Leon Roskilly
-
Posts
11474 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
2
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Blogs
Gallery
Posts posted by Leon Roskilly
-
-
There was frost on the car when I put the cat out this morning (then went back to bed!)
-
-
Leon,
Nice old thread. I miss Budgie and others who commented.
Phone
You'll find Budgie on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/budgie.burgess.9
And his new venture at https://www.facebook.com/BASS-ONLINE-327382203987699
-
-
Welcome to a year with a record El Nino in progress
-
Apart from Scotland, in the UK you need a rod licence to fish for coarse fish or migratory fish using a rod and line (other methods are illegal!).
The legislation and associated EA byelaws applies out to 6 miles! (Who said you don't need a licence to fish in the sea, it all depends upon what you are fishing for not where you are fishing! ( http://www.sacn.org.uk/Articles/Do_I_Need_A_Licence.html ) -
I knew those new-fangled railways would cause more problems than anyone ever imagined.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_time -
The real challenge comes when the Squirrels find the food supply.
I've seen the odd squirrel scampering along the top of the back fence, but I reckon that the cats will dissuade them from coming down
-
For a few seasons, when I was growing my own veg and doing a lot of digging in the spring, a fearless black-bird would be under my feet almost as soon as I bought the fork out of the shed.
Several times I only narrowly missed spearing him as he darted for a grub.Although they would turn up to pick over the dug ground, I never had such a 'friendly' blackbird since he failed to arrive one spring.
ps I now have around a dozen gold finches feeding on the apple tree feeders.
-
Early in the year I came to the conclusion that our three cats are now at the age where they prefer to lounge around, rather than chasing flying things, so indulged myself by buying a bird-feeding station, and a supply of bird-feed (a number of years ago I'd previously fed birds from a couple of feeders in the garden but what with one thing and another hadn't put out feeders for a number of years).
Being early in the season when food was in short supply and they hungry birds hadn't yet started nesting, I quickly ticked off a fair few species (and some I wasn't sure of identifying which led to the purchase of a compact zoom camera (x30 optical), but that's another story).
All went well until the arrival of the juvenile starlings which scattered feed they weren't interested everywhere, attracting a flock of feral pigeons, and scaring everything else off by their quarrelsome fighting over the fat-balls.
They only seemed interested in fat-balls and sultanas, so feeding just that soon had the feral pigeons losing interest in visiting the garden.
An occasional visit from a the odd gold-finch and great-tit when the starlings were busy elsewhere had me putting on my thinking cap.
Leaving the feeding station as a starling feeder and putting out some feeders with niger seed and sunflower hearts at the other end of the garden as bait for finches and tits seemed to work, so much so that for the last few days I've consistently had specific bird types feeding on the intended feeders in different parts of the garden.
A small flock of goldfinch are now semi-resident in the apple-tree, frequently visited by great and blue-tits, collard doves have their own feeder with a handy perch where they can dine on mixed grain.
I've still got to work out how to feed the dunnocks without inviting the pigeons back, and the robin without setting up a competition with the starlings over the meal-worms.
What is interesting is how like angling this all is.
Putting out the right bait in the right place and time to attract the right species without being bothered by other unwanted creatures-
1
-
-
-
Like it.
Your car may stop if too close to a cyclist
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-30706146 -
-
I remember it being delivered by horse and cart; in London, not out in the sticks.
As a kid I had a Sunday job helping the local milkman deliver milk by horse and cart in the East End.
When the dairy went over to electric vehicles, the horses were sent to the knackers yard.
It broke Sid's heart saying goodbye to the animal he had worked with for years, delivering milk through all weathers, up at the crack of dawn 7 days a weeek.
-
-
Breaking News
Environment Secretary Owen Paterson is meeting with his US counterpart today to discuss how the UK can begin exporting haggis to America.
-
Just wondering how the UK government means to meet OSPAR's commitments when they put the interests of the commercial fishermen before OSPAR's ideals. 
Why not ask Environment Agency and OSPAR Norm?
(I have)
-
OSPAR (which the UK are signed up to) have committed to protecting eels
The meeting also agreed on measures to protect and conserve 11 species and 5 habitats identified by OSPAR as being particularly vulnerable within the North-East Atlantic. These include cod, European eel, 5 species of shark and 2 species of ray along with 5 important marine habitats including seagrass meadows and deep sea hydrothermal vents.
http://www.ospar.org/content/news_detail.asp?menu=00600725000000_000024_000000
-
1
-
-
-
-
-
Hmm, maybe not so self contained then.
Chris Turnball is happy
This year is the start of the national fight back for crucians so watch out all you crossbreeding pond dwelling mud pigs and goldfish. Your days are numbered!Chris Turnbull shared a link.Yay, look what my efforts have kicked off! Now show your support by joining the Angling Trust.http://www.anglingtrust.net/news.asp?section=29§ionTitle=Angling+Trust+News&itemid=2103
-
-
About as likely as a lift on the livebaiting ban I'd think. Unwarranted, ill-founded, poorly investigated and forced on us without any consultation.
Responses to the public consultation on eels can be found at:
As far as the ban on the taking of eels by anglers being lifted
The EU's Data Framework Directive for fisheries requires member countries to make returns on the recreational catch for a number of species including eels and to a proven standard of accuracy.
For marine species the Marine Management Organisation has attempted to do this through data collected via the Sea Angling 2012 project.
But the Environment Agency (who are responsible for eels) has no mechasnism, nor the money or resources to produce figures for the recreational catch of eels that would satisfy the EU requirements.
Therefore, it's easier to simply ban the recreational take of eels!
The good news is that there is talk of removing the Data Framework Directive requirements, in which case the EA will be in a better position to remove the ban, once it is established that the recovery of eels is established (which I would think would need around 10 years of decent elver runs all around the country, and a greater understanding of the eel migration and barriers. (Such as may come out of the current ICES survey effort in the Sargasso region).
In the meantime the monitoring programme is being extended, especially through 'citizen science' projects, and a lot of eel-friendly fish passes are being built at obstructions, which will also benefit other migratory species, such as shads, salmonoids, lampreys etc.
Wanted
in Conservation & Politics
Posted
er, hedgehogs predate on newts Norm, so that fox may be protecting your newts!