nature notes

Margaid said:
Hen-Gen said:
dinosaw said:
Never knew owls would travel in flocks.
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Or even parliaments.
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I had a wonderful book when I was at primary school called the New First Aid in English. It had all the collective nouns in it, proverbs, nonsense rhymes from Edward Lear and all sorts of interesting and useful stuff. It disappeared unfortunately - having asked me to leave my childhood books with her when I married, my mother had a clear out without telling me and I lost a lot of stuff I wanted to keep. :(
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I had that book as a child. Mine went missing, too, and a couple of years ago I bought another on eBay.
 
Marigold said:
Would this be it?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-First-Aid-English-2nd/dp/0340882875
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It's obviously a much more modern edition - my sister had First Aid in English but they brought out a new edition by the time I had one. This would have been round about 1960! Thanks for looking Marigold but I'll maybe try on Ebay because I suspect that doesn't have the Edward Lear rhymes.
 
Had a ride out to RSPB Otmoor on the bike today. Must admit it wasn't really the weather for it - nearly lost it finding a pot hole underwater on Otmoor Lane and while walking around there was a sudden horizontal hail storm that soaked me through in 20 seconds. It was worth it though to see the build up as the incoming wind blew bucketfuls of leaves off an oak tree across the reeds - very dynamic and picturesque! Very chilly after that. But will definitely go back when it's brighter before to long. Mostly Canada geese, a couple of swans - Oh herons, moorhens, dunnocks doing their thing. There were some lapwing way out in the distance - bluetits and quite a few small birds that I didn't get enough of a look at to try to put a name to. There was a very handsome pheasant chap and the regular Corvid crew didn't let me down. The hide is very cosy!
Anyway, got home in time to give the chickens some bedtime mash and put the tarp wind break up on the run for the winter - they are probably not feeling the breeze yet but I definitely was!
 
It sounds a lovely, if bracing, way to spend the day. It feels increasingly hemmed in, what with covid-19 news and restrictions, and its great to be able to do something in the fresh air, away from people and cares. I am seeing more small birds of the vaguely colourful variety (finches, blackcaps, robins etc) on bare fruit tree branches, nibbling things as the weather turns colder. They have even been known to nibble olives, which taste vile raw, I can only think they are after the oil. Its the spider season, we don't get the huge furry variety thank goodness, its the turn of something with 2 inch thin legs and a 1/4 body. Its not a daddy long legs the legs are thicker and the body is smaller, rounder and browner. Whatever it is I rather like it.
 
Bingo! There are 3 of them, hanging round the front door. Last evening we found a toad, smaller than the resident one, so probably Son or Daughter of Toad.
 
I was going to say Harvester, close but no cigar! Strangely we have daddy-long-legs again. We had a first wave(sorry) in July/August, not many, but now some more are around. We used to have revolting black spiders in Yorkshire, scared the sh*t out of me, but 3rd winter here and (not tempting fate I hope) haven't seen anything similar. The cats used to hate them, too. One of the funniest things I've seen was a huge spider running straight for our lovely black cat Mungo - his instant back-pedalling was funnier than anything in Tom & Jerry.
 
Isn't it just awesome that spider. Quite cuddly looking. Just as amazing was the piece on Autumn watch last night showing how they jump, they have a unique hydraulic system that injects fluid into their legs, and then draws it back out again
 
This is what your average garden ant looks like as seen through an electron microscope
 

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Flippin' heck! Made the cats jump when I shrieked! Looks almost like a newly hatched bird except for the feeler.
 
Reminded us of the creatures in Quatermass and the pit. It is very bird like in many ways. You certainly wouldn't want it cow sized looking over the fence at you. It would scare the bejesus out of intruders though
 
According to OH, that's what it is, the seeds germinating on the plants and the scientific name for this is vivipary. One of the weird facts she has learn't that has stuck in the grey matter
 
bigyetiman said:
According to OH, that's what it is, the seeds germinating on the plants and the scientific name for this is vivipary. One of the weird facts she has learn't that has stuck in the grey matter
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Yeah, I've just been reading around - a sign of it being very wet apparently. Also I must keep an eye out for how goldfinch tackle them (as a favourite.) Its not like they have long beaks for the precarious job.
 
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