Les Tonks Sidestep
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Posts posted by Les Tonks Sidestep
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Just back from a few days in the Peak District. Great walk along the river Bradford with families of coots and mallards, across the hill via Arbor Low to Lathkill Dale and peacocks, nesting coots, swan families, grey wagtails and the fantastic site of a shrew crossing the path behind us (Mrs S spotted it nip out and return to the undergrowth as we approached so after walking by a few yards we stopped and waited patiently for a few seconds before it reappeared and scooted across the path).
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9 minutes ago, Wiltshire Warrior Dragon said:
Sounds like a lovely walk, LTS; I am envious.
Yes, oystercatchers are very much an upland Dales bird, as are redshanks and common sandpipers, as I recall from living variously at Long Preston and Embsay in the Yorkshire Dales and Ingleton in the lower reaches of Teesdale.
By the way, I think JB Priestly once said that 'The George' at Hubberholme was his favourite pub!
I've walked in the Dales for many years (although nowhere near as often as I'd have liked in recent years) but never seen oystercatchers there before - probably shows how hard I've been looking (in fact it was Mrs S who spotted them)!
We passed a sign pointing to JBP's favourite pub although we refreshed at The White Lion in Cray.
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Not quite to plan....
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Walk in the upper reaches of Wharfedale today. As well as the expected songbirds saw lapwings, a fantastic thrush singing away in a tree near Hubberholme church, a hare, a mouse moving its young and heard (but didn't see) curlews. Also, somewhat surprisingly for me as I've never seen one inland before, 3 oystercatchers: 2 probably courting and a 3rd wallflower who kept getting noisily chased off.
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David Allen Bawden (born September 22, 1959 in Oklahoma City[1]), who takes the name "Pope Michael", is an American citizen and a conclavist claimant to the papacy. He stated in 2009 that he had approximately 30 "solid followers".[2]
Bawden was elected by a group of six laypeople, which included himself and his parents, who had come to believe that the Catholic Church had apostatized from the Catholic faith since Vatican II, and that there had been no legitimate popes elected since the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958
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This was posted just over a week ago
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Calculate how long it would take you to travel the world during the Roman Empire
ORBIS: The Stanford Geospatial Network Model of the Roman World
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1 hour ago, Robin Evans said:
Saw my first yellow hammer in 50 years this morning. I knew what it was as soon as I clocked it.
Gave me a right lift that
I saw my first one of those ever about this time last year. Mrs S and I went for a short stroll on Tuesday and spotted these whilst taking refreshments on board
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4 hours ago, Wiltshire Warrior Dragon said:
The southern cathedral peregrine news is that, at Winchester, three of the four eggs hatched. Winnie has given up sitting on the fourth, which now lies forlornly at the corner of the nesting tray. She and her mate, Chester, are both now leaving the nest to feed the ever growing trio of chicks.
Meanwhile, at Salisbury, it is also the time in the breeding cycle where both parents must leave the nest in search of food; here, there are four chicks.
Here are the webcam links:
Peregrine Falcons : Live Web Cam Stream | Salisbury Cathedral
The Peregrines Return in 2021 - Winchester Cathedral (winchester-cathedral.org.uk)
Chicks at Wakefield too
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Llyn Brenig osprey platform rebuilt. Video of the moment the old one was cut down in the report
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Hopefully they'll catch the culprit(s) but I doubt they'll receive anywhere near sufficient punishment
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Great walk around the 'Kingdom of Elmet' yesterday. As well as a plethora of songbirds saw 3 hares 2 of which were boxing before they hared away across the fields, a couple of deer crossing the path less than 15 yards from us and a couple of red kite cruising the sky. Unfortunately we didn't take a camera!
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Heard the 'booming bittern' on a walk down the river to Fairburn Ings. Mrs S fascinated by the guano covering the trees being used by the nesting cormorants.
Then when back home wondered why the songbirds were getting all excited and a chaffinch was hiding behind the feeders but not feeding before noticing the male and female sparrowhawks patrolling the sky - the male came zooming along the hedge at the bottom of the garden at one point.
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See thread for more videos
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57 minutes ago, Adelaide Tiger said:
So shocked and saddened by this as I read an article on a British newspaper site a few weeks ago when he was talking about his relationship with Stan Bowles so it appeared that he was well.
I'd forgotten that he almost signed for Liverpool under Shankley (failed medical). Would have been interesting to see how that would have turned out.
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Just been for a bike ride and spent a pleasant 15mins watching 2 sparrowhawks patrolling the skies.
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Frank Worthington, 72 after a long illness
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1 hour ago, Wiltshire Warrior Dragon said:
There has been an osprey at Fishlake Meadows (an appealing journey stop-off point for obvious reasons!) in Romsey (Hampshire) today. I think this is the first sighting down here this year; no doubt, more will soon follow. Start looking out for them heading north up the country.
In other bird of prey news around here, Winchester, Chichester and Salisbury cathedrals all have their peregrine pairs back, and I think all have laid at least one egg.
Wakefield Cathedral Peregrine webcams here
Peregrine webcams - The Wakefield Peregrine Project (wakefieldperegrines.com)
First time I saw an osprey live (Bassenthwaite Lake) the sheer size of it took me completely by surprise. I remember seeing it come into my binoculars' field of view and thinking 'that's a big bird.......bloomin' heck that's a big bird'
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Bill Harkin, designer and builder of the first Glastonbury 'pyramid stage', aged 83
Glastonbury Pyramid Stage designer Bill Harkin dies - BBC News
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Lou Ottens, Inventor Of The Cassette Tape, Has Died : NPR aged 94
I (and I'm sure any others on here) have used a few of those over the years to copy LPs borrowed from mates, make compilations for themselves and friends and record music off the radio. His invention certainly gave me plenty of joy over many years.
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The Power of Nature
in Any Other Business / Any Other Sports
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I can see a hummingbird too