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Dave Williams

Interesting re the YL Gull or LBB. I'd go Yellow-legged.

After two weeks away and not so much feeding our badgers visited outside the kitchen three times last night but strangely since the clocks went back they have been getting later. Doesn't make sense to me.Now visiting around 9pm, what about yours Fred?

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11 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

I'd go Yellow-legged.

I just did so good to get confirmation.

'Our' Badgers generally arrive around 17.15-17.30 for a first visit. Usually the same one with a damaged bum from fight or mange.

Then at 18.00 it comes back or a Sow with two cubs. I have not set up my cameras as there is no access to where the food station is. Got some magic video tonight. Just need to be able to lighten it up a bit.

 

Here are a couple from tonight's hour.

The strength of these beasts is awesome. Food is buried under that slab of wood or a heavy rock and they just shift it wit a single swipe of the paw.DSCN0937.JPG.c2c6fa8a8abef4f1d7cffabedf26b36e.JPG

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Today was a shopping and mopping up day. We have to eat.

HOwever a tour to the shops need not be wasted.:o

 

I got another Yellowhammer.

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Found a field full of Pinkfeet to enhance my rubbish #11 of earlier this year,

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And did some in flight shots as I needed the practice......

 

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Whoopers flying in to 'our pond' at the Farm   and

 

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Some Barnacles Just having fun, for us too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Well all good things come to an end and after five nights of badger viewing, more to follow, we left our Farmhouse in Caerlaverock and set off towards home.

Due Wednesday given a fair wind and tide so currently in a small cottage near Brampton in Cumbria for some R&R before the final transfer.

 

Meanwhile let me show what awaits those who take a few days in East Farmhouse in search of Barnacles.

 

The view of the Farmhouse from a hide, hence photo spoiling quality of glazing reflections as the window did not open, but what a view nevertheless.

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As before our bedroom is the two left handed windows and of course the conservatory is ours to use as is the Tower and guests are not confined to 10.00-16.00 hours but can wander the property 24/7 so mind out for badgers.

Booking for next year although not as central as we would wish.

 

To finish the post I show a Black-tailed Godwit seen yesterday for any doubters.

 

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On 11/19/2021 at 9:37 AM, Dave Williams said:

Interesting re the YL Gull or LBB. I'd go Yellow-legged.

After two weeks away and not so much feeding our badgers visited outside the kitchen three times last night but strangely since the clocks went back they have been getting later. Doesn't make sense to me.Now visiting around 9pm, what about yours Fred?


I’d say that mine were getting earlier (to the point of me meeting one as I went out to put out food for it the other day) but the last few nights they have been later again, so who knows? (Sorry for hijacking the thread Fred)

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1 hour ago, Tdgraves said:

(Sorry for hijacking the thread Fred)

No problem. The hour change to GMT would suggest that the appearance would come an hour earlier on our watches, which defies @Dave Williams's animals.

For our Scots Badger's it seemed that they were regular with the first prompt at 17.15-30 each night bar one when he was late by 18.00. Oddly the Sow and cubs seemed to follow his timetable closely. Except one evening he came back for his second helping whilst the others were still feeding. So I have four animals in one shot. Of course my viewings did not really ID individual animals accurately and there may well have been more that four animals. What impressed me was the strength of the 'forearms' in moving rocks and logs to get at hidden caches of nuts. objects we would struggle to move were casually 'flipped' aside.

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Dave Williams

Our first Badger visit has been as late as just after midnight then last night one came at 21.15 the earliest for some time but tonight still no sign yet and it 22.40.

Before the clocks changed they were coming at 8.00pm.

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13 hours ago, Galana said:

we left our Farmhouse in Caerlaverock

Wow, that's some moody, gorgeous looking accomodation. What goes on in the tower? I'd love to see a Badger one day.

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21 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

Our first Badger visit has been as late as just after midnight then last night one came at 21.15 the earliest for some time but tonight still no sign yet and it 22.40.

Problem solved. Your Badgers are Welsh and ours Scottish.They like to get a few bevvies in before the night is too old.

 

11 hours ago, elefromoz said:

What goes on in the tower?

The Tower is a viewing platform. Open to the public 10-16.00 daily but we had our own key from our 2nd floor so had access whenever we wished.

(We actually never used it but it was always there should the weather turn bad enough to restrict our excursions on foot.

Great place to be as the views were fabulous. A large mega telescope was installed up there and on a clear night we could see geese on Venus.

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Yesterday we went to a small local park called Talkin Tarn which was my first visit since many years.

Now a full blown 'Country Park' as serving a more diverse population from Babystrollers to Doggywalkers.

We did see some Goosanders among the Mallard and Tufties as well as these two specimens.

 

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And especially for our mentor from North wales, @Dave Williamsa special sighting of

a pair of

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's no Geese.

 

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Dave Williams
19 minutes ago, Galana said:

And especially for our mentor from North wales, @Dave Williamsa special sighting of

a pair of

DSCN1091.JPG.d7451087f28be9b1a790237b8ec52d35.JPG

 

's no Geese.

 

A good alternative to Turkey for Christmas dinner I think.

 

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On our second full day near Brampton we headed east to the start of Hadrian's Wall near Bowness on Solway to see what reserves on the south shore of Solway could produce. I was very pleased with the ease of access to the foreshore as the road more or less keeps very close to the tidal marshes. Recommended.

Sadly my walks inland failed to yield much apart from a solitary Goose and a Little Egret or two but the potential is there on the right day.

