NatureBoy
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Posts posted by NatureBoy
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First lot of blackbirds fledged 4 yesterday. Robins were close as well, but got predated by feline. Lotti's nest in brambles but lost to climbing badger. Dogs off lead got moorhens eggs and trashed duck nests. Mistle thrush feeding young and little owls being very entertaining. NB
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We still getting new bird flu cases and restrictions here in Mid Suffolk. NB
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Long covid is no fun and very real!
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Holkham amazing place! Any time of year. Jake Finnes (a former keeper) and team doing some great work and educating folk inc NE. Looking forward to reading his book coming out soon. I wonder if that's why Avery and co are slagging of Norfolk on their SM at the mo. . . Holkham on this week, GWCT's Allerton project on the other week. Was interesting they didn't actually mention GWCT or the shoot side in that prog. Even though you could see blue barrel feeders in some shots. Both episodes good. Are Countryfile finally listening? . . . Matt Bakers farming/family prog aint bad either. . . . . . Anyone else been doing big farmland bird count for GWCT? Done 3 of my perms for farmers. last one testerday as today the last day to get your results in if you have. NB
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Strange man! Apparently a blonde one he knew/filmed. What are the chances of him finding it dead in road. Sat in his car stroking it crying and took it home. Ask him if he cried for the one they trapped radio collared and released at Minsmere reserve for Spring Watch. One of the production crew ran it over. Don't Laugh.😉 We have asked. No reply and been kept quiet. If you know the narrow rough roads/tracks round there you wouldn't think it possible. NB
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Is that one of your fish laying behind it to the right? NB
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It's on the rise again my way. Big time! Loads going down with it. Including my brother, his wife and three kids. They were dismissive of it even after i had it twice bad, and still have long covid. They now all have it bad and all tested *** on same day of first symptoms. Strange how people change after they get it. Easy for peps that are OK to say get on with life, but there are a lot like me trying to shake off long covid still. Over a year for me now, and others i know who are younger and fitter (runners) still get puffed out going up stairs or just walking to post box. It is something we just got to learn to live with but i dread getting it again. NB
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If folk are stuck for outlet for surplus birds etc try Give Up The Game on face book. It works and great for contacts. Same with local village sites. Can't get enough to keep all folk happy at times. It gets folk eating local wild food/ game or just a chance to try it cheaply, bartered or free. The more peps that try it, know how good it is and know of a local outlet/supplier the better. A win win for shooting! Different times call for different ways of doing things. Promote it ourselves. So many doing their own thing now. NB
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Shame to hear so much negativity on this thread! WJ not the great threat or influence they would have many believe now. Only so many times they can keep repeating themselves and spin things. Public not as stupid and taken in as they think either. Hearing Packham has lost a lot of credibility from more folk all the time. Couple of new books coming out soon from Patrick Galbreath and Jake Finnes that will have Avery spitting feathers. As for Tingay, angry obsessive, the hate is strong in that one! Up to us all to stand up for our way of life. If we really care that is! Same ol story! Still to many happy to leave it to a few! NB
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My grandads who worked on the land and with horses/livestock all his life used to shoot them to. Dozen plus at times to the single shot of his old 12 bore if he did it right as such big flocks. He also used to collect the eggs. Times were hard and there was so many he used to send some up to the London markets. Everything had it's season/use and helped feed and clothe folk one way or another back then. . . . I had an injured lapwing as a boy. Proper character called rusty (rump) for obvious reasons. It never really seemed interested in flying or leaving/escaping. Used to take it to school sometimes like my other critters, for talks and art class's etc. NB
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Ring tail Hen Harrier still about despite disturbance. Seeing lot more lapwing about this winter. Roosting on fields at back of mine tonight with a few goldies. Looking good for tree sparrows my way. . . . . Anyone else notice/hear pheasants kicking off/calling last Saturday night? We were out, it a very still clear night and about 7.30 they suddenly started calling from the wood we were near and for miles around. Several other peps reported the same. Folk recon it down to seismic activity after volcano erupting? Very strange. NB
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Yep! Some folk need to read GL's again. Birds do nest in January. Barn owls on eggs my way and collard doves sitting on a nest in barn. NB
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A strange day. Never realised Meat and Jim's music touched so many! NB
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So So many memories! Sound track to our youth! The one and only! He and Jim gave us so much! R.I.P big man! 😒
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Good post! Voted! We need a lot more doing this. . . . . Billy Wyatt Give Up The Game well worth a vote to. Great site! More of us who say they can't shift surplus game should try using the site. Less moaning and no excuses folks! Great way to build up local regular contacts wanting wild food, educate folk and find new recipes and stuff. Folk offering/wanting from whole carcass to hides feathers and skulls etc. NB
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Local farm/ conservation/ shoot started the year by managing to catch and ring the first little egret for the farm. Total of birds they rung for 2021 3,500 +. Total rung since 2006 now 40,000 +. Not bad for 200 acres managed well, the right habitat and folk willing to share knowledge, fieldcraft and skills. 2021 another good year locally for turtle doves despite pressure/disturbance from birders . . . . Seen ring tail hen harrier on local heath last few weeks. Found it's roost and several pellets. Shame birders had to report, post pics and location of it on their sites. Some are strange narrow minded obsessive lot. Glad i kept local of roost to myself. And they dare call us the bad guys! . . . . . . . Short eared owl and snow buntings at Benacre beach yesterday. Gt northern divers off coast and female merlin after starlings going to roost in reed bed. . . . . Saw a house martin Newmarket way in late November. Found out other day one seen in near by Fordham the day before is latest recorded for Cambridgeshire. Same bird? Maybe. Folks have reported seeing swallows. NB
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That's a lot of growth for short time. Does that wall sweat in cold months or run off from elsewhere? Have you stood planters/pots on there and used plant feed? Brush on Household thick bleach mixed 50/50 with water with cheap nylon bristled brush and leave. Good as any expensive fungicidal mix. Not cheap, but try Dulux All Seasons oil based masonry paint. NB
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Cracking fishing on that stretch of the river to. Proper anglers river, some say one of the best/fairest in the country. One that you have to work at to get good results. Sell out open matches still pull 60 anglers prove that. With different methods, approaches and knowledge and ability to read the tides/flow needed to frame in every match. Big bags of roach to 2lb plus and good bream if you get it rite. If you think bream don't scrap try getting one of 8lb + out of there on a big tide when there's a lot of boat traffic about. Lot fewer eels in the river now, like everywhere else. Used to be a real pain. Bird life was often a distraction. Loved the place so much i would stay on and carry on fishing after some 5hr matches. Sometimes just to enjoy the surroundings, try different methods or try to get to grips with the bream on a different tide. Memorable sun sets, sights and noises over the marsh as evening come on. Special place! I was that keen i often used to sleep in my truck if there was another match on the river the next day. Good times! NB
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Great vid Simon and fantastic shooting. What's the story with Jack and the fox cubs? NB
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31 minutes ago, oowee said:
Plenty of room down here. The only reason there is an issue is because we don't resource the issue. Get used to it as the sea level rises the coastal dwellers of Norfolk will be on the move.
