Wildlife & Gardens

Discussion in 'Taylor's Tittle-Tattle - General Banter' started by Sting, May 7, 2019.

  1. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    It's in many ways a no win situation. The better they are protected, the more difficult the animals are to obtain, the more desperate the market is to obtain them, the more they are prepared to pay, the more attractive it is to locals....
     
  2. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member

    It is very hard to find a way to stop especially if governments in those areas turn a blind eye or are corrupt or even directly involved behind the scenes. In my special paper for A level biology I discussed this in relation to gene flow, genetic drift and population vigour with an ultimate utopia of restored habitats, a much lowered human population in the future and a completely different way of what we see as important in development and life as individuals. Some populations of endangered species are at such a low level already that we are seeing them rendered vulnerable to one event that cause extinction or through lack of genetic diversity.
     
  3. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member

    https://coastal.climatecentral.org/...turn_level=return_level_1&slr_model=kopp_2014

    Based on current projections of sea level rise for the forthcoming decades. Hull has just had a new system of flood protection added against storm surge but it will be rendered useless if this carries on. The costs will be enormous to protect certain areas while others may just be allowed to slip under the waves. A lot of it being rich farmland although having had a look at the area in the Fenlands and Lincolnshire it is resuming the proportions it had before mass drainage and land reclamation.
     
  4. hornmeister

    hornmeister Tired

    If flood defences cost more than a tenner, it'll be cheaper to rebuild Hull.
     
  5. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member

    :D To be fair to the good folk of Hull they are trying to regenerate the image of the city with numerous projects and I expect with more wind farms in the North Sea more job creation in terms of maintenance and repair facilities.
     
  6. I Blame Pozzo

    I Blame Pozzo First Team

    Jenny Wren seen yesterday by my neighbour.
    A squirrel took half an apple from the ground and shot up the 'Chloe' tree with it. It's still there this morning!
     
  7. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    If you hear a bird call that seems surprisingly loud, it’s probably a wren. They’re not always that obvious to see, but there are more around than you think.
     
    I Blame Pozzo likes this.
  8. Davy Crockett

    Davy Crockett Reservist

    Until a few years ago my gardening skills involved nothing more than using a bit of weedkiller.
    However , and I am still a novice, I have caught the bug and today I started on the front weeding the borders and planting
    some lavender and some "blue" plants . But how hard is gardening ? I am shot !!
    Will start on back over Easter
     
    Lloyd and Moose like this.
  9. Moose

    Moose First Team Captain

    I like all those humanised names, Jenny Wren, Margaret Pie, Robin Redbreast etc. Speaks of a more poetic time.
     
    I Blame Pozzo likes this.
  10. Davy Crockett

    Davy Crockett Reservist

    ...and without going "full Harry Markle" improving a garden and encouraging wildlife
    etc is doing your bit. We are only here for a visit so we should do our best to leave it
    in the best condition as we individually can . I understand this is said with the benefit of age !
     
  11. Moose

    Moose First Team Captain

    This is you finding an excuse not to tidy up the garden. No I have to leave it like that for the hedgehogs.
     
    Davy Crockett likes this.
  12. Keighley

    Keighley First Team

    Tom ***.
     
    Otter likes this.
  13. Lloyd

    Lloyd Squad Player

    Webster the Tarantula
     
  14. Moose

    Moose First Team Captain

    Cor, fnarr.
     
  15. I Blame Pozzo

    I Blame Pozzo First Team

    What a treat to see on my return from seven consecutive hours on court.
    As I went into the bathroom the goldfinches had gathered in the tree outside the window.
    Beautiful sight!
     
  16. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    A charm, in fact!
     
  17. I Blame Pozzo

    I Blame Pozzo First Team

    Is that so?
    Lovely anyway!
     
  18. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    One of those strange collective nouns.
     
    I Blame Pozzo likes this.
  19. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    I believe the collective noun for a collection of collective nouns is "a gaggle of collective nouns".
     
  20. AndrewH63

    AndrewH63 Reservist

    Robin building a nest in a rainwater hopper. Do I let it carry on with the risk that the first heavy rain washes it away or worse kills eggs or chicks Or move the collecting of leaves and block it off or put some sort of raised platform inside the hopper for it to use. Or block it of and try to stick a nesting box nearby?
     
    Smudger and I Blame Pozzo like this.
  21. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    Divert the water if you can otherwise best not to let them nest there. Once they have laid eggs it’s too late obviously.
     
    Smudger, AndrewH63 and I Blame Pozzo like this.
  22. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member

    Someone said the battles of the future may well be over water. We have had several flare ups in recent years as nations try to dam off headwaters and restrict flow to nations downstream in the drainage basin. The Nile HEPs. Iraq and Turkey and recently China threatening and implementing dams on tributaries that con stitute the Brahmaputra drainage basin.

