NatureBoy

The unopened packet should be ok. The sealed tube is probally overlap/border adhesive. Basically PVA. Work tube in your hands to mix it. Cut top, if it smells bad or gone brown/lumpy/runny bin it. If it.s been frosted bin it. NB

Not that old but i have a 20yr old chevy blazer 4.3L V6. One of the few right handers i am told. Goes like stink in a straight line but corners screaming like a jelly mould. Sounds great and best driven like ya stole it! Puts a grin on my face on and off road at a gas guzzling 15-18 ml to gallon. Still only done 100k. Aint cheap to run but very reliable and little goes wrong. Never gona wear them big motors out. Picked it up very cheep 10 years ago and was my shooting truck till a while ago. Folk laughed at it, as it got blacked out windows and labelled it the pimp mobile. But it got me in/ through all sorts of places off road with just with general grabbers on it. Auto 4x4 and locking diff's help. Being a weighty beast i have pulled others out of trouble and great fun in the snow. Soaks up every thing off road in comfort and will quietly burble along on tick over so you can sneak up on stuff that are used to running from the sound of a diesel. Have been known to put wheel in a furrow/rut and walk along side it. No one seems to want to buy it/ them now? To juicy, parts, not many about and they will never be a classic. Use ranger now. Bit more practical more ground clearance and will still handle with A/T tyres. NB

Good! Next generation! I don't think the general public as bothered about game shooting/shooting as WJ and other anti groups would have you think. We notice it more because they accuse us of all sorts of things trying threaten to our way of life. A lot of people i have spoke to have been supportive or indifferent if you give them some true facts. NB

Part of it is over hunting on migration/winter grounds. Partly disease (tricho a prob). Partly a change in farm practices. Farms bigger, to tidy and efficient now. Need good thick thorn hedge with bramble habitat for successful breeding and protection from predators. Need untidy corners/strips with early seed producing plants/weeds. Hence the need to try and help them to build up energy quickly to breed when they return with supplementary feeding. They do not need big areas be successful. Rough spinney, bit of mature hedge or wild garden. In fact a lot of smaller areas with the right habitat and correct safe place to feed is better and more successful. Predator control is vital if we want to build numbers up! That include ALL corvids! Most definitely squirrels! and keeping on top of rats. Collard doves can be a big problem to where there are several. They will bully them off feed territory and nest sites. Also bully any fledglings. WJ have managed to get collards off the GL, but you can get license to control them. It's all quite simple and not that hard to do really and getting it right for turtle doves also helps other birds. whitethroats and other warblers will nest lower down in the scrub in the hedges. Buntings and finches will also nest there and all make the most of supplementary feed in the hunger gap. All benefit from targeted pest control and fewer predators! Getting it right for one helps many! . . . Strange that when i was a kid in the 70's turtle doves were a common sight and sound of summer, just like swallows and cuckoos. Collard doves were then a rarity that quickly established themselves in this country by the 80's. Competition helped caused decline in turtle doves? In some areas yes/ maybe. NB

He and his family had death threats after he done a piece on Countryfile about culling badgers. I was just going by what mates said who were at/met him at Purdey awards. They won silver that year and reckoned he top bloke knows is stuff! Good on his dad for starting the rare breed stuff! Part of our rural history and culture. . . Was talking the other day to folk about how the Suffolk Punch heavy horse is now more rare than pandas and they laughed. If it wasn't for the Hoseley Bay prison farm they would probably be gone by now. Think Adam has at least one, so good on him! NB

Lofty Wiseman top SAS instructor of many years and literally wrote the book on it all! Still carried and used by many. His vids on youtube are great. Old skool! Proper down to earth no bull. Loads of real info and instruction with no ads or sales pitch. Learnt a lot from them. Like Jack Hargreaves on steroids. 😉 NB

