Almost forgot about starting this one! Off to read last few posts of last week.
Don't forget everyone: Springwatch is on again tonight, BBC2 8,00pm!
Oh, darn it, I'll never get used to the new Forum.... sorry, I've been on twice now.
Dibnlib - just to add my good wishes to you, as others have done ... you will be missed!
Joan - avid bird and nature watcher in Northumberland!
Index Thread
Derby peregrine chicks being ringed right now!!!
Just got a fright ... looked at the Derby peregrine camera just now and the nest was empty! Checked the Diary page and they are ringing the chicks :-)
Snap Alan
Chicks replaced after ringing:
Just popping in - will catch up on posts later but
dibnlib: Four to 14 weeks of therapy - do hope it does the trick for you and truly you will be missed. Do stick your head in the door, so to speak, when you get a chance and let us know how you are. In the meantime, please pack lots of hugs from this group!
A quick dash in befoe Springwatch - hello to those I've missed , hope your Ban Hol has been good.
Thinking of you organising for your visit to LG Margo - not long now. So pleased the concert was all you hoped for and that your dear puss is being thoroughly spoiled. That's what pets are for.
Talking of pets - Alan , how is Hamish?
Oh Heather. It's so disappointing isn't it. Wind and rain and..... hailstones. We've had lots of rain here today. Patio plants looking soggy. We haven't had drought conditions that really matter cos my bedding plants and hanging basket are not planted yet and the garden shrubs just have to dig deeper. But, when we do I use the hosepipe - so far we have never had a ban . Well, not for years and years OG and AQ quite different of course.
My thoughts will be with you Dibnlib - I so hope this therapy course will be a) shorter than longer and b) thoroughly successful. You'll be missed. If you can , as Annette says, do stick your 'head in the door' if you possibly can. It's quite a thing you are undertaking.
Thanks for the news re the Derby Peregrines, Alan
Trish, I always seem to miss you . Hello to you. Is Mia yours? Hope the walk was good .
A quick dash in after Springwatch! Thought I'd give them another chance as they've moved, but I had been getting fed up with the presentation in previous years and didn't watch last year. They spend far too much time talking about what's going to happen instead of getting on with it, and every time they go back to something such as the beavers they have to introduce it all over again.
Part two of Outer Hebrides trip (I did use typeface of 12 last time but it didn't enlarge it):
Saturday 14th. Drove to Berneray then took the ferry (one hour) to Leverburgh on South Harris. We took the road to the south east tip, a dead end, to visit a 15th century church, St Clements in Rodel. http://www.leverburgh.co.uk/stclements.htm Then we went all through South and North Harris and Lewis to a campsite at Siabost (Shawbost) on the north coast. http://www.eileanfraoich.co.uk/ (Don’t know why that is not a proper link.)
Sunday 15th. Went to RSPB at Loch na Muilne and also walked along the cliffs and beach and saw redshank and fulmar. We were looking for corncrakes and thought we heard one from the campsite, but weren’t totally sure what we should be listening for. http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/l/lochnamuilne/index.aspx
Monday 16th. Drove west to see the Dun Carloway Broch and Calanais (Callanish) stone circles. You can still walk right up to these stones and they are quite tall. I remember when you could touch the stones at Stonehenge but it’s all fenced off now. http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/lewis/duncarloway/ http://www.megalithia.com/callanish/index.html
We had had two days of very heavy showers and pretty strong wind so we decided to do two more nights B&B. Of course, this was the first night it didn’t rain! (Or maybe we couldn’t hear it through the double glazing.) http://www.theinnbetween.co.uk/ The people are very friendly and we very much enjoyed our stay here.
Tuesday 17th. Went up to the Butt of Lewis and did a circular walk around the cliffs, tea and cakes at the finish. The lady there told us about the hide just up the road, the only hide on the islands, which the community had built at Loch Stiapabhat so we went and heard and saw a corncrake, hurray! But just the one. http://www.cne-siar.gov.uk/lochstiapabhat/index.htm
Terry in Cumbria