October has come and gone and once again it is time to open a new thread for the Gabfest.. During October we did finish the movie WILD MOUNTAIN THYME, complete with musical score, as planned. We launched it into distribution with its own World Premier. The Stars and most of the Supporting Cast were there appropriately dressed for their glitzy walk down the red carpet. Unfortunately co-stars EJ & ODEN and family were unable to attend as they are all currently on migration to Africa. Keith surprised us with some very interesting bird & wildlife reports direct from the Sahara Dessert and from his own equatorial Island in the Sun. His on-the-spot factual reports helped us to understand the dangers our osprey face once they complete their long hazardous journey. Our first music night was a smashing success that left everyone eager for the second.
October has come and gone and once again it is time to open a new thread for the Gabfest..
During October we did finish the movie WILD MOUNTAIN THYME, complete with musical score, as planned. We launched it into distribution with its own World Premier. The Stars and most of the Supporting Cast were there appropriately dressed for their glitzy walk down the red carpet. Unfortunately co-stars EJ & ODEN and family were unable to attend as they are all currently on migration to Africa.
Keith surprised us with some very interesting bird & wildlife reports direct from the Sahara Dessert and from his own equatorial Island in the Sun. His on-the-spot factual reports helped us to understand the dangers our osprey face once they complete their long hazardous journey.
Our first music night was a smashing success that left everyone eager for the second.
Then we ended the month with a wonderfully thoughtful and caring discussion of the benefits or possible harm of the tracking of osprey and other birds. NOVEMBER will bring continued reports and DISCUSSIONS of our own “Special Three“, Tore, Bynack and Rothes who have arrived safely in Africa. We will be watching especially for news of Bynack who has been in an area that seems to be potentially dangerous. We will be watching also for updates of young Ozwold who was VERY reluctant to leave Bonnie Scotland, but is finally taking a stopover in Spain where Roy Dennis says he can safely winter. So, will Ozwold stay in Spain? or will he move south?, on his own unique time schedule? We will also be following the adventures and misadventures of other tagged osprey, including Einion who had us holding our breath while he made a huge circle over the Atlantic, his siblings from the Dyfi nest and others that may come to our attention. All this and much more is discussed on the Gabfest. We expect to have The Second Gabfest Music Night toward the end of the month. The theme is yet to be discussed & determined. This is the Freedom Forum, where fun, fact and fantasy combine to make a very unique thread. So come on in and chat a while with us. Our fire is bright and the latch is always open.
Then we ended the month with a wonderfully thoughtful and caring discussion of the benefits or possible harm of the tracking of osprey and other birds.
NOVEMBER will bring continued reports and DISCUSSIONS of our own “Special Three“, Tore, Bynack and Rothes who have arrived safely in Africa. We will be watching especially for news of Bynack who has been in an area that seems to be potentially dangerous. We will be watching also for updates of young Ozwold who was VERY reluctant to leave Bonnie Scotland, but is finally taking a stopover in Spain where Roy Dennis says he can safely winter. So, will Ozwold stay in Spain? or will he move south?, on his own unique time schedule? We will also be following the adventures and misadventures of other tagged osprey, including Einion who had us holding our breath while he made a huge circle over the Atlantic, his siblings from the Dyfi nest and others that may come to our attention. All this and much more is discussed on the Gabfest.
We expect to have The Second Gabfest Music Night toward the end of the month. The theme is yet to be discussed & determined.
This is the Freedom Forum, where fun, fact and fantasy combine to make a very unique thread. So come on in and chat a while with us. Our fire is bright and the latch is always open.
We had to relocate a hedgehog today that has become too interested in my garage. Several times I have opened the garage and he has got himself in polythene bags for some reason. Wonder if he was trying to hibernate and found the polythene a shelter. Fed him up with cat food for several days to make sure he was very healthy and today took him way into the countryside away from people and roads and put him next to an old disused farm building so there is shelter and plenty of bugs. Left him a big bowl of catfood and said goodbye.
Sugar, so you are icing a wedding cake! Now I see where you get the name sugar. This must be something you love to do or do frequently or both. What a beautiful, delicious art form. We do seem to be talking "delicious" this morning.
Even as I typed I was thinking of tracking, which bought to mind my very favorite, all time love -- Garten. How I would love to know where he is now and how he is and what he looks like now. I just feel that he is out there soaring the skies somewhere. But even if he is dead, I would like to know that too. Basically, guess I'm a realist and want to know the facts.
Keith, that is one fortunate hedghog!!
SheilaFE, thank you for that very much. I had a conversation with my friend in York and she said they migrate and I was adamant not. I am pleased that you asked the question at the bird fayre and your answer makes sense now. Keith maybe a Northern European Robin and have see it 2 days in a row now and a very colourful chest it as. As soon as I heard the song I knew it was back and hey presto it was eating the mealworms off my bird table.
June hopefully reading from how feisty Garten was, I know what you are saying and I am realistic too. I read a comment in the past are some of the intruders at LG offspring. My opinion only and is this maybe why some want to land on the nest? I am no expert but really interested in these beautiful birds and learning every day. Seriously, has anyone any news of any EJ's Offspring and there must be survivors and I do know that she did not have an easy nest in the past. Odin is the best thing happened to EJ. Fascinating stuff.
It is 50/50 what you do with them - I had phoned the Hedgehog Preservation Society for advice. You can overwinter them but often they die of stress or the other option was to watch it for a few days and let it go howver it could die of cold.
As advised we fed it up, it ate well, did everything a hedgehog should and was of good weight so decided to relocate it but with shelter and food supply around.
It is mild this week so has time on its side to wander around its new surroundings.
B & B - EJ/Henry male juvenile from 2004 tagged Yellow 28 (Baldrick) was briefly sighted at Valmc nest in April this year. Apart from Rothes this is the only one we know of I believe.
I must say your Robins have strange habits. Ours definitely leave in the fall and return in the spring. They are in fact considered a harbinger of spring, as they are the first birds to return and can sometimes be seen pecking at the wet ground beween patches of melting snow. I have read that our Robin and your Robin are two different birds. When early settlers arrived here from England and found this bird they simple called it the bird it most resembled from back home.
HI FOLKS - HOGMONAY now that is a time to enjoy .. i spent two at MOFFAT and one at CALLANDER. i was told i enjoyed all three. cluty dumplin - strip the willow . oh dear the memories -
SheilaFE - All young male blackbirds have black beaks even those born in the UK -- Last year i visited SPURN POINT an we saw hundreds of ROBINS , thousands of young SISKIN and GOLDCRESTS blown across the NORTH SEA .. we picked up lots of SISKIN off the road were they had landed exhausted. Also lots of blackbirds - song thrush- redsatart and of course redwing and fieldfare
Sunshine you will certainly have had a good Hogmanay in Callander - we certainly did the years we lived there - wish I was back there again - we intend retiring to Dunblane close by and that day will come as soon as I can sell our property here. I imagine you were in The Dreadnought.
BTW, there are at least two very nice Robin songs that we didn't get to on Music night. Also more bluebird songs.