In reply to Optibogglers :
Optibogglers said:How nice a thread like this exists, thank you RSPB and contributors
I agree with you Optibogglers, there are some nice, helpful people on here.
In French, Common Buzzards are Variable Buzzards, which is something of an understatement.
There's a band in the mid-east of the country where the pale birds outnumber the darker birds seemingly 10 to 1, and we've seen individuals that are almost exclusively white or cream. Lots of U-turns involved, only to find that it's "just" another Buzzard.
All the best -
Dave
I agree, Optibogglers and Dave; I would not have stayed here on the forum if I had not found many helpful, lovely people here. Oh, ha, ha, Dave--'patient'! Those 2012 Buzzards probably have 6 or 8 or more generations of descendants by now...or did you mean the human posters are patient?! As for the band of pale Buzzards you mentioned 'in the mid-east of the country', did you mean in France or where, please?
Kind regards, Ann
In reply to Gardenbirder:
Gardenbirder said:Those 2012 Buzzards probably have 6 or 8 or more generations of descendants by now
Unless they're immortal Buzzards, Ann.
I suspect I share my garden with an immortal Cat.
There's more to nature than we know. ;-)
Gardenbirder said:As for the band of pale Buzzards you mentioned 'in the mid-east of the country', did you mean in France or where
Mid-east of France, Ann, yes. Anywhere from the Swiss border around Pontarlier or Morteau and up to Gray or Langres: there's such variation in the plummages.
Here we've always pale birds around, but few. Most others resemble one another, with a white chest bib of various sizes.
Nine out of ten or so Common Buzzards in that part of France have, for me, extraordinary plumage. We've stopped the car and turned around literally dozens of times over the years, suspecting lord knows what, only to find another Andy Warhol Buzzard.
And we've not seen that amount of variation in various other parts of France.
Pete
Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can
In reply to Seaman:
Gardenbirder said:And cats? Infinite lives rather than just nine?!
Could be a molecat (and could be a molebuzzard), Ann.
I suggest you pick up a copy of Alfred Bester's The Computer Connection...
In reply to Dave - CH:
Had to Google that, Dave. Never been into SciFi, sorry. The reviews on Amazon are interesting. Seems a bit like Marmite--some rave about that book and some think it is rubbish. General agreement mostly about two of his earlier works from those who commented. I might need to leave his books until my next life or even the one after that--Lol! Too old now to take time away from my greatest interests to venture into Sci-Fi--sorry. I'll check if Mr GB is familiar with Bester's books.
Edit: Just asked--he never heard of Bester but has read some other Sci-Fi. He's looking him up right now--you might have started something, Dave.
Bester's something of an exception, Ann. If Mr GB wishes to start, The Stars My Destination (also published as Tiger, Tiger), The Demolished Man, or Golem 100.
Mr GB would be my fourth Bester convert of the last few months. Including a copy of Stars that's traveling the world having been forgotten on a flight by a client of mine (who went out and bought another copy).
Bester's treatment for Superman (the movie) would have probably changed cinema. Sadly, he just wasn't famous enough, and the moneymen "needed" a big name.
I can understand an aversion to SciFi, and I'm not a huge fan myself. But I think it may depend who you read.
Bradbury, for example, has almost as much of relevance to say about the human condition as, say, Conrad has. And with Conrad, you don't get a "Dust Witch" (read Something Wicked This Way Comes).
PS. (With the possible exception of The Deceivers) almost no one in the genre can hold a story together better than Bester.