Country File

[Heedless Horseman]

No Ravens...but a big old Crow gets 'respect' from the Magpies! Just thinking... there used to be a lot of Jackdaws, not seen for a while... maybe Magpies took over he 'hood'!
'Sons Of Anarchy' in the avian world?  

[Techno II]

Still haven't spotted any ravens here, for a good while.

Jackdaws, crows, magpies..a good few here......and there's a fair sized rookery, in the village, about a mile and a half away.

Don't know what's happened to the ravens......There were never oodles of them..but you'd often be able to watch them seeing off a buzzard, or a red kite.

Years ago, there was one who was a good mimic, and did quite a good impression of an 'old' mobile phone ring tone......and there was one (maybe the phone impersonator ?) who would make a 'kerplunk' sound as it flew overhead. 

Cheers - Phil.

[steve_holmes_11]

No Ravens around here, but some around the Avon Gorge in central Bristol I believe. Plenty of other corvids though.

On another note, yet another unseasonably cool and wet August, the third year in a row for us. I pity those who have been camping these past two weeks with young kids, certainly this morning when it has been bucketing it down.

We have 18th century waterwork nearby.
Dam and spillways from when the nearby town was a water driven textile powerhouse.

The site is heavily wooded now, and the dam holds doesn't retain a reservoir.
But the resulting wilderness seems to be a great Raven magnet.

[Heedless Horseman]

About Dams...Watched a Dan Snow TV doc series about 'The Dam Busters'... and the 'mock up' dam used to test 'small scale' explosives' is still there, in a wooded stream... complete with 'hole'! Rather weird! 

[Steve J]

Yesterday was a rather lovely late Summer's day here in Bristol, so after a bit of gardening, I just sat in the garden watching the bees and butterflies on the Heleniums, Buddleia and Verbena Bonariensis, which was lovely. It's nice to just stop now and then and watch the World go by .

[Heedless Horseman]

Young small Birds and young Foxes Really going after food... do they 'know' something? Still too early to know whether 'Berries' are heavy or not, but does not look it. Last year, LOADS of berries... but SHORT, harsh 'wintery' spell.

[Techno II]

Nature came indoors, this morning.

Went back to the kitchen to see whether the dogs had let themselves back in. (I'd been playing games on the 'puter')
Door wide open...so they'd been back and gone out again.....Called them to come in.

Then had one of those "What the hell was that ?" moments, ...It was a young blackbird flapping against one of the windows, making quite a racket !!
I didn't try and grab it, as it was in a panic already....And it stayed put while I opened the window...and away it flew.

Cheers - Phil.

[Heedless Horseman]

But, you only needed another Three and Twenty! 
Have had Robins exploring the main room.

Next door had Jackdaws in the unused chimney for years. Come to think, haven't seen any around for a while, so maybe she had a hidden cover installed.

Thankfully, since the rotten floor was repaired last year... not so many Slugs in the Kitchen! 

[Techno II]

But, you only needed another Three and Twenty! 
Have had Robins exploring the main room.

No. Keith .....But.....we (almost, without fail) get a very small portion of a swarm of bees, down the chimney each year.....which have to be gently coaxed out of one of the living room windows.
As far as we know...there are no 'domesticated' bee hives, anywhere near us.
So these have to be 'wild' bees.

They look like 'normal' bees to me.

Cheers - Phil 

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Ok - to bee or not to bee

[Elliesdad]

I'd say that "two bees" are a very small portion of a swarm.  Unless the swarm itself isn't a very large number.

Being the sad individual I am I just HAD to check, how many bees is a swarm.
My friend Google tells me that a "swarm" just describes a gathering/grouping of bees and not a specific number of them. So that's another fact I've learned, but I'm not so sure how I can get it into everyday conversation.

Geoff

[Techno II]

I'd have a wild punt...that when they come down the chimney, there are something around a couple of dozen of the wee chaps (No...what am I saying.....they'll be females)...that I have to encourage out of a window

As far as I'm aware, Mrs Queen had NEVER graced us with her presence.....Otherwise we might have had the whole 'swarm' in the living room.

That would probably NOT be much fun.

Cheers - Phil.

[sultanbev]

Wasps, on the other hand, are vicious this time of year. Knowing they are about to die in the next 2 months, and getting sugar rushes from fallen fruits, they'll sting at the slightest provacation.
The buggers built a nest in my allotment wheelie bin that I was using to mulch leaves, despite the lid being permanently closed earlier this year. Moved the bin slightly last saturday, first day out after 10 days self-isolation (2 wargaming friends got really ill off Covid, one just out of ICU but still in hospital), bang, stings to forehead. Swelled up covering one eye, then had reaction to anti-biotics, sick for 24 hours. 

You really don't want to see the picture.....

It's taken a week to get back to normal, hopefully council coming this week with nukes, flamethrowers and nerve gas.

[Heedless Horseman]

As far as we know...there are no 'domesticated' bee hives, anywhere near us.
So these have to be 'wild' bees.
They look like 'normal' bees to me.
Cheers - Phil 

Depends on their Knees...
...or, so a  genuphiliac entemologist said. 

[Techno II]

You really don't want to see the picture.....
It's taken a week to get back to normal, hopefully council coming this week with nukes, flamethrowers and nerve gas.

That does NOT sound fun. 

Trust that you ARE back to normal, now.

Cheers - Phil.

[Steve J]

Sorry to hear that Mark. I hope you and your wargaming chums are on the mend now.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

One of our neighbours on our street found a grass snake in his garden today.
We are fairly central in out town too!

[Steve J]

I'd love to see our grass snake but my wife would freak out. Not surprising really given that she used to see people die of snake bites in her village as a kid .

[sultanbev]

That does NOT sound fun. 

Trust that you ARE back to normal, now.

Cheers - Phil.

Thanks Phil, yes, back to normal now, the council nerve gas worked and we've been able to get at the plum tree - first batch of jam made this weekend 
Swelling went away after 8 days. Was out with the scythe on Friday, cutting the long grass we've left in lawns to encourage wildlife.

[paulr]

Great news