NatureBoy

+1 Good to see more English about this year. Lot of wild pheasants doing well to. To many buzzards about my way. Hitting them when they squat on the stubble's. NB

Very early! No mistaking the look flight or sound of fieldfares is there Jdog. I am in Mid Suffolk and was shooting near Debenham. They were on a mission passing thro. That is late for chicks. Probably not survive? Pheasants wary, well feathered and strong flyers as Red dot says. Good breeding season for them and partridges.Hopefully pest control paying off and can shoot any thing i want on those farms to. Plenty of chickweed in the stubble's for them at the mo to. NB

Out and about as usual over the weekend on the woodies that have been elusive round my way lately. Been a very quiet year and finding afternoons most productive. As i was picking up yesterday evening i saw a flock of about 20 birds in the distance heading my way. As they got closer i was really surprised to see they were field fares! High and heading south. This is the earliest i can remember them arriving. Anyone else seen any or other early Autumn migrants? Lot of woodies still sitting on nests. Good to see so many wild broods of pheasants and partridges doing well on the stubble's. Few English about to. Ended up with 15 woodies 2 crows a rabbit and a squirrel. Found some nice mushrooms to. NB

When we were kids. Me and the vicars son found and caught a grass snake in the church yard. We rushed off excited to the vicarage to show his mum and the ladies having afternoon tea. The snake writhed and regurgitated a part digested frog on to the kitchen floor with a splat. His mum being a bit delicate, on seeing and smelling this projectile vomited over the kitchen table. We just ran! Sadly i heard he killed himself the other month. R.I. P Mark. Happy days! Another time in my misspent biker youth one of our regular Favourite Summer runs was to a pub by the river Deben. While some of my mates were getting the usual beers in i found a big ol grass snake in the beer garden. They returned with no beers followed by the landlord. He told us we weren't welcome as he had a load of yacht club types in. After a bit of verbal and jeers from the yachting snobs as we were leaving i dropped the snake thro an open window into the bar. Beer, glass's, tables, chairs and punters flew everywhere as we roared off and the snake headed for the door. NB

Truly great poem 7days. Have old treasured copy of the book i have read many times. Both it and your poem sum up a way of life that my father, grandfather and gt grandfather as Suffolk countrymen and others knew lived and told of. Folk of spirit passion great knowledge of the natural world and skill. Born in a time to a way of life of rural poverty, suppression and necessity that few would condone or ever understand! Ditchy here's also a great dvd called The truth behind i walked by night. Telling the true story of the character Fredric Rolf. King of the Norfolk poachers. Tho he was a Bungay boi! NB

Used to find and play with them as kids. They are good swimmers to. Often see when fishing. Couple of years ago was up farm and farmer shouted from grain store for me to come over. His dog was going crazy barking at a very big grass snake. He had never seen one before. So convinced him it wold be safe for him to hold for a photo. As i picked it up it sprayed a real evil smelling bile from it's vent. Luckily not over us. It was so strong it caused us to back away. Never had that happen before. NB

I am in Mid Suffolk Sandspider. Saw my first about 20yrs ago. Had to look it up for ID. In my garden most years for the last 15. Bit of a wild natural garden randomly managed for critters. They seem mainly interested in honeysuckle rambling through ivy on fence and shed at mine. Even certain areas of it. That might explain the breeding over wintering theory. As that part of garden sunny and sheltered with warmth from sheds in winter.. If you sit still they don't seem bothered and addictive to watch. In your face close. Hornets will have a go at them. Lot of other unusual insects and plenty of butterflies about this year. NB

Have privet hawks at mine. Another amazing looking moth and caterpillar. Sometimes find there old cocoons and preserve them. Leave my security light on at night and watch them feed on budleah. Had humming bird hawk moths in garden other week. Proper bird like. NB

