Hobbies and Crafts

No, it is not a cliff edge, it is a high level promenade over the cliff with a wall to leqn over.

Hi everyone,

Jude.........So pleased to know that Madoc is nearly back to normal after his altercation - hope he doesn't meet that boxer again. I'm sure he will soon make friends with his new neighbour - might be a little territorial growling to start with - dogs don't understand boundaries do they?
Ianto (pronounced Yanto) in English shares a three seater sofa with me, but only leaves me just enough space - I am not a big man, he grumbles if I move, but can't resist getting up to follow me, in case I escape without him.
Your squirrels sound good. We used to get them here, but I haven't seen one for ages. My regular birds seem to be returning, last few days the blackbirds and the robin have appeared again. The usual sparrows, chaffinches, greenfinches, doves and jackdaws are always here. Seagulls are usually on the chimneys, and we can here them cackling ;, with the noise coming out of the hearth.
Went for a walk through the woods today - the bluebells look spectacular. Looking up into the trees trying to spot a bird I could hear but not identify, I tripped over a fallen branch and landed flat on my face in the mud. Ianto came to look at me - if that dog could talk I think we would fall out.

Caz............I think they are going to talk about cuckoos on Springwatch tonight. Maybe they will answer a query I have. Is it the male, or female we hear - or both? I have always wondered.

Ann......Your photo's sound interesting - but I hope you are not standing too close to the cliff edge trying to get a good shot. That would be beyond the call of duty!

Look forward to that Ann:o)))

Vics 7 mile ramble turned out to be 9 miles and he did'nt take any food cause the organiser said no need to!!!!! he was k...nackered but loved it:o))

jude :o)

Remember that we were watching the hawks that we think are probably kestrels? Well today we saw two of their babies way below us on the cliff. I had a go at taking the photo of one (well about10 goes actually good job we don't use film any more.), hope one of them comes out OK.

Ann
Glos

Pics are on the blog:o))

jude

Morning all:o))

Its not too bad weather wise here today.
Madoc is fine and yes he's had a few of his favourite treats.....as soon as l say "carrot" he's off to wait by the fridge, it takes abit longer for him to eat as his bottom teeth are flat from chewing on stones before we had him:o((, he also hogs the sofa!! lol and has his own blanket on there. He's had a couple of walks on the lead now and gets so excited when Vic gets ready. Vics gone a 7 mile walk today with a rambling group:o)) l said he loves walking.....l'm here with my germs, almost lost my voice and a cold starting, sore throat gone now:o((

Loads of W/pigeons about and doves, the crow, a magpie and the gang of jackdaws dominate the garden first thing. 2 male blackbirds still meeting chest to chest and squabling....ooo the sparrow thats been chirping for a few weeks now......l think has 2 youngsters, l'm sure they are part of the same family, they were all on the fence yesterday, bless em:o)) Mother and baby squirrel are often giving the poor peanut holder a good bashing, mum chews and shakes it whilst bay sits on the ground eating up what falls out..... babe will also run along the low walls and pick out the seeds.

New neighbour next door has been sorting the garden ready for his mate to arrive with his dog, that should be interesting with Madoc. We have 2 low walls that madoc can jump onto and over the fence!!!!!! mmmm fun ahead me thinks!! lol

Off to finish making the beds for arrival of family tomorrow:o)))
Will put the poppy pics on blog first.
jude :o)

PS...hello Margaret from Kent:o)

PSS....doww l kept meaning to say to Y/Caz..... how exciting to see the Pinemartin, l would love to see one, would also love to see a live Polecat:o)

Hello Margaret, nice to see you have read some of this thread, it's really interesting.
Tec I haven't heard the Cuckoo again but it was too windy to have the windows open yesterday. It also could have been passing on it's way to Ogden Water where there is a small wood.
Jude I was lucky enough to see a Pine Martin once, again on the North Yorkshire Moors. We had my daughter and grandson in the car with us and it ran across the road in front of us. I knew what it was but hubby said they had not got so far down from Scotland. I showed him the book on animals and birds I always kept in the car and he had to admit it was a Pine Martin. There was an article on our local T.V. news programme a couple of months later saying that Pine Martins had been seen on North Yorkshire Moors.

