:))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) oh no... what a pity... what will you do now...?
The strain in that last stretch to reach the first proper foothold ... was HUGE! I'd be wrecked. Slumped over the roof like a wet rag, heart pounding so hard it had collapsed my left lung, and suffering widespread musclequakes spliced by hideous cramps.
The last thing I'd want is food... although that donut is tempting...
:))
edit for robl's working out question: if he breaks his own 40 minute-ish record in the coming weeks, I think we'd have to consider that ... and wish you luck... ;)
Please wait here. Further instructions could pile up at any time. Thank you.
edit for robl's working out question: if he breaks his own 40 minute-ish record in the coming weeks, I think we'd have to consider that ... and wish you luck... ;)
This is the alpha male and he has been working out. He climbs this vinyl sleeve like he is wearing velcro and he has taught all to other the same technique. but a new design has evolved and so far so good. You can view the video here by scrolling to the bottom of the page: http://usefulramblings.org/?page_id=10801
This is the alpha male and he has been working out. He climbs this vinyl sleeve like he is wearing velcro and he has taught all to other the same technique. but a new design has evolved and so far so good. You can view the video here by scrolling to the bottom of the page: http://usefulramblings.org/?page_id=10801
Clevvvvver. It is a very promising start for the new design :)
I was looking at your 3am visitor. I have to admit rampant ignorance when it comes to urban wildlife in your area unfortunately, but my first wandering thought was could it be an opossum? I'm not sure on their size and whether they're particularly nocturnal though. If that was my bird table in London - I'd be thinking rat however. Fortunately, I don't have any issues about rats, so it wouldn't have bothered me. They have an interesting way of giving the appearance of sort of... gliding about the place.
Please wait here. Further instructions could pile up at any time. Thank you.
This is the alpha male and he has been working out. He climbs this vinyl sleeve like he is wearing velcro and he has taught all to other the same technique. but a new design has evolved and so far so good. You can view the video here by scrolling to the bottom of the page: http://usefulramblings.org/?page_id=10801
Clevvvvver. It is a very promising start for the new design :)
I was looking at your 3am visitor. I have to admit rampant ignorance when it comes to urban wildlife in your area unfortunately, but my first wandering thought was could it be an opossum? I'm not sure on their size and whether they're particularly nocturnal though. If that was my bird table in London - I'd be thinking rat however. Fortunately, I don't have any issues about rats, so it wouldn't have bothered me. They have an interesting way of giving the appearance of sort of... gliding about the place.
anniet, as for the 3am visitor I think you correctly identified it as being a rat. yikes!!! As for squirrel proofing the feeders I believe that I will eventually fail in my attempts to keep them at bay, i.e., I will not be smarter than a squirrel and will probably become their handmaids.
anniet, as for the 3am visitor I think you correctly identified it as being a rat. yikes!!! As for squirrel proofing the feeders I believe that I will eventually fail in my attempts to keep them at bay, i.e., I will not be smarter than a squirrel and will probably become their handmaids.
Awwww :)))
I'll wait for the official announcement obviously.
;)
Please wait here. Further instructions could pile up at any time. Thank you.
... I will not be smarter than a squirrel and will probably become their handmaids.
Perhaps already. Not unlike the mice in The Hitch-Hikers' Guide To The Galaxy : where mankind had clearly misunderstood who was teaching who in the whole search-the-maze experimental field of inquiry. :-)))
Alas for the rats, their reputation is forever sullied by that plague business a while ago. Back then a human carried plenty of fleas regardless of your average rat, so who was fleeing from whom ? Oh yes, let's not forget the Pope who said "go far, go fast, stay long". Flourishing advice for your resident Yersinia ...... by the time it had circled right around Europe there was enough fresh meat for an encore.
Cheers, Mike.
( edit ) Don't feel bad. The human race may yet be ruled by donkeys. Wait a minute, hang on .... where'd the lizards go ? I want the lizards back ! You knew where you slithered with a lizard.
I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter ...
