expressly for the South Australian trade. She was commissioned by the Royal Navy 1922-1948 and renamed HMS Carrick. Her original name was restored in 2001. Pic & more info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Adelaide_(1864) 

Wattle - Himself would like a couple of those nut-grass-eating galahs. I wonder if they could be trained to attack soursobs? (Says she with sore knees)