Ferrari takes on Scousers

"The Ferrari F1 team fired their entire pit crew yesterday." This announcement followed Ferrari's decision to take advantage of the British government's 'Work for your Dole' scheme and employ some Liverpudlian youngsters. The decision to hire them was brought about by a recent documentary on how unemployed youths from Toxteth were able to remove a set of wheels in less  than 6 seconds without proper equipment, whereas Ferrari's existing crew could only do it in 8 seconds with millions of pounds worth of high tech  equipment. It was thought to be an excellent, bold move by the Ferrari management team as most races are won and lost in the pits, giving Ferrari an advantage over every other team. However, Ferrari got more than they bargained for! At the crew's first  practice session, not only was the scouse pit crew able to change all four wheels in under 6 seconds but, within 12 seconds, they had re-sprayed,  re-badged and sold the car to the Mclaren team for 8 cases of Stella, a bag of weed and some photos of Lewis Hamilton's bird in the shower Many thanks to my Lancastrian buddies! E

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Bucks Barn Owls

A shift across to the neighbouring county. The District Council for Aylesbury run a Barn Owl project. This covers a large area of agricultural land, mainly to the west of the town.

The scheme will monitor up to 150 boxes, many of which have been made for us by the inmates at Springhill Prison. To date, we have 50 boxes "occupied" by pairs. Some are in trees ...

... some are in barns ...

... and some are in disused buildings.
 

Yesterday, we visited five spread out sites. At two sites we were able to ring the young and at a further two sites we had to leave the young as they were far too small and were almost "down-less". What we were able to confirm was that the birds are now caching a lot of mice and voles.

So far this season, the total numbers of birds caught has been seven adults plus one control and 19 young, split into 5 broods of two and 3 broods of three.

 AVDC Conservation Officer Paul's first fondle of a Barn Owl chick.

One place we went to has had Barn Owls nesting there for over 25 years. Below is just one of two large heaps of guano on the floor. The female in this box also 'whit-washed' me on her exit!!

 The delay in breeding this season is likely to be as a result of the weather. Firstly, the cold snap in February probably stopped the birds getting into breeding condition. This they have managed to do as the weather warmed up. However, the dryness of the period from March to June has retarded some of the vegetation growth that the small mamal populations rely on for their breeding. Finally, the rains have come and everything now looks 'fine and dandy' for a later than usual breeding season. Let's hope that we don't get a long period of unsettled, i.e. poor hunting, weather.

As the team has been going round to the various landowners, several other nests have come to our attention en passant. The other nests where we have been able to ring the chicks so far are: - Buzzard 1, Kestrel 4, Stock Dove 3, Collared Dove 1, Little Owl 1, Tawny Owl 4, Green Woodpecker 1, Swallow 5, Robin 2, Spotted Flycatcher 2, Jackdaw 4, House Sparrow 1. We have picked up a new mist-netting site, too.

 

A stop-go week

The heat has been affecting cable broadband. We are about 4.5 cable miles from the exchange and heat affects our "box" up the road. And there's been alot of traffic, what with schools off and all those sporting events. It's been difficult to download photos on blogs/websites straight off, having to resort to right-clicking instead.

I'm typing this without a toolbar showing- so it's a bit hit and miss [Fixed it!]. Bird wise, only 5 spp this week, all in the garden. Gt. Tit 2, both 3Js
House Sparrow 17 (6), just the 2 adults as a 3 in Sept '08 and 3J in Jly '09
Chaffinch 1, 3J male
Greenfinch 1, a 2CY female with BP
Goldfinch (1).

The local pair of Blackbirds have decided to set up home in the apple tree, 5m away from the back door. She's been busy tearing off bents from my untidy (wildlife friendly) borders.

Temperatures have been in the upper 20s, top score 32C, by day and from 14 to 18C at night.

Leaking pipe in the d/s toilet cost £20 and the patio door jammed due to an "unwound rod" on the shoot bolt system (got it open 3cm before it stuck and it wouldn't go back either).The problem for me was, heavy rain was forecast for Monday coming; another £20 relieved from the back pocket. At least the bloke turned out on a Sunday between the Grand Prix and the footy final.

Sunday (today) was Barnacle goose round-up; it didn't go quite as anticipated. For a start the birds were on the "other lake".

 The pre-round-up 'huddle'

Off we go to find the geese

T

The flotilla passes by.
Ten canoeists and some of us 'pushing' from the bank soon had them penned up. I looked after the retraps. Still 139 retraps and in the region of 150 new birds plus 2 Greylags and 7 Canadas wasn't all that bad. (done my bit - just waiting for newly ringed totals, etc)

Ring (darvic C/U) taken off - had slipped over the bird's foot. 

The bird's foot can now heal after this unusual occurrence.

Ed got a ringing tick or two. 26 birds (Bargos) flew and 2 stayed put on an island. 10 Crossbills over north.

Ed married this Canada Goose

Retrap birds - '03 - 42%, '04 - 46%, '05 - 59%, '07 - 82% of the original number ringed
7 years old + = 11 birds
7 years old =6
6 years old + = 22
6 years old = 1 (ringed very few young)
5 years old + =32
5 years old = 36
3 years old + = 36
3 years old = 0 (no young ringed - parents and broods escaped)

Next stop - an old dirty loft for Swifts!