Hopeful for Nesting Blue-tits

Ros and I did a lot of work today in the garden and I was concerned about the disruptive influence on our nesting Blue-tits. No sign of them whilst we were at work. 10 minutes after we came indoors the female appeared with a beak full of nesting material and disappeared into the nest box. The next hour or so saw a flurry of activity as she worked too and fro with more nesting material, some of it larger than her! She often struggled to push items through the nest box hole but always accomplished the task after several attempts.

I have heard instances of Blue-tits nest building in nest boxes and then abandoning the project before egg laying. I hope that won't be the case with our birds.

Their clutch size is the largest among nidicolous species, laying typically 10 to 12 eggs. The eggs are laid at such a time that green caterpillars will be abundant when the chicks hatch. Second clutches are rare.

We have pretty much finished our garden work so I will be keeping a keen eye on events. Nest building usually takes about two weeks by the female and she has been at it now for eight days. Fingers crossed then that she completes her nest building and lays her eggs. The male bird is a constant companion although he doesn't do much! His work will start when she incubates the eggs; he will have to feed her.

Watch this space for further news...

I Never Told You

I was introduced to the vocalist Tina May by my brother @dmt155 (Twitter) and how right he is. She is the unsung hero(ine) of British Jazz and I purchased this mp3 album today: 'I Never Told You' and I cannot recommend this album highly enough, it is so beautifully crafted, thoughtful and eloquent.

Tina is accompanied with the immaculate piano playing of Nikki Iles and occasional touches of tenor saxophone from Karen Sharp. The album is a delight. Check it out. My favourite track is 'Si tu Partais' which Tina sings with a perfect French accent to a seductive Latin rhythm.

Well done Dave. Great recommendation!

Old Age and Machinations...

It is a fact that you never accept old age. Sinatra sang about 'The September of My Years' and I have always tried to discredit that as wistful humbug. You are as old as you feel, aren't you? But the mind can continue to convince you that physical endeavour is well within your bounds of capability when the reality is somewhat different...

Today the weather was perfect. Blue sky, sunshine and 18℃. Shirt sleeve weather. Time to continue the attack on 25 years of Forsythia growth in my garden. Bow saw, pruning saw, loppers and secateurs were mustered and I hacked away for 4½ hours. Still haven't finished but I'm getting there. Another two large bags of green waste were deposited at the local municipal tip with just enough time remaining to enjoy a large, builders cup of tea before collecting my wife from her place of work. Time to head home for a well deserved roast dinner, a couple of glasses of Cotes-du-Rhone and one or two single malts....

Relaxed and in good humour I sat back to watch one of my favourite TV programmes and enjoy the machinations of DCI Banks as he solved yet another unfathomable crime. I'm not sure that he did though as the young mind was overtaken by the old body and I succumbed to dozing off and missed, not only the entire episode, but most of News at Ten as well.

Mind you, I reckon this young mind in an older body will sleep well tonight...

Goodnight all...

 

Speaking Out Against Relaxation of Hunting Ban

This farmer gets a medal from me. Having the guts to speak out against a relaxation of the Hunting Ban. He makes it clear that he will never vote Conservative again if the hunting cronies get their way. He has my unequivocal support.

http://www.conservativesagainstfoxhunting.com/2014/03/farmer-speaks-out-against-relaxation-of-hunt-ban-march-2014/

Evoke D2 - Don't You Dare Call Me Cute

New study shows how bumblebees can be infected by honeybee diseases

A new study published in the Nature journal has shown that bumblebees are being infected by pathogens that are normally associated with honeybees.

The work, carried out by Matthias Furst, Mark Brown and colleagues, looked at bumblebees through Great Britain and the Isle of Man. They found that 11% of bumblebees sampled tested positive for Deformed Wing Virus (DWV). DWV reduces the life expectancy of infected bees, and can produce bees that have shrivelled wings.

The study also looked at another pathogen called Nosema ceranae. This is a microsporidian - a kind of fungus - that has been implicated in the decline of honeybees. It also does not normally occur in bumblebees and work is under way to understand how they become infected with it.

The study found clear links between the strains of the pathogens present in bumblebees and honeybees in some areas, indicating that the disease in bumblebees most likely comes from honeybees. However, more work is needed to fully determine the role that wild pollinators have in transmitting the pathogens among themselves.

The study recommends that tighter controls of imports of honeybees and more stringent hygiene checks are put in place. Beekeepers are also asked to control the diseases in their colonies - both for their own benefit, and that of the wider pollinator community. 

The Kid on Slapton Beach

My wife and I visited Tyneham Village, Dorset last summer, the village where all residents were given short notice to leave just before Christmas 1943 when the surrounding area was commandeered by the then War Office (now MoD) for use as firing ranges for training troops. 252 people were displaced...

When I read an introduction to The Kid on Slapton Beach by Felicity Fair Thompson there was an immediate resonance with what I knew about Tyneham: "War is hard enough when your dad is missing in action and even harder when you have to leave everything you know and love. Twelve year old Harry is one of three thousand people leaving the coast in Devon during the Second World War as US troops move into  the area, planning secret D-Day rehearsals on the beach there in April 1944. But what if your most treasured possession is left behind?...."

I suppose words like 'The Kid'... 'dad'... '12 year old'... should have been clues to the target audience of this book, definitely written for the younger reader!

Never mind though, I grudgingly admit that I am rather enjoying it....