Caz xx

Hi everyone:o)


Madoc is back to his cheeky self today thanks Tec, still wearing the bucket though. He has a check up at 9am tomorrow. We take the bucket off when he eats and the little tike immediately has a quick lick at the stitches. He's not been for a walk and is abit miffed by that, probably Friday. Vic say's he'd love to walk your Lanto.

Did anyone watch 'Spring Watch' yesterday and today?? love the prgramme. Vic found a dead polecat on one of his walks about a yr ago, we took photo's incase it was a Pine Martin and sent them to Gwent Wildlife, they were pleased to get it as it gave them information as to where they have been sighted:o))

A couple of greenfinches have been back this past couple of days, and most evening round about 7pm we get about 6 or 7 doves, all lined up on the wall, tried taking a photo but they saw me move....grrrr

nite nite

jude :o)

Hi Everyone,

Jude.........How is Madoc doing? I hope he improving

Caz........Anymore from the cuckoo?

Margaret.....Hello - don't think we've "spoken" before.
That overgrown area next to you should attract lots of birds, not just for nesting, but for berries and seeds.
I missed Bird Watch again this year. It always seems to fall when I have to be elsewhere - maybe next year.

Regards
Tec.

Just been reading some of this thread love all your storys , i have had more birds feeing this year next door must be a haven for nesting as its all over grown , but i am having problems with the snails from next door , i also did the bird warch again this year,
Margaret xx

Jude I am glad Madoc is ok, it shakes you up at the time though doesn't it.
Thanks Tec for the information on Cuckoo, I'm almost sure it was one now. The cow in the road was alright, the farmer and a driver of one of the cars managed to get it into the top of the little lane to the farm. Another 4x4 driver then parked across it to prevent the cow running onto road again, it didn't half protest though.

I had to laugh at the bull story, although not nice for the bull, I could just imagine it running up the hill wondering how to get rid of the gate.

Caz xx

Jude.......Poor Madoc - so pleased no serious harm done, though nasty enough as it is. Now he will have to have lots of treats to help him recover. Biscuits, cheese, sausages, cream cakes etc, and allowed up on the sofa of course. Seriously, I hope he is soon mended. If Vic is missing his walks, he is very welcome to take Ianto - I could do with a break
G/daughter was only here two days - first day spent pony trecking, yesterday on the beach all day - so no time. However, mentioned it to neighbour who is a whizz on the computer and she is going to show me how to get pics on your blog.

Caz.......Could well be the cuckoo you heard - the time is right. We usually hear one about now, somewhere in the woods near us, but haven't heard it so far.
Talking of cows, the farmer keeps cattle in a yard opposite me, one day last year I could hear all this bellowing going on. When I looked, a young bull had somehow got his head stuck in a huge metal farm gate. He had lifted it off its hinges and was running around the yard with it round his neck. He then got through the opening, complete with gate, and ran up the mountain, with all the others chasing him. I phoned the farmer, and it took three of them to extricate the bull from the gate - silly creature.

Regards
Tec.

Me again:o)

We got Madoc back home about 3.45pm he had just come round bless him. He's had 4 stitches, they are quite sure its not a dog bite, more likely a stick. No walks for a few days just out in the garden. Vic won't like that he loves walking. Back to vets Wednesday unless he is poorly.
£200 just like that, but l spose thats not too bad considering. They had to get a nurse in as it was bank holiday, but he's worth it:o))

jude :o) x

Morning:o))

Yes Tec your so right...... Thanks Ann, l just love this thread:o))

Y/Caz....l don't know anything Cuckoo's other than they their eggs in other birds nests, l would think the area you describe is perfect. So pleased you are enjoying your flat and the birds once again. Hope the cow was ok??

