Hi all:
Lindybird: I responded to your post at the end of the last Weekly Chat.
Further info re the Osprey chick near Caerlaverock in Dumfries (mentioned by Cirrus about an article in "Waterlife" - which is the Magazine of the WWT for its members) . The parents were young and it was their first effort - there were 3 eggs, but only one hatched, and it has been felt that that is what gave the survivor such a good start. Next time hopefully the parents will know better!!!!!!!!!!
Hi, all. You have all been talkie today! Good on you.
Gary: Don't feel bad. I have a small chainsaw that I have dubbed "Freddy," as in "I'm gonna fire up Freddy and clear away that brush now." (Named after Freddy Krueger!) And many years ago, I bought a used 1971 V-8 Ford Mustang, whom I named Sally (anybody remember the song "Mustang Sally"?!). Oh, how I loved that gas-guzzling monster of a car!!!
Auntie: How wonderful that they suspended the football match for the eagle owl! They are even bigger than our American great horned owls! Beautiful.
Cirrus: Here in the U.S., a group of crows is called a "murder of crows." I don't know where the term comes from -- probably don't want to know! Two collective nouns for a group of ravens are an "unkindness of ravens" and a "storytelling of ravens"-- strange names! Hope your computer is better.
Original Goldfinch: Speaking of groups of birds, how lucky for you to see the vast skein of geese. They can move me to tears!
Caerann: Thanks for the penguins. I would really love to visit Antarctica. I want to see the "diamond dust." A phenomenon like a fog of diamonds under a clear sky -- it's clouds that form at ground level from tiny ice crystals. Cool!!!
Alan Petrie: I am fascinated by the possibilities of thinking machines. Will our technology evolve and develop a new form of "consciousness"? Some people say that the Mayan prophecies predict that in 2012 our machines will turn against us, ending the world as we know it and birthing a new era. Hmmm. Maybe we don't need so many gadgets after all? Gary, sell those leaf blowers and buy a rake! LOL LOL
Annette: I loved your post re: "a tale about a highly spooky sight...a ghostly, silent figure emerging from a bush and gliding across the lane one night...I confess I speeded up going past that spot." Your sister thought it was probably an owl. Maybe we should all tell our own scary stories on Halloween!
Oh, and Margobird: Have a peaceful and wondrous trip to the farm! If Thornton comes to your door for treats, please give him an extra one from me! I just love the pictures of him. And you will get to see all of the new birds! Elegant emus! I'm sure that Arnie will be glad to see you again. He is such a gentle-looking old fella. Have a great time!
Hey Diane: I just checked on "a murder of crows" and found the following on PBS's Nature site: A group of crows is called a "murder." This name came about because a group of crows will sometimes kill a dying crow. I love those old Mustangs and yes I remember the song - it's still around. The chief librarian - a very proper older lady at AARP's magazine - used to drive a white one with mag wheels! I've never heard of a skein of geese; or diamond dust, which sounds lovely. Spooky tales on Halloween? Sounds interesting! (Which reminds me, I have to buy candy for the kids.)
Did a huge load of ironing tonight while watching a documentary on the most recent repairs to the Hubble Telescope.
Looks like all the penguins are having a snooze as it's 4:45 there and 11:45 in Chicago. Diane you must see your Diamond Dust (sounds awesome) and I would like to see the Aurora Borealis. Maybe some of you here, Auntie perhaps, have seen these lovely Northern Lights that I have only seen in pictures and read about in books? It must be a most beautiful thing to see. =O)
Hi Caerann: I saw the Northern Lights from a plane while flying back from Europe to California over Northern Canada about 30 years ago. The pilot pointed them out to us. They were like sheer window curtains rippling across the sky - a light green. Not as spectacular as some photos I've seen, but still the real thing. Which reminds of another flight we took back from Europe years ago on KLM. I seem to remember it being a student charter flight, but not sure. Anyway, the pilot invited everyone up to the cockpit to look out the front of the plane! Can't imagine anything like that happening these days.
Fascinated by the "group names" for birds which are coming up. I've recently come across a "charm" for any kind of finch, a "murmuration" of starlings, and a "deceit" of lapwings. Here are some more:
http://baltimorebirdclub.org/gnlist.html
Unknown said: Further info re the Osprey chick near Caerlaverock in Dumfries (mentioned by Cirrus about an article in "Waterlife" - which is the Magazine of the WWT for its members) . The parents were young and it was their first effort - there were 3 eggs, but only one hatched, and it has been felt that that is what gave the survivor such a good start. Next time hopefully the parents will know better!!!!!!!!!!
As well as being young, the male was son of Wigtown nest, and male there is I think grandson (maybe son) of one of Roy Dennis's famous birds. When Roy came down for the book festival (well actually "up" on his way home from England) he called at Caerlaverock, even 'though the Ospreys had left - how's that for dedication?!!!!
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
Sue C: Here's a fun list of group names for animals. http://www.rinkworks.com/words/collective.shtml I liked "a shrewdness of apes", "a mischief of mice", "a movement of moles", "a prickle of hedgehogs", "a zeal of zebras", and my personal favorite: "a rhumba of rattlesnakes."
Annette: Didn't know that about crows. I had heard that crows hold funerals, in which all of the crows in a region will come to the side of a dead crow -- in what would have to be called a ritual. Caerann: Let's go to Antarctica!
Diane I will have a marvellous time and will give Thornton a reat for you. He likes Chocolate Shreddies, Weetabix, ginger nut ad digestive biscuits. Taking stacks of apples and carrots for the horses and especially Arnie he is just such a gentle soul even though he is huge.
Margobird