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1. 

   BobCarter Submitted 2 months ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

   An update on this Woodpigeon’s nest is that the first nest failed – it collapsed! They’re not the best nest-builders in the bird world from what I have seen but you can’t help but admire their determination! Good news is they rebuilt, the hen laid another pair of eggs (pigeons and doves have two eggs) and these successfully hatched and are now a healthy pair of ‘squeakers’ or ‘squabs’ as baby pigeons tend to be called in America. Pigeons are a popular dish over there at this age (two or three weeks old) and there are commercial squab farms which rear young for the table by the thousands! I know them as ‘squeakers’ and this is the noise they make for the first few weeks of their young lives. Our pair’s youngsters will leave the nest soon, with the father doing most of the feeding and mother already incubating the next round of eggs! They take turns in this and I could set a clock by some of my pigeons when ‘changeover’ arrived. The youngsters are fed on a typed of milk which is unique to pigeons and doves, for the first week or so of their lives, and this is followed by a mixture of whatever they can get – grains, seeds, berries – our pair were being fed a mix containing brambles. This is stored in the parent birds crop and brought to the youngsters where it is regurgitated for them (see photo above). They’re not the bonniest of babies. They grow very quickly on this diet, and within a month are ready for the off!

2. eileeng Submitted 2 months ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

   Hi Bob and all, Wish I had more time to compute but I wondered what u nature lovers think of cloning? Bernann Mckinney an american woman has had her pit bull Booger cloned and says she has Booger back. She has not. Booger is dead ,bless him. Cloning is misunderstood. Booger was a result of sexual reproduction from the Fresh sex cells of his parents.The 5 cloned pups of Booger were cloned from Boogers dna taken from his aged skin cells, which will have made many mistakes (mutations) in their many copyings. adult cells are totally different to embryonic cells. Like us dogs are of nature and nurture and none of these pups can have the exact nurture of Booger. Booger developed in his mothers womb (and inherited her mitochondria). These 5 pups used the wombs of two different mongrel bitches. Completely different nurture then in the nine weeks before birth.Nature makes clones by producing identical twins,triplets etc and we should leave well alone, in my opinion. Where will it all end. Bernann could have replaced ,for want of a better word,Booger by adopting another pit bull,especially of the same strain as Booger who would be pretty uniform to him in most of his genes (homozygous).She paid 25 Thousand and she could have done so much good with that money for unwanted dogs and also saved a good many dogs pain and distress in all the cloning process. Clearly she does not understand what cloning actually is to state that she has Booger back She most definately has not got him back. It is impossible. Will write of house martins soon.

3. BobCarter Submitted 2 months ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

   Reckon your post would go down well in the ‘Your Say’ section Eileen as cloning has many implications. I agree with you one hundred per cent – animals are not just the product of biolgy. Like humans, they are a result of both nature and nurture. Which has the most influence is the subject of much debate. I can also think of a couple of twin brothers I know. They were both brought up together in the same family circumstances. They are ‘true twins’ i.e both from the same egg. Physically they are very similiar but personality wise they are like the proverbial ‘chalk and cheese’. This raises an interesting issue of personality – what makes us the sort of person we are – what is our identity? One thing is for sure, it can’t be cloned! I don’t believe for one second that you can ‘bring back’ a pet, any animal or person through cloning. We are truly all unique individuals, animals and humans alike. I look forward to the House Martin article! I was watching a group colecting mud near Victoria dock a while ago-will post some pics.

4. eileeng Submitted about 1 month ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