And despite large flocks of Teal, Wigeon and Sheldduck the tide was too far out to yield waders and my target of Knot was very elusive.

I did manage to get a small flock close enough to go for a point so here goes with the EBC of the trip....

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143. "Red" Knot.

 

And now I am back home for the rest of 2021 so I will try to add more points for the full year and the Isle of Man too.

 

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15 hours ago, Galana said:

we headed east to the start of Hadrian's Wall near Bowness on Solway

 

Is it the start or is it the end? :P

 

"It runs in an east-west direction, from Wallsend and Newcastle on the River Tyne in the east, traveling about 73 miles west to Bowness-on-Solway on Solway Firth. The wall took at least six years to complete. Construction started at the east end and moved westward. "

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5 hours ago, Soukous said:

Is it the start or is it the end? 

It all depends on who you listen to or read.

"The trail runs for 84 miles (134 kilometres) between Bowness-on-Solway (on the west coast) and Wallsend (on the east)."

And your knowledge of the way they did things in Roman Britain.

Several factors would have come into play.

1. Local labour. No doubt the fine British tradition of using Irish 'Navvies' (although they were not called navvies until the Duke of Bridgewater and James Brindley hired them to dig the Bridgewater Canal from Worsley to Salford :P) was picked up by Hadrian and these Irish workers would have been landed in the west to start digging.

2. Incentive. What better incentive could be the promise of a few bottles of the forerunner of Newcastle Brown Ale at the end of the project? ^_^

3. Climate.  Digging from west to east would place the prevailing wind at yer back and make working outdoors more pleasant than facing the rain.:angry:

4. Economy. The promise of  more well paid work in the Shipyards of Tyneside when you got there. :(

5. There was allus achance to blow yer wages wi a rest day at Blaydon Races alang t'Scottsood raad tha knarrs.

6. Many a bonnie lass waitin wi a little fishy on a little dishy for some R&R. :wub:

7. Working west to east makes the days shorter.

8. And the scenery is crap at the eastern end anyway.

 

Unless of course you know different.

 

 

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Dave Williams

You are a mine of information Fred!

"When the boat comes in ".... I wish they made series like that now instead of the total garbage that is "I'm a celebrity (????)" although I have to admit the money that has arrived from ITV to restoring a local mock castle is good news for the restoration project and probably the local economy too.

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3 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

You are a mine of information Fred!

How kind my fellow Kelt.

I felt it would be better to keep them darn Sassenachs wondering rather than point out the obvious truth to them.

 

The wall does run west to east. Fact.

As the Lads passed through Newcastle they held what would now be called in Management speak a Staff Brainstorming session to think up a good name for the site for the planned finish.

One of me da's ancestors was a bright lad and suggested "Walls End" and it had a good ring to it so it kinda stuck and he won a promotion to Marketing and a packet of Woodbines.

The rest, as they say, is History.  :lol:

 

 

Edited by Galana
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I have been home a week now so despite the wind I ventured north to see if there was anything new to add to my list.

The sea was a bit boisterous so no chance of Divers or Long tailed Ducks but my friendly Golden Plover were still at home and taking shelter.

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and the whole flock now numbers around sixty or more.

 

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On the horizon is the Cumbrian coast of England

 

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Dave Williams

The Isle of Man looked a lot closer from Cumbria when we were there Fred. The recent storms must have pushed you further out to sea!

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18 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

The recent storms must have pushed you further out to sea!

I blame all those bloody Wind Turbines you people are spoiling my view with.:angry:

 

I used to throw back my bedroom curtains of a morning and take in the empty ocean and now I see rank upon rank of giant white Triffid like objects all outlined against the rising sun.

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Venturing out after Storm Barra had blown though there was not much wildlife about although I did see some out of season Gannets still around. Perhaps they have decided to avoid all travel in accordance with the latest Covid regulations?

However some Linnets broke the rules on mixed gatherings and braved the cold weather to keep smart.

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It made me cold just to watch them.

 

Only four Golden Plover braving the winds today but keeping company with their smaller cousins.

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There is quite a size difference in various 'plover' species.

 

 

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Then the clouds rolled back in and it was time to head home for a nice hot drink of Rum and blackcurrant.

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Wonderful shot of the bathing Linnets!

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8 hours ago, PeterHG said:

Wonderful shot of the bathing Linnets!

Thank you. Glad you liked it.

Today was fine and sunny with little wind so a calm sea was promised meaning possible Divers no longer hidden in deep troughs etc.,  Well the Deep troughs had gone but so it seemed had the Divers. Apart from a few Cormorant and the usual Eiders the surface was bare.

Not even the resident flock of Golden Plover was to be found.

I did see about 14 Turnstones doing what Turnstones do...

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Ambition.

 

The Grey Seals were enjoying the sun and warmer wind.

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And I found this lbj too.

I had thought it was my target Snowfinch but it obviously is not. No idea what it is so I cannot count it (yet.)

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Wrong forum I know but any ideas on here?

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11 hours ago, Galana said:

Wrong forum I know but any ideas on here?

Well local experts suggest Water Pipit and it does seem to be close enough so I am counting it..

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144. (IOM110) Water Pipit.

 

Unless anybody would like Red-throated perhaps.

 

Edited by Galana
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  • 2 weeks later...

@GalanaAre you sure about the Water Pipit ID :rolleyes: 

I tried Merlin Bird ID and it suggested Squacco Heron:D

 

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On 12/26/2021 at 4:21 PM, mvecht said:

I tried Merlin Bird ID and it suggested Squacco Heron

Well I can take that one if you prefer but I think it best not to.:(

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