... and my other CPU is a Ryzen 5950X :-) Blaise Pascal
@robl - I may have picked up a tip for you. At seti. About being a handmaid to squirrels. I'm not exactly sure how you could put it to best use - but as long as you can maintain some semblance of being smarter, you never know - you might be able to work something out :)
And here it is:
Quote:
I once placed oatmeal in one of the feeders and none of birds wanted it! The local squirrels were trying every way they could to get to it for several days, but failed with flair, finally gave up and came back later one day sat on the fence looking at the feeder, possibly analyzing the situation and cursing at me. The next day I put some oatmeal on the ground to see if the pigeons and doves would eat it. They did not want it either so the squirrels had a picnic that day!
@Mike
Quote:
Alas for the rats, their reputation is forever sullied by that plague business a while ago.
Did you see how in the end they got all the blame for all of that? Never mind, like idiots, that in London they blamed cats and dogs so had them exterminated - leaving the city without a controlling predator, just us fools. No wonder it needed a fire to fix that.
Yes.
I wonder if I've missed a calling as an historian...? ;)
Please wait here. Further instructions could pile up at any time. Thank you.
I spent some time in my front garden on Wednesday, flapping my arms.
It didn't achieve what I'd hoped it would achieve though, and because I did it with more vigour than I've done for a long time... (oh. I wonder if that's why my elbows are hurting today?)... I needed to roost which is when I realised I was being watched by a pair of eyes I'd not been aware had been in the vicinity.
It was at a level significantly higher than just one of passing interest, and rather more... sit-down-with-a-bucket-of-popcorn. I feel I can say that because it was munching on a shrivelled corncob (despite that having been stripped of its tastier bits) which it had obviously carried off from the ground where I'd left it a couple of days earlier as a tempting treat for the birds. Unfortunately, the act of me getting the camera and wrestling a lot of a bit with the zoom - meant its relaxed, mildly-entertained-audience-manner become more alarmed-bystander-to-a potential-atrocity-in-the-making, and it lost its grip on the cob :/ Which is why it's nowhere to be seen in the image.
I thought I'd clutter up your thread with it anyway :) because it occured to me that if you're into corn on the cob, the bits that we discard - could be put to use in your squirrel-handmaiding activities - and might work as a distraction from the bird feeder?
Please wait here. Further instructions could pile up at any time. Thank you.
clutter away! I am thinking of buying some of those attractive "plastic" owls to place strategically near the feeders. The problem is that they will probably do nothing for the squirrels but ward off other types of birds. An interesting point: On one of my other cameras I caught a black snake slithering along a wall when suddenly it was attacked by a mocking bird. This bird would constantly fly down and peck the snake, take off, and dive at the snake again. This went on until the snake found refuge in a thick bush. So if you see a mocking bird acting erratically take note. I transgress. I need to refill the feeders. We have had a lot of rain here the last 3 days and who wants wet seed? Not I.
@robl:)))))))))))))))))))))
)
@robl
:))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) oh no... what a pity... what will you do now...?
The strain in that last stretch to reach the first proper foothold ... was HUGE! I'd be wrecked. Slumped over the roof like a wet rag, heart pounding so hard it had collapsed my left lung, and suffering widespread musclequakes spliced by hideous cramps.
The last thing I'd want is food... although that donut is tempting...
:))
edit for robl's working out question: if he breaks his own 40 minute-ish record in the coming weeks, I think we'd have to consider that ... and wish you luck... ;)
Please wait here. Further instructions could pile up at any time. Thank you.
anniet wrote:@robl edit
)
This is the alpha male and he has been working out. He climbs this vinyl sleeve like he is wearing velcro and he has taught all to other the same technique. but a new design has evolved and so far so good. You can view the video here by scrolling to the bottom of the page: http://usefulramblings.org/?page_id=10801
robl wrote:This is the alpha
)
Clevvvvver. It is a very promising start for the new design :)
I was looking at your 3am visitor. I have to admit rampant ignorance when it comes to urban wildlife in your area unfortunately, but my first wandering thought was could it be an opossum? I'm not sure on their size and whether they're particularly nocturnal though. If that was my bird table in London - I'd be thinking rat however. Fortunately, I don't have any issues about rats, so it wouldn't have bothered me. They have an interesting way of giving the appearance of sort of... gliding about the place.
