No it's a concorde (airplane).
Big Merv's nature watch.
Moderator: Moderators
Re: Big Merv's nature watch.
I have my own tv channel, what have you got?
- Cap'n Grumpy
- Rí na Cúige Uladh
- Posts: 15666
- Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2008 4:21 pm
- Location: second barrier up, at the half-way line ... or is the third?
Re: Big Merv's nature watch.
So it is!
I knew it was one of them extinct things.
There's not much gets past you.
I should have known better, having even been inside one, way back in the day. I haven't been inside a dodo.
I'm not arguing -
I'm just explaining why I'm right
I'm just explaining why I'm right
Re: Big Merv's nature watch.
Nice one. What was the experience like?Cap'n Grumpy wrote:So it is!
I knew it was one of them extinct things.
There's not much gets past you.
I should have known better, having even been inside one, way back in the day. I haven't been inside a dodo.
Not the dodo
I have my own tv channel, what have you got?
- Cap'n Grumpy
- Rí na Cúige Uladh
- Posts: 15666
- Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2008 4:21 pm
- Location: second barrier up, at the half-way line ... or is the third?
Re: Big Merv's nature watch.
I plead the 5th.Dave wrote: ↑Thu Mar 11, 2021 9:51 pmNice one. What was the experience like?Cap'n Grumpy wrote:So it is!
I knew it was one of them extinct things.
There's not much gets past you.
I should have known better, having even been inside one, way back in the day. I haven't been inside a dodo.
Not the dodo
Oh, okay, it wasn't all you might expect - it was in a museum and wasn't going anywhere. It was surprisingly small inside.
Other than that, it was quite unremarkable.
Still, it's better than never having been on one.
I'm not arguing -
I'm just explaining why I'm right
I'm just explaining why I'm right
Re: Big Merv's nature watch.
According to Guide to Irish garden birds there are substantial populations of Greater Spotted Woodpeckers in Counties Down and Wicklow.
- big mervyn
- Rí na Cúige Uladh
- Posts: 14375
- Joined: Fri May 09, 2008 2:22 pm
- Location: Overlooking the pitch (til they built the old new stand)
Re: Big Merv's nature watch.
They came to Down first! about 15 years ago, after being extinct in Ireland for about 300 years. They arrived in Wicklow about 3 years later. They seem to be thriving.
Volunteer at an animal sanctuary; it will fill you with joy , despair, but most of all love, unconditional love of the animals.
Big Neville Southall
Big Neville Southall
- Cap'n Grumpy
- Rí na Cúige Uladh
- Posts: 15666
- Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2008 4:21 pm
- Location: second barrier up, at the half-way line ... or is the third?
Re: Big Merv's nature watch.
big mervyn wrote: ↑Wed Mar 10, 2021 1:43 amThere was a massive increase in the population in Belvoir Forest last year, Definitely one of our most successful recent immigrants. We're coming into the season where you hear and see them.Snipe Watson wrote: ↑Wed Mar 10, 2021 12:00 am Spoke to a guy on Friday who has lesser spotted woodpeckers in woodland at his house in county down
Okay, so we know there are Greater Spotted Woodpeckers here, and I thought Snipe and Merv had confirmed that the Lesser Spotted Woody Woodpecker was now here too ... but is that what we are agreed on, or are we back to Greater Spotted only?big mervyn wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 5:16 pmThey came to Down first! about 15 years ago, after being extinct in Ireland for about 300 years. They arrived in Wicklow about 3 years later. They seem to be thriving.
I'm not arguing -
I'm just explaining why I'm right
I'm just explaining why I'm right
- Cap'n Grumpy
- Rí na Cúige Uladh
- Posts: 15666
- Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2008 4:21 pm
- Location: second barrier up, at the half-way line ... or is the third?
Re: Big Merv's nature watch.
Apparently they thrive on the readily available nesting materials in Norn Iron.big mervyn wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 5:16 pmThey came to Down first! about 15 years ago, after being extinct in Ireland for about 300 years. They arrived in Wicklow about 3 years later. They seem to be thriving.
They build M A S S I V E nests from pallets which the locals gather up for them from spring to early summer. The adult birds then sometimes adorn the nests with material they gather up. When the young birds have fledged by early July, they vacate the area back into woodland and leave the locals to tidy up their nests - by burning apparently to prevent the transmission of bird flu.
True fact that!
Lesser spotted woodpeckers are spotted less because they don't build such obvious nests.
- Attachments
-
- Greater spotter woodpecker nest.jpg (99.62 KiB) Viewed 911 times
I'm not arguing -
I'm just explaining why I'm right
I'm just explaining why I'm right
- big mervyn
- Rí na Cúige Uladh
- Posts: 14375
- Joined: Fri May 09, 2008 2:22 pm
- Location: Overlooking the pitch (til they built the old new stand)
Re: Big Merv's nature watch.