The main lot were late coming back this year like a lot of the other migrants. Back and nesting on at least four farms/sites. First back on 20th April, but one or two earlier else where in Suffolk. Still hopeful of more. Three successful pairs on 200 acre farm done better then the only three pairs that attempted to nest on the whole of Minsmere reserve other year. Had good success on other farms/sites to. And still they say there no need for pest control. So wrong! The field workers for the conservation orgs know and can see it works. They want our knowledge and data but will not tell print the facts these birds are doing ok on shoots and where there is targeted pest control. Had them breed successfully on 7 farms/sites last year. Only two of which were recorded as those farms are in The Turtle Dove Project. R.S.P.B sat taged 2 birds in project. Best i had was two successful nests in just 70ms of good thick thorn and bramble hedge. They actually don't need a lot to trithe. Bit of the right habitat in the right place, supplementary feeding and pest control works! Fact! There science is flawed! Trying to reinvent the wheel to make them look good and not listening to those on the ground that really know and do it. Simple! Or it should/could be! Problem we have had locally is that because the reserves etc are still shut. Birders are doing twitches on sites they have sussed turtle doves and red listers are. Blocking gateways,access, tracks and wandering where they like, stopping/interrupting farm work and disturbing/putting pressure on some of the rare birds they claim to love! Just to get a life year or county tick. I am passionate about all wildlife and the countryside ( and some of it tastes nice) but them twitchers a strange blinkered lot! Hobby's deserted nest because of them. Wildlife/Bird porn on a farm the other evening. 😉I was scouting for woodies and blacks for next day as i had been told they still hitting the beans. Need rain so bad now! Have never known woodies and stockies to be on the beans so much. Because of less rape and moisture i guess? There were numbers of both on the beans when all of a sudden all the blacks erupted calling loudly. Woodies not overly bothered. Through the bins i could clearly see a male red kite gliding over the top of the field towards me. Fantastic sight/colours lit by the low sun Not see many in Suffolk and the blacks clearly not happy and started mobbing it. They were joined by gulls. This didn't seem to bother it and it went down a picked up something dead off of field and continued to eat it in flight still quartering the field towards me. it was then briefly joined buy a female! amazing. She left after he wouldn't give up food. What made it special though was all this time i had at least 3 hares in front of me. A turtle dove continuously purrrring behind me. Coal tits and goldcrests feeding and calling in the firs above me and kestrels still feeding 5 chicks in a pole box to the right of me. . . . . Saw kite again next day when i shot over beans along with a cormorant or 2. . . . . Picked 15 woodies and 3 blacks. Was so windy. NB

Not perfect, but at least his, Jimmy's farm and the like gets kids and folk engaged with animals, farming and countryside. How else could you let/take kids on a working farm these days? You couldn't. Also think the open farm Sundays real farmers do are great. . . . Adam is a shooting man! Done talk and presented the Purdey Farm Shoot Conservation Awards the other year. NB

What fledgling had it got Jonty/ Hard to tell from pic. Young skylark? NB

Song thrush and blackbird. NB

Cheers for correction! I thought it were odd. NB

Interesting! Just had a look and ordered some myself to have a go again and experiment with. Can feel a Klimt thing coming on. 😉 Found 100 sheets of 24k, size and kit for £13.00 on line. See what turns up. So cheap! . . . . We were watched like hawks when doing it in my youth in case we tried to nick any. Last proper job i done using it was 17 years ago. That was restoring fluted columns and mouldings in a museum NB

Looks like BASC, BTO, RSPB all looking for new heads of various departments at mo? . . . Not seen much in shooting press about the sudden decision to bring in a close season for wood pigeons in Northen ireland from May 31st to September 1st. Not good! I think any close season will just lead to even more pigeons being shot when they can be. NB

Anyone else see the article in the Independent other day, about Boris intervening twice to have the badger cull stopped in Derbyshire. Can't find it? Apparently it was at the request of Carrie who's Dominic Dyers puppet! Not heard of anyone else jumping on it or it being mentioned else were. Seems to be a lot of anti activity centred on Derbyshire. NB

Ye olde egg tempera. Egg yoke diluted with water and splash of vinegar. Commonly used with added pigments in 1500 before oil paints. Still used in restoration on paintings in churches etc. Aint done any proper gold leaf since my apprenticeship days at college. Little call for it now. Gold leaf cheaper now than it was then. Aint done marbling graining or ragging for ages either. All were very sort after decorative skills back in the day. I have some old books from 1890's showing invoices where a master decorator with his apprentice was charging £30.00 a week for such skills. lot of money back then. Was all very secretive and often carried out behind locked doors to stop others seeing and trying to copy such skills. NB

Brillent! 😉 I and others heard quails last year my way. No reports this year yet. Saw one 2 year ago. First in many years. Heard migration slow this year and a lot of migrants still held up on continent. More swifts are turning up. NB

Great interesting info 7days. Ta! A mate of mine flys few different birds including a couple of eagles. Just amazing to be in there presents. Same with his gos. Not been out with him yet. Something i could get in to. Yep, me two. NB