    All of the needs of humans are causing fresh water to be in short supply particularly in a warming climate. Artesian basins like the Ogallala, Sahara as used by the ancient Garamantids are being drained (the source being an ancient inland sea) or will be drained faster than they are replenished.

    Water management and usage need to be carefully considered and the ideal scenario is a long term reduction in the global human population as all of these concerns usually neglect to focus on the effect schemes like this have on wildlife. Water is a precious resource but there are some who would like to see it and have turned it into a commodity in regions of the world where it is scarce. Some of the comments they come out with are quite sinister as are the analogies they use. These sort of venture capitalists and water brokers truly are some of the nastiest one step below murdering psychopaths. Self serving liars. One of the investment groups Macquarie sucked hundreds of millions here in the UK from water payments while we still have as highlighted by the Environmental Agency regular overflows of raw sewage and everything else it contains into waterways on a daily basis. Money that should have been put into reservoir building, control systems and so on at the time. Have a watch:



    Just because it is life does not mean it cannot be priced. :rolleyes::mad: Where does this greed end ? Money is usually the root of all evil.​
     
  23. I Blame Pozzo

    I Blame Pozzo First Team

    A family of robins are nesting in some abandoned machinery under a tarpaulin in the cricket club car park which is next to the court I coach on.
    I fed them some seeds from my Subway that a parent had kindly bought for me.
    On Monday I'll take some suet pellets,mealworms,grated cheese and moistened cat kibbles for them.
     
  24. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    Wouldn’t leave too near the nest. Might attract rats which could kill the young in the nest if they can reach them. Best to keep food a good distance away. Robins tend to watch people’s movement so put the food down when you see a robin watching you. Just my thoughts.
     
    Diamond likes this.
  25. I Blame Pozzo

    I Blame Pozzo First Team

    Thanks.
    Yes I will scatter it to the side of my court and only little bits at a time.
    The robins watch over the courts from the trees anyway.
    Very attentive birds,as is the great t1t who sings "teacher,teacher" all day long!
     
  26. I Blame Pozzo

    I Blame Pozzo First Team

    I heard that there has been a survey to discover whether dogs favour their left or right fore paw.
    Of 2,901 ( strange number) 58% were right paw dominant in taking hidden treats.
    I have often studied Ford and Arthur and they are left paw dominant ( real southpaws!) but it could be argued they are 'ambipawdrous'!
     
  27. I Blame Pozzo

    I Blame Pozzo First Team

    A magpie took out a young starling at 7am this morning.
    Brutal and upsetting.
     
  28. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    Mrs Willis had exactly this situation the other day, but managed to chase off the magpie before it happened.
     
  29. I Blame Pozzo

    I Blame Pozzo First Team

    Well done Mrs W!
     
  30. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    They are horribly aggressive birds. I saw one last week attacking a woodpigeon, just plucking out a beak-full of feathers which it then flew off with to line it's nest.
     
  31. I Blame Pozzo

    I Blame Pozzo First Team

    My brother's neighbour left them some eggs on their front step.
    The crows had all six of them!
    Cheeky devils.
     
  32. Davy Crockett

    Davy Crockett Reservist

    A few years back I saw a proper tear up between a couple of cats and some Magpies
    A juvenile cat had a mouse and was playing with it like they do however 3 magpies
    had their eyes on the unfortunate mouse as well . The cat did not appear to have the
    confidence or experience to deal with the magpies and a stand off ensued .
    Then a much bigger cat turned up , Dad maybe ? , and it was Armageddon! .
    No messing about take that tweetie pie !! 2 magpies escaped the other was not so fortunate
     
  33. Diamond

    Diamond First Team

    Just today I caught a magpie tearing stuffing out of our blue *** box, luckily I "think" the young blues have just left. The magpies also nest in one of our trees, I won't do it but am tempted to remove them
     
  34. StuBoy

    StuBoy Forum Cad and Bounder

    We have what I assume are a pair of magpies nesting somewhere near us as I see them all the time. Our cats have come close, but not yet close enough to getting them. I’m watching this develop with interest. The magpies seem to tease them by landing and walking around our back lawn. They are living dangerously to say the least.
     
    Davy Crockett likes this.
  35. I Blame Pozzo

    I Blame Pozzo First Team

    I don't normally like to see birds harmed by cats but in the case of magpies I'm on the side of the felines.
    Magpies here do more harm to other birds than Ford Dante and Arthur Virgil do.
     
    wfcmoog likes this.

Share This Page