   Hi Bob, In March 2006 we received a letter from the east riding council to say that they were starting reroofing of the many council houses around us, at the end of April.my immediate thought was the interference with the housemartins, who always return from S africa to reproduce under the eaves. I rung the RSPB first to get the legal position. which was that it is illegal to interfere wih active nests (1981 wildlife act).This is such a long involved story that I am going to have to try and condense it but I will never forget the hassle and complete ignorance of people. It involved the police wildlife officer who said "its not my baby, try environmental" and then them passing the buck.It involved many calls to the council "and letters"one council girl saying that "they ",the planners maybe didnt know that birds nested in the spring ,saying that well she didnt know that birds nested in the spring, after I pointed out that everyone knows this. Another unhelpful council female saying that " If the nests are knocked down that they will build another one nearby" and I asked her how she would feel if someone knocked her home down, only someone would build her a new on!!Many such comments. I was told that the workers would be careful . As I say it is a long story but I got nowhere as I saw workers systematically putting up poles and netting along the many rows of 4 houses. Not one that I could see ever checked for H M nests. I became very distressed as this fight involved every day and I felt so ill and upset for the MANY H M around us.I rung the rspb many times and I now wish I had rung the mail.The work went ahead, a caring neighbour opposite me refused, bless her, while the H M went back but she was told by a worker that if you refuse you will not get it done.One day a labour council leaflet came through my door asking if they could help with any problems so I rang Laurie Cross of Beverley who seemed concerned and told me that the council would not do anything illegal and promised to get back to me on it. He did not <twice.I had placed lots of faith in him but never again. When I contacted him a few weeks laterhe said,Quote, "It,s inevitable if damage is done,it would not be intentional.Its a question of balancing costs up, hundreds of thousands of pounds is invested in this project. The council are not taking any action that harms or damages the interests of birds, if harmed it is not intentional" unquote. When I said it was not good enough he replied that quore "We will have people ringing in saying b birds, what about our b roofs". I told him that they were not their roofs, they were council roofs and that the environment did not just belong to people, it was the birds too and that it was all about money. I came off the phone very distressed and I rang the rspb again who said "it is bad mentioning money, it is no excuse. I took this gurther I rang Swanland wildlife grouP and had an ongoing dialogue with Carol Ledgard who Knew how upset I was. She was very helpful and through Carol A Mike Newton came to see me and we walked around my area and he himself could see where H M were residing ,HAD resided and said surely no one could be so cruel etc and I said your faith in people is much higher than mine. To cut this short I managed to delay the two houses next to mine (ours had been bought). I know h m were disturbed and ALL the suffering that would involve.They cannot use their nesting sites any more as tHe eaves are all covered up. There is nowhere near the number of h m that there were prior to 2006, To conclude ,the attitudes of Mr Cross the councillor Of b birds and roofs sums up mankinds attitude to the natural world. There was much more to this story. Eileen

5. eileeng Submitted about 1 month ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

   hi Bob, thanks for your reply to my cloning post.Your comment on twins is spot on . Twins are a natural "tool" for biologists and the like as it can tell them something of nature and nurture. identical or one egg twins ,have the same dna, as you know and when they are separated and reared apart it gives info. about the genes and the environment. Also fraternal twins,(two egg) who are just like any other sibling conceived at differing times are studied too ,especially those sharing the same nurture. I find there is a lot of ignorance on twinning. my eldest son and my daughter went to a nurses dance and a nurse said "arent u alike, are u twins"? Which was rediculous really, coming from a nurse, as the very fact that they are a boy and girl should have given the info that they could not be identical twins . It is still hotly debated nature and nurture Personally through much study I lean more towards the genes though obviously the environment matters too Quess this should be in your say. Eileen . Regarding my H M post the b word is B——y, It would not let me post it . Just wanted u to know it was not the other 7 letter b . Eileen.

6. BobCarter Submitted about 1 month ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

   Well, Eileen, I can see you did your best for those House Martins – some wouldn’t have bothered at all. Hard to believe that some people claimed not to know that birds nest in the Spring! Wouldn’t blame you for swearing, Eileen, after what you went through. I know I said it before, but good on you doing your best to save the HM’s nests. I remember seeing a pair of swallows nesting in the eaves of a little terraced house opposite me when I lived down Hawthorne Avenue. Every year they returned. To see and hear their comings and goings on a late summer’s evening was magical. I returned home one day and noticed they were flying into the wall – sadly the owner of the house had put new fascia board up and blocked the nest. It was heartbreaking to see their repeated attempts to gain entry, occasionally falling to the ground. They disappeared eventually and hopefully found a new home. I often wonder if they had eggs or, even worse, chicks in their nest. I had a pair of feral pigeons nesting in the roof of one house I lived in and had to wait until the two youngsters had fledged before I could block the hole in the roof!