Slight lifting of the lock down and they are all back on it seeking attention with there campaigning, accusations and chasing funding. So very convenient yet again. Same old MO. RSPB are still shut down so it's not there field workers "finding them". Strange they said they expected this to happen at the start of lock down to. Some very strange figures. They recon there has "probably" been 56 incidences of persecution on or around grouse moors and shoots reported to them since the start of lock down. An increase of 300/400%. Saying they have gone from 3/4 reports a week to 3/4 a day. Really!? If this is the case and with such high numbers if they have any real evidence we will be seen prosecutions and cases in court. I doubt it! The RSPB describes the countryside during lock down as being like the wild west. Crazy! NB

How cool is that IG!😉 i hope they don't keep you awake. Is that a 1st? Hope they stay and you get a chance to study them. I would like to live in your shed to! NB

Great story 7days. Didn't realise they suh fiesty hawks. Do many falconers fly them? What do you think of Gary Wall getting a licence to take perigrenes from wild for "breeding" keeping pure blood line of British birds? NB

Good to hear Twenty. I hope if a buzzard takes chick it's filmed and shared JDog. Interesting to read i am not the only one to of had this dismissive superior attitude from the RSPB n co when reporting rare sightings. I no longer bother either. I have had the same from local wildlife trust, bird groups and county recorder folk. I used to be a member of the RSPB and YOC as a kid. Packed them in a few year back. Corporate money grabbing hypocrites! Still like/visit my local reserve at Minsmere. It not as good as it was. Even with the 300k plus of electric predator fencing they put up after badgers were filmed raiding nests on Spring Watch. It's all about the bitterns there now. Not a single avocet chick fledged there last year and over 40 foxes were shot. I still have respect for BTO and support CRT and SBS. I had email from SBS other day, saying they are struggling and may have to wind up. I think they deserve our support if you can. NB

May still be about. They will all bundle out of nest if disturbed early/near to fledging. Dunnocks very secretive, like mice, especially after young have fledged. But most gardens seem to have at least one pair! It's unusual to even find there nest. Usually in deep cover, they like ivy. Very promiscuous birds. Males do a lot of the work and it's usually the slutty females you see chasing them. Got them nesting at mine but they keep low profile as they don't often get on with the robins and wagtails. Great little birds that will nest 3 times a year. Predator fodder though! Cats get a lot. . . . . . Just checked my 2nd robins nest, they hatched in last 2hrs. 6 little near naked black haired chicks. Mum eyeballing me through the window looking proud. 😉 Be interesting to see what parents do now as they were still feeding 3 young from first brood yesterday, mainly from feeders. . . . . Still far to many garden raiding magpies about. Had male sparrow hawk and little owl about today. Little owls used to be common my way. Like watching there antics. Think they get hammered by buzzards predating young and competing with jackdaws for nest sites. Rookery over road quieter now a lot of branchers out of nest and chasing adults about. Moorhens feeding there young under rookery from what the rooks drop/dislodge. Blue tits feeding young in nest inside hole in metal village sign post. NB

Is this the nest with young in the pic you posted Mice? If so, did you take it Wednesday? Those young in pic would prob not be ready to fledge today. Did you decide they were dunnocks? Is the egg blue? Probably infertile egg, they would leave it in nest. They will not reuse that nest either way. If they have fledged/been disturbed early you may hear contact calls (peeping noise) if you have cover for them in garden/nearby and parents will still be about with food. NB

Surely that down to the farmer and he could of simply put them right! Have always done it if farmer asks. It's legal! I have always broke there wings and hung them by the feet to swing/spin/flap in the wind from a low springy/green stick so as not to interfere with sprayer. Or hang them upside down on stock fence or entrance. If that didn't work i shot em! . . . . Great bag FH! keep at them. WJ on the war path again on all fronts and fully funded! Lot of jacks about this year! NB

They have been ripping up beans big time this year.They also eat eggs and young. Especially in dry Springs. Been/are a real pain on farms with free range hens, out door pig units along with jackdaws to. Getting loads in ladder traps.They clobbered some ducklings last month. 3 rooks done the whole brood in minutes. Wasn't the 12th always traditionally rook day and always so looked forward to by most country folk and shooters. Kept them moving and the best and easiest time to really knock numbers back. Some of the old boi's and gals also used to say brancher's the best meat ever. Hense 4 and 20 black birds baked in a pie! My ol dad loved em! Very tasty. Weren't that the idea of scarecrows and lads in the fields with rattles/rook rifles years ago/. . . Perhaps we should just all pack in pest control, roll over to WJ's new challenges and take up clay "target" Shooting!? NB