Looks like horse. Get it in the pan with some butter. Very tasty! The gills should be pinkish and will darken up as it ages. Picked loads this weekend. Wood mushrooms to. Been a good year for them. Can get real big. Dinner plate size. Largest i found weighed 2lb 6oz. Stem nearly as thick as my wrist. Stems can get maggoty but crown will still be ok to eat. Penny buns my fave. NB

Thank for all your interest help and info folks. Been busy with work and chasing pigeons on the stubble's. Going to try steelseal to keep it going as don't do many miles with it and mainly local. Only started using it for shooting recently after my Chevy truck failed MOT. People recon it in to good condition for shooting truck. It an LS 7 seatr with up grades. Parking sensors, lights, DVD player, wireless head phones and screens in back of seats etc. Surprised that a few people lately have shown interest in it and buying it before gasket went. So are the ol series 2 V8s in demand at mo? I picked it up 4 years ago because it was real cheap, i liked how it handled, the rumbling V8 sound and novelty of gas powered motor. A lot of truck for ya buck! Personal plate included, Had been thinking of keeping it and doing it up thro the winter. Sorting and sealing chassi etc. NB

One of my shooting trucks is a series 2 Disco 4L V8 with gas conversion. It's head gasket blew the other day and garage recon £1000,00 plus to fix. Said because of age and value it really not worth doing, It's still in fairly good nick done 150,000 mls and i would like to keep it going without this expense. Folk have suggested i try using a product called liquid steel? in the system to try and seal it. Has anyone tried this with any success or can recommend another product or solution? NB

Picked up an old red and roe buck head recently. They are clean well weathered the antlers are green but ok. So i want to clean them up and preserve them to use for photography,teaching aids and exhibits. Red head is quite delicate, broken and has old warblers nest in the brain cavity. Bone porous, discoloured and has bit of green algal growth on. Was wondering how to clean, whiten repair and preserve them without soaking or boiling them as think they may fall apart and distort on drying?? Plus i want to try and keep the nest in place. I have used bleach to whiten/clean up new skulls i have decayed naturally in the past, but worried that i it may damage/degrade the old bone more? Is there a chemical i can brush on and neutralise after that will do the job?? Was thinking of using white 2 pack wood filler for repairs and firm up weak spots? Maybe use clear wood hardener on porous areas first and super glue for cracks and teeth?? Sealing after with PVA or water/oil based aerosol matt varnish?? Any help and ideas much appreciated. N.B

Bit more interesting than Bake off or master chef tho. Lol. Yeah. Have a look mate. It's been interesting! Made by Italian production company and Oliviero Toscani one of the judges so wasn't easy! Lol. Sponsored by Leica, who's equipment they had to use! Very! Very!! expensive kit!!!! Also been big fuss in the photo/journalist press about one of the other Brit contestants stealing copying and using other famous photographers work. Lot of pressure trying to get the pics you want in random countries and locations while being filmed with time/language restrictions. She has made it through to next weeks final tho!!! Amazing! And that there's been so much interest in pics of by products of our sport and critters we find in the field. Many not even knowing what they are looking at. Has lead to some great interesting conversations about photography/production, shooting, countryside, farming, pest control, nature, conservation, eating wild food and using there remains. Any awareness and promotion of how shooting is involved and can benefit nature and conservation can't be a bad thing! ATB N.B

Great pics again fela!!! Photographer i supply skulls wings feet bodies n bits of critters to for a photo series/project entered them in to and got accepted for the current series of Sky Arts Masters of photography. She's doing well! Be interested to hear what the photographers and you guys on there think of them and the show?? Episode 7 on sky arts tonight. She's in with a shout of the 150,000e prise!!! ATB N.B