7. eileeng Submitted about 1 month ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

   Dear Bob, Thank u for your reply. Your swallow story broke my heart. The wildlife and countryside act 1982 makes it illegal to harm /destroy any active nests. The Mike Newton I mentioned worked for the council and was the ONLY council worker who showed any concern. I too was in disbelief at the council girls attitude. I said "well fancy arranging this work for the end of April, just when the H M return and she replied "well maybe they didnt know " and I said "come on love everyone knows that birds nest prior to and in the spring," and she said "Well I didnt know " so I said " have,nt u heard that spring is the season of love,with ALL the wildlife info around today" and she still said no , even a lady policewoman I rung during this fight could,nt stop laughing at this . It is unbelievable. This story was immense and typing lots more when a novice typist is very time consuming. //// For over 10 years now we have had H. M ,but this last few weeks has shown no sign of them. Is it the rain? I do not know. They have already raised one brood in all their natural nests. There has been a male house sparrow "nattering" at them and they do try to take over H M nests BUT no H SPAR> seem to be using the nests. We miss them so much and it has spoilt our summer. Where have they gone? Can u throw any light on it.! 1 Want to have a rant on dog breeding on your say.Yours is a great site. Eileen**
8. 

   BobCarter Submitted about 1 month ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

   Eileen, I’m not sure where your Housemartins may have gone. I know that some are looking like they’re ready for the ‘off’ to Africa! I watched a little group sweeping over the playing fields at Beresford Avenue today and the intermittent showers didn’t seem to trouble them at all though perhaps they might prove much more of a problem to the insects they were chasing! Perhaps yours have taken an early flight home? Don’t be despondent – give the new nests a chance. Here’s looking forward to next (dare I use the ‘S’ word?) summer, and nests full of twittering little ‘uns. I have attached a picture to cheer you up, taken a few weeks ago near Victoria Dock – these were busy collecting mud along the tide-line as it retreated. Thanks for your kind comments about the groups site, Eileen. Look forward to your ‘rant on dog breeding’ in the YourSay section – sounds interesting!

9. eileeng Submitted about 1 month ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

   Hi Bob, Thank u for your very thoughtful H M picture. yes it did cheer me up and I have put it as my desktop picture. You are very kind!. Wish there was lots more thoughtfulness about, it would be a better world for humans and wildlife. I have another story for you that happened 10 years ago .Nigel my husband had our two dogs on swinemoor pastures one Sunday morning and came across a badly injured mallard and being the caring man that he is brought it home under his arm, with our two strong dogs on a lead, which was a struggle. I will get back to this shortly .

10. eileeng Submitted about 1 month ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

    Mallard duck story continued. Hi Bob, this female mallard was in a bad way, a damaged wing and other injuries. I rang our vet practice in Norwood, Bev. where I had then been a client for over 35 years and the response I received from the veterinary surgeon then on call truely upset me and always will. He said ",You should have left it where it was" and that "one animals misfortune was another animals dinner"and "Can,t you strap it up yourself as I live a few miles away and my dinner will be ready shortly"and when I said I would be too scared to do that being untrained he got more rude and said he would meet us at the surgery as long as we were prompt as his dinner was nearly ready and as long as WE paid his petrol to come out from his village 5/6 miles north of Beverley,which I will not name, nor name the vet, as he is not here anymore BUT he thoroughly upset me as all my deep animal feelings came to the fore. I had always liked him too but my image of him was destroyed.So we arrived at norwood with me in a very emotional state and I guess he knew it because when I asked him afterwards how much petrol money I owed him he said "oh make a donation to the rspca instead" The female mallard was pts, bless her .His response to a suffering mallard and to two people who could NOT walk by and leave her to her fate will remain with me always. I obviously knew that one animals misfortune is anothers dinner but could never turn the other cheek. Could you Bob?. This vet could!!I would not have minded paying anything for this mallard BUT I remember thinking among other thoughts that it was HIS wildlife as well as mine and yet his thoughts went to a possible couple of quids petrol costs for him which was very bad.Cheers Eileen
11. 