Please wait here. Further instructions could pile up at any time. Thank you.
anniet wrote:robl wrote:This
)
anniet, as for the 3am visitor I think you correctly identified it as being a rat. yikes!!! As for squirrel proofing the feeders I believe that I will eventually fail in my attempts to keep them at bay, i.e., I will not be smarter than a squirrel and will probably become their handmaids.
robl wrote:anniet, as for the
)
Awwww :)))
I'll wait for the official announcement obviously.
;)
Please wait here. Further instructions could pile up at any time. Thank you.
robl wrote:... I will not be
)
Perhaps already. Not unlike the mice in The Hitch-Hikers' Guide To The Galaxy : where mankind had clearly misunderstood who was teaching who in the whole search-the-maze experimental field of inquiry. :-)))
Alas for the rats, their reputation is forever sullied by that plague business a while ago. Back then a human carried plenty of fleas regardless of your average rat, so who was fleeing from whom ? Oh yes, let's not forget the Pope who said "go far, go fast, stay long". Flourishing advice for your resident Yersinia ...... by the time it had circled right around Europe there was enough fresh meat for an encore.
Cheers, Mike.
( edit ) Don't feel bad. The human race may yet be ruled by donkeys. Wait a minute, hang on .... where'd the lizards go ? I want the lizards back ! You knew where you slithered with a lizard.
I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter ...
... and my other CPU is a Ryzen 5950X :-) Blaise Pascal
@robl - I may have picked up
)
@robl - I may have picked up a tip for you. At seti. About being a handmaid to squirrels. I'm not exactly sure how you could put it to best use - but as long as you can maintain some semblance of being smarter, you never know - you might be able to work something out :)
And here it is:
@Mike
Did you see how in the end they got all the blame for all of that? Never mind, like idiots, that in London they blamed cats and dogs so had them exterminated - leaving the city without a controlling predator, just us fools. No wonder it needed a fire to fix that.
Yes.
I wonder if I've missed a calling as an historian...? ;)
Please wait here. Further instructions could pile up at any time. Thank you.
I spent some time in my front
)
I spent some time in my front garden on Wednesday, flapping my arms.
It didn't achieve what I'd hoped it would achieve though, and because I did it with more vigour than I've done for a long time... (oh. I wonder if that's why my elbows are hurting today?)... I needed to roost which is when I realised I was being watched by a pair of eyes I'd not been aware had been in the vicinity.
It was at a level significantly higher than just one of passing interest, and rather more... sit-down-with-a-bucket-of-popcorn. I feel I can say that because it was munching on a shrivelled corncob (despite that having been stripped of its tastier bits) which it had obviously carried off from the ground where I'd left it a couple of days earlier as a tempting treat for the birds. Unfortunately, the act of me getting the camera and wrestling a lot of a bit with the zoom - meant its relaxed, mildly-entertained-audience-manner become more alarmed-bystander-to-a potential-atrocity-in-the-making, and it lost its grip on the cob :/ Which is why it's nowhere to be seen in the image.
I thought I'd clutter up your thread with it anyway :) because it occured to me that if you're into corn on the cob, the bits that we discard - could be put to use in your squirrel-handmaiding activities - and might work as a distraction from the bird feeder?
Please wait here. Further instructions could pile up at any time. Thank you.
anniet,clutter away! I am
)
anniet,
clutter away! I am thinking of buying some of those attractive "plastic" owls to place strategically near the feeders. The problem is that they will probably do nothing for the squirrels but ward off other types of birds. An interesting point: On one of my other cameras I caught a black snake slithering along a wall when suddenly it was attacked by a mocking bird. This bird would constantly fly down and peck the snake, take off, and dive at the snake again. This went on until the snake found refuge in a thick bush. So if you see a mocking bird acting erratically take note. I transgress. I need to refill the feeders. We have had a lot of rain here the last 3 days and who wants wet seed? Not I.
Mr/Ms
)
Mr/Ms Persistence
http://usefulramblings.org/?page_id=10801 (scroll to bottom -- "Persistence Defined")