Cat tails Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 Don't underestimate gulls. A Dutch research turned out that the 'city gulls' snatching chips from unsuspecting tourists in Amsterdam live far out on the islands, more than a 100 km away. They travel all the way up to the city and know the trash collections days of most big cities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 With the red kites it's not leftovers that they take; they actually take food from people's hands! Considering the size and power of these birds that's really very scary! ES school has banned any food being taken outside after instances of the kites grabbing food from student's hands and either knocking them over or leaving nasty scratches. Going back to seagulls, I don't really understand why they are protected; referred to as rats with wings by our seaside Devon relatives! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 Don't underestimate gulls. A Dutch research turned out that the 'city gulls' snatching chips from unsuspecting tourists in Amsterdam live far out on the islands, more than a 100 km away. They travel all the way up to the city and know the trash collections days of most big cities. the ones We get here are from the landfill sites mainly to far in land for a day trip We have had an increase in gull numbers this year through after a couple of very windy weeks around Eater time and late May. with all the lakes,pools ponds and rivers and canals plus the landfill sites farmland and one or two commercial compost sites in this part of the UK a lot of gulls tend to stay on for the easy picking and judging from the noise last week from the 15-20 gulls were I was working when 2 or 3 birds of prey flew over I'd say they are breeding/have chicks on the factory roofs just over the back of that estate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsylabrador Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 New attraction in London...post office museum and a ride on the mail rail from September. I am very excited. I think the museum is open from now but not the rail mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsylabrador Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 We've seen the red kites for a while here bit very high up but this year they are soaring quite low over the gardens. You can see their heads tilting as they look around. It's fantastic to see a wild bird of prey here but i understand the relationship can sour. Just checking that they're no threat to the chickens who already have to take their chances with the foxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted July 26, 2017 Share Posted July 26, 2017 The kites usually go for roadkill or obviously injured prey and tend to need quite a big area to swoop down due to their large wingspan. However, I was always rather nervous about our three little bantams when they were out to FR - but they had lots of vegetation to hide in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 Off to India today for a month, I'll try and pop on if I can but not sure what internet access will be like Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 Wow Lewis! Enjoy your trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 Have fun Lewis Next door's canary wolf whistles. It's a tad unnerving in the middle of nowhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsylabrador Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 That would be quite unnerving Daphne. Good luck Lewis! I went to the Natural History Museum today to see the new exhibition in Hintze Hall and also did some people watching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 That puts me in mind of Hogwarts and the moving staircases! Is the whale on display yet, PL? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsylabrador Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 Yes. It looks far more impressive than I expected and there are some impressive skeletons around the hall. There is also a very interesting pay to enter exhibition about whales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsylabrador Posted July 28, 2017 Share Posted July 28, 2017 Even in all the rain yesterday, Hyde Park was looking lovely. You can just about see the Shard and the Eye in the distance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted July 28, 2017 Share Posted July 28, 2017 Soap dragon that's exactly what I said on Instagram!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted July 28, 2017 Share Posted July 28, 2017 Soap dragon that's exactly what I said on Instagram!!! Great minds think alike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplemaniacs Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 Good luck Lewis. Enjoy India. OH has been there twice for work and he loves it. Chrissie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsylabrador Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 I had a great day in London with my sister today. She's very precious to me. We checked out Fortnums and Manolo Blahnik (not sure of spelling) shoes in Burlington arcade and had lunch in Itsu. Chilled out in St. James's Park, took photos of the pelicans and had a pint in a pub near the barracks. I don't see her enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 Gorgeous photo again Judy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 Gorgeous photo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted August 11, 2017 Share Posted August 11, 2017 We are two villages away from RAF Benson in Oxfordshire and it was the RAF Benson Families Day today. We were therefore treated to 2.5 hours of the Red Arrows intermittently passing over our village in various formations with the red and blue smoke on from time to time too! Felt like our own personal display and was totally awesome (not a word that I use lightly, having worked with a dear Aussie colleague a few years back who applied it to absolutely everything!) Poor YS was desperatley trying to explain the plot of the 4th Harry Potter (clearly diff to the film!) whilst we were walking to the other end of the village and got very cross with me each time the Red Arrows went over ('Ma, stop squalking like a child when those 'planes go past; I'm trying to explain to you') Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted August 15, 2017 Share Posted August 15, 2017 Found one of my neighbours chickens in a front garden 6 houses from her own... went to ring the door, but no one answered. So went to catch the big girl, who was very docile. But what do you do with a chicken under your arm? Their fence (wire with 20 cm holes...) is at least 2 m high and wasn't about to drop a large bottomed lady from that height... So took her home, left her in the common area/hall way of my building. Went inside and got the pet carrier, found said chicken happily scratching away in the cat litter box Put her in the carrier and walked back to said neighbour. Tried some more neighbours in the hopes one of them might have a key. No one home... at all... apart from a neighbour accross the road who had seen me walking with the chicken, but he didn't have a key either. In the end I hung the carrier over the fence, with the door open, so she could hop/flap out her self. She made a surprisingly graceful landing Stuck a note in their mailbox saying I found their chicken and returned it, that I was willing to help them clip the wings and oh yeah, did you know they have Scaly leg mites? Haven't heard anything, but they did put some netting over the run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted August 15, 2017 Share Posted August 15, 2017 Hummpphhh, there's thanks for you!!!! Well spotted on the scaly leg mite front - it can be very painful, so if it is still active and hasn't been treated, then they need to get onto it pronto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted August 15, 2017 Share Posted August 15, 2017 Hummpphhh, there's thanks for you!!!! Well spotted on the scaly leg mite front - it can be very painful, so if it is still active and hasn't been treated, then they need to get onto it pronto. That's what I thought too! One of the other chickens had it really bad, almost no scales left and very k"Ooops, word censored!"bly feet. Did clean the pet carrier afterwards, don't need that critter on my chickens! I'm questioning their chicken keeping skills in general. They have very small gravity drinker and feeder, which are often toppled over when I walk by. Their hens have taken to sleeping on top of their wooden house. And for some reason they have added something that should be considered a pond I guess? It's basically a small plastic bucket dug into the ground, with some waterplant stuck in it. Not sure how they think it will not get filled with dirt completely... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted August 15, 2017 Share Posted August 15, 2017 It often amazes me how some people keep their livestock with a 'light touch' bordering on neglect. There was a poultry centre west of here, which, some years ago, kept their hundreds of chickens in such bad conditions, and some were really sick, that I raised a complaint with the RSPCA. The place sort of sorted it, it got bad again, then changed hands and has since re-invented itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted August 15, 2017 Share Posted August 15, 2017 It really does astound me. Wanted to write sometimes, but often would be more accurate. Was in my pet shop today and a couple came running in asking for a fish bowl. Lady said they don't sell those out of welfare perspective. "Oh right... what do you keep your fish in then?" She showed them some small tanks. "So do you have goldfish?" She explained that she didn't have the orange ones, just yellows and some fancier ones (with the fan tails). Couple wasn't convinced. She wanted a black fish and non of these were black. The lady went to help another customer. "We could get a rabbit! They are like dogs!" "Oh but they don't even have rabbits!" And they ran out again... thank god they didn't have any rabbits today... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
