Out And About.

[mongers]

All the Tolkien illustrations were very interesting to see. Exhibit was super packed though. At one point was in a queue to see the display of drawings for The Hobbit.

I guess the students going up to uni made it worse, good you enjoyed it.

[mongers]

Heard a snippet of Philip Larkin's 'The Trees' on the radio today, so taking inspiration from it, I went on a ride across the forest this evening to see the trees. 

Beautiful evening, warm, sunny, little wind; aren't to many of these sort of evenings left in a life.

[Eddie Teach]

You should round the experience out with a read of The Lorax.

[KRonn]

Time for birds to migrate. Today I first noticed flocks of birds gathering, mostly starlings and grackles. Sometime in November I can start to fill my bird feeders for the winter birds, since migrating birds descend on them and empty them. Even in summer starlings and grackles are too numerous around the feeders so I stopped filing most of them. The summer ones I do fill are for finches which attract finches and sometimes sparrows but other birds leave them alone. I also put out a hummingbird feeder this summer and caught quick glimpses of them feeding a couple of times.

[mongers]

Time for birds to migrate. Today I first noticed flocks of birds gathering, mostly starlings and grackles. Sometime in November I can start to fill my bird feeders for the winter birds, since migrating birds descend on them and empty them. Even in summer starlings and grackles are too numerous around the feeders so I stopped filing most of them. The summer ones I do fill are for finches which attract finches and sometimes sparrows but other birds leave them alone. I also put out a hummingbird feeder this summer and caught quick glimpses of them feeding a couple of times.

That'a pretty cool, wish I could see those in my garden.

Good work there KRonn, on the feeding.

[Liep]

Heard a snippet of Philip Larkin's 'The Trees' on the radio today, so taking inspiration from it, I went on a ride across the forest this evening to see the trees. 

Beautiful evening, warm, sunny, little wind; aren't to many of these sort of evenings left in a life.

Inspired I took a trip along the sea to the forest, warm, sunny, little wind and trees that just started turning yellow. Forecast says we'll get half a dozen more of these days within just 10 days.

[KRonn]

Time for birds to migrate. Today I first noticed flocks of birds gathering, mostly starlings and grackles. Sometime in November I can start to fill my bird feeders for the winter birds, since migrating birds descend on them and empty them. Even in summer starlings and grackles are too numerous around the feeders so I stopped filing most of them. The summer ones I do fill are for finches which attract finches and sometimes sparrows but other birds leave them alone. I also put out a hummingbird feeder this summer and caught quick glimpses of them feeding a couple of times.

That'a pretty cool, wish I could see those in my garden.

Good work there KRonn, on the feeding.

Thanks.  When I first put out the finch feeder I didn't know what to expect. But the first winter I had two of them and I'd get up to ten or twelve goldfinches at one time. I still get them but not in those numbers. I also see red or house finches (they look so alike I can't tell which is which). When I put out suet for woodpecker type critters I get various types, at least until the squirrels figure out how to get at the feeders. Then I have to take them down. My other seed feeders get the more common birds - chicadees, various sparrows, cardinals, blue jays, mourning doves and an occasional red headed woodpecker. Those feeders are spring loaded so when a squirrel-a-saurus gets onto them they close up. So squirrels stop trying.

Hey, it's winter and I'm partially retired - it adds to the interest and I've always like birds. I even had a hawk take birds a couple of times. One of those times I saw the hawk on the ground before it took off with its kill.

[Liep]

Getting my shorts out again as it's nearing 20 degrees here, very rare in October. To the forest trails!

[mongers]

Getting my shorts out again as it's nearing 20 degrees here, very rare in October. To the forest trails!

Yeah, it's somewhat weird, isn't it. Could reach 23 C here!

I'm off to the seafront/beach this evening.

[Liep]

Getting my shorts out again as it's nearing 20 degrees here, very rare in October. To the forest trails!

Yeah, it's somewhat weird, isn't it. Could reach 23 C here!

I'm off to the seafront/beach this evening.

It was so lovely out I took a detour there as well.

[KRonn]

Liep, that looks nice and I notice that the trees are in pretty full Fall foliage. In contrast, trees here in eastern Massachusetts are just starting to turn. It seems a later foliage season than usual as we've had some warmer September/October temps at times.

[Liep]

Liep, that looks nice and I notice that the trees are in pretty full Fall foliage. In contrast, trees here in eastern Massachusetts are just starting to turn. It seems a later foliage season than usual as we've had some warmer September/October temps at times.

Yeah, I was in Boston in early September and it was a boiling 30-35C all week  . After a great summer here it turned cooler quite rapidly to normal fall temperatures of 10-15C with 5C at night but this week has been very warm.

[mongers]

Liep, rather lovely photos there.

Very sunny and warm down at the beach this evening, it's still 17C at midnight! 

[Maladict]

Completed my 800km cross-country hike yesterday 

[garbon]

Oh my.