Great guns!!!! I have Gd1 28in barrels. fixed chokes. Weighs 6.5lb. Picked up for much less than what it's worth off an lovely ol boy i know about 6 months ago. He brought it new and had only put a couple of boxes of carts through it. With how poor the pigeon shooting was in my area last winter it made a big difference to my shooting and helped put a few extra birds in the bag. Being that much lighter than a 12 so well balanced and easy to carry. When woodies didn't decoy well or were field hopping, instead of not setting up or packing in, i walked the fields and tried different farms and areas. Using hit and move tactics if they didn't play ball or come back. Carrying just gun, game bag, bino's, pocket full of carts and 3 or 4 flocked shells.Usually ending the day most weeks in a roost wood. First used it in a wood and was immediately surprised with how quick, point-able and distances it was knocking down birds with the various carts i was given with the gun. Both woodies and pheasants. Very handy on crows, rabbits and the odd fox to. It feels so right it's a keeper for me!! Also because it belonged to a die'n breed of proper ol country boi i av known all my life who has taught me a lot about nature, shooting and the land! He got me my first farm to shoot on to. After going thro the various carts that came with it i have settled on and found sipe 28g 6's do the job. What do others use? Down side. Carts more expensive, but don't take up so much room/weight in the pocket. Being nearly new i find the action and safety still very stiff after putting 1,500 carts thro it. Sorry to waffle on. Lol. NB

River Yare Norfolk. Ditchmans way. Proper tidal river fishing! Plenty of roach, bream and hybrids. Plenty of pegs (50+) good access, scenery and wildlife. Feeder, float, pole or pole feeder all work. 60lb+ needed to win some matches if you on the bream. 20lb+ bags of roach common for section win. Check out match results/booking on line. Local pubs n accommodation for meet/draw/ breakfast. Watch out for boats. NB

Anyone remember Paulus The Woodnome? Used to think i had imagined it because none of my friends remember it. The wicked witch and theme tune scared the #### out of me as a kid. Had to watch tho. ITV Saturday mornings. Spike Milligan done the narration i think? Still remember that tune. NB

Just ordered one. My grandfather was there!. Got decorated for his actions at hellfire corner! He then got gassed but made it back home. Have his medals and ribbons still boxed. He never wore them! Have his military trunk to. Including his horse brushes dress tunic,bayonet, a mean looking knuckle duster,letters and some sourcy french post cards and poems. NB

Top man! Was a must watch as a rural youth. Very aware of the rural urban divide and attitudes even back then. Just got the box set of the lost episodes that were thought lost put out by his boy. NB

Really!? He was keen to point out shooting trapping and poisoning as the cause! Failed!!! Or chose not to mention! Other winged and ground predators, disturbance by walkers/dogs, weather, prey availability/diversity and poor/reduced gene pool, or other reasons. Is supplementary feeding really a good thing? Or disturbance by monitors? NB

There's a little chief at A14/A140 junction at Needhan/Coddenham services. Sorrel Horse At Barham Just up road from there do Accommodation and breakfasts. Crown in Claydon (breakfasts). Just up A140 there's Stonham Parva Magpie (breakfasts). Stokeash White Horse (breakfasts/Accommodation). ASDA cafe just off A14 Bury side of Ipswich. Orwell truck stop if you going over bridge. Hope you Have a good day out East! NB

Twice i have seen toads on the same stretch of beach at Bawdsey purposly hop/crawl down the beach and swim off strongly out to sea. Why would they do that? Surely certain death? Another time found a live healthy toad in an empty 5L paint tin left in the middle of my parth over night and wondered how it could of got there? Several years ago i found the mummyfied bodies of a frog or toad and a mouse in a yogart pot on a shelf in my shed. A robin hopped into the running blades of my mower when i was emptying the grass box. Very strange. And we wonder why there's less critters about! NB

Storm tracked across north of Ipswich. Was amaze'n! Farmer showed me pics today of storm damage. They picked up hail stones the size of walnuts and it trashed there greenhouse. Most of the glass gone. Just managed to get there hay in before it hit. Standing water still in some fields today. Rape got well battered! NB

+1! osmo great product! Get what you pay for!

WE ARE OUT! HAPPY DAZE!!! ZZZZZzzz NB