Norm B

Finally got my pond sorted, only a year too late. Sadly no great crested newts to be found but a dozen or so of smooth newts and palmate newts and a pile of red ramshorn snail shells, none living, cooked by the hot summer. Put new liner in and filled it up. Looked at it next night with a torch and saw several newts, including a male GCN had arrived from hibernation. Saw a male GCN in my newt/snail-rearing hippo last night so pushed a net through it a few times and came up with a male and a female GCN plus a male smooth newt, BONUS! Now I'm hoping there are a couple of female GCN's to come out of hibernation to start breeding. Pond weed is late growing this year so I've planted some ornamental rushes below the waterline to give some cover for any eggs laid. Also I could do with some red ramshorn snails to replace my breeding stock, or some black ramshorns if no reds available. And some frog and toad spawn as no tadpoles survived last years heat wave due to the low water level. If anybody has a couple of "spare" female GCN's I would love one or two to replenish my breeding stock. I drained 90% of the pond yesterday as I found 3 newts floating and swimming on the surface so I'm not happy with the tablets I put in to control the "Green Water" which seems to be affecting the life in the pond. In the course of draining the pond I discovered 3 frogs and more GCNs than I'd put in so obviously they survived the heatwave and found somewhere cool and damp to survive the summer heat and winter cold. I am now in desperate need of some Canadian pond weed, or similar for the smooth and palmate newts to spawn in. Please message me and I'll travel a reasonable distance to collect them. TIA. Norman.

New news. I heard a squawking of birds, mainly blackbirds while I was on my computer, looked out and the local sparrow hawk had got a bird, judging by the amount of grey feathers it is a wood pigeon which is a shame as we have a pair visiting at feeding time, just glad it wasn't a black bird.

Bad news I'm afraid as the magpies have got the young ones. Unfortunately, due to my stroke I can't cock my .22 and my gunsmith couldn't put a weaker spring in until this week and so no deterrent. Also due to my weak arm I can't get the gun apart to do the job myself although I know how to do it. Hopefully I'll get the magpies before the blackbirds build a new nest. As of today, Friday, Mrs Blackbird has started building a new nest in almost the same spot as her old one. I know it sounds daft but most, if not all of our gardens are neat and tidy so no obvious places to build a nest. Mine has areas of "wild ground", especially for nests and normally the magpie would have been culled but due to my stroke I found I couldn't cock my air rifle, it's all in hand now and I should have it back before the nest is finished.

1922's disaster ran into 1923's disaster as the long hot summer cooked most stuff in my ponds and hippo. MOST, if not all my red Rams Horm water snails cooked in the shallow waters as my gardener was TOO busy to replace the new liner I'd bought previously to repair the pond. Eventually I got him to replace the liner and it wasn't good news as although there was about 30 palmate and smooth newts left in about a foot of water all the smalls were dead and no great cresteds to be seen. I've put the newts into the hippo while the chlorine dissipates from the new pond, it's a mix of rainwater and tap water. I need some Canadian pond weed etc. for the newts to spawn in and if anybody has a pair or two of GCNs they would be appreciated and given a safe home. I'd collect if not too far. I'd also like some spawn of frog and toad as the killer cats have died so everything will be a lot safer. No I didn't shoot them, 2 died of old age and the other 2 died of cancer or similar illness. So once I get some weed, snails ad daphnia in all is ready to go. TIA.

Totally agree but money talks and BIG money talks louder.The government will never really hurt big sewerage company's with BIG fines because their shareholders pay tax on their dividends,the company pays corporation tax and big fines that really hurt would affect their share price.

Perfectly legal in the UK and with subsonic cartridges it is silent, although you can hear the hammer hitting the cartridge.

This morning I was watching the birds on my feeders while eating breakfast and I saw a flash of brown wings dive into a self seeded prickly tree. I grabbed my binos, which fortunately Mrs B hadn't removed for a change and looked at the spot where the wings disappeared in to. A moment later a sparrow hawk dropped to the ground with something in it's claws. It was a young house sparrow, which it proceeded to pluck. I was glad it wasn't a young blackbird chick which has been fed by it's parents in our garden for the past week or so. I had suspected the hawks were back as I found a few feathers in the garden a week or so ago. Last year they were using our bird feeders as a pantry which although not ideal is preferable to local cats using our garden as a take away. Plenty of house sparrow chicks both last year and this and they haven't had their second brood yet so their future looks bright, but not so for the box nesting birds as last year was a flop, due to natural occurrences. This year has also been a failure but I don't know why as our feeders are kept topped up but it could be that last years failure means that there aren't the adults left to breed this year. Hopefully next year will be back to normal.

Why else would the EA bung the AT £1,000,000. They get volunteers to check licences, much cheaper than employing fishery patrols.

Conservation is a disaster this year. 2 cats fighting fell into my pond in February and scrambling out their claws punctured the lining lowering the water level by 2 feet to just a foot. Booked my gardener/handyman to replace the liner in February/March before the newts spawned, gales meant a lot of fence panels down but he'd do it ASAP. Now May and not done so too late as newts have been spawning since April so will have to leave it until December so will probably lose this years young. Pond relined and refilled so now looking for frog and newt spawn as now a safe haven due to local "killer cats" having died so frogs should be safe.

I was given half a bucket of frog spawn by a local stable as it was in a wheel rut and was drying out due to the warm dry weather. Instead of putting it into my pond as it would probably be eaten by the newts I put it into a newt rearing hippo which was originally a sand pit or paddling pool. The tadpoles started to form and then it was gone. Clues were bits of spawn on the ground and stuck to the side of the hippo. The only conclusion I could come to was it had been snatched by a fox or aliens, the fox seems more likely.

It it has ALWAYS been cheaper to pay the fine than prevent the problem.

To make sure anglers buy a licence.

Yesterday Mrs Blackbird started building her nest in our back garden, tits are looking at our bird boxes, 2 pigeons are getting fruity on our back lawn and newts are out of hibernation in my pond, bad timing as I've arranged for a new, stronger one to be installed but gales and damaged fences have put it on the back burner until fences are repaired or replaced.

A great pity that my camera is a Nikon.

The AT have done away with the post of Head of Marine and the incumbent , David Mitchel, has left the AT. This move will have a negative effect on sea angling members proving that sea angling is not important to them and making recruiting sea anglers even more difficult than ever. I thought that the AT was formed to encompass ALL angling groups and ALL anglers, it seems it's not to be. I did hope that when the new head of the AT, who had some sea angling interest that it was a positive move but it appears that his sea angling interest was just a line on his application CV. We await any news with interest.

No need to cull them as they can be trapped and relocated to where they will be appreciated.

Checked with police, perfectly legal as long as shot doesn't leave my premises.

Good idea, I'll think about it.

No need to cull them, just move them on, lots of places would like to have them.

Now that beavers are loved by the public the AT are keeping quiet about they wanted them culled because they are a danger to fisheries but the facts show they help fisheries and wild life, even if they do chew a few trees.

To curry favour with the government by doing the EA's job as they got £1million from the licence money, got to earn it somehow.

NLR

Now SOLD

Mrs blackbird now building her 4th and probably last nest but outside our garden, shame but she wants to rear her young and there are few places to build a nest in our area as most of my neighbours have neat and well maintained gardens which don't lend themselves to hiding nests. ?

No badgers in my garden, 6ft fence and steel gate.