Country File

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

No comment

[Steve J]

A cold and wet Spring to start with and now into week 4 of glorious, warm/hot and sunny weather. Aside from a few showers or thunderstorms this weekend. However I've barely seen any butterflies this year, which I'd expect loads of by now and with this weather. On the news they said insect numbers are down 60% in England and 40% in Scotland. Last years hot and dry Summer impacted numbers apparently.

[Techno 3]

The wildlife camera is doing its job, upstairs in the pole barn.
We now know there are at least 3 other feral (?) cats nicking the semi-feral's grub...and last night it
took a video of a fox stuffing its face.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Driving home last night saw a fox trotting along on the pavement and takeing an interest in the other pedestrians. Central Birkenhead.

[Orcs]

We had a bat come into our bedroom the other night. This instantly became a 'Blue' job as Mrs orcs hid under the duvet.

Flapped my T shirt at it and it landed on the bedside table. Ised a glass and piece of card to collect it and then released it out the window

[John Cook]

We had a bat come into our bedroom the other night. This instantly became a 'Blue' job as Mrs orcs hid under the duvet.

Flapped my T shirt at it and it landed on the bedside table. Ised a glass and piece of card to collect it and then released it out the window

Keep some garlic and a stake handy just in case.

[fsn]

We had a bat come into our bedroom the other night. This instantly became a 'Blue' job as Mrs orcs hid under the duvet.

Can I just check ... bat appears, Mrs Orcs disappears? 

Keep some garlic and a stake handy just in case.

It may be too late.

[Leon]

We had one a few years back that suddenly appeared in the upstairs landing, I've never seen Adele hit the deck so quick!  She scuttled into the bedroom and locked me out, so I took that as a subtle message that I needed to deal with the intruder. 

I managed to herd it into the bathroom but the stupid thing just kept doing 'zoomies' around the room while I wafted a towel in a vain attempt to guide it towards the window.  After about 20 minutes it got bored of me and just flew out of its own accord.

[Orcs]

Can I just check ... bat appears, Mrs Orcs disappears? 
It may be too late.

    

[toxicpixie]

I do like garlic and steak... great suggestion!

Chickens have enjoyed the current weather. We've been getting an egg a day from each, I had to give 54 to a mate just to clear the fridge a couple weeks ago!

Potato's are coming up nicely.

Most everything else was looking very patched till yesterdays downpour.

[Heedless Horseman]

Berberis at front getting loads of berries. Get a lot of 'brown' birds. Know they must be female Blackbirds... but frankly, seem rather big and vicious! Rare to see Male Blackbirds on berries... hardly surprising !

[Techno 3]

Nice to see the swallows leading their offspring outside for the first time.

Not nice to have to 'napalm' the chicken run.....Mites by the thousand in the nest box....But think that's dealt with now. (Mite killer and a thorough blasting with a jet wash.)

Deep joy....a 'half football' sized wasps' nest in the big barn..AND....another wasp nest in a (wild bird) nest box about 5 yards away.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Be careful with those Phil

[toxicpixie]

Nice to see the swallows leading their offspring outside for the first time.

Not nice to have to 'napalm' the chicken run.....Mites by the thousand in the nest box....But think that's dealt with now. (Mite killer and a thorough blasting with a jet wash.)

Deep joy....a 'half football' sized wasps' nest in the big barn..AND....another wasp nest in a (wild bird) nest box about 5 yards away.

Blech, hate mites, little soda. They're a complete arse to put an end to , persistent little buggers.

We have an Egloo which is all plastic and disassembles whilst still locked so you can spray, clean, disinfect,  and spray and they still find ways to creep back every couple-three years.

I know it's a general hazard of chicken keeping but theyre nasty :/

[Techno 3]

I reckon the mites had such a good time as the chickens had been locked down for so many times, and for so long...and hadn't been able to have a dust bath.

We'll get something sorted out for their run, if they have to be locked in, again. (Should have thought of this before !)

The 'Worsps'.....A bee-keeping friend of a friend is coming around in the next couple of days to sort those out. .I wasn't going to take on the half football sized nest....(My guesstimate would be there are a good few dozen, if not 100 + in that one....The one in the bird box can't have THAT many in it (not enough room ?)......Probably could have used the electric 'fly swat' on those.