OneGuyFromBarlick

I can never see the word snipe without thinking of Audenshaw. And vice versa. It was on the destination blind of buses in Manchester which I saw every day.
Audensahw (The Snipe). I think the steeplejacks are familiar with the establishment.

Must have been quite some pub to have Corporation Courtesy Buses ...eh !

I saw a pair of Bats in the lane tonight....surely that's early in the year ...??

David, I remember that route well. My dad was works manager at General Gas on Corporation Road and I spent quite a lot of time there as a lad even though we lived seven miles away at Stockport.

Buzzard by Olympus_Kev, on Flickr
This handsome buzzard is from the Birds of Prey Centre. When flying him the wild buzzards come around looking for a free meal.

Talk about being built for a purpose! It looks formidable!

Wonderful Birds , and we're very lucky here to have a good population of them......
They sit motionless pretending to be the tops of telegraph poles (they are very good at it ), and I'm sure most people drive by without seeing them....
Next minute they are soaring , and covering good distances looking for food .....I spend quite a lot of time watching ...always rewarding !

Stanley wrote:Talk about being built for a purpose! It looks formidable!

It's very rewarding to have it sat on your hand. I went for a "flying day" at the Birds of Prey centre. My favorite was Gonzo the vulture, It's quite something to have him flying towards you and then land on your arm...

Kev, is that the centre on the A 65 near Lawkland? Nolic

Nolic wrote:Kev, is that the centre on the A 65 near Lawkland? Nolic

'tis indeed, a very good day out.

Eagle Owl at Glenfinnan.

Thanks Big Kev, I have just spent a lovely 1/2hour checking out Visit Barnoldswick. Very well presented site and oh oh oh so nostalgic.
sending you some

The first frog spawn from our 'homing frogs' has been deposited in our pond.

Oh good Moh! Another of the old threads popping up again! Are they early this year? It's been a relatively warm February.

I cannot remember when they came last year. There will be some more shortly 2 frogs are getting amorous in the pond. Strange how much bigger the female is.

In Rochdale they used to call such females 'Friday Nighters'. If you really want an explanation I will oblige...

Go on then!!

NOoooooooo !

Moh, I think you are mature enough. It goes back to the days when everyone was so knackered during the week that sleep was more important than sex so Friday night became a favourite for those activities as Saturday was a lie-in. A 'Friday Nighter' was a woman who asserted herself and declared it was Friday Night whenever it suited her. In consequence it became an expression to describe formidable women. (I suppose this is a species of wild life?)

Phewwww !

I was outside at about 8pm last night and could hear two barn owls talking to each other, one stayed still, the other seemed to move about, but I couldn't see them.

Gloria wrote:I was outside at about 8pm last night and could hear two barn owls talking to each other, one stayed still, the other seemed to move about, but I couldn't see them.

You may be right. They may have been barn owls, but it is more likely that they were Tawny Owls. The Barn owl is more of a day time bird. This is why its plumage is "white" (so it is less visible to its prey as it criss crosses the fields)

Ooooo Stanley thankyou for your information on Friday night/Saturday morning. I didn't know that. For me on Friday nights its reading a good book then sleep and Saturday morning more sleep. Bit boring really. That's life, for me at any rate.

Amazing what crops up on OG.....

Just seen what I think is a Blackbird/Wagtail Cross

Black body , Reddish Orangy bill , White feathers in the black to rear and an apparent long curved tail , might be a nearly 1 year old fledgling though.

Whyperion wrote:Just seen what I think is a Blackbird/Wagtail Cross

Black body , Reddish Orangy bill , White feathers in the black to rear and an apparent long curved tail , might be a nearly 1 year old fledgling though.

It might just be what you think it is. However over here. in the vale of York, I have seen several blackbirds with white markings. These markings are usually symetrical on the body, the head and wings remaining true to tradition.
The male blackbird usually seems to get a more colourful beak at this time of the year.
It will be interesting to see, as the summer passes,if you get more of them in your area as we have done over here.