    BobCarter Submitted about 1 month ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

    Eileen – Of course I couldn’t ‘turn the other cheek’ if I saw a bird or any other animal suffering. Over the past year or two I have seen ducks with heads stuck in beer can webbing, elastic bands around their heads, cygnet with a float stuck in its throat, pigeon with its head stick in a plastic container, baby hedgehog which had been run over(or stood on), a gull hanging from fishing line in a tree (sadly dead)- and others. The latest was a pigeon in Queen’s Gardens with both legs caught in string – it couldn’t walk for more than a few seconds and some of its toes were almost severed (see photo above). I managed to entice it with some bread from my sarnie and catch it. Together with a friend, we managed to remove all of the twine and what a joy to release it! They certainly get into some scrapes. I have heard the argument that we should not intervene, that we should let nature ‘take it’s course’. Well I believe that we are of course a part of nature and if our instincts compel us to intervene – than that is natural for us! This could make a good post as could the one on rubbish which is trapping and injuring many of these creatures.

12. eileeng Submitted about 1 month ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

    Hi Bob,Good news among all the bad our H M returned an hour ago and went straight into their natural built nests. Now where they have spent these last few weeks is a mystery. This has made my day and I shall closely observe them, which is difficult with all our animal family to see to ,all 27 of them1!2 dogs, 15 cats and 10 lagomorphs (rabbits).All neutered and very well cared for which takes up lots of time and also continuous cleaning up, after them. Plus some ,being old have time consuming health problems bless them. What did u think to the very true vet. story? You are doing a great job with your compassionate ways.Personally I cannot understand anyone not showing compassion to ANY suffering. I would like to get back on the issue of mans discarded rubbish and tha harm caused to wildlife, for example I always cut elastic bands before disposal. Have u ever noticed those red ones that litter the streets what postpeople drop? I would like to talk of pigeons and the way some refer to them as flying rats,even radio presenters do this. I have been on R H soapbox on this several times to defend the pigeons. God bless them. I am dead against balloons being released willy nilly as they cause suffering to wildlife and lots more. I will come back on it when I can. Cheers Eileen.p s From all the birds u have helped-a BIG thank you**

13. BobCarter Submitted about 1 month ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

    That is good news, Eileen! You certainly love your fur ‘n feathers. I was apalled by the vet story. Yes, I have noticed those red elastic bands – a friend of mine who worked for the Royal Mail told me they spent thousands of pounds per year on laggy bands! I have a picture of a mallard duck with one tied caught on its head/beak.I know one good lady who, every day, picks up discarded rubbish around her local pond incl fishing line, etc I can see a post coming soon re-rubbish!

14. eileeng Submitted about 1 month ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

    Hi Bob and other members. I am posting to ask if any other wildlife lover knows of the Yorkshire Swan Rescue Hospital at Stearsby Hagg Farm ,Brandsby, Near York, N yorks. YO61 4SH ,email info@ysrh.org.uk. They do a wonderful job and not just with injured swans. I have asked their help twice on seeing an injured bird and their response was good.One of these times was a few days after the rspca did not turn up ,after me contacting them, (which was later blamed on the rspca phone staff being paid peanuts and not really caring),yet the rspca are reputed to have millions but the Swan Rescue is a SMALL struggling local band of volunteers who have no big money behind them. Each time I donated, though I did not have to but they need income badly. Hence my post. It is £12 adult supporter per year,£17 joint adult,£7 OAP/unwaged per year and £250 LIFE supporter. cheques payable to yorkshire swan rescue hospital. Web. www.ysrh.org.uk They also need swabs,gauzes etc, stationery, kitchen rolls, towels bread buckets etc. Have a look at their website. they really do a great job and it would help greatly for people to join and/or supply things. Thanks Eileen PS Wish I could stay and compute all day on such (and other )issues but I have our animal charges to see to.

15. BobCarter Submitted about 1 month ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

    Hi, Eileen. I have made a post in YourSay about groups such as YSRH hoping that any similiar local groups will submit their own details so we might even complile a list over time. I haven’t posted it here as they would have to join the group in order to respond! Hopefully we might be able to generate some interest in their work and, who knows, even a volunteer or two or a few pounds?!

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