Well my Madoc is'nt ok he had a fight this morning and ended up at the vets:o((( he's ok as in not badly injured though!! It was a boxer and they hate each other....nose to nose on a very narrow bath on river bank, they tumbled down the bank which was fortunate really cause they let go of each other. Madoc's wound is just by the arm pit of left front leg, very clean with a puncture hole, he could have done the damage tumbling down and a stick etc, rather than the boxer. Anyway he has to go back to vets at 2pm to have it stitched, waiting for his breakfast to go down. We had a bucket collar to thats on now:o(( bless him he's been so good, rolls over for the vet, will do almost anything for them, gets so excited when he's there....strange dog!! lol
Will let you know later how he is!!!

My poppies are all almost out now, about 23 of them in total at last count. Have taken some photo's when about 10 were out will get pics onto blog asap.

Tec .... has your g/daughter shown you how to download yet??

Ann....have you found out what kind of hawk it was? would love to have seen the owl, bet it made you jump.

Off to sort spare room's as family are here next weekend 8 of em:o))))))))

jude :o) x

I agree Tec, it's a lovely thread, thanks Ann. Well I have heard a lot more birds up here, Great Tits and Blue Tits and Robins but I think I have mentioned that. I was very puzzled this morning, I heard what I thought was a Cuckoo, I tried to make the sound into a Collared Dove but it was all wrong. Our complex is on the main road standing back with a large garden separating us from the road. Across the road is fields and farms with a lot of trees, a cow escaped it's field the other day and held all the traffic up, I had a great view of the rescue. Does anyone know if it's the kind of area a Cuckoo would lay it's eggs in someones elses nest? I am so used to hearing the Doves every day but this was just like the Cuckoo, I have only heard one once at the top of Sutton Bank on way to Whitby.
Found this on page 4, too good to be so far down.

Caz xx

So pleased that you are enjoying the thread Tec.
We have just walked back to our apartment from the local fish restaurant, we were passing a patch of waste ground with some dense shrub covering it and listening to the crickets when a rush of wings in front of us and across us as we walked made us jump. Couldn't see too clearly as it was very quick but we are both sure it was an owl, which flew up out of the shrubs, don't know what sort, fairly big, and we heard it screech a couple of minutes later.

Hi Everyone,
Was watching three hares in a field today, that was fun, but noticed three small brown birds quite close to me behaving in a curious way. They would fly up about two feet off the ground, then hover with rapid wing movements, then go back down, obviously feeding on something. I soon realised that they were skylarks. Having never been able to watch skylarks so closely, or for so long, I was fascinated to see how beautifully marked they actually are.

I notice this thread is reaching an important milestone of its 600th posting, and I would like to express my gratitude to Ann for starting a thread that gives me, and others, so much pleasure.
I very rarely post on any other thread, but here I feel comfortable among people I can relate to, with a common interest in birds, nature, and lifes simple pleasures.
Thank you Ann - long may the thread continue.

Regards
Tec.

I will as soon as Jude.

Saw the hawk again today, as we walked along the promenade above the cliffs it suddenly swooped on something about 10 foot in front of us by a wall and flew off again. Didn't manage to get a photo although we spent ages trying, T may have got one. We wondered what he picked up and can only think it was a gheko or lizard.

Look forward to seeing them Bellblair:o)))))) they'd better be good...lol

Ann and Helen......can you send me yours aswell??

Yep Madoc is ok thank you, he's met the new neighbour this afternoon so he's well chuffed, the neighbour loves dogs and his house mate has a dog, so that should be interesting, dog not moved in yet though!!

l was actually doing some real gardening this afternoon and Vic was mowing the lawn and we both had a female blackbird land about 2 -3ft from us, as l was weeding the bird was there, same with the lawn :o))

Nite nite:o)
jude

Hi everyone,
Hope you are all ok.

Jude I have down loaded pics, now all I have to do is send them to you lol