Sorry. Didn't read Snipe's post properly. No lesser spotted in Ireland far as I know but maybe Snipe's neighbour has spotted something new. They're extremely rare even in England.Cap'n Grumpy wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 8:33 pmbig mervyn wrote: ↑Wed Mar 10, 2021 1:43 amThere was a massive increase in the population in Belvoir Forest last year, Definitely one of our most successful recent immigrants. We're coming into the season where you hear and see them.Snipe Watson wrote: ↑Wed Mar 10, 2021 12:00 am Spoke to a guy on Friday who has lesser spotted woodpeckers in woodland at his house in county downOkay, so we know there are Greater Spotted Woodpeckers here, and I thought Snipe and Merv had confirmed that the Lesser Spotted Woody Woodpecker was now here too ... but is that what we are agreed on, or are we back to Greater Spotted only?big mervyn wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 5:16 pmThey came to Down first! about 15 years ago, after being extinct in Ireland for about 300 years. They arrived in Wicklow about 3 years later. They seem to be thriving.
Volunteer at an animal sanctuary; it will fill you with joy , despair, but most of all love, unconditional love of the animals.
Big Neville Southall
Big Neville Southall
- Cap'n Grumpy
- Rí na Cúige Uladh
- Posts: 15666
- Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2008 4:21 pm
- Location: second barrier up, at the half-way line ... or is the third?
Re: Big Merv's nature watch.
That concurs with my understanding.big mervyn wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 9:27 pmSorry. Didn't read Snipe's post properly. No lesser spotted in Ireland far as I know but maybe Snipe's neighbour has spotted something new. They're extremely rare even in England.Cap'n Grumpy wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 8:33 pmbig mervyn wrote: ↑Wed Mar 10, 2021 1:43 amThere was a massive increase in the population in Belvoir Forest last year, Definitely one of our most successful recent immigrants. We're coming into the season where you hear and see them.Snipe Watson wrote: ↑Wed Mar 10, 2021 12:00 am Spoke to a guy on Friday who has lesser spotted woodpeckers in woodland at his house in county downOkay, so we know there are Greater Spotted Woodpeckers here, and I thought Snipe and Merv had confirmed that the Lesser Spotted Woody Woodpecker was now here too ... but is that what we are agreed on, or are we back to Greater Spotted only?big mervyn wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 5:16 pmThey came to Down first! about 15 years ago, after being extinct in Ireland for about 300 years. They arrived in Wicklow about 3 years later. They seem to be thriving.
I thought from what snipe and yourself had written previously that things had changed.
I'm not arguing -
I'm just explaining why I'm right
I'm just explaining why I'm right
- big mervyn
- Rí na Cúige Uladh
- Posts: 14375
- Joined: Fri May 09, 2008 2:22 pm
- Location: Overlooking the pitch (til they built the old new stand)
Re: Big Merv's nature watch.
Heard my first (GREATER spotted I assume!) woodpecker yesterday - appropriately enough on the first day of astronomical Spring. They drum like crazy at this time of year. It was in Belvoir woods up towards the golf course. Must take a decent camera down and see if I can get a photo.
Volunteer at an animal sanctuary; it will fill you with joy , despair, but most of all love, unconditional love of the animals.
Big Neville Southall
Big Neville Southall
- Cap'n Grumpy
- Rí na Cúige Uladh
- Posts: 15666
- Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2008 4:21 pm
- Location: second barrier up, at the half-way line ... or is the third?
Re: Big Merv's nature watch.
You sure it wasn't Rory, on a rare visit home, banging his head off a tree?big mervyn wrote: ↑Sun Mar 21, 2021 2:58 pm Heard my first (GREATER spotted I assume!) woodpecker yesterday - appropriately enough on the first day of astronomical Spring. They drum like crazy at this time of year. It was in Belvoir woods up towards the golf course. Must take a decent camera down and see if I can get a photo.
Or his driver off a tree?
I'm not arguing -
I'm just explaining why I'm right
I'm just explaining why I'm right
Re: Big Merv's nature watch.
Bullfinch outside our house in BT4 today.
Never seen one before.
Never seen one before.
-
- Warrior
- Posts: 1159
- Joined: Wed Jun 08, 2011 6:49 pm
Re: Big Merv's nature watch.
Greater Spotted Woodie in Scotland, we don't get the Lesser Spotted either, I use to see them in Leicestershire when living there, we also get the Green Woodpecker.
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
- Snipe Watson
- Rí na Cúige Uladh
- Posts: 23443
- Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2008 6:42 pm
Re: Big Merv's nature watch.
You can tell that to big Jim. He swears he has lesser spotted woodpeckers in his woodland in Co Down.