We will build a wall along the Waveney to keep the six fingered web footed Nor folk out. 🙂 That's why i live on a hill. Or what passes for a hill in Suffolk. NB
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We just got to accept we going to loose lead and game folk got to try harder and easier to get more game into the food chain. Don't have any problem shifting surplus myself and have made some great non shooting friends/regulars/supporters doing it and educated many others. Some are amazed your offering them free food and get that shooting and killing is part of it. Give up the game on Face book a great site for doing that and well worth supporting and using just for that reason. Plenty of info and banter about grub and shooting to. . . . I think we are holding there own at mo. As it has gone on more folk have seen through WJ and the anti shooting political class war. Packham's band wagoner's have fallen away. Tony Juniper is not the puppet CP, Avery and the strange angry gal thought he would be from on the same day he took up the post at NE as they first challenged the GL's Lot more of us pushing back now and educating folk. in a good informative way. Remember FSC were one of the first to have a go back at them though, and still do weekly. TGS GWCT and Gamekeepers Association have made some good programmes to. C4PMC good to, and not afraid of getting stuck in. Plenty of good info on youtube. That where i send folk who are interested in both sides of the story and learning more. Show n tell them a little and if they are really interested or care they will find out more for themselves. They may never take up shooting but many get the whole shooting and conservation picture and don't want to stop our way of life. Some have even joined GWCT Because like so many they are not happy with RSPB or WT. NB
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We are full! Profit over neglected infrastructure to look after our own! . . . Whatever your views on refugees/immigrants, check out Lee Stuarts sketch "Dammed Immigrants" on youtube. Olde but still makes me chuckle. NB
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I didn't think it was all negative. Surprised they didn't bring out CP or Dr No, as they have just had a go and tested for the same. Liam Stokes BGA said he actually done 2hrs of footage/interview for the show covering a lot more but they used a mere 40 seconds. As said biased reporting. Interesting that the "scientist" struggle to identify shot from seeds. Plenty of folk have complained to BBC about the show. GWCT have responded to it. Tabloids have said public have complained about the negative biased reporting. As i have said many time before, instead of just moaning amongst ourselves if we really care we can all have a voice about shooting and conservation and be educators. It works! The public are not so stupid and anti shooting as some folk think, or the anti media would have us and others believe. NB
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23 hours ago, Walker570 said:
Yes, been through all that but blue tits have now nested four years out of five in a ragged hole in the end of our yard wall which must be four inches across and always raised a brood. The one year they gave up was when some of those orange bummed bumble bees, the ones you do not annoy decided to build a nest there. Personally I believe it is location location location and like us humans they eye up the location before making a decision. The aim is to provide at least twenty different choces through the wood and be happy if five of them are accepted. Being a relatively new wood very few of the trees have holes so I have to provide the artificial ones. Thanks for the heads up anyway.
Good post! Gt boxes!🙂 As you say. Location! Location! Location! Think where you found them nesting naturally and when we were kids. Keep it simple, I never bother about hole sizes or with perches. less for predators to hang on to or competition to perch and harass/predate occupier. They don't have to be pretty either. I use old boots wedged in ivy or screwed in place. Soon blend in. Can even be tied with laces and hole adjusted to size. Old wellies good to and blend in well. Can get 4 plus out of a pair with a bit of imagination. Tree sparrows in them on one site this year. 15= 25L plastic barrels work for owls and kestrels. In buildings and outside. Cut, heat, bend, sorted. Lighter and easier to install. Get box's up or clean them out folks as birds will still use them for roosting this time of year. . . . . . . . Some boffins been saying recently we shouldn't even be providing box's or feed birds at all. Saying can spread disease, provides more for dominate species and predators. Think I'll carry on trusting what i see, use common sense and do more targeted pest control. Nature and conservation needs better trained more knowledgeable scientists, field workers and ecologists who really care! Who are prepared to listen to and work with the likes of GWCT, land managers, pest controllers and practitioners who know the ground and it's wildlife. NB
You know your growing old.....
in Off Topic
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When your long term customer says they have had another estimate off a younger more athletic looking tradesman, so would i like to revise my estimate. This was just last week and i am only 57. Made me laugh. Be one for the book that. I would of understood if it had been a woman.🙂 NB