Cyril Haearn wrote:+1, the tortoise will outlive them all
Any chance of a picture? Diolch
I am keen to put out images and possibly video of Charlie getting about with his new prosthesis because it is neater and more ergonomic that any other tortoise+wheel images I've seen. The wheel itself is a tiny plastic castor wheel, and the axle is a length of SKS stainless steel stay for a mudguard, which is just about bendable by me but not by the tortoise. The stay attaches to the underside of his shell by epoxy putty over a flat spiral of the axle material. He sometimes uses the wheel as if it were a leg, lifting it off the ground. But on smooth tiles he seems to intuitively know that he can roll it very easily and he keeps it in contact with the ground.
Warning straight after last video above a starling meets its doom
NA Thinks Just End 2 End Return + Bivvy - Some day Soon I hope You'll Still Find Me At The Top Of A Hill Please forgive the poor Grammar I blame it on my mobile and phat thinkers.
Cyril Haearn wrote:+1, the tortoise will outlive them all
Any chance of a picture? Diolch
I am keen to put out images and possibly video of Charlie getting about with his new prosthesis because it is neater and more ergonomic that any other tortoise+wheel images I've seen. The wheel itself is a tiny plastic castor wheel, and the axle is a length of SKS stainless steel stay for a mudguard, which is just about bendable by me but not by the tortoise. The stay attaches to the underside of his shell by epoxy putty over a flat spiral of the axle material. He sometimes uses the wheel as if it were a leg, lifting it off the ground. But on smooth tiles he seems to intuitively know that he can roll it very easily and he keeps it in contact with the ground.
So I'll provide images at some point.
Bump! We should be thinking of the birds in the snow too
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120 Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott We love safety cameras, we hate bullies
Cyril Haearn wrote:..............Bump! We should be thinking of the birds in the snow too
I don't get any choice in that - we have one hawthorn in our backyard, with three bird feeders, and if they're empty the sparrows are there at the crack of sparrow .................chirp , calling for room service.
Bird feeders are full but not many birds visiting. Which is unusual as there are plenty of sparrows about. Had a Goldcrest flitting in a willow tree in the back hedge the other day. That's the third time in 30 years that I seen one in our vicinity. A few Long Tailed Tits searching in the tree branches now and again.
Yes, pretty strange here too. A couple of days ago the garden was full of birds enjoying the sunshine and gnats hovering over the ditch. Since I topped up the feeders though, there's been nowt, apart from the usual Robin & Blackbird. Are they all wrapped up somewhere? We've never not had any visitors to the feeders.
fausto copy wrote:apart from the usual Robin & Blackbird.
Robins and blackbirds are a pita. Every time I go out and start digging I have to watch where I tread, stop digging whilst they root about and then they sit on the edge of my wheelbarrow meaning I can't even throw stuff in... There's 'friendly' and there's 'nuisance' (not that I'd change it).
Well, happily a few have been back this morning, though why the blackbird's haven't devoured the Lancashire cheese crumbs I threw out, heaven knows. Unless they're Yorkshire migrants.
Our female blackbirds are the only problems as no matter what I do, they always mange to get inside the nets for the fruit, and the Aronia bush is stripped as soon as there's hint of colour in the berries. Apparently it's the latest super-fruit, but I've yet to taste any.
The other day I trimmed my side of my neighbours' Leylandii, which involved going behind my own Pyracanthas and the only bit that grows in my direction is a sort of Bobby Charlton affair right at the top. As I was struggling to manoeuvre my extra-long hedge clipper, there was a robin constantly within a few inches of me which kept bobbing about in our bushes. I don't know what it was hoping for, in that I wasn't digging up any worms, just bringing down a shower of Leylandii clippings, which it was ignoring so not apparently a source of disturbed insects. When I came out from the shrubbery, it followed me and rejoined all the others on the feeders.
fausto copy wrote:apart from the usual Robin & Blackbird.
Robins and blackbirds are a pita. Every time I go out and start digging I have to watch where I tread, stop digging whilst they root about and then they sit on the edge of my wheelbarrow meaning I can't even throw stuff in... There's 'friendly' and there's 'nuisance' (not that I'd change it).
Used to have a female blackbird that would appear whenever I was in the garden but often so she could collect nesting material. Presumably I was seen as being 'safe' and a useful pair of eyes so she could get on with her work without sprawk making an appearance.
Once I had a couple of bags of well-rotted 'material' from the bottom of local farmers muck heap. Not enough to use to improve the soil, so I used it to mulch around our fruit bushes. Or at least that was the idea, blackbird very quickly cottoned on that there were lots of tasty worms I was putting out so my nicely arranges piles were very quickly distributed over quite a large area
Yes, I think they should be named scatterbirds. Male and female seem to be in competition over which can fling the mulch / manure the furthest from where I'd put it to good use.
Thankfully we haven't had any pheasant in the garden this year, so our crocus have al had a chance to flower; looking lovely now.
fausto copy wrote:apart from the usual Robin & Blackbird.
Robins and blackbirds are a pita. Every time I go out and start digging I have to watch where I tread, stop digging whilst they root about and then they sit on the edge of my wheelbarrow meaning I can't even throw stuff in... There's 'friendly' and there's 'nuisance' (not that I'd change it).
Last time I dug the garden, sat down and had a robin feed out of my hand. Saw Dunocks (ground sparrow?) and robins up on Dartmoor on sunday.
NA Thinks Just End 2 End Return + Bivvy - Some day Soon I hope You'll Still Find Me At The Top Of A Hill Please forgive the poor Grammar I blame it on my mobile and phat thinkers.
Our present Robins aren’t as bold as one I had years ago he always followed me about. We’ve some new visitors to the garden this year. Two Starlings and a Nut Hatch. So annoying when doing the RSPB bird survey online. The form refused to accept Nut Hatch stating it wasn’t a garden bird. Well it’s a bird that visits our feeder every day and it’s in our garden Strange how RSPB seem blinkered or just want results they want maybe?
Whatever I am, wherever I am, this is me. This is my life
.................chirp 
